The RISKS Digest
Volume 31 Issue 8

Tuesday, 26th February 2019

Forum on Risks to the Public in Computers and Related Systems

ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy, Peter G. Neumann, moderator

Please try the URL privacy information feature enabled by clicking the flashlight icon above. This will reveal two icons after each link the body of the digest. The shield takes you to a breakdown of Terms of Service for the site - however only a small number of sites are covered at the moment. The flashlight take you to an analysis of the various trackers etc. that the linked site delivers. Please let the website maintainer know if you find this useful or not. As a RISKS reader, you will probably not be surprised by what is revealed…

Contents

Lion Air Crash Fixes Delayed
WSJ
Setback for Israeli lunar lander as computer glitch prevents scheduled maneuver
The Times of Israel
NHTSA's Implausible Safety Claim for Tesla's Autosteer Driver Assistance System
R.A.Whitfield
Electronic Medical Records make it easier to peddle patient data
Kelly Bert Manning
Quantum Computers: Here's What One Looks Like
Fortune
The Kalashnikov assault rifle changed the world. Now there's a Kalashnikov drone.
SanFranciscoChron
U.S. Cyber Command operation disrupted Internet access of Russian troll factory on day of 2018 midterms
WashPost
ToRPEDO Privacy Attack on 4G/5G Networks Affects All U.S. Carriers
ThreatPost
Rabbit Holes that, by simply choosing not to do Internet video, we have Not Gone Down
NYTimes
... but we "never activated the cameras"
Mark Thorson
The Auto Show of the Future is Already Here
NYTimes
Self-Driving Cars Might Kill Auto Insurance as We Know It
Bloomberg
AI's Big Challenge
Scientific American
Artificial intelligence debate raises more questions than answers
Japan Times
Techplomacy
CBC
"Microsoft Edge lets Facebook run Flash code behind users' backs"
Catalin Cimpanu
Nike's bug-ridden self-tying shoe app
BBC
SET lives!—Maybe ...
Rob Slade
Cybercriminals Have a New Favorite Hack: Formjacking
Fortune
Re: Vision system for autonomous vehicles watches not just where pedestrians walk, but how
Amos Shapir
Re: 'Zero Trust' AI: Too Much of a Good Thing is Wonderful
Henry Baker
Experts warn of growing health risk from plastic
Express
Info on RISKS (comp.risks)

Lion Air Crash Fixes Delayed (WSJ)

George Sherwood <sherwood@testcover.com>
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 11:15:54 -0500
Andy Pasztor and Andrew Tangel,  *The Wall Street Journal*, 10 Feb 2019

Boeing and Regulators Delay Jetliner Fixes Prompted by Lion Air Crash
Software update, initially expected in January, now likely pushed until
April or later  [PGN-truncated for RISKS]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-and-regulators-delay-jetliner-fixes-prompted-by-lion-air-crash-11549821489
https://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/618252-boeing-737-max-software-fixes-due-lion-air-crash-delayed.html


Setback for Israeli lunar lander as computer glitch prevents scheduled maneuver (The Times of Israel)

Gabe Goldberg <gabe@gabegold.com>
Tue, 26 Feb 2019 16:05:28 -0500
Engineers examining data from Beresheet spacecraft to learn why it rebooted
itself, causing automatic abort of trajectory adjustment needed to get to
the moon.

Priel said the team believes glare from the sun on the the spacecraft's
sensors is making it more difficult than expected for the spacecraft to
orient itself according to the position of the stars. However, he added that
the issue only happens at certain angles, and the team thus far is able to
manipulate the spacecraft to obtain a full reading.

“The thing with the star tracker is it brought a lot of uncertainties with
the first maneuver,'' said Priel, referring to the successful maneuver on
Sunday. “At some points, we weren't sure if we should put it off. But we
overcame it, we implemented it, and it was beautiful to see.  During the
[first] maneuver we had online communication—not immediately, with about
a two-second delay, but we saw it almost real time.

“It was very exciting to see the main engine turn on and the measurements
and the star navigation system working,'' he said. “It was exciting and
breathtaking as well.''

https://www.timesofisrael.com/setback-for-israeli-lunar-lander-as-computer-glitch-prevents-scheduled-maneuver/


NHTSA's Implausible Safety Claim for Tesla's Autosteer Driver Assistance System

"R.A.Whitfield" <inquiry@quality-control.us>
Sun, 24 Feb 2019 06:47:35 -0500
In January 2017, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
published the remarkable claim that the airbag deployment crash rate dropped
by almost 40 percent in Tesla passenger vehicles equipped with the Autopilot
Technology Package following the installation of a new driver assistance
system component, Autosteer.  However, our replication of NHTSA's analysis
of the underlying data shows that the Agency's conclusion is not
well-founded.

