Following the, er, success of its previous versions Snap(chat) plans to launch new smart glasses in 2026. CC-licensed photo by vivoandcapitone on Flickr.
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A selection of 10 links for you. Side-eye. I’m @charlesarthur on Twitter. On Threads: charles_arthur. On Mastodon: https://newsie.social/@charlesarthur. On Bluesky: @charlesarthur.bsky.social. Observations and links welcome.
Facial recognition error sees woman accused of theft • BBC News
Kelly Foran & Rumeana Jahangir:
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A woman who was wrongly accused of shoplifting toilet roll due to an apparent mix-up with a facial recognition system was left “fuming” after being ejected from two Home Bargains stores.
Danielle Horan was escorted from the branches in Greater Manchester in May and June and initially given no explanation. She later discovered she was falsely accused of stealing about £10 worth of items after her profile was added to a facial recognition watchlist to prevent shoplifting.
Retail security firm Facewatch, which provides the technology, said: “We acknowledge and understand how distressing this experience must have been and the retailer has since undertaken additional staff training.”
The firm said a review of the incident later showed the items had been paid for.
Home Bargains has declined to comment.
Ms Horan, who runs a makeup business, said she at first “thought it was a joke” when the manager of Home Bargains in Regent Road, Salford, asked her to leave the shop on 24 May. She said: “Everyone was looking at me. All the customers at the till and I was like ‘for what?'”
After her protestations, the manager advised her to contact Facewatch directly but Ms Horan said she had “no joy” from her messages to the firm, or to Home Bargains. She later visited another Home Bargains store in Fallowfield, Manchester, with her 81-year-old mother on 4 June.
“As soon as I stepped my foot over the threshold of the door, they were radioing each other and they all surrounded me and were like ‘you need to leave the store’,” she said. “My heart sank and I was anxious and bothered for my mum as well because she was stressed. But I was ready for it because of what happened the previous time. I just fought my corner and said ‘you need to tell me why’.”
It was only after repeated emails to both Facewatch and Home Bargains that she eventually found there had been an allegation of theft of about £10 worth of toilet rolls on 8 May.
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“Additional staff training”, eh. Such a lovely euphemism for taking some minimum wage employees out the back and giving them the hairdryer treatment. Facewatch is the company which runs the software that does the matching: notable how it offers no apology. I’d think Ms Horan probably could sue, though Home Bargains and Facewatch are finger pointing at each other.
It never happens this way in the films like Minority Report. There, they always get it right – too much so. (Also, aren’t the real shoplifters usually wearing masks and completely indifferent to staff?)
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Transparent peer review to be extended to all of Nature’s research papers • Nature
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Since 2020, Nature has offered authors the opportunity to have their peer-review file published alongside their paper. Our colleagues at Nature Communications have been doing so since 2016. Until now, Nature authors could opt in to this process of transparent peer review. From 16 June, however, new submissions of manuscripts that are published as research articles in Nature will automatically include a link to the reviewers’ reports and author responses.
It means that, over time, more Nature papers will include a peer-review file. The identity of the reviewers will remain anonymous, unless they choose otherwise — as happens now. But the exchanges between the referees and the authors will be accessible to all. Our aim in doing so is to open up what many see as the ‘black box’ of science, shedding light on how a research paper is made. This serves to increase transparency and (we hope) to build trust in the scientific process.
As we have written previously, a published research paper is the result of an extensive conversation between authors and reviewers, guided by editors. These discussions, which can last for months, aim to improve a study’s clarity and the robustness of its conclusions. It is a hugely important process that should receive increased recognition, including acknowledgement of the reviewers involved, if they choose to be named. For early-career researchers, there is great value in seeing inside a process that is key to their career development. Making peer-reviewer reports public also enriches science communication: it’s a chance to add to the ‘story’ of how a result is arrived at, or a conclusion supported, even if it includes only the perspectives of authors and reviewers. The full story of a paper is, of course, more complex, involving many other contributors.
