Human rights organizations ask Zoom to scrap its emotion tracking AI in open letter

Digital rights non-profit Fight for the Future and 27 human rights organizations have written an open letter to Zoom, asking the company not to continue exploring the use of AI that can analyze emotions in its video conferencing platform. The groups wrote the letter in response to a Protocol report that said Zoom is actively researching how to incorporate emotion AI into its product in the future. It’s part of a larger piece examining how companies have started using artificial intelligence to detect the emotional state of a potential client during sales calls. 

The pandemic made video conferences a lot more common around the world. Sales people have been finding it hard to gauge how receptive potential clients are to their products and services, though, without the capability to read their body language through the screen. Companies have started using technology that have the ability to analyze people’s moods during calls as a result, and Protocol said Zoom has plans to provide the same service. 

Fight for the Future and the other human rights orgs are hoping their call would pressure Zoom to abandon its plans. They called the technology “discriminatory, manipulative, potentially dangerous and based on assumptions that all people use the same facial expressions, voice patterns, and body language.” 

The groups also pointed out that the technology is inherently biased and racist, just like facial recognition. By incorporating the feature, Zoom would be discriminating against certain ethnicities and people with disabilities, they said. In addition, it could be used to punish students or workers if they displayed the wrong emotion. In 2021, a project led by University of Cambridge professor Alexa Hagerty showed the limits of emotion recognition AIs and how easy it is to fool them. Previous studies also showed that emotion recognition programs fail the racial bias test and struggle to read Black faces.

The group ended the letter by mentioning Zoom’s decision to cancel the rollout of face-tracking features and calling this another opportunity to do what’s right by its users. They’re now asking Zoom to commit to not implementing emotion AI in its product by May 20th, 2022.

AT&T will use phone location data to route 911 calls to the right responders

AT&T is launching location-based routing of wireless 911 calls to the appropriate call centers across the US, it announced. The company says it’ll be the first US carrier to “quickly and more accurately identify where a wireless 911 call is coming from using device GPS and hybrid information.” That’ll allow it to route the call to the correct 911 call center (public safety answering point or PSAP) which can then “dispatch first responders to the right location faster,” it wrote. 

So far, wireless 911 call routing has been based on the location of cell towers, with accuracy often no better than 10 miles. The new system will be able to locate a device within 50 meters of its location, potentially reducing delays, particularly when a call is made at PSAP border areas where state, county or city boundaries overlap, AT&T said. 

AT&T starts automatically routing wireless 911 calls to the correct call centers
AT&T

AT&T collaborated with a company called Intrado to use its Locate Before Route location-based 911 routing feature. Intrado notes that currently, about 10 percent of wireless calls and up to 50 percent in border areas need to be transferred to a different emergency communications center (ECC), causing potential delays. The new system uses device-based hybrid data and dynamic routing to reduce the need for transfers, supposedly without sacrificing speed. 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an inquiry into the issue of more accurately transferring calls to the correct PSAPs back in 2018, so it’s been ongoing for a while. The regulator also recently demanded that carriers start providing Z-axis location data (height), to help emergency services locate where 911 calls are coming from within multistory buildings. 

AT&T’s nationwide rollout is now available in Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Guam. It’ll be available in other regions over the next several weeks, and the rollout is scheduled to be completed by the end of June, 2022. 

The Morning After: The official end of the iPod

It’s the end of an era. Apple introduced the first iPod back in October 2001, when the company was highly dependent on its Mac computer sales and still on shaky financial ground. While the Mac requirement limited interest at the start, sales exploded after Windows users joined the fray — back when you needed to tether your iPod to your PC to sync music and, later, podcasts.

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Apple

Now, in 2022, the company is finally discontinuing the iPod touch, which will only be available in stores “while supplies last.” It’s the final death knell for the iconic gadget: Apple dropped the iPod classic in 2014, and both the iPod nano and iPod shuffle were discontinued in 2017.

The iPhone, ironically, was what killed the iPod, combining MP3 (not to mention video) playback with cellular networks, WiFi, apps, cameras and everything else.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

EA announces the end of ‘FIFA‘

Starting in 2023, the soccer series will be ‘EA Sports FC’

Don’t panic. The beautiful game will go on. Electronic Arts is calling it quits with FIFA after nearly 30 years of using the soccer governing body’s name in the titles of its games. Starting in 2023, it’s renaming the series EA Sports FC. Which is rather (well, very) janky.

