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The debate over online privacy and end-to-end encryption that has been raging for years since whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked information about the United States National Security Agency’s covert surveillance of Americans’ communications to the press in 2013 continues.

Privacy organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation are up in arms over two bills before the U.S. Senate claiming to fight online child sexual exploitation. They argue that the bills violate the Constitution and weaken both national security and online security for individuals.

One, the EARN IT Act of 2020, would let the government compel online service providers to break encryption online.
The other, the Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act, would let the Department of Justice demand manufacturers of encrypted hardware and software, communications providers, and others create backdoors in their products or services.

Meanwhile, organizations fighting child sexual exploitation argue that encryption facilitates predators’ activities; a growing problem, with 18.4 million reports were made last year to the U.S. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

At Facebook’s annual general meeting on May 27, nearly 13 percent of shares voted were in favor of asking the company to assess the risk of increased sexual exploitation of children as it develops and offers additional privacy tools such as end-to-end encryption.

Law enforcement contends that encryption facilitates criminals and terrorists.

Into this mix comes colorful cybersecurity expert, and fugitive from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, John McAfee, who founded, then sold, the cybersecurity company bearing his name.

On July 7, McAfee announced the launch of the 4G Ghost Cell Phone Data Service, which he described as the world’s first private cell phone data service.

Users will be untraceable and untrackable, according to McAfee. The service is slated to launch globally in December.

Promise of Privacy

The Ghost Cell Phone Data Service is part of a larger ecosystem which includes McAfee’s Ghost cryptocurrency and GhostX Exchange for private cryptocurrency exchange.

“The Ghost brand will encompass a range of practical, real world tools for people to protect our rights and take back our privacy,” McAfee said. “Privacy is a human right.”

McAfee invited members of the media to beta test the service. They should contact mcafeeghostphone [at] gmail.com if they wish to do so.

“It’s likely that the Ghost Cell Phone Data Service provides a suite of anonymity services, but it’s one thing to say you make certain things more anonymous and another to guarantee complete anonymity no matter what you do,” Roger Grimes, data driven defense evangelist at KnowBe4 told TechNewsWorld.

“Anyone promising the latter should be suspect.”

It is possible to track users “myriad of different ways that have nothing to do with your physical connection,” Grimes noted, and “if this service is really, really good at perfect anonymity and becomes known to law enforcement you can expect that it will be outlawed. Most of our world’s governments don’t tolerate perfect anonymity that really works.”

How Ghost by McAfee Works

The service, which is data-only, uses eSIM so phones can connect to its network without needing a SIM card, which is traceable.

It provides coverage in 35 countries.

Users can manually select from more than 2,000 IP addresses in these countries to access service, making it difficult to pinpoint their location. They can change IP addresses as frequently as desired.

All network traffic will pass through multiple anonymized servers and cannot be traced accurately back to the customer.

The service is designed to obscure the user’s location, and “a trace on your phone will show you are where you aren’t,” Rob Enderle, principal at The Enderle Group, told TechNewsWorld.

Ghost is providing a free app for the service for both iOS and Android.

The service supports the Google Pixel 3, 3XL, and 4 XI; the Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, Fold, and Galaxy Z Flip; the iPhone 11 family, as well as the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR. Other phones that support eSIM technology may work on the network also.

The basic service package will offer access to Ghost’s networks and 1 GB of data transfer. Additional data can be purchased as an add-on.

To use the data network, all that owners of a supported phone need to do is scan a QR code supplied when they purchase service. No personal information is required for sign-up and all service is prepaid with no contract, according to Ghost by McAfee.

VoIP Weakness

Voice services are not included, but the data plan fully supports VoIP services like Skype.

That’s a potential crack in Ghost’s armor.

VoIP services “keep call records, and Skype in particular has shared such data with the NSA in the past,” Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate with Comparitech, told TechNewsWorld.

“Even if your data connection is private, you can still be tracked if you log into your accounts or use a Web browser with cookies enabled.”

Two Sides of the Tracking Coin

Law enforcement contends that online anonymity and encryption shield criminals and terrorists and facilitate their actions, but privacy organizations have pointed out that bad actors can easily move their operations to the Dark Web and have used alternative means of communication or developed their own encrypted applications.

“While a service like this will certainly be attractive to the bad actors of the world, it will also be of great use to legitimate uses such as journalists, human rights activists, and other users in countries where the government is known to monitor and restrict online activity,” Chris Hauk, consumer privacy champion at Pixel Privacy, told TechNewsWorld. “I look forward to seeing more services like McAfee’s in the near future.”

