Hacker News Reader

flatuson China rolls out anal swab Covid-19 test, saying more accurate than throat method

I was kinda hoping the Biden administration would get behind this [since it would improve the CDC's statistics undoubtedly].

flatuson After spending $57M on Facebook ads, I was kicked off

Watch whether Facebook (or a partner) duplicates Shared.com's content. This may be a very clear example of monopoly behavior.

flatuson No Country for Old Developers

FTFA: I love this:

"Mark Zuckerberg was quoted as saying: “I want to stress the importance of being young and technical. Young people are just smarter.” "

b/c it crystallizes, for all time and for all to see, how wrong Mark Zuckerberg can be.

flatuson He spent 10 days in jail after facial recognition led to arrest of the wrong man

That's nothing: Steven Talley was identified by the FBI as the primary suspect in two bank robberies using a facial recognition algorithm. He had an iron-clad alibi, but the police and FBI weren't convinced. In court one of the bank tellers said Talley definitely wasn't the robber. Nonetheless Talley lost his job, his wife and his family and was held in prison for months:

"LOSING FACE: How a Facial Recognition Mismatch Can Ruin Your Life"

https://theintercept.com/2016/10/13/how-a-facial-recognition...

FTFA:

"Talley said he was held for nearly two months in a maximum security pod and was released only after his public defender obtained his employer’s surveillance records. In a time-stamped audio recording from 11:12 a.m. on the day of the May robbery, Talley could be heard at his desk trying to sell mutual funds to a potential client."

Today Talley is still trying to claw his way back to normalcy.

In the outstanding book "Hello World" Hannah Fry examines Talley's story as part of a chapter on crime, AI and facial recognition. Reading Fry's book convinced me that facial recognition software simply does not work well enough to use in police work. As Fry says:

"If you're searching for a particular criminal in digital line-up of millions...the best-case scenario is that you won't find the right person one in six times...". That is not nearly good enough for law enforcement and the courts.

"Hello World" by Hannah Fry

https://www.amazon.com/Hello-World-Hannah-Fry/dp/0857525255

flatuson Tensions in Google's ethical AI group increase as it sends demands to CEO

throwaway2245:9 says >"The department probably exists in the first place as a result of an internal political struggle and compromise - with some decision-makers wanting Google to be genuinely more ethical, and others wanting to avoid any genuine oversight."<

I certainly hope you are right. And with some foresight, the ethics department is a "Golgafrinchan Ark Fleet Ship B" now fully loaded and ready for departure. Bon Voyage!

https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Golgafrinchan_Ark_Fleet_...