Amazon considering opening up to 3,000 cashierless stores by 2021: Bbg
Reuters reports: "Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) is considering a plan to open as many as 3,000 new Amazon Go cashierless stores in the next few years, Bloomberg reported here on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. [...] The Amazon Go store, which has no cashiers and allows shoppers to buy things with the help of a smartphone app, is widely seen as a concept that can alter brick-and-mortar retail."

Comment: Ok, let's get this out of the way first: I'm not saying this is the MOTB and I don't claim to know what the MOTB will be. That said, I think it is worthwhile to note trends and technologies that may become the MOTB.

I think this is a noteworthy development because it suggests a level of technology that allows people to shop without cash or traditional payment methods. They do, however, need to scan an app before entering the store. In other words, if you don't have the app, you can't buy anything. Commentators have been anticipating the rise of a cashless society for many years now and although we are not there yet, this development is bringing that day closer.  Let's keep an eye on this.

AP - Tech leaders push for more White House focus on AI
AP reports: "Kratsios was hosting the Trump White House’s first summit on artificial intelligence, convening tech giants such as Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft as well as major retailers, banks, drugmakers, carmakers, food companies and engineering schools. Some in the crowd had been pushing the administration to focus more on AI and related issues in science and technology. Academic leaders have pitched for more investment in basic research. [...] Kratsios said a new committee is being formed that will coordinate AI investments across federal agencies, including research related to autonomous systems, biometric identification, computer vision and robotics. He called for a 'free-market approach' that would harness the combined strength of government, industry and academia while limiting regulation that could “hamstring” companies, according to his prepared remarks."

Comment: Biometrics and computer vision will increasingly become important in our daily lives as transaction data (social and economic) increases in value.

India's Supreme Court rules privacy is a fundamental right - AP
AP reports: "India’s top court ruled Thursday that privacy is a fundamental right of every citizen, in a landmark judgment that could affect the country’s mammoth identity card system. The verdict was in response to many petitions filed in courts questioning the validity of assigning a biometric identity card to every individual. The government has made the identity card mandatory for all citizens to receive welfare benefits, but human rights groups raised concerns about the risk of personal data being misused. [...] Rights activists hailed the verdict as a win for individual freedom."

Comment: This is a win for the people of India but also something of a disappointment. As a test-case for mark-tech India was making remarkable strides in combining biometric identity verification with a broad range of government services. I saw it as a laboratory for seeing what could be done in this area with off-the-shelf technology combined with sheer government coercion and the outcome was looking rather impressive. The currency system of an entire country was being changed almost overnight and millions of undocumented people were being brought into an online system and given digital identities to secure services and payments. It was an impressive accomplishment. All of that is in doubt now. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

Apple removes foreign VPN apps from Chinese app store - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Virtual-private network, or VPN, applications have been removed from Apple's Chinese app store. Foreign companies had developed the apps to get around China's Internet filters. [...] Residents in China utilize VPNs to get around the 'Great Firewall' that censors Chinese Internet and limits access. [...] China, Apple's largest market outside the United States, pledged to crack down on unapproved VPNs and restricted other online content as part of a 14-month campaign to 'clean up' the Internet."

Comment: Score a point for the "Great Firewall" of China. This news report casts this as a human rights issue and there's no doubt it is. Human rights workers, political activists and international visitors all use VPNs to access the global internet but there is another group impacted that this article does not mention. There is a large underground Christian church in China that exists alongside the official state-approved churches and those believers also use this technology to access Christian resources and contacts. As all internet traffic comes under the control of the state, these groups will become increasingly vulnerable to state intimidation and control.

Wisconsin company hopes to offer microchip implants to employees - UPI.com
UPI reports: "A Wisconsin company wants to offer surgically implanted microchips for employees to make it easier to buy snacks in the break room. [...] the implanted microchip makes it easier for people to pay for items at work. Instead of looking for coins, cash or a credit card, they would only need to place their hand in front of a scanner and electronically pay for their item. The microchip would have other uses, as well, like serving as an electronic key to open doors and identify the user to login at a computer. [...] Approximately 50 Three Square Market employees have volunteered to have the microchip inserted. Westby said it is not mandatory."

