Civil Rights

NYPD’s New Robot Police Dog Will Get Special Arm For Opening Doors

The New York Police Department’s new robot dog will receive a special robotic arm for opening doors and moving objects next month, according to a new report from ABC7 in New York. The existence of the NYPD’s robot was first revealed in late October after it assisted in the apprehension of a suspect in Brooklyn.…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 11

The Other History of the DC Universe‘s John Ridley on Giving New Voices to Legacy Characters

DC Comics’ long-awaited The Other History of the DC Universe from Oscar-winning writer John Ridley is set to debut next month. io9 spoke with Ridley recently about what it’s been like figuring out how to give fresh voices to an expansive cast characters who, while well-known in certain circles, have been historically marginalized both on…

Books & Comics Charles Pulliam-Moore Oct 23

New Bill Aims to Rein In the President’s Power to Order Internet Blackouts

Two members of Congress have introduced legislation that would prevent the president from taking action to restrict the U.S. public’s access to the internet, the Preventing Unwarranted Communications Shutdowns Act (PUCSA). In an announcement, Representatives Anna Eshoo, a California Democrat, and Virginia Republican Morgan Griffith wrote that while they are aware the internet cannot be…

Tech News Tom McKay Oct 22

The Umbrella Academy‘s Second Season Is Tackling 1960s Anti-Black Racism Head On

By centering a plot in which its main characters are transported into the past, Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy is joining the ranks of other sci-fi series where Black characters are forced to deal with the overt, public examples of anti-Black racism and violence that define both America’s history and its present. Even though Allison Hargreeves…

Books & Comics Charles Pulliam-Moore Jul 30

Independent Civil Rights Audit Finds Facebook Is Making Everything Worse

As noted in Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s post, today is the day the public is supposed to find out the results of its independent civil rights audit, a two-year review of Facebook’s “policies and practices led by noted civil liberties and civil rights expert Laura W. Murphy and Megan Cacace, partner in the civil rights…

Social Media Joanna Nelius Jul 8

Facebook Ad Boycott Will Go on After Zuckerberg, Sandberg Blow Off Civil Rights Groups’ Demands

CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook—the social media company you may recognize from United Nations accusations of complicity in genocide and its role in recklessly flooding the web with conspiracy theories and extremism—predictably failed to placate a coalition of civil rights groups leading an ad boycott at a meeting on Tuesday, the…

Social Media Tom McKay Jul 7

Indiana Supreme Court Sure Looks Skeptical That Taking a Police GPS Tracker Off Your Car Is Theft

The Indiana Supreme Court seemed dubious that a suspected Warrick County drug dealer who removed a hidden police tracker from his car should really be charged with theft, Ars Technica reported on Tuesday. Warrick County Sheriff’s Office investigators attached the tracking device to suspect Derek Heuring’s car in July 2018 after obtaining a warrant based…

Crime Tom McKay Nov 19

How America’s Most Hateable Cable Provider Could Squash Civil Rights Protections

Comcast’s justification for refusing to carry channels by Entertainment Studios Network owner Byron Allen–whose channels include Cars.TV, Pets.TV, and Recipe.TV–could arguably dismantle 1866 civil rights protections, in a case that appeared before the Supreme Court today. Totally unrelated to the case, I submit to the court that Comcast has a solid track record of sucking. The question…

Tech News Whitney Kimball Nov 13

Federal Court Rules That Border Agents Need Probable Cause to Search Travelers’ Phones

A federal court in Boston ruled on Tuesday that suspicionless searches of electronics at U.S. border crossings are unconstitutional, finding that reasonable suspicion of an actual crime is required before authorities can demand access to cell phones and other devices. Per Ars Technica, U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper found that “basic” searches and seizures…

Privacy & Security Tom McKay Nov 13

Dinner at Zuckerberg’s Leaves Civil Rights Organizers ‘Cautiously Hopeful’

After seven years of lobbying Facebook to address the rampant hatred that continues to choke the most powerful social media platform in the world, top officials at several prominent civil rights organizations on Monday finally got a meeting with the boss. Many, including Muslim Advocates and Color of Change, are members of a coalition whose…

Social Media Dell Cameron Nov 5

Top Civil Rights Lawyers Warn Mark Zuckerberg of Potential Criminal Liability in Scathing Open Letter

In a letter aimed at gutting Facebook’s rationale for allowing misleading and dishonest political ads across its platform, a prominent civil rights organization on Tuesday issued a stern warning to Mark Zuckerberg, outlining a number of federal laws to which, the group claims, Facebook may theoretically be held to account. Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights…

Social Media Dell Cameron Nov 5

Congress Explores Why the Oil Industry’s Climate Denial Is a Civil Rights Issue

I think about climate change in three parts: the causes, the effects, and the response to it all. There are themes that cut across all those, and civil rights is one of them. That’s why the House Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee convened Wednesday to assess the oil industry’s role in fueling the climate…

Environmental Justice Yessenia Funes Oct 23

U.S. Border Patrol Reportedly Eyes Face Recognition for Body Cams

U.S. Customs and Border Protection—one of the arms of the federal immigration machine shoving tens of thousands of people into de facto concentration camps—is eyeing equipping officers with facial recognition body cams, according to Reuters. Reuters wrote that on Wednesday, CBP posted an exploratory request for equipment like body cams, cloud storage, and video software…

