Cybersecurity & Tech

George Slover, senior counsel for competition policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology, says that surveillance pricing, or bespoke pricing, ” inverts, or you might say perverts, the assumptions at the very foundation of the justification for the free market.”

Governing | What Is ‘Surveillance Pricing’ and Is It Causing Increased Prices?

Did you know that online retailers have the ability to cull data and determine a personalize price for you based on how much their algorithm thinks you will pay for an item? Yep, hello surveillance pricing. An FTC order this week is looking into the situation, and is expected to take action with states are sure to follow.

Utah created an AI Office this year when it enacted SB 149 (UT | 2024). Utah’s AI Office is housed inside the state’s Department of Commerce. The state has a lack of accessible mental health care providers. The office will work to create a framework for what AI chatbots are and are not allowed to do in mental health care.

KUER | Utah’s new Office of Artificial Intelligence will first focus on mental health care and AI

Los Angeles School district has an AI project that is said to allow for chat functions in 100 languages. The goal of the AI chatbot is  to improve student English and math proficiency, attendance, and graduation rates while improving communication between students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Sound too good to be true? Maybe. The AI chat messaging collapsed and all of the AI company’s employees have been furloughed. 

Industry analysts say that this is par for the course based on where AI is today. They point to McDonalds which attempted generative AI chatbot for its menus at 100 locations. The pilot program was pulled due to chat challenges.

Route Fifty | Was Los Angeles schools’ $6 million AI venture a disaster waiting to happen?

We’ve been talking about how quantum computing is the next big thing that is going to occupy policymakers time. To that end, a group of MIT researchers partnered with Accenture to develop an AI  decision-making toolkit. “The framework asks leaders to consider two conditions: feasibility (meaning whether a quantum computer exists that is sufficiently powerful to solve their particular problem) and algorithmic advantage. The overlap between the two is the quantum economic advantage.”  @MIT Sloan School

Politico calls California State Senator  Thomas Umberg,  California’a Chief AI Gatekeeper. Policy issues that are at the forefront for the AI Gatekeeper: developing clear definitions for terms like “artificial intelligence,” “transparency,” “bias” and “privacy” to craft effective policies; ensuring that policymakers have “extensive consultation with experts across various sectors to ensure regulations are well-informed and effective;” and “Continuous dialog with academics, AI enterprises and other stakeholders is crucial for developing robust regulations. Policymakers aim to find a “sweet spot,” where regulations foster AI’s positive potential while minimizing its risks.”

Politico | Meet California’s chief gatekeeper for AI rules

 California is using AI enabled cameras to detect wildfires before the 911 wildfire calls begin. California uses a system of cameras to monitor backcountry land 24 hours a day. The cameras are part of an “interlinked technology network that is redefining the scope of fire prediction, prevention and response.” According to Science.org wildfires have tripled in frequency and are 4 times the size.

Governing | California’s High Tech Approach to Preventing Wildfires

Texas Public Policy Foundation believes Texas should avoid woke AI use, including AI programs that use DEI in their analysis.  “So a big part is making sure the information that is training these systems is reflective of truth, and that’s something that Texas will promote,” says David Dunmoyer, Director of the Better Tech Campaign at the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF).

KTRH | Intel Briefing: Texas Seeks Balanced Approach to AI

States are passing social media limitations for minors. There’s a litany of legal challenges associated with these bills. Enter regulatory parameters for minor use of social media as the surgeon general is recommending warnings for social media use by minors. @abcnews

California Senate passed a bill, AB 2370 (2024 | CA), to prohibit the use of AI to teach community college courses. The bill simply requires that courses be taught by a person. The bill’s author said, “While there is room for artificial intelligence to contribute to community college classrooms, human faculty remain best suited to teach our students,” she said in a public statement. “

Governing | CA to Bar Community Colleges from Replacing Profs With AI

Vermont Legislature passed a first of its kind data privacy law which included a unique private cause of action. H121 (2024 | VT) The Governor’s veto statement reads, “One area of risk comes from the bill’s “private right of action,” which would make Vermont a national outlier, and more hostile than any other state to many businesses and non-profits – a reputation we already hold in a number of other areas. I appreciate this provision is narrow in its impact, but it will still negatively impact mid-sized employers, and is generating significant fear and concern among many small businesses.”

