(^8) DAILY MIRROR FRIDAY 06.09.
DM1ST
companies behind these devices
denied they were routinely gath-
ering information but after people
prodded and poked a little bit
what transpired was they were
recording information so they
could provide a better service.
“But all the information we talk
about at home is massively valu-
able to advertisers. My argument
would be that it is OK as long as
they tell people they are doing it
and give us a way to opt out of it.”
What’s in a face?
Police use this in speed cameras
and in city centre CCTV systems
to recognise someone in a crowd
who may be on a wanted list.
But companies are becoming
increasingly interested in using the
technology, too.
David says: “You can see why
someone like Amazon or the
banks might want to use it to
replace the username and pass-
word system. But how securely are
they handling this information?
“If a hacker steals biometric
data you can’t change that. You are
stuck with it for ever, whereas you
can change a password.”
Watch out for ‘fun’ apps
A face-ageing app that showed
you how you would look in 30
..and Alexa’s listening
We are a lot less guarded with
a smart speaker or a digital
assistant in our home than we
would be with an internet browser
or sharing information on social-
media networks.
David says: “We are totally
unguarded at home – whether it
be shouting at the dog or an argu-
ment with your spouse. We could
be talking about anything.
“A few months ago all the
them are
making
huge
amounts of
cash and it’s
our data that
helps them do
that. The cookies on
the browser log where you
are and track where you go.
It can be useful. If I go on to
Amazon it knows what sort of
books I like and can offer me
recommendations.”
you how you would look in 30
How Big
Brother
watches
us 24/
VOICE OF THE
PM’s blind
blundering
FEW, if any, Prime Ministers have had
such a bad start to their premiership.
In the past four days Boris Johnson has been
defeated three times in the Commons,
chucked Ken Clarke and Winston Churchill’s
grandson out of the party, lost his majority and
seen his Brexit plans collapse.
He is so unsuited to high office that even his
own brother, Jo, has resigned in protest.
The PM capped it all off by delivering an
incoherent and implausible speech.
Someone so incompetent being in Downing
Street is not only a cause for concern to the
country but his own family.
If your brother doesn’t think you’re acting in
the national interest, why would anyone else?
An astute leader not so blinded by ambition
would take this moment to pause and reflect.
Instead, Johnson is charging on with his
reckless Brexit plans as he seeks to turn his
party into a rump of right-wing zealots.
We deserve much better than this talentless,
pound shop Donald Trump and his shambles
of a government.
Serious lesson
LOW-paid teaching assistants are having
to dip into their own pockets to help fami-
lies buy school uniforms and fund trips.
Research shows school staff are also aware
of more children turning up hungry as well as
increasing levels of poverty.
This is the consequence of years of Tory cuts,
stagnant wages and the welfare freeze.
The Tories have sprinkled a little extra cash
this week but despite what Sajid Javid said,
austerity has not ended.
We need a government that is genuinely
committed to ending inequality.
Name in slights
A PUB landlord is planning a world-record
gathering of people called Nigel amid fears
the name is dying out.
The slump has been blamed on controver-
sial Brexit politician Nigel Farage.
At this rate, the name Boris is going to
become a true rarity in the years to come.
years time took the world by storm
with celebrities including Piers
Morgan and Gordon Ramsay
sharing their older selves online.
But there were also security
concerns about the data the app
could collect.
David says: “If you look at the
terms and conditions of Face-
book, you retain all the rights
to the photos you share but
Facebook also has the right to use
the data as well.
“So the same is going to be true
of apps like the face-ageing app.
“What we are looking at is the
potential for that to be abused.
“You don’t necessarily know
who might be getting access to
that data and how they might be
using it.”
Take back control
David says that while we can’t
control being picked up on CCTV
or being subject to facial recogni-
tion, there are steps we can take to
protect our privacy and personal
data in other ways.
He says: “We can be careful with
what we share, we can be aware of
our privacy settings and we can
protect our devices with internet
security so we don’t get malicious
programmes and apps which try
to capture our data.
“My golden rule is if you
wouldn’t want to see something on
the front page of the national
newspapers, then don’t share it
online.”
[email protected]
akillelea
WE all know Big Brother is
watching – but just how much
of our daily lives are under
scrutiny without our realising?
This week, BBC1 drama The
Capture featured an ex-soldier
for whom both head-cam video
and CCTV footage had a life-
changing impact.
Meanwhile, in a court, judges
ruled that police can use face-
recognition technology after a
challenge from campaigners.
And users have highlighted
concerns about a viral Chinese
app that lets users swap their faces
with film or TV characters.
Zao’s privacy policy says it has
free rights to all user-generated
content and critics believe similar
technology can be used to defame
someone, manipulate elections or
spread misinformation.
In this hi-tech world, informa-
tion about our likes, dislikes and
daily routine can be picked up by
everything from Facebook to
internet searches.
But cyber-security expert David
Emm, from Kaspersky Lab, says
there are ways we can protect our
privacy. He explains:“Really it is
Big Brothers that are watching us.
It is not just like the book 1984
where the state is doing this.
“Although we have police with
body cams and facial recognition
being used in certain places, we
also have to recognise that it is a
mixed economy where private
firms also gather information.”
So how worried should you be?
Mobile phone as passport
There are plans to trial using
mobile phones with a scan of your
passport to speed up passage
through airports.
David says: “Everyone is going
to applaud that. But on the other
hand it is a phone app that will
have a scan of your passport with
all your identifying data.
“What happens if the phone is
lost or stolen? What happens if
the provider of the app suffers a
security breach?
“ We need to recognise
that when we look at
the benefits of these
technologies, they
gain a lot more
power if they have
biometrics and a
facial scans.”
Google sees all..
We’ve all sear ched
online for a sunshine
break only to be bom -
barded with ads for holidays
for weeks after.
David says that’s the price we
pay for free searches.
He explains: “We don’t pay to
use Google or to have a Gmail
account yet the companies behind
LISTENING IN Amazon Echo
MENACE Don’t give too much away
Expert’s survival guide
BY AMANDA KILLELEA
VIDEO CAM
NIGHTMARE
Holliday Grainger
in The Capture
THEY’RE WATCHING Cameras track us through
airports. They claim it’s to improve safety but...
YOUR CHOICE..
Look at that
horse’s ass!
nandana
(Nandana)
#1