The calculation of accurate crash rates of this type depend on reliable
counts or estimates of both airbag deployment crashes as well as the mileage
traveled exposing vehicles to the risk of a crash. But after obtaining the
formerly secret, underlying data through a lawsuit filed under the Freedom
of Information Act against the U.S. Department of Transportation, we
discovered that the actual mileage at the time the Autosteer system was
installed appears to have been reported for fewer than half the vehicles
NHTSA studied. For those vehicles that do have apparently exact measurements
of exposure mileage both before and after the system's installation, the
change in crash rates associated with Autosteer is the opposite of that
claimed by NHTSA – if these data are to be believed.

The overall reduction in the crash rates reported by NHTSA following the
installation of Autosteer is an artifact of the Agency's treatment of
mileage information that is actually missing in the underlying dataset.

Our work illustrates the risks posed by:
* performing statistical analyses in Excel;
* treating missing data in Excel spreadsheets as numeric zeros;
  regulatory capture;
* spending taxpayer dollars on anti-scientific efforts to prevent the
  replication of research done by government agencies at taxpayer expense;
* the lack of an international, comprehensive, open, and trustworthy
  surveillance system for casualties and property damage associated with the
  use of advanced driver-assistance systems.

The full report and a link to the underlying data:
http://www.safetyresearch.net/Library/NHTSA_Autosteer_Safety_Claim.pdf

Detailed coverage including the context of this story is here:
http://www.safetyresearch.net/blog/articles/new-analysis-challenges-bold-tesla-claims

Coverage by the Los Angeles Times with Tesla's response is here:
https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-nhtsa-20190214-story.html

Technical coverage and commentary is here:
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/02/in-2017-the-feds-said-tesla-autopilot-cut-crashes-40-that-was-bogus/

An independent, partial replication and reanalysis of our work, along with an R-script, is here:
https://pastebin.com/eibQgEm1

R. A. Whitfield, for Quality Control Systems Corp., Crownsville, Maryland


Electronic Medical Records make it easier to peddle patient data

Kelly Bert Manning <bo774@freenet.carleton.ca>
Thu, 21 Feb 2019 13:27:35 -0500
The Toronto Star has reported that "Medical-record software companies are
selling your health data...IQVIA's main customer is the pharmaceutical
industry. Pharmaceutical companies use the EMR data to track use of their
drugs, identify untapped markets and plot marketing strategies."
https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2019/02/20/medical-record-software-companies-are-selling-your-health-data.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/carepartners-data-breach-ransom-patients-medical-records-1.4749515

An attempt is made to anonymize the data but we have seen how such efforts
can often be undone.
https://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=hightechevents

  [Much too long for RISKS.  PGN-truncated]


Quantum Computers: Here's What One Looks Like (Fortune)

Gabe Goldberg <gabe@gabegold.com>
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 18:46:44 -0500
“What you're looking at is the world's most expensive refrigerator,'' says
Bob Sutor, head of quantum strategy at IBM, while gesturing at a 20-qubit
quantum computer that company unveiled in January.  Despite its small size,
Rigetti, founded by a physicist who previously built quantum computers at
IBM, believes it can challenge the titans.  The company sells a quantum
computing cloud service to researchers who are racing to be the first to
achieve “quantum advantage,'' when a quantum computer outperforms a
traditional one. Scientists expect a modest demonstration of superiority in
the next couple of years, though they predict it will take up to 10 years
before the technology can handle any meaningful tasks.

“People keep asking whether we can build working quantum computers and do
it repeatedly at scale,'' says Rigetti vice president Betsy Masiello.
“Today, in the market, we have definitively answered, yes. We can build
them, they work, and we can do it in a repeatable fashion at production
level.''

The reality is here; the race is on.

http://fortune.com/2019/02/22/quantum-computers-future/

...when will they solve non-meaningful tasks?


The Kalashnikov assault rifle changed the world. Now there's a Kalashnikov drone. (SanFranciscoChron)

geoff goodfellow <geoff@iconia.com>
Sat, 23 Feb 2019 09:35:55 -0700
The Russian company that gave the world the iconic AK-47 assault rifle has
unveiled a suicide drone that may similarly revolutionize war by making
sophisticated drone warfare technology widely and cheaply available.