On June 7th, the New York Legislature passed S7694A, the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act that will require social media companies to restrict addictive algorithmic feeds on their platforms for users under 18.

Governor Hochul | SAFE For Kids Act Will Restrict Access to Addictive Algorithmic Feeds; Child Data Protection Act Will Keep Personal Data Safe

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu said this week that “banking and finance sector should develop a shared responsibility framework with their artificial intelligence partners to address fraud, scams and ransomware attacks arising from AI.” It is noted that the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute, within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, can develop a shared responsibility framework with its 280 stakeholder organizations.

Banking Dive | Banks, AI partners must share responsibility for safety: OCC’s Hsu

Here’s a new AI term: slop. Slop is deeply flawed AI, shoddy and unwanted AI. @NYTstyle

Should we be surprised that the California Legislature has 55 AI bills?  Governor Newsom isn’t keen on over regulating AI. In his words:  “If we over-regulate, if we overindulge, if we chase the shiny object, we could put ourselves in a perilous position.” Legislation that continues to move concerns: deep fakes, data transparency AB 2013 , election security, creating the California Artificial Intelligence Research Hub SB 893 and AB 1856 from Assemblymember Tri Ta, R-Westminster that creates criminal charges for  knowingly distributed pornographic deepfake videos or photos of someone without that person’s consent. 

Government Technology | Flurry of California Legislation Takes Aim at AI Misuse

France approved AI surveillance of gatherings larger than 300. This should be an interesting AI experiment. Let’s anticipate AI surveillance legislation from global lawmakers across the globe.

Politico | Top French court backs AI-powered surveillance cameras for Paris Olympics

Two former Open AI board members, Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley, say that AI cannot be left to regulate itself. “But based on our experience, we believe that self-governance cannot reliably withstand the pressure of profit incentives,” write the former OpenAI board members.⁠
⁠
“With AI’s enormous potential for both positive and negative impact, it’s not sufficient to assume that such incentives will always be aligned with the public good.”⁠ @theeconomist

Apple and Google have agreed to a standard to notify users when unknown bluetooth devices are tracking users. For iOS the notifications will begin with ios17.5 and Android 6.0 @techcrunch

New tech term to know: “extended reality” Extended reality will also be a new regulatory exploration.  The term includes technologies that merge the digital and physical worlds that includes metaverse, augmented reality, and virtual reality. @MITSloan

Amarillo is one of the first cities to utilize an AI assistant, an AI woman named Emma, created by Amarillo’s IT team and Dell Technologies. “When Emma becomes fully operational later this year, city officials expect the digital assistant to converse multilingually across more than 60 languages, adroitly answering questions, retrieving information and, when necessary, connecting them to the proper, real-life human to speak with.”

Route Fifty | Meet Emma, Amarillo’s AI assistant and ‘digital human’

We’ve been talking about how Quantum is going to be the next big thing for lawmakers.  Colorado Governor signed HB24-1325 – Tax Credits for Quantum Industry Support. The new state tax credits for Quantum are triggered only if the Colorado based company also receives multi-million dollar federal funding. @afrotech

Colorado Governor signed  Senate Bill 24-205 which makes it the first state legislature to create AI regulatory framework. In his signing statement, the Governor raised concerns about the legislation impacting the growth of the nascent industry and concerns over not considering the intent of AI as it relates to discrimination. @goodgoodgoodco

Route Fifty | Colorado becomes first state with sweeping artificial intelligence regulations

MIT researchers say they have tracked AI and noted that AI technologies “are adept at bluffing in poker, deceiving people and using underhanded methods to get the upper hand in financial negotiations.⁠” @telegraph MIT Technology Review

HB 1192 (2024 | GA), a bill that would have suspended tax breaks for new data centers in Georgia because of the strain on electricity supplies, has been vetoed.  The veto is based on the bill “inhibiting important infrastructure and job development.”

