According to the Intercept, the NYPD maintained until very recently a fingerprint database gathered from people charged as juveniles, in violation of state law.
Microsoft has announced that it will extend California’s privacy protections under the new California Consumer Privacy Act to the rest of the United States.
Following a Wall Street Journal article which revealed “Project Nightingale”, Alphabet (Google’s parent company) announced that it has partnered with Ascension, the second largest healthcare system in the United States. This will provide the company access to the health information of millions of patients across 21 states. In response, the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services initiated an investigation to ensure that the partnership is in compliance with HIPAA. There is similarly a question as to the implications this partnership would have for Google’s plans to acquire FitBit.
A Federal District Court in Massachusetts ruled earlier this week that searches of electronic devices at the border without reasonable suspicion violate the Fourth Amendment.
A recent New York Times opinion piece offered the idea of a public option in AI to facilitate competitive entrance to the market.
The New York Times reported on the Trump administration’s push for new rules that will limit the scientific research the EPA can use to determine public health regulations. In particular, the article details “a new draft of the Environmental Protection Agency proposal, titled Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science, [which] would require that scientists disclose all of their raw data, including confidential medical records, before the agency could consider an academic study’s conclusions.” This measure would significantly impact regulation which is based on research results gathered from, for example, health records subject to confidentiality agreements. The draft, if it is adopted, could also apply retroactively to regulation currently in place.
Manual Override, an exhibit currently showing at the Shed at Hudson Yards, showcases works by artists engaging with and critiquing emerging technology.
(Compiled by student fellow Stav Zeitouni)