Wednesday, 13th September 2023
Forum on Risks to the Public in Computers and Related Systems
ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy, Peter G. Neumann, moderator
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Contents
Pratt Engine Flaw to Idle Hundreds of A320 Planes for Years- Yahoo!
China Uses AI to Spread Lies about U.S. fire- NYTimes
AI voices are taking over the Internet- The Verge
Another group of writers is suing OpenAI over copyright claims- The Verge
Some things to talk with your kids about AI- MIT Tech Review
How the Navy Spent Billions on Failed Littoral Combat Ship Program- ProPublica
Voting rights activists sound alarms over private tool that could lead to canceling voter registrations- CNN
Teen’s Smart Pill Bottle Reminds People to Take Their Medication on Time- The Institute Alert
How to Navigate Apple’s Shift From Lightning to USB-C- NYTimes
FTC says Elon Musk may have jeopardized data privacy and security at Twitter- Enqadget
Susanna Gibson Saga: So What if a Candidate Livestreamed Sex Acts with Her Husband?- Politico
Re: San Franciscans Are Having Sex in Robotaxis- Henry Baker
Re: Pedestrian dies after Cruise cars block ambulance- Steve Lamont
Re: Vintage Car prices- Anthony Thorn
Info on RISKS (comp.risks)
Pratt Engine Flaw to Idle Hundreds of A320 Planes for Years (Yahoo!)
David Farber <farber@keio.jp>Wed, 13 Sep 2023 07:16:13 +0900
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pratt-engine-flaw-idle-hundreds-134426871.html [No joke: This is really a serious prat(t)fall. PGN]
China Uses AI to Spread Lies about U.S. fire (NYTimes)
Peter Neumann <neumann@csl.sri.com>Tue, 12 Sep 2023 20:31:24 PDT
David E. Sanger and Steven Lee Myers *The New York Times* national edition front page, 12 Sep 2023 Maui disinformation. Covert campaign shows rapid shift in tactics against the West. “The disaster was not natural, ... but was the result of a secret `weather weapon' being tested by the United States,'' according to the Chinese disinformation. To bolster the plausibility, the posts carried photographs that appeared to have been generated by artificial intelligence programs, making them among the first to use these new tools to bolster the aura of authenticity of a disinformation campaign. [This seems to reach into far-fetched territory that is indistinguishable from truth to those who believe their government. It gave me just one more truth-ache. (Somewhat ironically, I finally got around to reading the article at two-thirty!) PGN] Same basic story with online variant title: China Sows Disinformation About Hawaii Fires Using New Techniques David E. Sanger and Steven Lee Myers, *The New York Times*, 11 Sep 2023 Researchers at Microsoft, the University of Maryland, and other organizations found China's government is utilizing new methods to promulgate disinformation about last month's wildfires on Maui, claiming they resulted from tests of a secret "weather weapon." Such content includes photos apparently produced by artificial intelligence to add plausibility to Beijing's false narrative. The campaign seems to indicate China has shifted tactics from intensifying state propaganda to actively spreading discord in the U.S. The researchers suggested China was amassing a network of accounts that could be leveraged in future information (or disinformation) campaigns for “amplifying conspiracy theories that are not directly related to some of their interests, like Taiwan,'' said Brian Liston at cybersecurity company Recorded Future. [...] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/11/us/politics/china-disinformation-ai.html [Also noted by Jan Wolitzky. PGN]
AI voices are taking over the Internet (The Verge)
Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 22:01:32 -0400
https://www.theverge.com/23864878/ai-voice-clones-podcastle-elevenlabs-personal-voice
Another group of writers is suing OpenAI over copyright claims (The Verge)
Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 21:59:12 -0400
https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/11/23869145/writers-sue-openai-chatgpt-copyright-claims
Some things to talk with your kids about AI (MIT Tech Review)
Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 16:25:24 -0400
You need to talk to your kid about AI. Here are 6 things you should say. As children start back at school this week, it's not just ChatGPT you need to be thinking about. https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/09/05/1079009/you-need-to-talk-to-your-kid-about-ai-here-are-6-things-you-should-say/