Atalanta City Council is considering amending its ordinances to prohibit new data centers near certain transit lines.

Connecticut legislature is considering SB 2 (2024 | CT) to create a state framework for AI regulation. Opponents say a state approach stifles innovation and hinders economic growth. Opponents also say the broad disclosures required by the bill are vague and create too much uncertainty for business.

CT Mirror Viewpoints | Don’t let hasty AI regulation cripple CT’s small businesses

Remember a couple years ago when a tech giant was calling for data privacy to be a right? There’s a move in Canada to make data privacy a human right with amendments to Bill C- 27 .

The Hill Times | Data privacy as a human right must be recognized by privacy and AI bill, say advocates

 Illinois is poised to reduce penalties for violations of the state’s biometric data protection laws. How did Illinois get to the point of reducing penalties? A lawsuit that returned a multimillion verdict against a business that was using a fingerprint system to track employee time.  

The Record | Illinois’ biometric data privacy law could soon be less costly for violators

Connecticut is taking a 2 step approach to AI transparency. First, a statewide policy for state agencies to use and disclose AI use courtesy of the State Chief Information Officer. Second, legislation SB 2 (2024 | CT) which passed the CT Senate along party lines.

Route Fifty | This state’s ‘unsexy’ AI policy takes transparency to the next level

TXDPS is using AI to facilitate procurement for local governmental entities. TXDPS says the AI will offer quick access to regulations, information and guidance on the state’s contracting procedures. The goal is to shorten acquisition time.

Route Fifty | Generative AI steps up as a ‘facilitator’

Emerging technology, quantum computing, we walked through the Einstein-ness of it all in January. Now here comes the government funding opportunities. Meet the Quantum Economic Development Consortium required by the 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act, which called for the Department of Commerce to establish a group of quantum stakeholders. Colorado and Illinois crafted their own quantum initiatives. 

Route Fifty | How states can take a ‘quantum’ leap in economic development

The FCC reinstated net neutrality rules this week. Let’s refresh what net neutrality means.  “Under the new rules, content providers cannot be charged to have their data prioritized nor can content be subject to intentional blocking or slowdowns. “

Route Fifty | FCC reinstates net neutrality

Last week, hackers halted the work of New York Legislature’s bill drafting office. A new frontier in legislative challenges?

Spectrum News | State Legislature hit by apparent cyberattack

Wired tells us that there is such a thing as a robot dog flame thrower. Yes, this is for real— there’s a picture at the link. It is also legal in 48 states. Only Maryland, which required federal firearm license, and California, which limits flame throwers to 10 feet, restrict the robot dog flame thrower.  The robot dog shoots flames by bluetooth up to 30 feet. Clearly just what the world needed, their parents must be so proud of this “invention.”

Wired | Somehow This $10,000 Flame-Thrower Robot Dog Is Completely Legal in 48 States

A BYU law professor described Utah’s approach to AI legislation as a pragmatic light touch in its recent legislation session. Utah passed SB149 that requires disclosure of AI use, if asked; SB 131 that requires disclosure of AI in political ads; HB 366 that prohibits AI in criminal justice; and HB 249 that prohibits personhood for AI.

Tech Buzz | Utah Steps Forward with Simpler, Light-Touch AI Legislation

Louisiana is applying its approach to natural disasters, like hurricanes, to how it is approaching cybersecurity. This includes mobilizing the national guard and state agencies coordinating with local entities. All parties are use to the interactions as the protocols are just like they use to during natural disasters.

Route Fifty | How hurricane response helped one state’s cyber preparedness

Generative AI, like ChatGP, need electricity. A lot of electricity. The ability to electrify AI, and its datacenter cohorts, is the next big issue. @theeconomist

Tennessee passed the Elvis Act, to protect its musicians and artists from AI use. Tennessee is 1 of 3 states that considers names, photographs and likenesses a property right rather than a right of publicity.  @abcnews

Use of generative AI consists of 23% technical assistance and trouble shooting, 22% content creation and editing, 17% personal and professional support, 15% learning and education, 13% creativity and recreation, and 10% research, analysis and decision making. @harvard_business_review

 Effingham, Illinois has a plan to protect its property values from the impact of a forthcoming crypto mine.  The plan establishes regulations to protect property values, energy and water supplies, and noise. Effingham Public Works Director Greg Koester describes the regulations as “It provides definitions for cryptocurrency mine, cryptocurrency mining, data mining, data center, high-density load and establishes some regulations on where these particular uses can be and then some requirements that they need to abide by to be located in that area. It does require a site plan and a special use.”