Other than the rebranding, the EA Sports FC games may not be vastly different. EA still holds licenses for more than 300 soccer partners and has exclusive agreements with the likes of the Premier League, MLS, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A.

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DJI Mini 3 Pro review

The most capable lightweight drone yet.

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Engadget

The DJI Mini 3 Pro is a small, lightweight drone loaded with features found on bigger models, like the Mavic 3. It has some of the best image quality specs on a lightweight drone, including 4K 60p, 1080 120p and 48-megapixel photos, as well as advanced features like ActiveTrack, QuickShots and more. The Mini 3 Pro is a bit expensive at $910 with the new RC remote, though, and image quality might not be good enough for some pros. Check out our gorgeous review video from Steve Dent. And consider whether you’d like a new toy. I am.

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What to expect at Google I/O 2022

Android 13, the Pixel 6a and Pixel Watch could all take the spotlight.

Google’s I/O developer conference is finally returning as an in-person keynote for 2022, but that’s not the biggest story likely to emerge from the event. This year, in addition to the customary Android update (we’re up to 13, now), it’s probably going to include the debut of the first Pixel smartwatch, and possibly at least one new Pixel phone and more. We break down everything we’re expecting to see later today.

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Microsoft’s Adaptive Mouse is inclusively designed

And infinitely customizable.

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Engadget

The Xbox Adaptive Controller was Microsoft’s first real attempt at making accessible hardware. And while it was very well received, it didn’t really impact non-gamers. Today, the company is launching an Adaptive Mouse kit.

The mouse core is a tiny square, approximately two inches (50mm) wide, and about as thick as a finger. This packs in the usual mousey parts: scroll wheel, left and right buttons, optical sensor and triggers for Bluetooth. The intriguing part comes from the Button, which you can program to perform any task you want. The Button can even handle sequential tasks, so you can have the first push open an app, have the second tap of the same button enter a phrase and a third send an email, for example. We’ve taken a deep dive and even toured Microsoft’s inclusive tech lab.

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Musk says he would ‘reverse’ Donald Trump’s Twitter ban

He called the ban a ‘morally bad decision.’

In an interview with The Financial Times, Elon Musk said he would reinstate Trump when his deal to acquire Twitter closes. “I guess the answer is that I would reverse the permaban,” Musk said in response to a question about whether he would allow the former president back on the platform. “Obviously, I don’t own Twitter yet. So this is not a thing that will definitely happen because what if I don’t own Twitter.”

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Anker’s Eufy robot vacuums are up to 41 percent off at Amazon

Anker’s Eufy brand offers some very affordable robot vacuums that just got even cheaper thanks to a sale on at Amazon. The most interesting model is the Eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S Max that’s available for just $160, for a savings of $90 (36 percent) off the regular price. That’s very inexpensive for a model that earned a spot in our budget robot vacuum guide thanks to its attractive looks and super solid design.

Buy Eufy robot vacuums at Amazon

The RoboVac 11S Max is missing certain features like WiFi connectivity, which isn’t surprising given the price. However, it’s still easy to control using the physical remote that allows you to set things like cleaning schedules or change the suction power using BoostIQ or Max modes. It cleans both hard and carpeted floors with up to 2,000 Pa of suction power, and is pretty decent at avoiding collisions considering the price. It’s only three inches high so it fits under a lot of furniture, and if it does hit something, it’s quite sturdy. 

If you do want WiFi or other more advanced features, the Eufy G30 Hybrid is on sale for $220, for a savings of 41 percent off — the cheapest price we’ve seen on it so far. It’s effectively an updated version of the 11S with WiFi connectivity, giving you smartphone control via the Eufy app. It can map out your home using the Smart Dynamic Navigation 2.0 system, allowing for more logical route planning instead of random paths. It also offers up to 2,000 Pa suction and boundary strips to block off specific areas. The sale finishes in less than 24 hours, so it’s best to act soon.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Sony’s Xperia 1 IV smartphone features ‘the world’s first true optical zoom lens’

Sony has heavily leveraged its camera expertise to create its upcoming flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 IV, it announced. It offers a slew of innovative, image-oriented features including what it calls the “world’s first true optical 85-125mm zoom lens,” along with true 4K at 120fps, livestreaming and external monitor capabilities and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform chip. 