Comment: This seems like a clever way to entice people with the novelty of it while desensitizing them to the extreme privacy threat posed by implanted chip tech. I love that line where the CEO says it's not mandatory and he left off the "yet" part, lol. I would like to think that Americans still retain enough of the independent spirit to ever go along with this kind of monitoring and control.

AP - Face scans for US citizens flying abroad stir privacy issues
The AP reports: "If the Trump administration gets its way, U.S. citizens boarding international flights will have to submit to a face scan, a plan privacy advocates call a step toward a surveillance state. The Department of Homeland Security says it’s the only way to successfully expand a program that tracks nonimmigrant foreigners. They have been required by law since 2004 to submit to biometric identity scans — but to date have only had their fingerprints and photos collected prior to entry. Now, DHS says it’s finally ready to implement face scans on departure — aimed mainly at better tracking visa overstays but also at tightening security. But, the agency says, U.S. citizens must also be scanned for the program to work. Privacy advocates say that oversteps Congress’ mandate."

Comment: It's been a while since we had a MOTB update. I'm not sure this really rises to the level of a good update. As you can see from the report, it's very tentative, part of me thinks "ok, let me know if they actually do require face scans" but the reality is that they probably will. Consumers have already demonstrated a willingness to surrender their privacy and their dignity in the name of travel safety, this is simply one more step. I suppose we should not be too alarmed, no doubt the biometric ID database will be well secured from hackers, right?  Finally, the usual caveat, I'm not saying that this or any other biometric tech is the MOTB, this is simply a tech trend worth keeping an eye on. 

CNN - Fake in China: 488 million social media posts a year
CNN reports: "The Chinese government cranks out 488 million fake social media posts a year in an effort to divert attention away from sensitive issues, a new study estimates. The researchers describe a 'massive secretive operation' carried out by government employees, highlighting just how far China is willing to go to control news and information."

Comment: Social media seems to take on a life of its own  with the narrative sometimes diverging wildly from the original topic. Celebrities, governments and corporations have all have their social media fails as well-intended  tweets are either misinterpreted or mocked online. But, what if you could guide the flow of the narrative? If social media is a storm would it be possible to manufacture countervailing winds to steer the storm in the desired direction? It seems that China is currently conducting just such an experiment using millions of fake social media posts. It's a fascinating and yet scary development.

U.S. high court approves rule change to expand FBI hacking power | Reuters
Reuters reports: "The Supreme Court on Thursday approved a rule change that would let U.S. judges issue search warrants for access to computers located in any jurisdiction despite opposition from civil liberties groups who say it will greatly expand the FBI's hacking authority. U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts transmitted the rules to Congress, which will have until Dec. 1 to reject or modify the changes to the federal rules of criminal procedure. If Congress does not act, the rules would take effect automatically. Magistrate judges normally can order searches only within the jurisdiction of their court, which is typically limited to a few counties."

U.S. spy court rejected zero surveillance orders in 2015: memo | Reuters
Reuters reports: "The secretive U.S. Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Court did not deny a single government request in 2015 for electronic surveillance orders granted for foreign intelligence purposes, continuing a longstanding trend, a Justice Department document showed. The court received 1,457 requests last year on behalf of the National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for authority to intercept communications, including email and phone calls, according to a Justice Department memo sent to leaders of relevant congressional committees on Friday and seen by Reuters. The court did not reject any of the applications in whole or in part, the memo showed. "

AP - Border checkpoint scans eyes, faces of departing foreigners
The AP reports: "The federal government is using eye scans and facial recognition technology for the first time to verify the identities of foreigners leaving the United States on foot — a trial move aimed at closing a longstanding security gap, officials announced Thursday. Before now, foreigners who left the country were rarely checked by U.S. authorities as they walked into Mexico or Canada through ports of entry. The checkout system that launched Feb. 11 at a busy San Diego border crossing with Mexico aims to ensure those who enter the country leave when their visas expire and identify those who violate that. Up to half of the people in the U.S. illegally are believed to have overstayed their visas."

DOJ trying to force Apple's cooperation in terror case - UPI.com
UPI reports: "The U.S. Department of Justice is taking the gloves off in its fight with Apple to access a cellphone belonging to one of the San Bernardino terror suspects. The federal law enforcement agency filed a court motion Friday in an attempt to force Apple, the phone's manufacturer, to help the FBI break into the smartphone used by suspected gunman Syed Rizwan Farook. [...] The problem, as seen by Apple, is that the FBI's request requires the company to create software that would facilitate the siphoning of personal data from the locked iPhone -- which is exactly the type of activity the security features were designed to prevent."

