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To boost profits even further, supermarkets now want to ‘steal’ our privacy with AI surveillance
The rise of self-scanning checkouts in supermarkets has a side effect: one in three loyal customers turns into petty thieves. According to scientists at the University of Leicester, this is because shops with self-scanning checkouts give customers ready-made excuses to take away merchandise without paying, and provoke behaviour that allows the self-scanning customers to ‘neutralise’…
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Undermining Democracy: The European Commission’s Controversial Push for Digital Surveillance
The European Commission wants to turn digital communication apps, such as WhatsApp, iMessage, Instagram, TikTok and X, into mass surveillance tools so that digital communications of all EU citizens, including their live conversations, photos and videos, can be automatically scanned for criminal offences.[1] Even of citizens who are not suspected of any crime. This proposal…
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Digital voting in elections is easy, but the drawbacks are too severe
Postal voting from abroad is ” especially outdated”, argue Eelco Keij and Anita Pannebakker (Opinion, 21 February). However, their suggestion to introduce online voting is ill-advised. In important elections, you want to guard the integrity of the voting process so that counted votes match the voter’s intention (and not that of hackers). In addition, you…
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Introduce paid parking for cargo bikes – and other vehicles that block the pavement
Amsterdam municipality’s competition in which the best idea to make cycling “even safer” (and thus more enjoyable according to its Twitter account) could win 16,000 euros is misguided. For the most pressing problem is not that cycling is not enjoyable enough, but that – especially in the city centre – more and more, bigger and…
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Make paying ransom to cybercriminals unattractive
In recent years, the number of ransomware attacks in the Netherlands has skyrocketed. Criminals who manage to gain access to the computer systems of large organisations encrypt computer files and render backups unusable. This brings these organisations to a standstill, often resulting in major damage. The solution offered by the criminals is very simple: pay…
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Rapid delivery companies can indeed be of great value
They do not solve months of waiting lists at hospitals, hours of security queues at Schiphol Airport, or yet another lesson that is cancelled at school because of a teacher shortage, forcing parents to take another afternoon off. Yet, according to Sadik Cevik, director of Gorillas, they do add value, are sustainable and innovative. He…