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Facebook will train its content-removal AI with police camera footage
Facebook will use footage from police body cameras to train its automatic detection systems to spot and remove footage of mass shootings. The company announced Tuesday that it will partner with law enforcement in the US and UK to obtain footage from their firearms training programs. Data from those videos should help Facebook's systems detect real-world, first-person footage of violent events.
Australia orders ISPs to block sites hosting Christchurch shooting video
Australia isn't waiting for new laws to block access to sites with content it deems horrific. The government's e-safety commissioner Julie Inman has ordered internet service providers in the country to block eight websites hosting the Christchurch terrorist's video, preventing Australians from visiting the sites unless they use alternatives like VPNs. The move comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison (above) told both Inman and ISPs to create a protocol for ordering these blocks. The commissioner's office will also be responsible for keeping watch over the sites and will unblock them if they pull the video.
Canada reveals measures to tackle online extremism
Canada has announced several measures to combat online extremism. Public Safety Canada said the government will provide up to $1 million CAD ($762,000) to a program called Tech Against Terrorism. The funding will help set up a system to inform smaller companies when terrorist content pops up to help them remove it faster. The agency said that will "help to achieve the commitment under the Christchurch Call to Action to support small platforms as they build capacity to remove terrorist and violent extremist content."
Facebook, Google and others join Christchurch Call to curb extremism
In the two months since the Christchurch attack in New Zealand, social media companies have struggled to remove videos of the violence from their platforms. And they've grappled with the role they may unintentionally play in the spread of terrorism. Today, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Google, YouTube and Amazon signed their support to the Christchurch Call, which aims to address terrorist and violent content online. The companies join several countries -- though the US has not pledged support -- and are committed to a nine-point plan that outlines next steps.
Facebook's AI missed Christchurch shooting videos filmed in first-person
In the 24 hours after the Christchurch shooting, Facebook removed 1.5 million videos worldwide, but more than a month later, footage was still circulating on the platform. Now, the company says its AI had a hard time detecting the footage because of the way in which it was filmed.
Christchurch shooting videos are still on Facebook over a month later
Current methods for filtering out terrorist content are still quite limited, and a recent discovery makes that all too clear. Motherboard and the Global Intellectual Property Enforcement Center's Eric Feinberg have discovered that variants of the Christchurch mass shooter's video were available on Facebook 36 days after the incident despite Facebook's efforts to wipe them from the social network. Some of them were trimmed to roughly a minute, but they were all open to the public -- you just had to click a "violent or graphic content" confirmation to see them. Others appeared to dodge filtering attempts by using screen captures instead of the raw video.
Australian bill could imprison social network execs over violent content
Australia may take a stricter approach to violent online material than Europe in light of the mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand. The government is introducing legislation that would punish social networks that don't "expeditiously" remove "abhorrent" violent content produced by perpetrators, such as terrorism, kidnapping and rape. If found guilty, a company could not only face fines up to 10 percent of their annual turnover, but see its executives imprisoned for up to three years. The country's Safety Commissioner would have the power to issue formal notices, giving companies a deadline to remove offending material.
Facebook COO says it's 'exploring' restrictions on who can go live
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg took to the Instagram blog this evening saying "We have heard feedback that we must do more – and we agree" (the post was also published as an op-ed in the New Zealand Herald). Despite the lack of credibility big tech companies have when it comes to dealing with dangerous hate groups, the post's title claims "We Can Win Against Hate." Specifically citing the mass shooting in Christchurch New Zealand, Sandberg revealed that it identified more than 900 videos showing portions of the shooter's original 17-minute Facebook Live broadcast. As a result, it's making an unspecified investment in research to identify these edited versions of violent videos and block them. More important, however, is news that the company is "exploring" restrictions on who can go Live. Coming nearly two years after a murderer in Cleveland broadcast his crime on a Facebook live stream, it seems horrifically late to start thinking about adding rules now. Still, even with a long list of incidents, all Sandberg could say is that potential restrictions could happen "depending on factors such as prior Community Standard violations." It's also updated the review process to respond more quickly on similar videos in the future, and listed ways it's supporting people in New Zealand via local organizations and the government.
After Christchurch, we need more than digital-security theater
Just after the Christchurch shooting I came across an article explaining how to make your Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts block violent videos. How-tos like this are depressingly necessary, because while Facebook removes an illustrated nipple for "community safety" at lightning speed with real consequences, the company isn't equally interested in policing content that's indisputably harmful. After the Christchurch attack, Facebook said it took down 1.5 million postings of the terrorist's mass-murder livestream within 24 hours, but only 1.2 million of those videos were blocked at upload.
House chair asks tech CEOs to speak about New Zealand shooting response (updated)
Internet companies say they've been scrambling to remove video of the mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, but US politicians are concerned they haven't been doing enough. The Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Bennie Thompson, has sent letters to the CEOs of Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube asking them to brief the committee on their responses to the video on March 27th. Thompson was concerned the footage was still "widely available" on the internet giants' platforms, and that they "must do better."