Richard Adhikari has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2008. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, mobile technologies, CRM, databases, software development, mainframe and mid-range computing, and application development. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including Information Week and Computerworld. He is the author of two books on client/server technology.
Email Richard.

The global pandemic threw the world for a loop as businesses shut down, schools closed, and working from home became the new normal. Phrases like “social distancing” and “self-quarantine” became part of our everyday nomenclature, and safety measures such as temperature checks and mask wearing were integrated into daily life. It’s now hard to imagine businesses and gathering places without these new standards in place.

From a business standpoint, reopening still poses many concerns and uncertainty. How can businesses keep employees safe, remain compliant with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and avoid liability while still maintaining a sustainable level of profitability?

From an employee standpoint, while many workers are eager to return to full-time hours and consistent paychecks, they are scared to return to an environment that increases their exposure to COVID-19. They may have questions about proper PPE, enforcement of social distancing and mask wearing, and many face new responsibilities that are not traditional to their position.

Artificial intelligence will play a major role as we try to move to a post-pandemic world, especially as it pertains to tracking people’s health and wellbeing in public areas. Employers will tap technology solutions to help them face challenges such as adhering to new rules and regulations, monitoring compliance, and ensuring employee confidence and morale remains positive.

Today’s new reality will rely on technology more than ever, and this trend will only continue to grow as we settle into the new normal. From monitoring individuals to helping to ease customer flow, technology — specifically artificial intelligence — will be critical.

Why AI?

As society plans the reopening of offices, shared spaces and customer-facing businesses, how can we ensure the safety of workers and the community at large?

One option is to hire or assign employees to policing practices such as temperature taking, mask wearing, and social distancing enforcement. Depending on the size of the business, this could take a great number of people. It would most likely involve a two-pronged approach, with employees on the ground as well as employees monitoring the situation from screens.

Human error is a risk in these scenarios. It’s difficult to monitor a large group of people to make sure they are adhering to the CDC guidelines. It also places a substantial mental burden on staff; the average human attention span is about 8.25 seconds, and many are distracted by emails, text messages and constant notifications on their phones.

A technology solution is the clear answer in this case. Artificial Intelligence is a powerful technology tool that allows for multiple tasks to take place at once, faster and more efficiently than humanly possible. Cognitive computing systems such as neural networks are a specific type of AI that simulates human thought. This type of AI is used in autonomous vehicles and is also a good structure to build post-pandemic monitoring systems.

Cognitive computing can learn to digest information in different contexts. For example, if people are simply passing each other, or a family walks into a store together, the system will learn that they do not need to physically distance within the group and therefore will not be violating the rules of social distancing.

Not only is AI more reliable than humans at tracking multiple data points at one time, this type of monitoring can reduce liability exposure for businesses and organizations. Amazon is being sued by workers for not enforcing social distancing measures and being careless with contact tracing efforts. At the time, had the company had AI monitoring in place, it could have helped to make sure that such measures were being properly enforced and provided proof that the company took measures to ensure the safety of its workers.

AI in the Workplace

Remote working was the instant solution for many businesses when the pandemic escalated. While some businesses are fully back in office and adhering to mandated expectations for employee safety, others remain remote or are utilizing strategic and flexible work schedules.

For those going into office settings, a host of safety measures need to be implemented, but can pose a myriad of difficulties to ensure compliance and create substantial liability issues. AI can help to monitor body temperatures, ensure employees are social distancing, and even confirm that masks are being worn consistently.

This use of AI technology can help reduce worker frustration and dissatisfaction with new rules of compliance, free up staff from the need to manually attempt a fraction of what today’s computing power can achieve, and keep employees doing what they do best, rather than enforcing rules.

The post-pandemic workplace will be made of more controlled environments including more managed daily interactions, reserving time for specific activities, rotating people in and out of smaller spaces, and flexible workspaces where employees can come and go as needed as opposed to each having a dedicated space.

As the COVID-19 situation fluctuates, so will the guidelines that need monitoring. AI systems can quickly and easily be programed to shift with the loosening or tightening of guidelines, allowing for flexibility in the system.

AI in Customer Experience

For those working in retail, hospitality, healthcare and other customer-facing industries, additional unique challenges abound. Customers have been patient and understanding with the recent changes, but as the new normal sets in, this perseverance will surely revert to earlier expectations and customers may even begin to demand more.

Customers will tire of waiting in line and having their temperatures taken to enter a restaurant or shop. While they will still expect safety measures and want to feel safe in the environment, their expectations of a quicker delivery method should be anticipated.

With a situational awareness solution, companies can mitigate risks and still focus on delivering quality customer service. Businesses that rely on heavy foot traffic such as shopping centers, hospitals, casinos, recreational venues and theme parks, will need to evolve to remain safely in business. For such large spaces with big crowds, technology to monitor for social distancing, temperature checks and mask compliance will be critical.

