CURRENT UPDATES ON AI, PRIVACY & BIG DATA NEWS
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CURRENT UPDATES
ON AI, PRIVACY &
BIG DATA NEWS
SPF IS EMPOWERED TO ACQUIRE TENSIONS RISE AS ALGORITHMS
TRACETOGETHER DATA FOR DECIDE WHO GETS THE FIRST
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS INOCULATIONS
On Jan 4, Desmond Tan, Minister of State for Healthcare workers at California’s Stanford
Home Affairs said that the Singapore Police Health Care (SHC) protested when they
Force (SPF) is able to acquire TraceTogether learned that a plan to distribute the COVID-
information for criminal investigations. Mr. Tan 19 vaccine had left the hospital's 1,300
revealed that the SPF is authorised under the frontline doctors out of the first vaccine
Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) to obtain any rollout. The hospital officials faulted the
data, as well as the TraceTogether information. complex algorithm it had built to determine
He also mentioned that the Government is the the workers’ place in line. The algorithm
data custodian of TraceTogether information breakdown showed that its real error came
provided by citizens and stringent measures from the humans who built it by prioritising
are implemented to safeguard the personal workers according to age instead of their risk
details. Mr. Tan stated examples of these of exposure to the virus at work. Issues with
measures which include only permitting the design of the algorithms or with the data
authorised officials to obtain the data, utilising they are fed can distort the outcome, with
such data for lawful purposes, and storing the repercussions such as racial biases,
data on a secured platform. However, a privacy inaccuracies, and wrongful arrests of facial
statement on the TraceTogether website had recognition software used by police. Far too
initially stated that the data would be solely often, the algorithms get blamed for human
utilised for contact tracing purposes. The errors. SHC neglected or overlooked the
website was revised on Jan 4 which shed light weaknesses that could severely compromise
on how the CPC applies to all data under the algorithms’ results. Data scientists and AI
Singapore's judicial system. researchers say that transparency is crucial
PUBLISHED ON JAN 4, 2021 and it is the only solution.
SOURCE: CHANNEL NEWS ASIA PUBLISHED ON DEC 24, 2020
LINK: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore- SOURCE: WASHINGTON POST
police-force-can-obtain-tracetogether-data-covid-19-13889914 LINK: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/23/covid-
vaccine-algorithm-failure/
AI-CONTROLLED VERTICAL FARMS CONCERNS RAISED ON GRAB-
BRING HOPES OF REVOLUTION IN GOJEK MERGER IMPACT ON
THE FUTURE OF FOOD DRIVERS AND CONSUMERS
PRODUCTION
In December 2020, Grab allegedly notified its
While the world’s population rockets towards 8 employees that it was in a position to take
billion, the amount of farmlands is shrinking, over Gojek. Grab has a strong growth record
which is a grave concern for the future of and is currently valued at SGD$14 billion.
agriculture. The more civilization expands and There has been discussion about the
flourishes, the more likely it cannot keep up potential impact of the merging on key
with food demands. A San Francisco stakeholders such as drivers and consumers,
agricultural-technical start-up, Plenty, thinks it partly due to the fact that both companies
might just have the solution. Co-founder Nate are related to ride-hailing from the view of
Storey aims to reinvent farming and has consumers. A perspective holds that as both
developed climate-controlled upright farms that are already competing in markets with very
are so promising, they have attracted $400 few huge rivals, Singapore’s competition
million in funding from ex-Google CEO Eric watchdogs may be against the merging due
Schmidt, Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos, and to concerns that the terms for workers and
SoftBank. These vertical farms take up only 2 consumers may aggravate post-merger. Grab
acres yet produce 720 acres worth of harvest. has a bigger market share in the ride-hailing
Light, temperature, and water are controlled by and food delivery businesses compared to
AI-operated robots. The operation is so efficient Gojek. In the event that the merger occurs,
that it utilises 99 percent less land and 95 consumers still have other ride-hailing and
percent less water compared to usual farming food delivery alternatives such as Foodpanda
operations and rows of hanging plants produce and Deliveroo. However, drivers are a group
400 times more food per acre than a normal of stakeholders that might be vulnerable if
farm. AI monitors growth patterns and regularly the merger takes place. After the earlier
adjusts environmental factors to ensure stage when ride-hailing companies
constant efficiency and economic output. With aggressively recruited as many drivers as
agricultural industries being disrupted by a possible, the terms and conditions of drivers
pandemic and natural disasters, Plenty's have gradually changed, especially after
approach will play a vital role in establishing COVID-19 struck Singapore. The change is
future stability in food production. predicted to persist as the market matures.