Governing | Illinois City Approves New Regs for Cryptocurrency Mines and Data Centers

A unanimous Supreme Court determined that elected officials can block social media followers under very specific circumstances— that is their private account and then only if it has nothing to do with their government position. What’s the practical effect- yes, elected officials can be sued for violating  the First Amendment when they block their critics.

Scotusblog | Public officials can be held liable for blocking critics on social media

Part of me feels like I’m pointing out the obvious here, but airline wifi is public and has the same inherent risks of public wifi. This includes hacking and malware. A VPN and visiting only https sites can help.

WSJ | How Secure Is an Airplane’s Wi-Fi?

A Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance post gives us a handy rundown of AI risks. Let’s take a peek:

• Unwanted bias, when automated systems relying on biased data or design produce
  discriminatory outcomes, perpetuates inequalities in decision-making. Some
  companies have faced legal action after using AI systems allegedly reinforcing
  discriminatory outcomes.[16]
• “Hallucinations”, referring to when AI generates false information.[17]
• AI systems trained on inaccurate, outdated, or otherwise not fit for purpose data.[18]
• Spread of mis/dis-information or harmful content through AI generated content.
• Failure to evaluate risks of third-party AI. Research suggests that more than half of
  all AI failures come from third-party tools, which most companies rely on.[19]
• Intellectual property (IP) infringement.[20]
• Data security breaches, including hacking or privacy violations.
• Technical malfunctioning, causing autonomously operated machines to endanger
  human life, for instance.

Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance | Artificial Intelligence: An engagement guide

AI use requires more data center capacity, which thereby requires more energy use. A staggering amount of additional energy use.   @bloomberggreen

Investment in AI increased by 268.4% last year according to the BoF Professional Summit. This accounts for 691 generative AI deals for a total investment of $29.1 billion. @bof

Florida is the 1st state to ban cell phones during classes. A National Center for Education Statistics at IES report says 3/4 of all schools prohibit nonacademic use of cell phones during class. Other states working on similar statewide legislation: Indiana, Oklahoma SB 1314 (2024 | OK), Kansas HB 2641 (2024 | KS) , Vermont S284 (2024 | VT), Connecticut LCO 607 (2024 |CT), and Utah’s Governor sent guidance to all public schools.

Route Fifty | If schools won’t ban kids’ cellphones, some lawmakers say, they will

Bonjour Chief AI Officer, CAIO. A 2023 report in Oklahoma recommended a state level CAIO. Federal agencies must hire CAIOs by the end of 2024 based on this fall 2023 Executive Order. Who is next to create CAIOs? Most likely your state.

Route Fifty | ‘Early days’ for state-level response to Biden’s AI executive order

Washington State Legislature has passed SB5838 (2024 | WA) to create an AI Task Force. The Task Force will consist of 19 members and be housed in the state Attorney General’s Office. AL, MA, NJ and WI have created similar AI Task Forces. Speaker Johnson in the US House created an AI Task Force a couple weeks ago.

GOV TECH | Washington State Lawmakers Approve AI Task Force Bill

Rhode Island ‘s Governor created a new AI task force by executive order. The AI Center of Excellence will create a standard of ethics code for AI and develop a risk analysis and safeguards for the use of AI.

GOVTECH | Rhode Island Creates AI Task Force, Data Centers

 The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is funding a statewide multigenerational study that aims to identify the causes and risk factors of poor mental health outcomes. The study hopes to run for 20 years gathering data to help policymakers and health care providers identify ways to support long-term mental health success.

Route Fifty | One state looks to collect multiyear data to address the mental health crisis

Add Chicago to the list of jurisdictions that are breaking ties with gun shot spotting technology that alerts law enforcement of the possibility of gun fire. Concerns raised in Chicago include increasing emergency response times with no attributable reduction in violence. Chicago was spending $9 million annually for the technology.