The Kalashnikov Group put a model of its miniature exploding drone on
display this week at a major defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi, the capital of
the United Arab Emirates, where the world's arms companies gather every two
years to show off and market their latest wares. [..]

With its low price, high efficiency, and ease of use, the Kalashnikov rifle
became the weapon of choice for revolutionaries and insurgents around the
world, empowering disgruntled citizens against their governments in Latin
America, Africa and Asia. It remains a potent tool to this day: The Pentagon
purchases secondhand Kalashnikov rifles for its allies in Syria and
Afghanistan, rather than give them more expensive American-made guns.

The Kalashnikov drone—officially named the KUB-UAV—will likewise be
simple to operate, effective and cheap, its manufacturers claim - and just
as revolutionary. It will mark "a step toward a completely new form of
combat," said Sergey Chemezov, chairman of Russia's state-owned Rostec arms
manufacturer, which owns a controlling stake in Kalashnikov, according to
Kalashnikov's news statement on the launch. [...]

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/The-Kalashnikov-assault-rifle-changed-the-world-13639212.php


U.S. Cyber Command operation disrupted Internet access of Russian troll factory on day of 2018 midterms (WashPost)

Gabe Goldberg <gabe@gabegold.com>
Tue, 26 Feb 2019 15:30:06 -0500
The U.S. military blocked Internet access to an infamous Russian entity
seeking to sow discord among Americans during the 2018 midterms, several
U.S. officials said, a warning that the Kremlin's operations
against the United States are not cost-free.

The strike on the Internet Research Agency in St. Petersburg, a company
underwritten by an oligarch close to President Vladimir Putin, was part of
the first offensive cyber campaign against Russia designed to thwart
attempts to interfere with a U.S. election, the officials said.

“They basically took the IRA offline,'' according to one individual
familiar with the matter who, like others, spoke on the condition of
anonymity to discuss classified information. “They shut 'em down.''

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-cyber-command-operation-disrupted-internet-access-of-russian-troll-factory-on-day-of-2018-midterms/2019/02/26/1827fc9e-36d6-11e9-af5b-b51b7ff322e9_story.html

On election day? A little late?


ToRPEDO Privacy Attack on 4G/5G Networks Affects All U.S. Carriers (ThreatPost)

geoff goodfellow <geoff@iconia.com>
Tue, 26 Feb 2019 09:49:16 -0700
The attack threatens users with location-tracking, DoS, fake notifications
and more.  Privacy-breaking flaws in the 4G and 5G mobile protocols could
allow attackers to intercept calls, send fake amber alerts or other
notifications, track location and more, according to a research team from
Purdue University and the University of Iowa.
https://threatpost.com/5g-security/140664/

In a paper presented at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, the
researchers explained that the issues arise from weaknesses in the cellular
paging (broadcast) protocol. They started with the fact that when a mobile
device is in its idle, low-power state, it will conserve battery life partly
by polling for pending services only periodically.
https://www.ndss-symposium.org/ndss-paper/privacy-attacks-to-the-4g-and-5g-cellular-paging-protocols-using-side-channel-information/

“when a cellular device is not actively communicating with a base station,
it enters an idle, low-energy mode to conserve battery power,'' Elisa
Bertino, Omar Chowdhury, Mitziu Echeverria, Syed Rafiul Hussain and Ninghui
Li explained. “When there is a phone call or an SMS message for the device,
it needs to be notified. This is achieved by the paging protocol, which
strives to achieve the right balance between the device's energy consumption
and timely delivery of services such as phone calls.''

The researchers uncovered three connected types of attacks that use this
paging mechanism. The primary attack, dubbed ToRPEDO (short for TRacking via
Paging mEssage DistributiOn), can be used to verify the location of a
specific device. Attackers could also inject fake paging messages and mount
denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, the team said.

