RealClearInvestigations' Picks of the Week
RealClearInvestigations' Picks of the Week
April 2 to April 8
Featured Investigation
The government snooping revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013 seems like small beer in 2017. Each week seems to bring new revelations of state-sponsored surveillance that would have been dismissed as tin-foil hat paranoia not long ago. Last week, the Russian election-meddling probe suggested that America’s intelligence services not only know who’s calling whom but, in many cases, what they are saying to each other. Despite Fourth Amendment privacy protections, the communications of many citizens can be monitored, their identities unmasked, without a warrant and apparently at whim.
We also learned last week that about half of adult Americans’ photographs are stored in facial recognition databases that can be accessed by the FBI in the hunt for suspected criminals, without the subjects’ knowledge or consent. The algorithms used to identify matches are inaccurate about 15 percent of the time, and are more likely to misidentify black people than white people.
The Guardian also reported:
The FBI first launched its advanced biometric database, Next Generation Identification, in 2010, augmenting the old fingerprint database with further capabilities including facial recognition. The bureau did not inform the public about its newfound capabilities nor did it publish a privacy impact assessment, required by law, for five years. Unlike with the collection of fingerprints and DNA, which is done following an arrest, photos of innocent civilians are being collected proactively. The FBI made arrangements with 18 different states to gain access to their databases of driver's license photos.
Other Noteworthy Articles or Series
Unmasking Affair Recalls Smear Campaign Against Foes of Iran Deal - Tablet
Did the Obama administration's abuse of foreign-intelligence collection start before Trump? One clue: The Russia story looks like a replay of reports disclosing how the Obama White House smeared pro-Israel activists in the period before the Iran nuclear deal.
How Uber Uses Psychological Tricks to Push Its Drivers' Buttons - New York Times
Uber has undertaken an extraordinary experiment in behavioral science to subtly entice its independent work force to maximize its growth. For example, it has experimented with female personas to increase engagement with drivers. Another technique comes from popular video games: promoting a feeling of progress toward a goal that is always just beyond the player's grasp.
Is There a ‘Black Tax’ for Car Insurance? - ProPublica
An analysis of premiums and payouts in California, Illinois, Texas and Missouri shows that some major insurers charge drivers in minority neighborhoods as much as 30 percent more than drivers in other areas with similar accident costs.
Why Your Super-Safe Car Costs More to Insure - Wall Street Journal
New cars loaded with high-tech crash-prevention gear are having a perverse effect on car-insurance costs: They are soaring. Reason: The safety tech is five times more expensive to fix than conventional parts. And the equipment is often located in bumpers, fenders and external mirrors—the very spots that tend to get hit in a crash.
Dating Apps Mean NBA Stars Go Out Less and May Play Better - ESPN The Magazine
Want to know why NBA road teams are winning at historically great levels? Take a look inside the league's tamer party scene. Apps have done for sex in the NBA what Amazon has done for books: no need to go out to find what you're looking for. And so, dozens of interviews affirm, NBA players are sleeping more, drinking less and playing better.