Route Fifty | Chicago is the latest city rethinking disputed technology that listens for gunshots

2023 saw  2,365 more data breaches than the previous record in 2021. The total number of breaches of personal information was 3205 that impacted 353 million.

The T-Mobile breach was the largest affecting 37 million and then the Xfinity breach that impacted 35.9 million.

Why the increase? According to  James E. Lee, chief operating officer of the  Identity Theft Resource Center, ” Many professional cybercriminals supported by nation/states resumed stealing business and personal information after being more focused on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Professional cybercriminals and nation/state actors focused more on finding and exploiting zero day software flaws.”

Governing | 2023 Will Go Down for Record-Setting Number of Data Breaches

888 leaders in artificial intelligence have signed a statement calling for deep fake legislation. Their position is:

Deepfakes are a growing threat to society, and governments must impose obligations throughout the supply chain to stop the proliferation of deepfakes. New laws should:

1. Fully criminalize deepfake child pornography, even when only fictional children are depicted;
2. Establish criminal penalties for anyone who knowingly creates or knowingly facilitates the spread of harmful deepfakes; and
3. Require software developers and distributors to prevent their audio and visual products from creating harmful deepfakes, and to be held liable if their preventive measures are too easily circumvented.

If designed wisely, such laws could nurture socially responsible businesses, and would not need to be excessively burdensome.

30 conservative State Attorneys General, including Texas, signed a letter to the Secretary of Commerce arguing against “centralize governmental control over an emerging technology being developed by the private sector.” 

Route Fifty | States clash over what responsible AI looks like

 Virginia Legislature is considering SB439 (VA | 2024) to create the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Commission. The Commission will make recommendations to the Legislature about how the state should regulate cryptocurrency and blockchain use.

WVTF | Virginia legislature could inch towards a regulated crypto market with potential new commission

States and local governmental entities are turning to white hat hackers to keep their cybersecurity game on point.  NYC Cyber Command established a system where white hat hackers report the bugs and vulnerabilities that they find via  vulnerability disclosure website.

Route Fifty | See something, say something: Ethical hackers strengthen cyber resilience

41% of employees have modified or added technology without IT department input according to  a Gartner report. Overworked government employees are turning to AI to be more efficient with little oversight. Some say this is the use of Shadow AI. Sounds like a horror film. In 2023, 18 states adopted resolutions or legislation regulating AI use in state government.

Route Fifty | Shining a light on shadow AI

This week the FCC made AI generated robocalls illegal. Enforcement authority is also granted to state attorneys general.

Route Fifty | FCC makes AI-generated voices in robocalls illegal

A winning opposition argument for a fossil fuel company disclosure bill in the Washington State Legislature:    There are hackers. The state computers could be hacked. The state cannot ensure that  the information would be confidential because of cybersecurity threats.  

Missoula Current | INSLEE’S OIL TRANSPARENCY BILL STALLS IN LEGISLATURE

 Since California passed its comprehensive data protection legislation, 12 other states have followed suite. New Jersey passed its version last month with S332 (2024 | NJ)   New Jersey joins  states like Montana, Oregon and Texas. ” Cisco’s 2024 consumer privacy survey found that 86% of organizations surveyed in the U.S. said such laws have a positive impact.”

Route Fifty | As privacy conversations become mainstream, data protection laws gain traction

How to review a bazillion hours of police body cam footage? A.I. Today there is  100 petabytes of police body cam footage. (note to self: what is a petabyte?!)

Route Fifty | Police departments are turning to AI to sift through millions of hours of unreviewed body-cam footage

Negotiations are occurring this week at the UN on this draft of a global cybercrime treaty.   World leaders agreed to work on the international treaty in 2019— yes, you are very good at math, indeed that is the Trump era. Politico

78 countries cooperated to set up traffic light safety parameters. What A.I. is green, good to go? chatbots, video games, and product recommendations. What A.I. is let’s slow our roll, yellow? A.I. managing investment portfolios. What’s do not pass go, red? surveillance, social scoring, and discrimination. @ mitsloan

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“Companies like TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook are fueling a mental health crisis by designing their platforms with addictive and dangerous features,” he said. “We cannot stand by and let Big Tech monetize our children’s privacy and jeopardize their mental health.”