Two other attacks enabled by ToRPEDO, the IMSI-Cracking attack and PIERCER
(short for Persistent Information ExposuRe by the CorE netwoRk), allow an
adversary to fully uncover the victim's unique International Mobile
Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number, if the phone number is known—opening
the door to targeted user location-tracking.  [...]

https://threatpost.com/torpedo-privacy-4g-5g/142174/


Rabbit Holes that, by simply choosing not to do Internet video, we have Not Gone Down (NYTimes)

Mark Brader <msb@vex.net>
Tue, 26 Feb 2019 02:23:37 -0500
http://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/10/opinion/sunday/youtube-politics-radical.html


... but we "never activated the cameras"

Mark Thorson <eee@dialup4less.com>
Sat, 23 Feb 2019 11:11:45 -0800
Undisclosed cameras are starting to appear on airliner seats, ostensibly to
support seat-to-seat videoconferencing.  I presume they must have
undisclosed microphones too.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2019/02/24/2003710312


The Auto Show of the Future is Already Here (NYTimes)

ACM TechNews <technews-editor@acm.org>
Mon, 25 Feb 2019 12:14:36 -0500
Robert C. Yeager, *The New York Times*, 21 Feb 2019
via ACM TechNews, Monday, February 25, 2019

Top auto shows are increasingly incorporating technology, along with
hands-on experiences like driving simulators and virtual reality
demos. According to Detroit Auto Dealers Association executive director Rod
Alberts, conventional car shows are changing due to declines in the number
of automakers, as well as year-round model debuts driven by social media and
shorter build times. Automotive Trade Association Executives president
Jennifer Colman said this has forced auto shows to evolve and offer
"interactive apps, ride-and-drives, and other experiences that meet
consumers' needs." Showcased at the annual auto show in Detroit was a demo
of an autonomous car located in Shanghai, China, controlled remotely from
the Detroit event via an "automated valet" system by Chinese startup ZongMu
Technology. Also on display at the event were intersection accident
prevention solutions from a company named Derq, which connect "smart city"
cameras and sensors to predictive algorithms that can set off audio and
visual alarms in standard and autonomous vehicles.

https://orange.hosting.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-1e905x21a85dx070497&

  [So, your life depends on a remote wireless hookup where there may be
  wireless?  PGN]


Self-Driving Cars Might Kill Auto Insurance as We Know It (Bloomberg)

Richard Stein <rmstein@ieee.org>
Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:52:24 -0800
"Without humans to cause accidents, 90% of risk is removed. Insurers are
scrambling to prepare."
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-19/autonomous-vehicles-may-one-day-kill-car-insurance-as-we-know-it


AI's Big Challenge (Scientific American)

Richard Stein <rmstein@ieee.org>
Tue, 26 Feb 2019 09:26:55 -0800
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/ais-big-challenge/

"Consider computer vision, where deep neural networks have achieved stunning
performance improvements on benchmark image-categorization tasks. Say we
task our computer vision algorithm with correctly labeling images as either
cats or dogs. If the algorithm correctly labels the images, we might
conclude that the underlying deep neural network has learned to distinguish
cats and dogs.

"Now suppose all of the dogs are wearing shiny metallic dog tags and none of
the cats are wearing cat tags. Most likely, the deep neural network didn't
learn to see cats and dogs at all but simply learned to detect shiny
metallic tags. Recent work has shown that something like this actually
underpins the performance of deep neural networks on computer vision
tasks. The explanation may not be as obvious as shiny metallic tags, but
most academic data sets contain analogous unintentional cues that deep
learning algorithms exploit.

"The problem, it turns out, is one of computational misdirection. Adding or
deleting just a few pixels can eliminate a particular cue that the deep
neural network has learned to depend on. More fundamentally, this error
demonstrates that deep neural networks rely on superficial image features
that typically lack meaning, at least to humans.

"That creates an opportunity for serious mischief by bad actors using
targeted adversarial examples. If you're counting on consistent
image recognition for self-driving cars designed to recognize road signs,
for example, or security systems that recognize fingerprints...you're in
trouble."

Brittle artificial pattern recognition is a more accurate label for AI
deployed in autonomous vehicles, and possibly for diagnostic image scanning,
etc.

Risk: Data set bias and algorithms become sensitized and fragile, unable to
evolve—learn/adjust—without human intervention.


Artificial intelligence debate raises more questions than answers (Japan Times)

"Dave Farber" <farber@gmail.com>
Sat, 23 Feb 2019 16:14:02 -0500
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/02/23/national/media-national/artificial-intelligence-debate-raises-questions-answers/#.XHG3W-5OmnM


Techplomacy (CBC)

Rob Slade <rmslade@shaw.ca>
Mon, 25 Feb 2019 11:37:26 -0800
Denmark has created a "Tech Ambassador."  What does he do?
http://techamb.um.dk/

"TechPlomacy is an acknowledgment of the key role that technology and
digitalisation plays and will increasingly play in the future for
individuals and societies alike."  But what does he do?

