Ministers plan a DNA database for dogs to help tackle a surge in pet thefts during the pandemic 

Ministers plan a DNA database for dogs to help tackle a surge in pet thefts during the pandemic New system would requires owners to supply DNA swab from their pet’s mouth  Would be stored on a database used by police and local authority officials Follows rise in pet thefts during pandemic as puppy demand hit … Read more

Twitter ‘hackers’ were taken down by rival gang who ‘shared database of their usernames and chats’

A group of hackers who reportedly acessed the Twitter accounts of celebrities, were taken down by rival gang who shared a database of their usernames and messages, which led to their arrests by the FBI.  Graham Ivan Clark, 17, was arrested Friday in Tampa. Nima Fazeli, 22, of Orlando, Florida; and Mason Sheppard, 19, of Bognor … Read more

NYC Mesh group creates public database of police violence using footage from traffic cameras

The police killing of black man George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25 sparked outrage that has seen protests across the world denouncing police brutality, demanding change, and the end of systemic racism.  Floyd’s death, unfortunately, is just one of a slew of police killings upon black men and women, including those who were … Read more

Privacy row erupts over plan to log thousands of innocent Britons’ DNA on controversial EU database 

Privacy row erupts over plan to log thousands of innocent Britons’ DNA on controversial EU database Tens of thousands of innocent Britons DNA will be placed on an EU database  Home Office said it would share samples of people never charged with offences  UK currently only holds records from swabs of those convicted of a … Read more

Unsecured traffic camera database exposes information about 8.6 MILLION trips

Security breach in a traffic camera database exposes information about 8.6 MILLION car trips tied to individual license plates Cybersecurity researchers discovered a major flaw in a traffic camera database They were able to access the records of every car that passed through traffic cameras in Sheffield, England by entering an IP address into a … Read more

Computer scientist creates coronavirus database for the visually impaired

Software developer creates a simplified website of coronavirus statistics to make them accessible for the blind or visually impaired A Boston-based software developer wanted to make COVID-19 stats accessible He created a simplified website that would be easily readable by electronic braille readers and other common aid devices used by the visually impaired Called CVStats.net, … Read more

Clearview AI developing cams that use database of Facebook and Instagram photos to identify subjects

Controversial facial recognition company, Clearview AI, is reportedly developing surveillance cameras and augmented reality glasses despite mounting public scrutiny over the company’s ethics. According to documents obtained by Buzzfeed News, Clearview AI is exploring the possibility of making surveillance cameras that use computer vision software to identify subjects by cross-referencing a database.  Its database of … Read more