Technology

Science

ICE Uses Facial Recognition To Go Through Driver's Licenses, Researchers Say

7:43am July 09, 2019

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Jake Laperruque of the Project on Government Oversight about word that FBI and ICE agents used driver's license databases to scan millions of faces without consent.

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Sports

Wimbledon, Steeped In Tradition, Embraces Artificial Intelligence

5:26am July 09, 2019

by Brenda Salinas

Match highlights at Wimbledon are selected and assembled by robots. Artificial intelligence is used to pick the most dramatic moments, making those judgments by crowd noise and facial expressions.

National

ICE Turned To DMV Driver's License Databases For Help With Facial Recognition

6:26pm July 08, 2019

by Aarti Shahani

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials scanned driver's license databases and used facial recognition technology to analyze millions of photos without permission in at least three states.

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In many cases, federal agents can request access to state DMV records by filling out a form. This is an example of a Homeland Security request that was made to the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles in 2017.

ICE Uses Facial Recognition To Sift State Driver's License Records, Researchers Say

5:50pm July 08, 2019

by Bill Chappell

Some of ICE's efforts target undocumented immigrants who have legally obtained driver's licenses, says Alvaro Bedoya of Georgetown Law's privacy and technology center.

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This illustration shows NASA's Cassini above Saturn's northern hemisphere before making one of its "Grand Finale" dives.

Science

Robots, Not Humans, Are The New Space Explorers

12:13pm July 08, 2019

by Joe Palca

Landing a man on the moon captures the public's imagination. But in the decades after the Apollo program, robots have also generated public excitement about space exploration.

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FBI, ICE Use State Driver's License Databases To Scan Photos

10:23am July 08, 2019

New documents show that the FBI and ICE are using state driver's license databases to scan photos. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Alvaro Bedoya of Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy & Technology.

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A man reads a book on his e-book reader device. In July, Microsoft will be deleting its e-book library and ceasing all e-book sales.

Books

Microsoft Closes The Book On Its E-Library, Erasing All User Content

10:26pm July 07, 2019

The move comes as a result of Digital Rights Management, an approach that allows companies to prevent piracy. Every purchased book will disappear this month.

Why Cash Transfer Apps Don't Always Let You Hit 'Undo' On Transactions

6:02pm July 05, 2019

Phone-based apps are offering people many new ways to pay, and many of them are wondering about chargebacks, and why some apps allow people to hit undo and why others don't.

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Politics & Government

Big Tech Lobbying Looks For Allies Among Republicans And Libertarians

6:35am July 02, 2019

by Peter Overby

As the uneasy relationship between the tech industry and Washington has worsened, big tech has dramatically ramped up its lobbying presence in the nation's capital.

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Environment

Google Sets Goal To Use Clean Energy 24/7

5:57pm July 01, 2019

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Jennifer Layke, global director of the energy program at World Resources Institute, about Google's aspirations to power all its operations with carbon-free energy.

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