[ad_1] Officials initially wanted to track the location of virtually every infected person with the technology, which was originally intended to fight terrorism. It theoretically helped Israel determine if people were isolating properly, and would help determine who might have been exposed. Privacy advocates quickly objected, though, and the Israeli parliament put a stop to […]
Category: israel
Israel barred from COVID-19 phone tracking without new legislation
[ad_1] While the phone tracking hasn’t been detailed in earnest, it’s believed to involve anti-terrorism tech from the Shin Bet domestic security agency. The tracking was used to enforce quarantines, flagging infected people who left home. The government isn’t happy with the decision. Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz claimed the technology made a “critical contribution” to […]
Israel stops using phone tracking to enforce COVID-19 quarantines
[ad_1] Israel’s use of phone tracking technology to track COVID-19 patients has come to a partial end. A parliamentary oversight committee has halted use of the tracking to enforce quarantines after raising privacy concerns. The privacy violations outweigh the benefits, committee member Ayalet Shaked said — the phone monitoring tech doesn’t help much when police […]
Microsoft pulls its smaller investments in facial recognition tech
[ad_1] There was no publicly available timeline for when Microsoft would offload its AnyVision stake, a spokesperson told Reuters. AnyVision had been accused of using facial recognition to surveil Palestinians around the West Bank, contradicting Microsoft’s promise to avoid any uses of the tech that impinged on democratic freedoms. However, an audit found no evidence […]
Israel will use anti-terrorist tracking tech to fight coronavirus outbreak
[ad_1] The announcement is already raising concerns. Privacy expert Avner Pinchuk warned that this could include real-time phone tracking to alert authorities of quarantine violations, or tracing metadata to determine a COVID-19 patient’s travels and contacts. Shin Bet responded by saying it wouldn’t use its tech “in the context of isolation guidelines,” but that may […]
Facebook suspended Israeli PM’s campaign chatbot for hate speech
[ad_1] The message encouraged party supporters to vote against “a dangerous left-wing government” that would rely on Arab politicians “who want to destroy us all — women, children and men — and enable a nuclear Iran that would wipe us out.” Facebook subsequently implemented a 24-hour ban after a “careful review” found a violation of […]
Israel is the first to respond to a cyberattack with immediate force
[ad_1] The Israeli military believed the strike represented a decisive blow, claiming that “Hamas has no cyber operational capabilities” after their building was destroyed. The airstrike wasn’t completely surprising when Israel has been responding to hundreds of rocket attacks from Gaza militants over the past few days. It’s in the midst of an active conflict […]
SpaceIL plans second private Moon lander despite crash
[ad_1] SpaceIL's first attempt at a private Moon landing didn't go according to plan. However, that isn't deterring the team from giving it another shot. Founder Morris Khan has announced that the team will build another Beresheet lander and "complete the… [ad_2] Source link
Privately-owned Moon lander crashes in historic attempt
[ad_1] SpaceIL was one of the finalists competing for Google’s Lunar Xprize. That challenge ended without a winner, but SpaceIL joined others in persevering. Even with the crash, Israel is been part of a very exclusive club — it’s only the fourth country to put a vehicle on the Moon (in one state or another) […]
Airbnb reverses ban on West Bank listings
[ad_1] The lawsuit had accused Airbnb of discriminating against Jewish listings, noting that it still let Christians and Palestinians host guests. Airbnb objected to the claims, though, rejecting implications that it supported a movement to boycott Israel. It pointed to the 20,000-plus Israeli hosts as further proof. “We have always sought to bring people together,” […]