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Hope other journals start taking this up. As much as anything, it might make plain the peculiarities in choice that some make over language – often the biggest gatekeeper on some topics.
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Strange radio pulses detected coming from ice in Antarctica • Phys.org
Marina Naumova:
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A cosmic particle detector in Antarctica has detected a series of bizarre signals that defy the current understanding of particle physics, according to an international research group that includes scientists from Penn State. The unusual radio pulses were detected by the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) experiment, a range of instruments flown on balloons high above Antarctica that are designed to detect radio waves from cosmic rays hitting the atmosphere.
The goal of the experiment is to gain insight into distant cosmic events by analyzing signals that reach the Earth. Rather than reflecting off the ice, the signals—a form of radio waves—appeared to be coming from below the horizon, an orientation that cannot be explained by the current understanding of particle physics and may hint at new types of particles or interactions previously unknown to science, the team said.
The researchers published their results in the journal Physical Review Letters.
“The radio waves that we detected were at really steep angles, like 30 degrees below the surface of the ice,” said Stephanie Wissel, associate professor of physics, astronomy and astrophysics who worked on the ANITA team searching for signals from elusive particles called neutrinos.
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Spooky particles! In Antarctica! It sounds like the first two pages of a science fiction or horror film. Perhaps both. Fingers crossed it isn’t The Thing.
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Snap plans Specs AR glasses release for 2026 • The Verge
Alex Heath:
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Snap plans to start selling its first pair of augmented reality glasses to the public in 2026.
The coming release is part of CEO Evan Spiegel’s decade-plus bet on what comes after the smartphone. He teased it Tuesday onstage at the Augmented World Expo, an augmented and virtual reality developer conference in Long Beach, California.
“Ever since we launched the developer Spectacles nine months ago, folks have been asking, ‘Hey, when’s the public release coming?’” Spiegel tells me ahead of his keynote. Announcing that they’re coming next year gives developers ample time to “think about their timeline for building and polishing the experiences they have,” he says. “And obviously, that’s really important.”
While he’s resistant to offer more details about the hardware, people who have seen prototypes of next year’s glasses tell me they’re noticeably thinner and lighter than last year’s version, which was only available to developers who applied to rent them. They also boast a wider field of view, allowing virtual graphics to fill more of the lenses.
Spiegel won’t tell me how much the glasses will cost, though he does let slip that they’ll be priced less than Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro. (I expect them to cost much less than that, but still considerably more than the roughly $300 Meta Ray-Ban glasses.)
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Seems like the market for smart glasses is going to get very crowded over the next couple of years. Not sure I see Snap coming out of that well, though. Hardware is expensive to make and extremely difficult to make a profit on.
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‘F1’ and Apple’s movie strategy: inside Tim Cook and Lewis Hamilton’s big bet • Variety
Cynthia Littleton:
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“F1” marks a big milestone for Apple in its expansion over the past half-dozen years of making movies and TV shows. Apple is banking on Kosinski and the team behind 2022’s hit “Top Gun: Maverick” to deliver a four-quadrant smash that will be measured as much for its impact on pop culture and filmmaking as it will be in box office receipts. In a best-case scenario, “F1” becomes the kind of sensation that launches a million memes and is the engine that accelerates the popularity of Formula 1 racing in the U.S. once and for all.
“F1” has been a passion project for Eddy Cue, the architect of Apple’s expansion into producing movies and TV shows. He’s an Apple veteran and racing buff who sits on the board of directors of Ferrari, Hamilton’s racing team. His dreams for the film are loftier even than a nine-figure opening weekend: “I hope that when most people go see the movie, they walk out wanting to be a race car driver,” says Cue.
In Cook’s view, “F1” is the perfect vehicle to test Apple’s power to affect culture with the soft power of a broad-appeal movie rather than through the hardware of its computers and smartphones.