Adams confirmed New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan issued an advisory to classify “unfettered access to and use of social media” as a public health hazard.”

The Hill | New York City mayor classifying social media as ‘public health hazard’

Florida legislature is moving HB 1 (2024 | FL) that would ban kids under 16 from being on social media. “Sites like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, Snapchat and YouTube are expected to become targets, out of concern that they could affect young people’s mental health.”

Politico | Legislature wants kids on digital detox

  In 2023 Utah passed restrictions on kids using social media. Tech groups sued. Utah’s attorneys told the court that the Legislature would repeal and replace the laws in 2024. The Legislature is in the process of doing so. 

Salt Lake Tribune | Big changes to how Utah kids use social media are — again — in the works at the Legislature. Here’s why.

Ring, the doorbell camera company, will no longer allow police to ask Ring users for video footage. Ring announced the new policy by blog post. Ring is owned by Amazon. @ABCNEWS

NPR | Ring will no longer allow police to request users’ doorbell camera footage

Identifying business trends: Quantum Computing. “McKinsey has estimated that 5,000 quantum computers will be operational by 2030 but that the hardware and software necessary for handling the most complex problems won’t be available until 2035 or later.” @MITSLOAN

Pennsylvania and Open A.I. have announced a new partnership. Governor Shapiro said, “I believe Pennsylvania can be a national leader in the safe and responsible use of generative AI in our government operations—and this first-in-the-nation pilot with OpenAI will help us safely and securely learn from and use this important technology to serve Pennsylvanians and empower our workforce.”

Route Fifty | The Keystone State partners with OpenAI for first-in-nation AI pilot

Open AI and Arizona State University, those Sun Devils, are partnering. This is the 1st university to partner with Open AI so that “Arizona State University will have full access to ChatGPT Enterprise and plans to use it for coursework, tutoring, research and more.” @CNBC

Idaho Legislature is considering a bill that will “make it a crime to use sexually explicit images generated by artificial intelligence to harass victims or extort money from the victim depicted. “

Idaho Capital Sun | Idaho Legislature introduces new bill banning explicit AI media to harass or extort victims 

Executive Orders: California + Pennsylvania

Task Forces on A.I.:  New Jersey, Oklahoma and Wisconsin

Issued policy guidance:  Kansas, South Dakota and Utah

A smattering of model acts: European Union’s AI Act, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Recommendations on Artificial Intelligence, &  National Institute of Standards and Technology’s AI Risk Management Framework

Route Fifty | A good AI policy needs to consider these 12 factors

Do we regulate AI voices/appearances in advertising? Well, there’s a sweepstakes that uses an AI generated Taylor Swift voice and face. The sweepstake is for a certain cookware brand that had nothing to do with these FaceBook ads. “In April, the Better Business Bureau warned consumers that fake celebrity scams made with A.I. were “more convincing than ever.”  hello laws and regulations.

NYTimes | No, That’s Not Taylor Swift Peddling Le Creuset Cookware

Politics and A.I. feels like a punch line, and maybe it is. Florida lawmakers are considering disclaimers on any political information that utilizes content derived from artificial intelligence.

Miami Herald | 10 Things to Watch as Florida lawmakers begin 2024 session

Recently hackers have taken hold of water systems in the US. The Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa in Pennsylvania connected the hack to its Israeli made system.  Politico’s Morning Cybersecurity provides insight.   The hacks have prompted “four federal agencies and the Israel National Cyber Directorate to issue a joint advisory warning of “malicious cyber activity” against certain devices by groups linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.”

Route Fifty | Two recent cyberattacks on water systems highlight vulnerability of critical infrastructure

States that bar or restrict municipally owned broadband may not be eligible for federal broadband funds. “In its draft plan, Texas’ broadband office said only the state’s legislature can change a law that gives preference to private broadband providers. As a result, the office said it cannot allow local governments to be eligible for BEAD funding in areas where private companies are also seeking funding to improve broadband service.”

