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Denmark propose the use of Blockchain Platforms for fighting against corruption on government and institutional levels

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark published a report explaining the use of IT technologies and services including blockchain, e-governance, big data, and crowdsourcing to fight administrative, or day-to-day, corruption as well as political corruption.

Presented during the International Anti-Corruption Conference, or IACC, the report emphasizes the use of blockchain as a technology that will build a more transparent governance and transaction system, further adding that it will also give individuals greater rights over their own data.

According to the report, blockchain can be used as a potential anti-corruption tool as it has the ability to store records immutably and transparently. A public database such as blockchain also provides every individual equal access to the data stored in the ledger, thus allowing individuals to claim their rights over aid, land and money without depending on any middlemen.

The report further says that blockchain “reduces or eliminates the need for institutions” such as banks, land registries, accountants, registry of births and deaths, and vehicle registration whose main job is to validate transactions.

The technology would help entities efficiently and securely share resources with people without formal identities or bank accounts, the report adds.

The public sector may also use blockchain to secure records and certificates from any alterations and use blockchain’s ability to trace all activities to reduce the chances for corruption.

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Farmers Could Soon Be Hedging Their Risks With Decentralized Weather Data

Farmers are likely the hardest hit by weather unpredictability. For many, severe weather conditions can lead to the loss of their livelihood, or even starvation. Although farmer insurance has been around for decades — if not centuries — according to Jha, it is unaffordable for the vast majority:

“If you had less than two hundred thousand dollars in premium to spend, you actually had no real access.”

Arbol blockchain infrastructure. Source: Arbol.

Jha claims that Arbol both lowers the entry barrier and makes hedging less expensive. With blockchain, settlements and payouts can be instant, whereas in the centralized world, participants may have to wait weeks, if not months. 

Farmers can hedge against various adverse weather conditions having a negative impact on their crops. They can buy a hedge — for example, if a temperature in their region reaches a critical level, which will trigger an automatic payout. By adding Chainlink’s oracalized weather data feeds, the company’s platform has become more decentralized and resilient. 

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BBC, tech giants will fight fake news with an ‘early warning system’

Tech companies know disinformation remains a major threat, and they’re forming an alliance with a media giant to help fight the online spread of falsehoods. The BBC has partnered with Facebook, Google and Twitter on a strategy to fight fake news and other disinformation campaigns. The effort will include an “early warning system” that lets organizations tell each other when they find false content that “threatens human life or disrupts democracy.” Ideally, this helps companies quickly neuter disinformation before it has much of a chance to spread.

The plan also involves a joint media education campaign, shared learning (with a focus on elections) and voting information. More details are coming “at a later date,” the BBC said.

The timing of the collaboration likely isn’t a coincidence. Internet giants know that the 2020 US presidential election is fast approaching, and they’re already working with intelligence agencies to tackle disinformation and security risks. The companies don’t want any risk of repeating the missteps from 2016, and that means forging pacts with anyone that can further their goals. While the BBC clearly isn’t based in the US, its work could be useful for fighting election meddling in the country on top of any help it can offer abroad.

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Why AI researchers should reconsider protesting involvement in military projects – MIT Technology Review

AI expert who was involved in Project Maven, the DoD’s program to accelerate artificial intelligence and machine learning for military uses—said that “constructive engagement” with the armed forces was necessary to avoid bad decisions.

In June, Google said it would no longer work with Project Maven after more than 4,000 employees signed a letter that accused the company of being “in the business of war.”

But speaking at EmTech Digital, MIT Technology Review’s AI conference, McCord said that it would be better for society as a whole to see such collaborations continue, and for those dissenting employees involved in AI projects to reexamine their stance.  

“Most here today would agree that militaries and their role in deterrence, offense, and defense are a part of the world, and they will be for the foreseeable future,” he said. “A strategy of constructive engagement versus one of opting out is a far more optimal one.”

“Working on AI for defense does not make you less principled,” he added.

The secretive nature of Project Maven, which was said to be focused on improving analysis of footage captured by military drones, had caused concern across a wide group of AI researchers. But the US armed forces remain a “powerful force for promoting peace and stability in the world,” said McCord, reflecting arguments that AI researchers who reject the military on principle are actually handing the advantage to those with less rigorous ethical standards, including other nations.

While McCord said he would not expect “antiwar pacifists” to change their minds, he asked researchers to consider what would happen if other countries were making their own advances in emerging fields. A more positive attitude to the military was particularly important, he added, since governments now play a lesser role in the development of new technological discoveries than they once did.

“At the end of the Cold War the locus of innovation shifted to the private sector,” he said. “The world has changed. The capacity for government, and the role of government, has been diminished to a point where it’s never been so low in my view. The net effect is that big tech companies have assumed the mantle—whether they wanted to or not—of being the arbiters. They’re often self-regulating.”
www.technologyreview.com/s/613208/emtech-digital-brendan-mccord-project-maven/

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Nearly Half of So-Called ‘AI Firms’ in Europe Never Use Artificial Intelligence, VC Firm Says

London venture capital firm MMC Ventures has conducted a damning survey which revealed that 40% of “AI” firms in Europe don’t use AI at all, and are simply using the term to capitalize on the hype associated with the term. MMC examined 2,830 self-described AI startups throughout 13 EU countries. The VC firm found that 40% don’t use AI technology in a way material to their business, generally without even investing in artificial intelligence/machine learning technology at all.

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Austrian Government Supports Blockchain Cancer Research, Screening Tool

Austria says it wishes to “highlight” blockchain during its upcoming E.U. presidency after announcing support for blockchain-based cancer research.
— Citește pe cointelegraph.com/news/austrian-government-supports-blockchain-cancer-research-screening-tool

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Deloitte Partners With Startup for Gov’t-Level Blockchain Identity Management

Audit and consulting firm Deloitte and Attest Inc. will develop a blockchain-based digital identity solution to assist its government clients.
— Citește pe cointelegraph.com/news/deloitte-partners-with-startup-for-govt-level-blockchain-identity-management