“To bring something to life that would be authentic to the sport, that would tell a great story as well about the ups and downs of life — ‘F1’ hit on all the things,” Cook says. “And then we could bring some things that are uniquely Apple to the movie, like our camera technology. And we plan to have the whole of the company support it as well — our retail operation and everything. So it was something that we could get the entire company around. It feels wonderful to be a part of it.”
…When pressed about what Apple’s investments in movies and TV shows have meant for the company as a whole, Cook explains that Apple is at heart “a toolmaker,” delivering computers and other devices that enable creativity in users. (This vision for the company, and the “toolmaker” term specifically, was first articulated by Jobs in the early 1980s.) “We’re a toolmaker,” Cook says again. “We make tools for creative people to empower them to do things they couldn’t do before. So we were doing lots of business with Hollywood well before we were in the TV business.
“We studied it for years before we decided to do [Apple TV+]. I know there’s a lot of different views out there about why we’re into it. We’re into it to tell great stories, and we want it to be a great business as well. That’s why we’re into it, just plain and simple.”
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Of course Cook gets the line about the camera in there. And can’t admit that Apple worried about getting left behind so is trying to get into streaming – but at least has made a better fist of it than it did with virtual reality in the Vision Pro.
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Instagram tests a reposts feature • TechCrunch
Aisha Malik:
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Instagram is testing the ability for users to repost posts, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Monday. The move doesn’t come as a surprise, as the social network was spotted developing the feature as far back as 2022.
Some users have reported seeing the feature on their accounts, with one noting that users will be able to repost their own content in addition to other users’ posts.
Of course, not everyone will be on board if Instagram decides to roll out the change officially, especially since it would add yet another content format to a platform already overcrowded with posts, Stories, Reels, Notes, DMs, ads, and more.
On the other hand, some people will welcome the change since it will allow them to share and amplify interesting content like they already do on other platforms.
Although you can currently share someone’s post in your Story, this upcoming repost functionality will let you reshare the post in Instagram’s Feed. In addition, some people currently use workarounds and third-party apps to repost content, so an official reshare feature would get rid of the need to find alternatives.
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This would be a pivotal moment. Instagram has never, ever had a method of making specific individual pieces of content go viral; though you could put posts into Stories, those were limited in visibility.
Once a post can be shown across networks, Instagram is going to be a very different place.
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UK watchdog fines 23andMe for ‘profoundly damaging’ data breach • BBC News
Liv McMahon:
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DNA testing firm 23andMe has been fined £2.31m by a UK watchdog over a data breach in 2023 which affected thousands of people.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the company – which has since filed for bankruptcy – failed to put adequate measures in place to secure sensitive user data prior to the incident.
“This was a profoundly damaging breach that exposed sensitive personal information, family histories, and even health conditions,” said Information Commissioner John Edwards.
23andMe is set to be sold to a new owner, TTAM Research Institute, which said it had “made several binding commitments to enhance protections for customer data and privacy.”
23andMe’s users were targeted by what is known as a “credential stuffing” attack in October 2023. This saw hackers use passwords exposed in previous breaches to access 23andMe accounts for which people had used the same or similar credentials.
They were able to access 14,000 individual accounts – and, through those, download information relating to about 6.9m people linked to as possible relations on the site.
According to the ICO, this included access to personal data belonging to 155,592 UK residents, such as names, year of birth, geographical information, profile images, race, ethnicity, health reports and family trees. Stolen data did not include DNA records.
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That’s going to be a fun Day One bill for Anne Wojcicki, its new owner.
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Makers of air fryers and smart speakers told to respect users’ right to privacy • The Guardian
Robert Booth:
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Makers of air fryers, smart speakers, fertility trackers and smart TVs have been told to respect people’s rights to privacy by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
People have reported feeling powerless to control how data is gathered, used and shared in their own homes and on their bodies.
After reports of air fryers designed to listen in to their surroundings and public concerns that digitised devices collect an excessive amount of personal information, the data protection regulator has issued its first guidance on how people’s personal information should be handled.