The key feature of the Xperia 1 IV is the telephoto zoom that offers an 85-125mm equivalent zoom range, enough for sports, wildlife and more. To build it, Sony appears to have used a 90-degree periscope style system, much like Huawei did with the P30 Pro. 

Sony's Xperia 1 IV smartphone has 'the world's first true optical zoom lens'
Sony

On top of the telephoto zoom, it has 16mm and 24mm lenses (35mm equivalent), along with a time-of-flight sensor. All three cameras use a 12-megapixel Exmor RS sensor with readout speeds of up to 120 fps. That allows the phone to record 4K 120 fps video, or the equivalent of 5x slow-motion at 4K. 

Other camera features include real-time Eye AF and real-time tracking with every lens, along with an Optical SteadyShot system. For photography, it can hit burst speeds of up to 20 fps with auto-exposure and continuous autofocus enabled on all three lenses, for both people and animals. Sony’s also promising accurate automatic white balance in challenging conditions thanks to AI.

All the lenses use Zeiss optics with a Zeiss T* coating designed to boost contrast and sharpness while reducing reflections. The front camera uses a new 12-megapixel Exmor RS sensor that’s larger than on previous models, allowing you to shoot selfies with less light. 

Sony also added some apps and software features to aid video content makers. Much like on the Xperia 1 Pro, the “Powered by CineAlta” Cinematography Pro feature allows users to record using similar parameters and settings to professional cinematographers. You can also manually adjust settings like focus, exposure and white balance, even while recording. It also features 4K HDR multi-frame shooting, allowing for videos with wider dynamic range without any loss of resolution. 

It’s also promising “the ultimate mobile gaming experience” with the Xperia 1 IV, thanks to a 120Hz HDR 6.5-inch 21:9 OLED display with 240Hz motion blur and a 240Hz touch-scanning rate. It’s powered by a Snapdragon Gen 1 Mobile Platform and uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Elite Gaming to improve performance. It also has what Sony calls “Heat Suppression power control” that automatically reduces performance at high temperatures, “even during gameplay when connected to a charger.” 

The display uses Bravia HDR remaster technology for enhanced entertainment viewing, promising “more contrast, color and clarity.” It’s also equipped with Dolby Atmos surround sound tech that’s supposed to deliver a more immersive experience for cinema. 

Sony's Xperia 1 IV smartphone features 'the world's first true optical zoom lens'
Sony

The Xperia 1 IV is designed to simplify livestreaming as well, giving you access to the Eye AF and object tracking features when using the Videography Pro mode. It can also be used as an external monitor for livestreaming from any compatible Alpha camera, and when paired with Sony’s Vlog Monitor, “users can livestream content by using the rear cameras,” Sony said. 

Other features include IP65/68 water and dust resistance, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on front and back, 5G with sub6/mmWave, WiFi 6E, 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage with a microSD card. It comes with a 5,000 mAh battery with wireless charging capability and can be quick-charged to 50 percent in 30 minutes. 

The price, as you’d expect from all that, will not be cheap. It’s arriving on September 1, 2022 for $1,600 to B&H Photo and other Sony dealers around the US in black or purple, though the purple color is available exclusively at Sony’s website. Pre-orders open today and for a limited time, eligible customers will get Sony’s latest WF-1000XM4 true wireless earbuds thrown in for free. 

Facebook faces lawsuit in Kenya over poor working conditions for moderators

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is facing another lawsuit filed by one of is former content moderators. According to The Washington Post, this one is filed by Daniel Motaung, who’s accusing the company and San Francisco subcontractor Sama of human trafficking Africans to work in exploitative and unsafe working conditions in Kenya. The lawsuit alleges that Sama targets poor people across the region, including those from Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Somalia and Uganda, with misleading job ads. They were reportedly never told that they’d be working as Facebook moderators and would have to view disturbing content as part of the job. 

Motaung said the first video he watched was of someone being beheaded and that he was fired after six months on the job for trying to spearhead workers’ unionization efforts. A Time report looking into the working conditions of the office where Motaung worked revealed that several employees suffered from mental trauma due to to their jobs. Sama, which positions itself as an “ethical AI” company providing “dignified digital work” to people in places like Nairobi, has on-site counselors. Workers generally distrusted the counselors, though, and Sama reportedly rejected counselors’ advice to let workers take wellness breaks throughout the day anyway. 

