Why Will Orlando Police Continue Testing Amazon Facial Recognition Software?
An unidentified Amazon employee has spoken out against his own company, saying Amazon is selling its facial recognition software to police departments. The employee wrote an open letter to Jeff Bezos and other top executives at the company, signed by more than 450 employees, demanding that the company stop supplying the device to law enforcement. Facial recognition software is very popular as "recognition" software designed to provide assistance to law enforcement.
Recognizance is a deep machine learning-based service, capable of storing and searching millions of faces simultaneously. This software allows detection of objects, scenes, activities and inappropriate content.
In July, the ACLU tested the tool and falsely identified 28 US lawmakers as criminals. So we are not sure about the efficiency of this tool, but Amazon claims that the system is 80 percent accurate.
An anonymous Amazon employee described the potential risk of designing such a tool. And told the media that it was not about accuracy but about allowing the US government with mass surveillance tools. And the Trump administration will use this technique to deport bona fide immigrants.
Amazon has not yet responded to this letter! What’s your take on these sensational revelations?
China Uses Data Theft Chips, Acclaims Bloomberg
In an article on its website, Bloomberg claimed that Chinese spies planted chips on server circuit boards and stole data from 30 US organizations, including Apple and Amazon. All these boards are made by a reputed company called Super Microcomputer and many other companies use its hardware.
AAccording to the Bloomberg article, the servers were damaged during the assembling process, and the installed chips were triggered once they were connected to the board and received supplies. A spy chip is smaller in size than a small button.
But Apple denied the news by announcing that it found no evidence to confirm the theft news along with Amazon and Super Micro Computer.
Bloomberg said the primary concerns about the spying effort developed amid security tests conducted by Amazon in 2015. Earlier it had started using servers from a US organization called Elemental, built by supermicrocomputers at a plant in China. And so, Chinese spies were able to attach the chip to the board.
But the companies have denied reports of any company data being stolen.
Upcoming Conferences for Software Testing
This time, there are 4 conferences are going live in October:
- SeleniumConf
- STAR Canada
- EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference
- Agile Testing & BDD eXchange
1. SeleniumConf
SeleniumConf is coming to Chicago (USA) for a two-day conference on 18th and 19th October 2018, the first of which is a one-day workshop on 17th October. In addition, this conference is organized for Selenium test automation professionals by Sauce Labs and other sponsors. The purpose of this conference is to serve Selenium software users and testers. Selenium Software is an open source testing software for web-based test automation. The conference focuses mainly on Selenium issues and bugs, with some additional testing topics and exchange of ideas and experience.
Date: 17, 18, 19 October (Only Workshop on 17 Oct)
Venue: Chicago, Illinois (USA)
2. STAR Canada
However, Star Canada is scheduled to host a six-day conference in Toronto (Canada) from October 15th to October 20th by TechWell. The conference is being organized for in-depth training, half and full day tutorials, short sessions and leadership summits in the field of test automation. TechWell invites software testers, test managers, QA analysts, developers and test practitioners to attend this conference and share their thoughts and experience.
Date: 15 to 20 October
Venue: Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
3. EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference
EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference is the world's most successful and longest running conference and has been running since 1993. Each year, a newly selected program committee and a panel of 40 volunteers sift through more than 500 presentations, and select the best to create a comprehensive program, which aligns with a broad range of subjects and test specifications. Software testers, testing consultants, IT managers and other relevant professionals are also invited to attend the conference.
Date: 12 to 15 November
Venue: The Hague (Netherlands)
4. Agile Testing & BDD eXchange
The Agile Testing & BDD eXchange conference is a two-day conference in London (UK). As for sources, its organizers have said that the conference is going to get a new name and face. Developers along with software testers, managers and other professionals can attend this conference for behavior-based development.
Date: 8 to 9 November
Venue: London (UK)
Software testing may seem boring, but businessmen know that it is important to them and are constantly improving with the help of new technology. Improving testing is not possible without artificial intelligence and automation tools. Additionally, the conferences discussed above aim to help professionals update their knowledge and skills. By visiting such conferences, you can learn more about the best software testing services provider QA experts and test managers.
