Don't ban facial recognition technology due to privacy concerns (see 2001140063), said one witness for Wednesday's House Oversight Committee hearing. Industry "has taken many steps to ensure the safe and responsible deployment," testified Information Technology and Innovation Foundation Vice President Daniel Castro. "Congress should focus on steps to improve oversight and accountability of commercial use of facial recognition technology." Castro said "even narrow bans can have unintended consequences, given the widespread integration of facial recognition technology." Committee staff noted such tech is "increasingly in home security systems, social media sites, shopping malls, and elsewhere for advertising, security, access, photo and video data identification, and accessibility." Committee members of both parties hope to have a bipartisan bill. Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., expects one to be introduced and marked up “in the very near future.” Facial identification tech is "just not ready for prime time," said Maloney. “Despite these concerns, we see facial recognition technology being used more and more.” It's "completely unregulated at the federal level,” she noted. Ranking member Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, appreciates "your willingness to work with us on this legislation," he told Maloney at the start of his opening remarks (see 21-minute mark). “All sides are trying to work together." It's a “powerful technology,” with a market of some $9 billion expected by 2022: “We understand and appreciate the great promise that this technology holds.” For him, "the urgent issue” to “tackle ... is reining in the government's unchecked use of this technology when it impairs our freedoms and our liberties.” He cited the First and Fourth amendments. “This issue transcends politics,” Jordan said. He fears a “patchwork of laws” arising from localities. Studies find "significant variance" between facial recognition algorithms, said National Institute of Standards and Technology Information Technology Laboratory Director Charles Romine. "Some produce significantly fewer errors than others." Don't "think of facial recognition as either always accurate or always error prone," he said. The staff memo said the committee held two 2019 hearings on the subject.
The U.S., the European Union and Japan should do more to align their export control regimes and cooperate on new export control measures to defend against Chinese mercantilist trade practices, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation said in a Jan. 13 report. The three parties should schedule “formal meetings” to discuss export controls, saying previous discussions have been too “limited in scope. They should be broader given the changing nature of China’s pursuit of advanced technology.”
The U.S. should make a national market for digital goods and services, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said Monday, releasing a report. “Achieving a digital single market will either require states to cooperate more on creating uniform laws or Congress to take a more active role in passing laws that preempt conflicting rules,” ITIF said. States and localities blocked digital commerce with restrictive licensing, conflicting rules and policies that benefit local incumbents over new entrants, ITIF said. It’s been a problem for data privacy, net neutrality and other areas, it said. “National rules promote efficiency and innovation, while ensuring uniform protections for all consumers,” said Senior Policy Analyst Alan McQuinn, the report’s author.
The U.S. should make a national market for digital goods and services, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said Monday, releasing a report. “Achieving a digital single market will either require states to cooperate more on creating uniform laws or Congress to take a more active role in passing laws that preempt conflicting rules,” ITIF said. States and localities blocked digital commerce with restrictive licensing, conflicting rules and policies that benefit local incumbents over new entrants, ITIF said. It’s been a problem for data privacy, net neutrality and other areas, it said. “National rules promote efficiency and innovation, while ensuring uniform protections for all consumers,” said Senior Policy Analyst Alan McQuinn, the report’s author.
A bipartisan group of senators warned the FTC not to weaken children’s online privacy protections as it reviews the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The agency’s “failure now and in recent years to fully enforce COPPA compliance has us concerned that an update at this time could diminish children and parents’ control of their data or otherwise weaken existing privacy protections,” wrote Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; and Marsha Blackburn, R-S.C., Thursday: “Now is not the time to pull back.”
A bipartisan group of senators warned the FTC not to weaken children’s online privacy protections as it reviews the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The agency’s “failure now and in recent years to fully enforce COPPA compliance has us concerned that an update at this time could diminish children and parents’ control of their data or otherwise weaken existing privacy protections,” wrote Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; and Marsha Blackburn, R-S.C., Thursday: “Now is not the time to pull back.”
The State Department should revamp several aspects of its draft guidance for exports of surveillance technology (see 1909040071) because some of it is “troubling,” “overly broad” and may unnecessarily restrict exports, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said in comments.
The U.S. remains the world leader in artificial intelligence innovation, ahead of second-place China and third-place EU, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation’s Center for Data Innovation reported Monday. The U.S. leads in “absolute terms,” the report said. Each country and region was rated based on six categories: talent, research, development, adoption, data and hardware.
The U.S. remains the world leader in artificial intelligence innovation, ahead of second-place China and third-place EU, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation’s Center for Data Innovation reported Monday. The U.S. leads in “absolute terms,” the report said. Each country and region was rated based on six categories: talent, research, development, adoption, data and hardware.
The U.S. remains the world leader in artificial intelligence innovation, ahead of second-place China and third-place EU, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation’s Center for Data Innovation reported Monday. The U.S. leads in “absolute terms,” the report said. Each country and region was rated based on six categories: talent, research, development, adoption, data and hardware.