Parrot AR.Drone floats into damaged New Zealand cathedral, returns with haunting video
Whenever disaster strikes, robots are among the first to scope out the damage. Rarely, however, do they return with footage as eerie as what this Parrot AR.Drone recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand. In the wake of Monday's 6.0-magnitude earthquake, engineers sent the $500 bot into the city's Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament -- a 106-year-old Roman Catholic church that had sustained significant damage, rendering it too dangerous for humans to enter. The iPad-controlled quadrocopter swooped in and captured rather depressing images of the cathedral's battered interior. The video's quality may be low, but its creepy quotient is high: shattered stained-glass windows, piles of debris, stray pieces of iconography -- it's all quite heavy. Head past the break to see it for yourself. [Thanks, Ross]
iPhonewzealand app proceeds donated to NZ Red Cross Earthquake Appeal
Many New Zealand-based Mac and iOS developers are rallying to help the city of Christchurch following its recent devastating earthquake. NZ-based tech blog iPhonewzealand is the latest to join in these efforts. The site's old iPhone app has been withdrawn from the App Store, and in its place is an updated app with access to news, comments and forums on iPhonewzealand's site. iPhonewzealand focuses on local Kiwi developers and apps, too, so if you live in New Zealand and have an iPhone, this site and its app are a great resource. Of particular interest to users outside of New Zealand, the app also contains iPhone carrier settings for New Zealand's mobile providers, streamlining the process of getting your iPhone working while you're visiting New Zealand. The app is priced at US$1.99 (NZ$2.59) until the end of March. After Apple takes its 30 percent cut, all further proceeds go directly to the New Zealand Red Cross. In the wake of the recent earthquake in Christchurch, which sadly seems to be shaping up to be the worst natural disaster in New Zealand's history, every little bit of help counts. If you're in New Zealand and have an iPhone, this purchase is a no-brainer, and it's also a good purchase if you're an international iPhone user planning on visiting down here. Citing its terms and conditions for the App Store, Apple forced iPhonewzealand to redact any mention on iTunes of its app's proceeds going to charity. Thankfully, Apple has no say on where the developer's profits go after the company takes its 30 percent off the top, so even though iPhonewzealand can't announce its charitable intentions on the App Store, we can still do so on the site's behalf. If you're not interested in the iPhonewzealand app but would still like to donate to the New Zealand Red Cross and support its efforts to help the city of Christchurch in its time of need, you can do so directly at the Red Cross website.
Swap out your iPhone 4's rear glass with a replacement panel from voBack
A few days ago, one of our readers emailed us to ask, "Is this a photo of the Verizon iPhone, or a Chinese knockoff?" It only took me a couple seconds to realize it was neither; it was a voBack replacement iPhone 4 rear panel from Fixxed, a company based out of Christchurch, New Zealand. I'd seen a review of the voBack panel on iPhonewzealand, and based on that review and the images on voBack's site, I decided to give one of them a try. I've always thought that Apple's decision to make the rear plate of the iPhone 4 out of glass was a bit odd, especially since the antennas are on the outside of the iPhone and shouldn't have experienced any interference from a more robust material, like metal. Considering that people drop their mobile phones all the time, it seemed like a recipe for disaster. "Use a case" is the usual answer, but aside from Apple's own bumper case (which does nothing to protect the rear glass), I haven't found a case that looks anywhere near as good as a caseless iPhone. Fortunately, Apple designed the iPhone 4 in a way that makes it atypically easy to dismantle. In the video below, you'll see that even though I fumbled around a bit with the Philips #00 screwdriver I used, it only took about three and a half minutes for me to swap the iPhone 4's standard glass plate with the metal replacement from voBack. (Note that newer iPhone 4 units have five-point Torx screws, a much rarer screw type that's more difficult to remove.) Because I chose a black replacement, from a distance my iPhone looks almost no different than it did before, but I've got more peace of mind now that the backside is made out of something more durable than glass. About the only complaint I have about the voBack panel is it holds onto smudges a lot more readily than the standard oleophobic glass. Other than that minor issue, I'm quite pleased with it. The best part is that, unlike most cases, the voBack plate doesn't change the shape of the iPhone 4 at all, so anything that would have fit a standard-issue iPhone will still fit. My bumper case slid right on with no issues, and my camera, LED flash and wireless reception haven't been affected at all. Worried about voiding your warranty by swapping out the rear plate? voBack itself isn't sure if this procedure will void your warranty or not, but if you keep the original backside in a safe place, you can always swap it back in later. If you've already broken the rear glass on your iPhone 4 anyway, you've really got nothing to lose by replacing it. There are plenty of different colors, styles and materials to choose from on voBack's site, and the prices range from US$24 to $29. Shipping to the US from New Zealand is very reasonable too, though Fixxed says it's looking for international distributors for the voBack panels. Check out a gallery of the voBack panel below, and I've also made a video showing how easy it is for even a clumsy guy like me to swap out the iPhone's rear casing. %Gallery-113763%
Martin Jetpack public test flights taking off in early 2010
Those crazy Kiwis at Martin Jetpack like to pop in every now and then to show off their eponymous flying craft, and though we still don't have a timeframe for plunking down $150,000 to own one and donning our best Boba Fett costume for the inaugural flight home, the company is making accommodations. Starting early next year in its hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand, you'll be able to try out the flight pack yourself as part of the Martin Jetpack Experience. The "low, slow" thrill ride won't hover above 3.3 feet or go faster than 6.2 miles per hour, but according to The New Zealand Herald, it's only expected to cost about as much as bungie jumping, and if you ask really nicely, we're sure they won't mind you wearing the costume anyway.