PUBLISHED ON DEC 30, 2020 PUBLISHED ON JAN 5, 2021
SOURCE: TECH XPLORE SOURCE: CHANNEL NEWS ASIA
LINK: https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-ai-controlled-vertical- LINK: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/grab-
farms-revolution-food.html gojek-merger-impact-riders-drivers-consumer-price-incentive-
13890132?cid=FBcnaTHE USE OF FACIAL RECOGNITION
TOOLS TRIGGERS DEBATES AFTER
ANOTHER FALSE-ARREST CASE
An African-American man in New Jersey was
SMART HOME DEVICES ARE HACKED
wrongfully arrested and detained for more
INTO TO LIVESTREAM POLICE RAIDS
than a week on the charges of shoplifting,
FBI has warned about the recent escalation of assault and drug possession, based on a
a crime known as “swatting”, where offenders false facial-recognition match. This has
trick emergency responders into dispatching to triggered debates over the use of this rapidly-
a target’s residence and they have now also growing technology by law enforcement
started to hijack smart home devices to make authorities. Following the crime, the police
fake calls and then livestream the police requested for facial-recognition analysis from
raids. This is possible since victims often local authorities who responded that they had
reuse passwords when setting up smart a “high profile comparison”, to which the
devices, and lists of hacked credentials are police obtained an arrest warrant for. Although
easily available on illegal markets. This facial-recognition software has helped solve
enables hackers to gain access to home wi-fi many crimes, these tools have increasingly
passwords and to smart devices, such as drawn criticism due to being less accurate in
smart doorbells, which share the same identifying Black and other non-White
network. Offenders call the police to report a ethnicities, thereby contributing further to racial
crime and then engage with them via the bias in policing. Jurisdictions have started to
smart device’s camera and speakers, ban the police from using facial recognition
livestreaming the incident on online community due to this reason, with San Francisco being
platforms. In November, the police received a the first to issue a ban last year. Furthermore,
fake call from a person about to commit a few tech giants have set limits on the use
suicide, but upon arriving at the house, the of facial-recognition software, with Amazon
hacker told the police via the Ring doorbell and Microsoft pledging not to sell its
that he had hijacked into four cameras at the technology to the police until a nation-wide
residence and was charging others $5 to law is enacted to regulate its use.
watch it online. FBI has advised smart home PUBLISHED ON DEC 29, 2020
owners to use complicated passwords and to SOURCE: WALL STREET JOURNAL
LINK: https://www.wsj.com/articles/facial-recognition-tools-in-
change them regularly.
spotlight-in-new-jersey-false-arrest-case-
11609269719?mod=tech_featst_pos1
PUBLISHED ON DEC 31, 2020
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
LINK: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55499164SMART NATION: SMART PARKING CHALLENGES IN FINTECH: DO
SYSTEM TO BE PILOTED AT DIGITAL BANKS HAVE A PLACE IN
PUNGGOL HDB RESIDENCES SINGAPORE?
From Monday (Jan 4), residents and visitors Only 20% of adults in Singapore have an
to the Northshore Residences in Punggol account with a digital-only bank, but this value
would be the first to trial HDB’s new smart is predicted to increase to one-third of the
parking system. Aimed at improving adult population by 2025. Besides the rise in
efficiency and the parking experience, digital scams that may cause wariness, in
features to be tested include seamless entry times of uncertainty, traditional banks are
and exit, in-app notifications on the start and perceived to be a safer haven. Despite this,
end of parking sessions, payment of parking digital banks can thrive among certain
fees via credit or debit card through the segments of the population. Small businesses,
Parking@HDB app and overhead light hawker stalls that have fairly unstructured
indicators signalling parking lot availability. business models or people with more erratic
Instead of inserting cash cards into the In- incomes may not have a track-record to obtain
Vehicle Unit (IU) and worrying about a favourable loan, where digital banks have the
insufficient funds, this system detects the flexibility to use other indices to determine their
entering vehicle, automatically activates the credit-worthiness. However, a digital bank
parking session via the app and deducts account is still required to be linked to a
parking charges when the vehicle exits the traditional bank account since the Monetary
car park. Smart cameras are in place to Authority of Singapore does not grant digital
detect vehicles parked illegally, where banks access to the ATM or cash deposit. The
offenders will receive a warning alert on challenge for digital-only banks is to convince
their apps to remove their vehicles in order potential customers of the benefits of digital
to avoid receiving a fine. This 24-hour banking, such as lower fees and higher interest
automated surveillance-enforcement is said rates, and to compete with traditional banks
to give way for more orderly parking that that have not only also digitalised their
benefits both visitors and residents. Based services, but have greater consumer
on the feedback gathered, HDB will explore confidence.
the feasibility of expanding the smart parking PUBLISHED ON DEC 25, 2020
system to other BTO fats. SOURCE: CHANNEL NEWS ASIA
LINK:
PUBLISHED ON DEC 30, 2020 https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/singapore-
SOURCE: CHANNEL NEWS ASIA digital-banking-customers-licences-dbs-ocbc-grab-ant-13782300
LINK: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/smart-
parking-system-trial-punggol-northshore-residences-jan-4-
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