Hospitals will be one of the many workplaces that will evolve and depend on technology to avoid cross-contamination, especially with patients at higher-risk. AI technology can be used to take vitals, heartrate, temperatures and more without the need to enter a patient’s room. This will help to provide better overall patient care while keeping patients and staff safe.

For retail and theme park settings, customer service can be faster and more efficient. There will no longer be the need to wait in a physical line. Customers will be able to check in, receive a notification when it’s their turn, and then be able to walk right up for service or to experience an attraction. AI will be more important than ever in these high-traffic situations.

AI Monitoring and Privacy

With all of these technological implementations, employees and customers alike may be concerned about privacy. AI solutions have the ability to make people into avatars, where only behaviors and other rules are being monitored, which will help to ensure the privacy of individuals.

Unlike the extensive volumes of video surveillance data being collected, this type of monitoring does not entail identity information such as names or images. Moreover, data through this type of platform can be stored locally, not via a cloud system which might be breached more easily. This could reduce the risk of bad actors intruding in the system since access would need to be through the local database.

A Better Future With AI

AI-enabled technology solutions will help lead to a better future. The change has already begun, and the landscape will most likely continue to shift abruptly as we adapt to the post-pandemic world and learn more about how COVID-19 and other diseases are transmitted.

Customers, businesses and employees will all experience concern during phased reopening, but there are ways to safeguard individuals in minimally intrusive ways, thanks to AI, neural networks and other technological advancements.

AI technology solutions will allow us to advance and resume some semblance of normal activity, all while managing compliance, ensuring profitability and mitigating liability.

Lars Nordenlund is CEO of Cognize, which specializes in AI cognitive technology.

Google says Android 10 has been downloaded faster than any version in its history, hitting 100 million devices in five months.

That makes its adoption rate 28% faster than the previous version, it said.

After 300 days, 400 million users were running the latest version of the software.

However, the speed of adoption still languishes behind Apple’s iOS, which has a 92% adoption rate for its latest OS among modern iPhones.

According to ArsTechnica, Google said there were 2.5 billion active devices last year – and 400 million running the latest version is only 16% of the possible install base.

However, direct comparisons are not quite that simple. Apple makes its own phones and software updates, and releases the updates itself. Its adoption rate only counts phones released in the last four years.

Android, by contrast, is an open-source operating system used by a huge range of manufacturers which make many different devices.

Those manufacturers have traditionally had to approve major Android releases for their devices, often adding lengthy delays.

Some manufacturers have also refused to commit to updates for their phones, even when they are available.

That has frustrated some users who are waiting for new features – but some phones that have never received essential security updates could be compromised by bad actors.

• One billion Android devices at risk of hacking
• ‘How my photo ended up breaking Android phones’

Google says it has made changes to the Android update process which have allowed it to push essential updates much faster.

One example is the release of its contact-tracing backend system, used by the coronavirus tracing apps in several countries, such as Germany and Ireland.

The new system allows Google to push updates to parts of the operating system through its Google Play app store.

In a Reddit discussion, members of the Android development team wrote that the main problems with phone-makers issuing updates “are fundamentally about costs”.

They wrote that because Android is released as an open-source piece of software, it is then customised by the phone manufacturers to work with their own cameras, interface and other special considerations.

“When the next release happens, you have to take the changes you made and port them forward to (rebase onto) the new release,” they added, “This takes time and effort, and time and effort mean costs.”

The changes being made by the team are designed to allow faster updates to specific parts of the system that do not need to be approved by every individual manufacturer.

Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey has become the first investor in a radical plan to give people a basic income, regardless of job status.

He has donated $3m (£2.4m) to the scheme, which is being piloted by the mayors of 16 US cities.

He said it was “one tool to close the wealth and income gap”.

The idea of governments paying a basic income to citizens has gained momentum in response to the threat to jobs from artificial intelligence.

The premise of universal basic income (UBI) is that every individual in a country will receive a cash payment at regular intervals, without any requirement to work or qualify for it. The payment would be given to every citizen, regardless of wealth or employment status.

The US scheme, dubbed Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, is a version of this which would offer a recurring payment, but only to “some” residents.

On its website, it is not made explicit who will receive payments but it talks of the need to address poverty, particularly in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Covid-19 has only further exposed the economic fragility of most American households and has disproportionately impacted black and brown people,” it says.

“Mayors will come together in this network to advocate for a guaranteed income – direct, reccuring cash payments – that lifts all of our communities, building a resilient, just America.”

