Tue. Mar 9th, 2021

Day: January 22, 2021

Apple job postings give further credence to electric car rumors

By Grace 2 months ago

The company’s Special Project Group posted more than 300 jobs for electrical engineers, road safety specialists, and those with automotive experience in 2020.

Image: Conner Forrest/TechRepublic

Apple’s long-rumored electric car, codenamed Project Titan, appears to be continuing to ramp up, with analytics firm GlobalData finding that the company posted over 300 jobs in 2020 “including key roles that indicate working on battery power management, road safety and car experience.”

All of the 300+ jobs in question were posted by Apple’s Special Projects Group (SPG), which GlobalData describes as “a way through which the company works on innovative projects that can be scaled in the future.” 

“GlobalData’s Job Analytics database shows that Apple made specific job postings that closely relate to developing proprietary software and battery technology. Additionally, with the recruitment of ex-Tesla employees over the past few years, Apple is in a better place than ever to know the best

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Bosses are using monitoring software to keep tabs on working at home. Privacy rules aren’t keeping up

By Grace 2 months ago

Worker’s union Prospect warned that the UK was at risk of ‘sleepwalking into a world of surveillance’ as more businesses turn to digital tools to keep tabs on remote workers.

The use of remote-monitoring software increased in 2020 as people began working from home.

Image: scyther5

The UK government is facing calls to urgently update guidance on workplace practices following an increase in the use of remote-monitoring technologies by businesses.

The UK Labour Party, alongside worker’s union Prospect, are campaigning for swift changes to the Code of Employment Practices published by the Informational Commissioner’s Office (ICO), arguing that new employees require new rights around how their data is collected and processed by employers.

SEE: Identity theft protection policy (TechRepublic Premium)

It comes following research by Prospect in December last year that suggested as many as one in five businesses are now tracking employees online via digital surveillance tools, or otherwise

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Privacy complaint targets European parliament’s COVID-19 test-booking site – TechCrunch

By Grace 2 months ago

The European Parliament is being investigated by the EU’s lead data regulator over a complaint that a website it set up for MEPs to book coronavirus tests may have violated data protection laws.

The complaint, which has been filed by six MEPs and is being supported by the privacy campaign group noyb, alleges third party trackers were dropped without proper consent and that cookie banners presented to visitors were confusing and deceptively designed.

It also alleges personal data was transferred to the US without a valid legal basis, making reference to a landmark legal ruling by Europe’s top court last summer (aka Schrems II).

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), which oversees EU institutions’ compliance with data rules, confirmed receipt of the complaint and said it has begun investigating.

It also said the “litigious cookies” had been disabled following the complaints, adding that the parliament told it no

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Smart city: Windsor is first Canadian city to launch Ford Safety Insights Platform to reduce crashes

By Grace 2 months ago

Windsor’s partnership with Ford will provide the city with data gathered from AI and machine learning to predict and prevent traffic accident hotspots.

Image: iStock/Steven_Kriemadis

The Ford Motor Company continues its commitment to developing smart cities across the globe. Last week, Ford was one of four car companies to announce a partnership with Samsung to enable a digital car key through Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series phones. Now, Windsor, Ontario, is the first Canadian city to partner with the Ford Safety insights Platform (FSIP), a business line within the Ford Motor Company.

SEE: 5 Internet of Things (IoT) innovations (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Ford’s Safety Insights tool, introduced in October 2020, is designed for cities to streamline potential budget-busting and time-consuming accessing and analyzing transportation data. The city’s data is integrated into Safety Insights, and the program will provide simulations and solutions based on industry-standard best practices. The platform saves cities

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