My Way News - Massive year-end spending bill includes cybersecurity act
My Way News reports: "A massive year-end spending measure moving through Congress includes a provision that will encourage companies to share cyber threat information with the government while providing them with liability protections for not acting on information received. [...] The Cybersecurity Act of 2015 largely hews to the Senate version of the bill, which passed despite concerns about privacy and transparency from some senators and technology companies, such as Apple and Yelp."

U.S. government reveals breadth of requests for Internet records | Reuters
Reuters reports: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation has used a secretive authority to compel Internet and telecommunications firms to hand over customer data including an individual’s complete web browsing history and records of all online purchases, a court filing released Monday shows. The documents are believed to be the first time the government has provided details of its so-called national security letters, which are used by the FBI to conduct electronic surveillance without the need for court approval."

My Way News - Trump says he would 'absolutely' implement Muslim database
My Way News reports: "Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump voiced support Thursday evening for creating a mandatory database to track Muslims in the United States — the latest in an escalating series of responses following the deadly attacks in Paris. [...] Asked whether registering would be mandatory, Trump responded: 'They have to be.'"

My Way News - Here we go again: Paris attacks may renew encryption debate
My Way News reports: "The deadly attacks in Paris may soon reopen the debate over whether — and how — tech companies should let governments bypass the data scrambling that shields everyday commerce and daily digital life. So far, there's no hard evidence that the Paris extremists relied on encrypted communications — essentially, encoded digital messages that can't be read without the proper digital 'keys' — to plan the shooting and bombing attacks that left 129 dead on Friday."

FCC: We Can't Force Google and Facebook to Stop Tracking You Online - NBC News
NBC News reports: "The Federal Communications Commission said Friday that it can't force Internet companies like Google, Facebook and ad providers from tracking users online. The commission had been petitioned by the privacy advocacy group Consumer Watchdog to make the "Do Not Track" setting in many browsers illegal to ignore."

My Way News - Britain seeks greater access to citizens' online activity
My Way News reports: "The British government plans to make telecommunications firms keep records of customers' Web histories and help spies hack into computers and phones under a new cyber-snooping law unveiled Wednesday. [...] If approved by Parliament, the bill will let police and spies access Internet connection records — a list of websites, apps and messaging services someone has visited, though not the individual pages they looked at or the messages they sent."

My Way News - Cybersecurity: Senate takes initial step to bill's passage
My Way News reports: "The Senate is set to pass a bill aimed at improving cybersecurity by encouraging the sharing of threat information among companies and the U.S. government. An 83-14 procedural vote Thursday represented a healthy endorsement of a bill opposed by companies such as Apple and Dropbox, who said it lacks key privacy protections and may result in personal information ending up in the government's hands. [...] The Senate's vote on final passage is expected next week. The House passed its version of the bill earlier this year with strong bipartisan support. If the Senate were to pass the bill on Tuesday, the two versions would need to be reconciled before being sent to the White House for the president's signature."

My Way News - New California law extends privacy rights to electronic data
My Way News reports: "California will require police to get a court order before they can search messages, photos and other digital data stored on phones or company servers in the nation's most-populous state. [...] Advocates have tried to pass legislation at the national level for years without any success. The Email Privacy Act, a proposed update to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, has 300 sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives, but its future remains unclear."

My Way News - New federal requirements on cellphone surveillance
My Way News reports: "Federal law enforcement officials will be routinely required to get a search warrant before using secretive and intrusive cellphone-tracking technology under a new Justice Department policy announced Thursday. [...] It comes amid concerns from privacy groups and lawmakers that the technology, which is now widely used by local police departments, is infringing on privacy rights and is being used without proper accountability."

My Way News - More ID, bag checks on Europe's trains after foiled attack
My Way News reports: "European countries will increase identity checks and baggage controls on trains after American passengers thwarted an attack on a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris, France's interior minister said Saturday. [...] The security officials said there's no way to monitor each passenger and bag without choking the continental train system, which Europeans rely upon heavily. [...] EU officials were expected to press for the increased use of closed circuit cameras in trains and stations and more metal detectors at entrances. The European Commission was also to raise the idea of using full-body scanners for people who try to board at the last minute."