There are no firm proposals for how money would be allocated, or for how long the scheme would last.

Mr Dorsey tweeted: “This is one tool to close the wealth and income gap, level systemic race and gender inequalities and create economic security for families”.

The project was founded by Stockton mayor Michael Tubbs, who wants it to become a national programme that will extend beyond the current pandemic.

He has previously said that raising taxes of individuals such as Mr Dorsey could be one way to fund it.

The 29-year-old is attempting to reinvent the Californian city he grew up in and has been experimenting with the idea of a universal income since 2018, paying $500 a month to 125 residents.

Joblessness threat

Talk of a universal basic income has been around for decades but has become closely associated with the idea of artificial intelligence – the argument being that as robots take over more jobs in society, humans will need a guaranteed annual income supplied by government.

But Martin Luther King also suggested the idea in his 1967 book Where Do We Go From Here?

AI expert Calum Chace said that a universal basic income could be some way off.

“It is seen by many as a solution to the threat of joblessness as machines automate more and more of our jobs in the coming years and decades,” he said. “Unfortunately, it is wholly unaffordable if it offers anything more than abject poverty.

“But if, say, [in] a generation from now machines do take most of our jobs, we should all be able to live the lives of leisure that economists like Maynard Keynes promised long ago – if, that is, we can achieve the economy of abundance, where the cost of a very good standard of living falls close to zero.

“The idea of fully automated luxury capitalism is the next big thing, once people understand the limitations of UBI.”

Smile Bank customers have been unable to access their online banking accounts for five days in a row.

The online-only bank, owned by Co-Operative Bank, said it was working urgently to resolve the problem.

But the latest service outage proved to be the “last straw” for longtime customer Emma Hopkinson-Spark.

After 16 years, she left Smile Bank on Friday after she was unable to view a crucial re-mortgage payment.

“I’m really disappointed in Smile Bank,” Ms Hopkinson-Spark, chief of staff at a tech consultancy business in Weston-super-Mare, told the BBC. “The outages this week were the tipping point.”

Ms Hopkinson-Spark said she had not been able to access her online banking account for several days. Although she can still withdraw money from cash machines and pay for items using her debit card, she cannot send payments or view her payments.

“Yesterday my husband rang me in a flap saying he was trying to pay for groceries and didn’t have money in his account,” she said. “He needed me to transfer money to his account and I couldn’t.”

Her frustration came to a head when her mortgage firm said they had sent a payment of almost £100,000 to her current account, but she could not see it there or do anything with the funds.

She decided to close her current account, cash ISA and savings account with the bank and is transferring her funds to a different bank.

Smile Bank, which has around 100,000 customers, has apologised for problems with its online banking and mobile app, but it was unable to provide the BBC with a reason for the outage, or say when the problem would be fixed.

“We’re sorry that our Smile customers have been unable to use our mobile app and online banking as they would usually in recent days,” the company said in a statement.

“We are working hard to restore their access as soon as possible and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“Customers can use their cards and make transactions as normal and if they need support with their account they can call our customer service team.”

‘We’re getting really panicked’

Vicky Wevell, a self-employed editor in Nailsea, near Bristol who has been with the bank for 20 years, said Smile Bank’s mobile app had gone downhill in recent years, with outages for hours at a time.

Like other Smile Bank customers who spoke to the BBC, she said a lack of communication during the recent issues had made her worried about the safety of her funds.

“I’m really angry actually and have been getting progressively angrier this week,” she said. “It’s less to do with the outage and more to do with their communication.”

She said she was also on the verge of switching banks, because she could not see which invoices for work done had been paid by her clients.

“How are we supposed to do any business?” she said. “[We’re] getting really panicked, is our money secure?”

Making enquiries

Jackie Smart, an office administrator in Aylesbury, said it took days for the bank to put a notice up about the outage on its website and communication remains difficult.

“I’m feeling frustrated and worried because I don’t know what’s happening. You can get through on the automated service to hear your balance when you ring through, but it’s actually waiting to speak to somebody that takes a long time,” she said.

Set up in 1999, Smile Bank was one of the earliest online-only banks. Its parent company, Co-Operative Bank, is owned by a number of hedge funds, which last year were reportedly exploring a sale of the business.

The BBC understands that the outage is caused by an issue that is only affecting Smile Bank’s platforms, but not other brands owned by Co-Operative Bank.

Smile Bank customers have been advised to call the bank if they require assistance with their accounts on 03457 212212 during opening times, which are: Monday-Friday 08:00-18:00 BST, and on weekends between 09:00-17:00 BST.

As call waiting times may vary, the bank told the BBC that customers can also to contact Smile Bank’s Twitter and Facebook accounts to make queries.