How the Navy Spent Billions on Failed Littoral Combat Ship Program (ProPublica)
Gabe Goldberg <gabe@gabegold.com>Wed, 13 Sep 2023 01:21:35 -0400
Littoral combat ships were supposed to launch the Navy into the future. Instead they broke down across the globe and many of their weapons never worked. Now the Navy is getting rid of them. One is less than five years old. https://www.propublica.org/article/how-navy-spent-billions-littoral-combat-ship
Voting rights activists sound alarms over private tool that could lead to canceling voter registrations (CNN)
Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 10:16:02 -0400
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/11/politics/voting-rights-new-tool-canceling-registrations/index.html
Teen’s Smart Pill Bottle Reminds People to Take Their Medication on Time (The Institute Alert)
IEEE Spectrum <ieee-spectrum@deliver.ieee.org>Tue, 12 Sep 2023 12:01:45 -0500 (CDT)
https://engage.ieee.org/index.php/email/emailWebview?mkt_tok=NzU2LUdQSC04OTkAAAGOKVAynFor4c536iBF8GvZS9Y51TiH99Lm_PftVwgNANl4PoYW_JcyTayCD1Zkr2s1fBfYBD6r7y44aQ7EbX_upyF6hk_qohx6g6OdzAao0WY&md_id=78636 [The Internet of Meds Things is presumably hackable? PGN]
How to Navigate Apple’s Shift From Lightning to USB-C (NYTimes)
Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>Tue, 12 Sep 2023 20:29:00 -0400
The dream of carrying one power cable for all your devices is becoming a reality. But things aren't as simple as they sound. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/technology/personaltech/apple-iphone-lightning-usb-c.html [Side comment: The Thunderclap paper notes that Apple had only partially resolved the generic USB-C security problems. I wonder if it is better now. PGN]
FTC says Elon Musk may have jeopardized data privacy and security at Twitter (Enqadget)
Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>Tue, 12 Sep 2023 22:14:44 -0400
https://www.engadget.com/ftc-says-elon-musk-may-have-jeopardized-data-privacy-and-security-at-twitter-232642914.html
Susanna Gibson Saga: So What if a Candidate Livestreamed Sex Acts with Her Husband? (Politico)
Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>Tue, 12 Sep 2023 21:54:03 -0400
[Re: RISKS-33.83] https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/09/12/candidate-livestreamed-sex-acts-00115395
Re: San Franciscans Are Having Sex in Robotaxis
Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com>Tue, 12 Sep 2023 17:18:31 +0000
My grandmother, born late 1880's, told me ~1960 that she liked horse-drawn dates when she was a teenager because "the horse knew the way home".
Re: Pedestrian dies after Cruise cars block ambulance (RISKS-33.83)
Steve Lamont <spl@tirebiter.org>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 10:38:51 -0700
A few observations: > A pedestrian injured in a traffic collision in San Francisco died; EMTs > allege that they would have survived had two Cruise cars and an unoccupied > police car not prevented the ambulance from leaving promptly. First: It helps to read the entire story and not just the headline: [. . .] Cruise spokesperson Tiffany Testo countered that one of the cars cleared the scene and that traffic to the right of it remained unblocked. "The ambulance behind the AV had a clear path to pass the AV as other vehicles, including another ambulance, proceeded to do," she wrote in a statement to SFGATE. Second: You will note that the injury to the pedestrian was apparently driver `caused by a "driverful" automobile, but apparently nobody is raising a stink over "'death traps' and a menace to disabled people and children[1]" in vehicles driven by humans. We just seem to accept that as a part of day to day life. Third: You will also note that there was a human-driven police vehicle also blocking egress. Perhaps we're seeing a little convenient blame-shifting by the SFPD?
Re: Vintage Car prices (RISKS-33.83)
Anthony Thorn <anthony.thorn@atss.ch>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 10:57:21 +0200
After reading about the Mozilla report on the automobile industry https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/categories/cars/ (thanks to The Guardian and Steve Bacher) I finally understand why vintage car prices have risen so sharply! NO data collection included.-)
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