As for Motaung, he said in the lawsuit that his job was traumatizing and that he now has a fear of death. “I had potential. When I went to Kenya, I went to Kenya because I wanted to change my life. I wanted to change the life of my family. I came out a different person, a person who has been destroyed,” he noted. The lawsuit also mentioned how Motaung was made to sign a non-disclosure agreement and how he was paid less than promised — 40,000 Kenyan shillings or around $350. The report by Time said employees left in droves due to the poor pay and working conditions. 

Harrowing stories of Facebook moderators having to watch traumatizing videos and working in poor conditions aren’t new and come from all over the world, including the US. In fact, the company agreed to pay its US content moderators part of a class action lawsuit $52 million back in 2020. Those who were diagnosed with psychological conditions related to their work got a payout of up to $50,000.

Meta’s Nairobi office told The Post that it requires its “partners to provide industry-leading pay, benefits and support.” It added: “We also encourage content reviewers to raise issues when they become aware of them and regularly conduct independent audits to ensure our partners are meeting the high standards we expect of them.”

New York AG’s lawsuit again Amazon dismissed by appeals court

Amazon has one less legal challenge to worry about. An appeals court today dismissed a lawsuit by New York State Attorney General Letitia James against the company for its coronavirus safety protocols and alleged retaliation against workers, reportedReuters. In its ruling, the court said that since federal labor law preempts state labor law, National Labor Relations Board “should serve as the forum” for the dispute. It also pointed to a separate NLRB case over fired employee Gerald Bryson and said it contained “essentially the same” allegations of retaliation, and argued there was a risk of “interference” over the NLRB’s jurisdiction.

The lawsuit — filed last year — accused Amazon of subjecting workers from two Staten Island facilities to unsafe conditions during the pandemic. It also alleged that Amazon retaliated against former employees Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer — now of the Amazon Labor Union — by firing them after they protested the company’s working conditions. Just a few days earlier, Amazon filed its own lawsuit against the New York State attorney general’s office in an effort to stop the investigation.

Last month, it appeared that luck was on the NY State attorney general’s side when a federal judge denied Amazon’s bid to transfer the lawsuit. But the New York Court of Appeals today not only reversed this decision, it dismissed claims in the state attorney general’s lawsuit that Amazon violated COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The appeals court stated that since New York State’s coronavirus workplace protocols have since been lifted, the lawsuit’s efforts to get Amazon to comply with them were “moot.”

“Throughout the pandemic, Amazon has failed to provide a safe working environment for New Yorkers, putting their health and safety at risk. As our office reviews the decision and our options moving forward, Attorney General James remains committed to protecting Amazon workers, and all workers, from unfair treatment,” wrote Morgan Rubin, a spokesperson for the attorney general, in a statement to Engadget.

Engadget has reached out to Amazon for comment on the lawsuit and will update if we hear back. 

YouTube will allow users to gift paid subscriptions to each other

Starting tomorrow, YouTube will give both fans and creators the ability to gift paid channel subscriptions. A number of influential streamers tweeted the announcement today, many of whom were ecstatic about a new monetization tool. Gifted subs have been a popular feature on Twitch — YouTube Gaming’s main rival— for a while. Many streamers see subscriptions as an easy way to generate revenue while also building their community. But YouTube has dragged its heels on releasing the much-anticipated feature for some time. Finally, YouTube Japan tested the waters with gifted memberships earlier this year for a select number of channels. Gifted memberships — which is still in beta — will now be available to all YouTube Gaming users in the US and UK.

Fans normally pay $4.99 per month for channel memberships, which allow them to access user badges, emotes and other exclusive content by their favorite creators. YouTube Gaming has released a number of other Twitch-like features this year, such as Live Redirects, which allow streamers to send fans to other streams or premieres. 

While Twitch remains the biggest US-based platform for livestreaming, a number of its high-profile streamers have decamped in recent years for YouTube Gaming. And there may be more to follow. Bloomberg reported last month that Twitch partners will get a smaller cut of revenue from subscriptions (50 percent from 70 percent) under a new monetization model by the Amazon-owned platform. YouTube Gaming takes only 30 percent of a streamer’s revenue from channel subscriptions. While YouTube Gaming doesn’t have as big of an audience as Twitch, that could easily change if more popular Twitch creators leave for greener pastures.