Chicago's extensive web of surveillance cameras was key to law enforcement's success in tracking down Jussie Smollett's two co-conspirators, who helped the "Empire" actor stage an allegedly fake hate crime for which he has since been charged, the AP reports.
Details: By leveraging Chicago's colossal camera network — which has more than 32,000 cameras on buildings, poles, buses and even some private residences (with the owners' permission) — detectives were able to track the men's movements after the attack. Investigators used footage from the men's cab — whose driver they also interviewed — and following the vehicle "along a trail of cameras" to Chicago's North Side. They also reviewed "telephone logs, ride-share records and credit card records" as evidence to bring charges against Smollett.
Wall Street Journal testing revealed that at least 11 popular apps, with millions of downloads to date, have been sharing highly personal data with Facebook.
Details: When users share their body weight, blood pressure, menstrual cycle, or pregnancy status with certain apps, that information is sent to Facebook and often matched with the Facebook profile of that user. At least 6 of the top 15 health and fitness apps in Apple’s iOS store — including iFlo Period & Ovulation Tracker and Instant Heart Rate: HR Monitor — sent sensitive user data to Facebook immediately after the information was collected. Per the WSJ, these apps frequently send this data without any disclosure to users.
Twitter co-founder Ev Williams is stepping down from the company's board after 12 years.
Why it matters: Williams helped start the company in 2006 and was Twitter's CEO from 2008 to 2010. He's currently running Medium, an online publishing service, while also investing in startups.
CNBC reports that when asked if dropping the criminal charges against Huawei would be part of the deal during the Oval Office meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, Trump said he'll be discussing the issue with U.S. attorneys and attorney general in the coming weeks.
My thought bubble: In one statement, the president has made clear to the Chinese that he can intervene in U.S. criminal matters, has shown that the U.S. judiciary is not really independent, and has possibly undermined the U.S. government's campaign (see next item) to block Huawei from 5G networks around the world.
A group of Microsoft workers is once again calling on the company to pull out of a U.S. military contract, saying they never signed up to build tools for war-making.
The bottom line: Microsoft has previously said it intends to continue doing work with the U.S. government, including the armed forces.
Technology in today's cars can make driving safer — but it can also be dangerous if not used properly.
Why it matters: Self-driving cars don't exist yet, but many people still confuse today's driver-assist technologies with self-driving capability. Understanding how these systems can steer, brake and accelerate — and when not to rely on them — could help people learn to trust fully automated vehicles when they finally arrive.
Ray Ozzie, the man who created Lotus Notes and helped usher Microsoft into the cloud era has a new goal: helping devices in the home get smarter by hooking them up directly to the cellular airwaves. In an exclusive interview, Ozzie said his startup has started trials with AT&T on a module that securely connects all sorts of products, from appliances and alarms to vending machines and construction equipment.
Bottom line: There's no doubt that many more devices are going to be connected wirelessly in coming years and that not all device makers will want to handle connectivity themselves. Ozzie's startup is likely to be just one of many companies willing to take on that task.
Recent hacks of connected vehicles can teach AV developers how to design cybersecurity measures that are cued by anomalies in vehicle behavior.
Why it matters: Today's connected vehicles lack adequate security systems, and autonomous vehicles will have far more vulnerabilities, raising the stakes even higher.
Ride-sharing options are scarce for people who use wheelchairs or have other travel limitations — and the need is likely to grow as the U.S. population ages.
Why it matters: With accessible ride-sharing, AV companies could expand travel options for as many as 15.4 million people who have the means to use ride-sharing services but limited opportunities.
The New York Times reports that experts from the U.S. played a role in the Chinese government's use of DNA samples to keep tabs on its Uighur population — the largely Muslim ethnic group whose members the government has also forced into camps.
The big picture, per the NYT: Almost 36 million people took part in a DNA testing program in Xinjiang, the part of China where the government's campaign against Uighurs is most pronounced. Many Uighurs were coerced into giving the samples.
Some of the country's biggest advertisers are yanking their ads from YouTube after a YouTube blogger posted a video highlighting how some posts on the platform have comments that discuss sexualizing young children.
Why it matters: Google-ownedYouTube has faced several advertiser boycotts over the years in response to reports about ads showing up next to harmful or offensive content. Most of these conflicts have eventually been resolved, but each one adds to an ongoing narrative that big tech services, and YouTube in particular, are not good places for established companies to run ads.
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