Route Fifty | Could the feds withhold broadband funding to some states?

Al Gore this week suggested that policy makers should ban certain uses of algorithms that are “an abuse of the public forum.” The policy concern is that the algorithms effectively harm our form of government by weaponizing information. @bloombergbusiness

The Hill | Al Gore calls social media algorithms ‘digital’ AR-15s

New York State Legislature is considering a Crypto Task Force that would examine the emerging industries of digital currency, cryptocurrency, and blockchain. The 16 member Task Force would be appointed by the Governor and the Legislature to study the industries, including their trade on exchanges, impacts on state and local tax receipts, and energy consumption and environmental impact of digital mining. 

State of Politics | New York lawmakers propose task force to examine crypto industry

 Amsterdam is blurring faces of people seen on public CCTV. The policy reason to blur faces is to safeguard people’s privacy. In addition to blurring faces, Amsterdam is blurring license plates and company branding. @worldeconomicforum

California has released a new report, Benefits and Risks of Generative
Artificial Intelligence Report, laying out guardrails for AI use in state government. The report stresses a need for an ongoing partnership with the Legislature, community, academia, and technical experts.

The FTC has sent warning letters over paid dietician influencers. “The agency flagged nearly three dozen social media posts that it said failed to clearly disclose who was paying the influencers to promote artificial sweeteners or sugary foods. The health influencers collectively have over 6 million followers on TikTok and Instagram.” @washingtonpost

The FCC has approved new rules that prohibit broadband companies from digital redlining. Digital redlining means a company is providing faster digital service in wealthier communities. “The new rules only prohibit discrimination that is ‘not justified by genuine issues of economic or technical feasibility.'”

Route Fifty | FCC adopts rules prohibiting ‘digital redlining’

 How’s crypto going to impact the 2024 Presidential election?  Some candidates like Ted Cruz are openly accepting campaign contributions in crypto. DeSantis’ campaign is also accepting crypto. There are still unprecedented regulatory and tax issues related to crypto and central bank digital currencies that state and federal elected officials could tackle.

CCN | Bitcoin in the U.S. Election Race: What Role Will Crypto Play in Deciding Next President?

California became the 1st state to allow people to have their personal data deleted from databrokers. SB 362 (2023 | CA)

Governor Newsom

Route Fifty | DELETE Act closes ‘big loophole’ and tightens regulations on data brokers

.gov domain names should be the go-to for governmental entities. Why you ask? Because .gov domains have required multi-factor authentication requirements. 1000s of state, local, and tribal government agencies not currently utilizing the .gov domain.

Route Fifty | States, localities should transition to the .gov domain ‘hard stop,’ federal official says

The US Supreme Court this past week heard arguments about elected officials banning followers on social media. What emerged as the key issue is what is official state action?

Route Fifty | Social media cases hinge on definition of what amounts to state action online

SCOTUSBLOG | Justices weigh rules for when public officials can block critics on social media

A new study  says that the global cybersecurity workforce increased by 5.5% in 2022. There is still a 13% shortage and 4 million workers are needed. 75% of cybersecurity professionals say it is the most challenging threat landscape of the last five years.

Route Fifty | The cyber workforce gap is growing

71% of Americans say they are worried about government use of personal data. A new report in the International Journal of Population Data Science, poses these 4 questions to determine whether data should be shared:
Is this legal? Is this ethical? Is this a good idea? How do we know (and whodecides).

Route Fifty | 4 questions to ask before sharing constituent data

Bonjour, MetroLab Network. The group is developing a tangible policy guide for AI use by local governments. The task force is made up of representatives from more than 45 local governments, 15 universities, 20 private-sector organizations, including Center for Open Data Enterprise (CODE) and the U.S. Department of Commerce. They have compiled a resource guide here until a final guide is published in April 2024.

Government Technology | How Can Local Governments Safely Use Generative AI?