It is demanding that manufacturers and data handlers ensure data security, are transparent with consumers and ensure the regular deletion of collected information.
Stephen Almond, the executive director for regulatory risk at the ICO, said: “Smart products know a lot about us: who we live with, what music we like, what medication we are taking and much more.
“They are designed to make our lives easier, but that doesn’t mean they should be collecting an excessive amount of information … we shouldn’t have to choose between enjoying the benefits of smart products and our own privacy.
“We all rightly have a greater expectation of privacy in our own homes, so we must be able to trust smart products are respecting our privacy, using our personal information responsibly and only in ways we would expect.”
The new guidance cites a wide range of devices that are broadly known as part of the “internet of things”, which collect data that needs to be carefully handled.
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Air fryers? Air fryers? Indeed: back in November, the Consumers Association raised concerns about them.
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Oxford Street will be pedestrianised as soon as possible, says London mayor • The Guardian
Gwyn Topham:
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Sadiq Khan has said he will pedestrianise Oxford Street “as quickly as possible”, after two in three respondents to a public consultation backed plans to ban traffic from London’s central shopping area.
The mayor’s office said there was “overwhelming public and business support” for the proposals to regenerate the street, whose lustre is slowly returning as department stores muscle back among the sweet and souvenir shops of dubious repute.
More than 6,600 businesses, individuals and groups responded to the formal consultation on plans announced last year that included full pedestrianisation of a 0.7-mile strip west from Great Portland Street; improving the area; and allowing street cafes and outdoor events.
Khan said: “Oxford Street has suffered over many years, so urgent action is needed to give our nation’s high street a new lease of life.
“It’s clear that the vast majority of Londoners and major businesses back our exciting plans, so I’m pleased to confirm that we will now be moving ahead as quickly as possible.”
The Labour government has said it will approve a mayoral development corporation (MDC) to push through plans, after previous attempts to pedestrianise the street were knocked back by Westminster city council. An MDC could now be established in early 2026, including representation from the council, which even now under Labour control has opposed the scheme.
Cllr Adam Hug, the leader of the council, said: “While the mayor’s formal decision today was not the council’s preferred outcome, it is far from unexpected, and it is now important for Oxford Street’s future to move forward together.”
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The road is a key artery for buses and taxis – who are as far from gruntled as it’s possible to be – but retailers, unexpectedly, like the idea. It would be a radical transformation of an iconic street.
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Minnesota shooting suspect allegedly used data broker sites to find targets’ addresses • WIRED
Lily Hay Newman:
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The man who allegedly assassinated a Democratic Minnesota state representative, murdered her husband, and shot a state senator and his wife at their homes in a violent spree early Saturday morning may have gotten their addresses or other personal details from online data broker services, according to court documents.
Suspect Vance Boelter, 57, is accused of shooting Minnesota representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, in their home on Saturday. The couple died from their injuries. Authorities claim the suspect also shot state senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman in their home earlier that night. The pair are currently recovering and are “incredibly lucky to be alive,” according to a statement from their family.
According to an FBI affidavit, police searched the SUV believed to be the suspect’s and found notebooks that included handwritten lists of “more than 45 Minnesota state and federal public officials, including Representative Hortman’s, whose home address was written next to her name.” According to the same affidavit, one notebook also listed 11 mainstream search platforms for finding people’s home addresses and other personal information, like phone numbers and relatives.
The addresses for both lawmakers targeted on Saturday were readily available. Representative Hortman’s campaign website listed her home address, while Senator Hoffman’s appeared on his legislative webpage, The New York Times reports.
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Is there any chance this will lead to better data protection in the US? Any at all?
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| • Why do social networks drive us a little mad? • Why does angry content seem to dominate what we see? • How much of a role do algorithms play in affecting what we see and do online? • What can we do about it? • Did Facebook have any inkling of what was coming in Myanmar in 2016? Read Social Warming, my latest book, and find answers – and more. |
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