Privacy & Security Tom McKay Oct 18

Berkeley Becomes Fourth U.S. City to Ban Face Recognition in Unanimous Vote

Berkeley, California became the fourth U.S. city to pass a ban on all government use of facial recognition technology on Tuesday night following a unanimous yes vote by the City Council. Two other cities in the state, Oakland and San Francisco, have already passed their own bans on government use of facial recognition tech, while…

Privacy & Security Tom McKay Oct 16

Facebook Privately Admitted Failure in Vetting the Author of Its ‘Anti-Conservative’ Audit

Facebook on Tuesday released the initial report prepared by its external auditor concerning the rampant speculation about anti-conservative bias at the company. More than a year ago, however, company officials privately copped to the fact that they’d failed to properly vet the man chosen to spearhead the effort, according to sources involved in the exchange.…

Social Media Dell Cameron Aug 20

Cathay Pacific CEO Resigns, Airline Releases Cryptic Statement About Hong Kong

Rupert Hogg, the CEO of Cathay Pacific Airways, has resigned following conflict between the Hong Kong-based airline and the Chinese government in Beijing. The new CEO will be Augustus Tang Kin-wing, according to the South China Morning Post, and the airline released a bizarre statement about the future. Hogg’s resignation comes as Cathay Pacific found…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 16

New York Court Says Chimps Aren’t People—But a Judge Is Not Happy About It

The five year long struggle to free a pair of captive chimps in the state of New York has finally come to an end. Yesterday, New York’s highest court denied an appeal by the Nonhuman Rights Project, but one of the judges was clearly unsatisfied with the ruling, pointing out deficiencies in the legal system’s…

Tech News George Dvorsky May 9

Facebook Brings in Fake News Huckster to Conduct Conservative Bias Probe

Facebook’s consistent lack of transparency has helped fuel the pernicious notion that the company deliberately censors conservative views, and the problem has reached a boiling point. Now, the company is reportedly launching an internal probe of potential conservative bias and it will be led by a man who’s spread fake news that just won’t die.…

Social Media Rhett Jones May 2

The New Tech That Could Turn Police Body Cams Into Nightmare Surveillance Tools

Time and time again, police officers shoot, and sometimes kill, civilians holding harmless objects, later claiming they mistook them for guns: a cell phone, a bible, and a Wii controller. In early February, police body camera manufacturer Taser announced that it had acquired the artificial intelligence startup Dextro Inc—a “computer vision” research team that claims…

Artificial Intelligence Sidney Fussell Mar 9

Mark Zuckerberg Finally Weighed in on Facebook’s “Real Name” Problem

The fervor over the Supreme Court’s gay marriage decision is starting to wane across social media, and the rainbow avatars are starting to fade. As such, it’s easy to forget about Facebook’s problem with how it treats some LGBT users. Today, Mark Zuckerberg made his first public statement on the issue, but he didn’t really…

Social Media Adam Clark Estes Jun 30

Civil Rights

NYPD’s New Robot Police Dog Will Get Special Arm For Opening Doors

The Other History of the DC Universe‘s John Ridley on Giving New Voices to Legacy Characters

New Bill Aims to Rein In the President’s Power to Order Internet Blackouts

The Umbrella Academy‘s Second Season Is Tackling 1960s Anti-Black Racism Head On

Independent Civil Rights Audit Finds Facebook Is Making Everything Worse

Facebook Ad Boycott Will Go on After Zuckerberg, Sandberg Blow Off Civil Rights Groups’ Demands

Indiana Supreme Court Sure Looks Skeptical That Taking a Police GPS Tracker Off Your Car Is Theft

How America’s Most Hateable Cable Provider Could Squash Civil Rights Protections

Federal Court Rules That Border Agents Need Probable Cause to Search Travelers’ Phones

Dinner at Zuckerberg’s Leaves Civil Rights Organizers ‘Cautiously Hopeful’

Top Civil Rights Lawyers Warn Mark Zuckerberg of Potential Criminal Liability in Scathing Open Letter

Congress Explores Why the Oil Industry’s Climate Denial Is a Civil Rights Issue

U.S. Border Patrol Reportedly Eyes Face Recognition for Body Cams

Berkeley Becomes Fourth U.S. City to Ban Face Recognition in Unanimous Vote

Facebook Privately Admitted Failure in Vetting the Author of Its ‘Anti-Conservative’ Audit

Cathay Pacific CEO Resigns, Airline Releases Cryptic Statement About Hong Kong

New York Court Says Chimps Aren’t People—But a Judge Is Not Happy About It

Facebook Brings in Fake News Huckster to Conduct Conservative Bias Probe

The New Tech That Could Turn Police Body Cams Into Nightmare Surveillance Tools

Mark Zuckerberg Finally Weighed in on Facebook’s “Real Name” Problem

The ‘Mass Effect’ Show is Getting Rewritten to Get Greenlit

See the Early Stages of How ‘Project Hail Mary’ Brought Rocky to Life

‘Cognitive Surrender’ Is a New and Useful Term for How AI Melts Brains

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Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

I’m Worried About the Helpless AI Disruptors of the Future

Russia Allegedly Swung at VPNs but Accidentally Hit Its Own Banking Sector Instead

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