Santa Barbara County is testing 3D printing for affordable housing. We’ve infohived about 3D printing houses and neighborhoods. Santa Barbara County wants to use 3D tech for affordable housing. Greeley, Colorado has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build 3D printed affordable housing. Chattanooga, Tennessee wants to use 3D printing for homeless shelters.

Route Fifty | County tests feasibility of 3D-printed affordable housing

31 community innovation hubs were announced by the Biden Administration to advance a range of technologies, including autonomous systems, quantum computing, biomedicine and green energy. Organizations include state and local governments, educational institutions, businesses and community groups in 32 states and Puerto Rico. 1/3 of the hubs must benefit small and rural communities.

Route Fifty | 31 communities tapped as innovation hub finalists

New York City became the first major local government to create an a.i. action plan for responsible municipal government use of artificial intelligence. It includes a.i. literacy programs, streamlined and specific procurement guidelines to support agency-level contracting, and the “potential to better deliver vital services while protecting New Yorkers’ privacy and concerns about bias.”

Route Fifty | New York City unveils AI action plan

Imagine an elected official who uses artificial intelligence to create videos of themselves explaining policies in languages that they don’t speak. Is that a deep fake prohibited by law?  Is that a means of communicating with constituents? What are the ethical considerations surrounding this? no one knows.

AP | Can New York’s mayor speak Mandarin? No, but with AI he’s making robocalls in different languages

 Assembly Bill 836 (2023 | NY), signed by Governor Kathy Hochul,  prohibits an employer from accessing an employee’s or job applicant’s personal social media. The Governor’s office called the bill a means to  “protect the privacy of New Yorkers and protect their rights in the workplace.”

Governing | New York Can No Longer Access Workers’ Private Social Media

Is there a consistent statutory definition of artificial intelligence? No, of course not, can elected officials agree on the color of the sky anymore? So let’s look at 6 different a.i. definitions:

Connecticut SB 1103: An “artificial system that ‘performs tasks under varying and unpredictable circumstances without significant human oversight or can learn from experience and improve such performance when exposed to data sets.”

Louisiana SCR 49: It “combines computer science and robust datasets to enable problem-solving measures directly to consumers.”

North Dakota HB 1361: “Personhood” does not include “artificial intelligence.”

Rhode Island H 6423: It includes “computerized methods and tools, including, but not limited to, machine learning and natural language processing, that act in a way that resembles human cognitive abilities when it comes to solving problems or performing certain tasks.”

Texas HB 2060: Systems capable of “perceiving an environment through data acquisition and processing and interpreting the derived information to take an action or actions or to imitate intelligent behavior given a specific goal and learning and adapting behavior by analyzing how the environment is affected by prior actions.”

The National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 sought to define AI, describing it as “a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing real or virtual environments,” according to the federal law, which was enacted Jan. 1, 2021.

Route Fifty | What is artificial intelligence? Legislators are still looking for a definition.

 The Supremes (the Justices, not the musical group) are going to rule on whether elected officials can block constituents on social media. The impact of the ruling(s), there are two cases before the court, is expected to impact state laws on the matter.

Route Fifty | Should public officials be allowed to block constituents on social media?

 Denver’s mayor is putting geographic information systems to use to identify potential public lands that can be used as micro communities for Denver’s homeless. GIS allows for layered data to identify viable locations. Data includes slope, proximity to city services, ecological vulnerabilities and size.

Route Fifty | Cities turn to GIS mapping to find housing for the homeless

New York’s Education Commissioner banned facial recognition software use in schools after multiple years of requests from privacy advocates and a request from the Legislature to study the impact of facial recognition software on students.

Route Fifty | The hazards of facial recognition in schools

Meet Liquidity Mining, which is an innocuous sounding phrase for luring crypto investors into fake mining schemes. An investor is lured into putting their crypto with a decentralized exchange with high returns, and then poof! their crypto disappears. More than 500 fake liquidity websites have been identified this year. 

Politico | CRYPTO FRAUD EVOLVING

Republican controlled states are introducing voter data systems. Questions are being raised. Is the data reliable?  Is the data secure on the systems? 

Route Fifty | GOP states announce new voter roll systems. Are they as secure as ERIC?