"We need a stronger multi-stakeholder discussion on how we want these new
technologies to shape our societies in the future. This requires us to
rethink the relationship between governments, civil society and the private
sector."  But what does he do?

"In the view of the Danish Government, this necessitates that we establish a
formal diplomatic platform in order to engage in dialogue and collaboration
on a broad range of topics with the tech-industry. Tech Ambassador Casper
Klynge and his global team will therefore work to build strategic
partnerships and engage directly with tech-hubs, governments, international
organizations, civil society, cities, regions, world-class universities and
other stakeholders. Concrete initiatives cut across foreign and security
policy, including cyber, development policy, export and investment
promotion, and a range of sector policies. The opportunities and challenges
of the technology agenda will be pursued and addressed in bilateral
relations with other countries and in the EU and multilateral fora."  OK,
there's a lot of talking going on ...

I watched the CBC's interview with Casper Klynge, and it seems he is fairly
knowledgeable about commerce stats and business leaders, but I detect a lack
of any real understanding about technology itself.  And that could be a
problem.  We have, over the years, seen numerous instances of governments
trying to legislate for, or address, problems in technology, only to make
the situation worse because they don't really understand it. [...]
r-1.4828015">https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/national-casper-klyge-tech-ambassador-1.4828015
https://is.gd/iKkj0Y
https://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/world-s-first-tech-ambassador-on-democracy-in-the-digital-age-1.5032269
https://is.gd/sO4hvn


"Microsoft Edge lets Facebook run Flash code behind users' backs" (Catalin Cimpanu)

Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>
Thu, 21 Feb 2019 22:13:16 -0800
Catalin Cimpanu for Zero Day | 20 Feb 2019

https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-edge-lets-facebook-run-flash-code-behind-users-backs/
Microsoft Edge lets Facebook run Flash code behind users' backs

selected text:

Google security researcher finds secret whitelist that lets Facebook run
Flash content despite Edge's normal security policies.

The whitelist allows Facebook Flash content to bypass Edge security features
such as the click-to-play policy that normally prevents websites from
running Flash code without user approval beforehand.

Prior to February 2019, the secret Flash whitelist contained 58 entries,
including domains and subdomains for Microsoft's main site, the MSN portal,
music streaming service Deezer, Yahoo, and Chinese social network QQ, just
to name the biggest names on the list.

Microsoft trimmed down the list to two Facebook domains earlier this month
after a Google security researcher discovered several security flaws in
Edge's secret Flash whitelist mechanism.

"So many sites for which I'm completely baffled as to why they're there,"
Fratric said. "Like a site of a hairdresser in Spain.
http://www.dgestilistas.esdgestilistas.es)?!

  I wonder how the list was formed. And if [the Microsoft Security Response
  Center] knew about it."


Nike's bug-ridden self-tying shoe app (BBC)

Mark Thorson <eee@dialup4less.com>
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 12:12:08 -0800
Close on the heels of the Nike shoe that fell apart on camera during a
basketball game, their app for the self-tying shoe seems equally flawed.  At
least they didn't try to put it on the Internet, yet.  The "future of
footwear", indeed.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47336684


SET lives!—Maybe ...

Rob Slade <rmslade@shaw.ca>
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 12:08:07 -0800
So, this is the time of year we renew our "enhanced" medical insurance.  We
pay annually, rather than go through the hassle and cost of the various
"payment plans" available.

For the past five years, at least, the process has been different *every*
*single* *year*.  So, I just go to the HQ office to get it done.

In past years, I could speed up the process (very slightly) by filling out a
form on the back of the bill, noting that I'm paying by credit card, and
giving the credit card details.  (I use a card that I don't use for everyday
transactions.)  This year, when I filled out the form, there was no space
for the credit card number (although there was space for the expiry date and
my signature).  I thought this was rather odd, but ...

So, I get to the office, wait to be called, and finally get called.  This
year a I get a twofer: a trainee is shadowing the agent I'm dealing with.  I
say that I'm here to pay by credit card, and pass over the forms.  The agent
says that they don't take credit card data at customer service anymore, only
over the phone.  But, she says, she knows that sometimes she can get someone
to do it over the phone with her, and she places a call.

