Friday Squid Blogging: Searching for the Colossal Squid

Friday Squid Blogging: Searching for the Colossal Squid

A cruise ship is searching for the colossal squid.

As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered.

Read my blog posting guidelines here.

Tags: squid

Posted on April 26, 2024 at 5:07 PM • 2 Comments

Mr. Peed Off • April 26, 2024 5:29 PM

Safeguarding Brain Data: Assessing the Privacy Practices of Consumer
Neurotechnology Companies is the first comprehensive report analyzing the data practices and
user rights of consumer neurotechnology products. Neurotechnology refers to devices capable of
recording or altering the activity of the nervous system, including the brain, the spinal cord, and
the peripheral nerves. Traditionally used within medical and research settings, these devices are
increasingly marketed to consumers. Today, at least 30 neurotechnology products are available
for purchase by members of the public.

The human brain is unlike any other organ, as it generates all of our mental and cognitive
activities. The data it produces is unlike any other data, as it reflects mental processing. Neural
data, which refers to information directly reflecting the activity of an individual’s central or
peripheral nervous systems, is therefore capable of revealing enormously sensitive information
about the people from whom it was collected, including identifiable information about their
mental health, physical health, and cognitive processing. In the coming years, the sensitivity of
neural data will only deepen as investments from the private sector, governments, and similar
initiatives expand. This will result in improvements to the technical capabilities of
neurotechnology, affording increased resolution of brain scans and larger datasets of brain data
being collected, while generative artificial intelligence will accelerate the ability to accurately
decode these scans. Meanwhile, implantable neurotechnologies can already accurately decode
language and emotions, while wearable devices are beginning to have some of these capabilities
as well. These developments have significant implications for mental privacy, highlighting the
pressing importance of understanding the privacy practices and user protections provided by
consumer neurotechnology companies.

https://www.perseus-strategies.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/FINAL-Consumer-Neurotechnology-Report-Neurorights-Foundation-March-2024-3.pdf

echo • April 26, 2024 5:56 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i-Ic8KX3sI
Ukraine War Live Chat w/ Jake Broe @JakeBroe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMrBif3VcCM
Ukraine War Live Chat w/ Talaria: Russia Isn’t Even in the United Nations..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMu2NhK11sI
Putin is a “Small Pathetic Man” Who Needs More Wars to Survive
[…]
Pulling no punches, Browder explains the “psychopathy” and “depravity” that make up the character of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. What motivates the Russian autocrat? Browder argues that “Putin is a little man, who has stolen too much money, who is terrified of losing power. If he loses power he will go to jail, lose his money, and die. So you’ve this little [man] who is scared of losing his life. So what [does Putin] do?” He creates “a foreign enemy. That is what the Ukrainian invasion is all about.”
Browder warns that despite heroic efforts: Ukraine can still lose the war if the West backs away from its commitments to the besieged nation. What would come next? Browder argues that Putin cannot back down or not begin an invasion of Europe: Putin’s ability to survive, having stolen hundreds of billions from his own people, depends on him being able to portray himself as a war president keeping his nation safe.

This will do for a start. The first video has a slow start but gets enough into geopolitics and disinformation and, later, voting systems enough to keep me happy. They all tie directly or indirectly into material I wanted to write about even if the angle or details or depth are different.

I wanted to write about geopolitical issues which have been annoying me. They’ve been touched on by various job titles and influencers and so on but either never articulated through or with a level of spin I’m not happy with. It does get into governance and systems and modes of reasoning and the meat of security (for those who have an attachment to single minded topic framing) but needs a level of thinking through to write up I’m not prepared to make at the moment.

I’ve got material on freedom of speech as implemented in practice and it’s impact, disinformation, and material on DEI, and the intersection of governance, media, and counter-terrorism. I gathered a few weeks of notes totaling around 50 pages so it’s really a question of choosing my focus and whether I can be bothered.

The Cass review continues to implode. It’s been rejected by all the world’s leading authorities and experts to an embarrassing degree. There’s multiple open letters of protest by 300-400 respectable academics worldwide at the last count. That’s somewhat more than the anonymous 19 “experts” The Telegraph could scrape together which are likely double counted from an open letter by already discredited job titles, conspiracy theorists, and known bad actors. One day it may be subject to a case study in disinformation or a public inquiry.

I also have material on Lesbian Visibility Week. The theme this year is supporting all members of the lesbian LGBTQI+ community.