AI in the Enterprise: Matter of Ethics?

Putting artificial intelligence to work for your business requires more than just a technical understanding.
It seems that all of a sudden, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a hot topic (read: revenue generator) for media outlets. During a football or hockey game, or even the evening’s news, companies with AI-based products to sell are trying to convince you with successful-looking people, chic office space, cool cars, and nice sunsets that AI is the greatest thing ever.  This may be true, but like almost everything else in life, nothing is black and white.

Click to read more ...

Text Message as Information Service: What It Means

Opponents aren’t taking the FCC’s recent decision lightly. Every issue always comes down to a balancing of interests. What seems black and white rarely is. Such is the case of the FCC’s recent decision -- a three-to-one vote along party lines -- to classify the previously unclassified text messages as information services. The FCC did so under the guise of limiting unsolicited robotexts.

Click to read more ...

What the Partial Shutdown Means, Practically Speaking

Sooner or later, if not yet, the challenges will impact us all. While the effects of the government shutdown -- 25 days and counting -- may not be as immediately apparent outside the Capital Beltway as inside it, don’t delude yourself, particularly with respect to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the federal judiciary. Regardless of which side of the wall you stand on, the fact is that issues particularly related to the protection of consumers (even corporate consumers) have largely either ground to a halt or have been substantially curtailed. Translation: This shutdown has created challenges, ranging from mild inconvenience to complete chaos, that sooner or later if not yet, will impact all of us.

Click to read more ...

Still Confused About GDPR? The EU Thought So

The European Data Protection Board issues draft guidelines to help EU outsiders understand their obligations.

In late November, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) issued draft guidelines to help -- at least a bit -- entities outside the EU define their responsibilities and obligations under the EU’s General Data Protection Rule (GDPR). Since GDPR took effect in May, enterprises worldwide that held or hold private information belonging to EU citizens (and yes, I know that based on the day, who is and isn’t an EU citizen is a bit of a moving target) have had to either take prescribed steps to avoid rules violations or simply be nervous that they might be caught non-compliant and forced into massive penalties and subsequent costly remediation.

Click to read more ...

New Cybercrime Lingo, New Ways to De-Weaponize the Perps

Remember when everyone knew -- and used -- words like “switchboard” and “intercom?” You don’t have to admit this aloud. As words such as these become obsolete, they’re quickly replaced by others. Consider “doxing” and “swatting,” two words in the communications technology/data security world that first came to my attention just the other day. Neither word is brand-spanking new (and swatting, with respect to insects at least, has been around for eons), but with respect to harnessing technology for unsavory purposes, both represent relatively new phenomena.

Click to read more ...