While we are waiting to find someone (in accounting?) willing to do this,
I'm chuckling over the silliness of some new policy about credit card
retention.  And, since chuckling is not the reaction they are used to
getting when someone is faced with yet another bureaucratic delay, I have to
explain that I am an infosec maven, and why this type of thing is amusing.
Someone in IT or (more likely) senior management has been terrified by some
new requirement and has instituted a new process that will probably be, at
best, minimally effective.  Is it PCI-DSS?  Is it (more likely) GDPR?  And,
while I'm doing this, I'm getting out my credit card, in preparation, and
placing it on the desk.

The agent, while she is trying to get the right person in accounting, is
looking at a screen which obviously has my account info on it.  She glances
at my card and notes, "So you're using the same card number, but it's got a
new expiry date."

At which point I just guffawed out loud. The new credit card retention
policy obviously says that you can't write the credit card number on a form,
and can't make space for it on a form, and can't send it through the mail on
a form, but obviously my card number (she said it was only the last three
digits) and card expiry date show up on her screen.  (And, presumably,
somewhere in the back end my complete card number is available.)

Oh, SET?  Twenty years ago the major credit card companies created Secure
Electronic Transactions, a system designed for use of credit cards over the
Internet.  It provided a code to retailers that verified the user had a card
and the charge would be honoured, but never actually gave the vendor the
card number.  (In a way, it was kind of a quick one-time form of digital
currency.)  They got to within three months of rolling out the system when
someone noticed that the only problem SET actually solved was vendor fraud.
But vendor fraud was, basically, a non-issue.  So SET never did get
released.

Well, with all the concern these days about credit card retention and data
breaches, maybe it's time to give SET a second look ...


Cybercriminals Have a New Favorite Hack: Formjacking (Fortune)

Gabe Goldberg <gabe@gabegold.com>
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 18:42:16 -0500
Every month, thousands of retail websites are targeted by cybercriminals,
who insert a small piece of malicious code that allows them to snatch
customers' credit card information. The hacking technique is
called formjacking, and it's the virtual equivalent of putting a
device on an ATM to skim debit card numbers.

http://fortune.com/2019/02/20/phishing-ransomware-formjacking-hack-hackers/

Would be nice to know HOW insert...


Re: Vision system for autonomous vehicles watches not just where pedestrians walk, but how (RISKS-31.07)

Amos Shapir <amos083@gmail.com>
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 12:08:11 +0200
Looking at sample images posted on this article (and others) of this
research, I got the impression that most data was collected in the US
Midwest, at winter.  Did researchers consider pedestrians wearing shorts and
sandals on a Florida beach, or walking briskly on a busy NYC street?

And what is the behavior of pedestrians in other regions of the world, e.g.
France, Italy, the ME, Africa, India?

I'm afraid Mid-US pedestrians are just too well-behaved to become the main
source of data used to teach the AI systems of autonomous vehicles.


Re: 'Zero Trust' AI: Too Much of a Good Thing is Wonderful (Shapir, R-31.06)

hbaker1 <hbaker1@pipeline.com>
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 19:31:16 -0800 (GMT-08:00)
Hmmm...

I wonder if the converse holds: "A society which makes laws which are next
to impossible to abide by, and who then doesn't enforce them, must be an
authoritarian regime."

Now let's see: Who in the U.S. loves to write large numbers of "virtue
signaling" laws, and then does nothing to enforce them?

Would it possibly be the Congressional Democrats, who passed all kinds of
laws to "protect" us ordinary citizens from predatory actions by the
financial industry, and then did *nothing* to enforce these laws during the
Obama administration?


Experts warn of growing health risk from plastic (Express)

geoff goodfellow <geoff@iconia.com>
Sun, 24 Feb 2019 12:48:30 -0700
Plastic poses a health risk to humans "at every stage of its lifecycle," a
shocking international report warned yesterday. It linked plastic to
diseases such as cancer and kidney, heart and reproductive problems.

It declared: "Uncertainties and knowledge gaps undermine a complete
evaluation of health impacts, limit the ability of consumers, communities
and regulators to make informed choices, and heighten both acute and
long-term health risks at all stages of the plastic lifecycle." It cited
particular concerns about "the health effects of the cumulative exposure to
the mixtures of thousands of chemicals used in food packaging and other
manufactured products". The report by groups including the US Center for
International Environmental Law and Britain's Exeter University comes amid
growing concerns about the impact of plastic pollution.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1091433/plastic-sea-microparticles-health-risk-diseases

  [This item seems not very computer-related, but is included here because
  its being part of total-system considerations of the survival of our
  planet.  PGN]

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