Big Brother at the Olympics?

+ the real role of a good VP pick US Edition - Today's top story: AI mass surveillance at Paris Olympics – a legal scholar on the security boon and privacy nightmare [View in browser]( US Edition | 17 July 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Large Hadron Collider reset: Try switching it off and on again?]( - [Trump’s appeal to nostalgia strikes a note with some voters]( - [The fugitive-activist who inspired ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’]( Lead story When the Paris Olympics open next week, security will be extremely high. Part of that security will be artificial intelligence systems monitoring the feeds from thousands of surveillance cameras, poised to spot suspicious behavior that might escape the notice of security personnel. But increased safety is just one side of the coin of heightened surveillance. The other side is the erosion of privacy. University of Richmond legal scholar Anne Toomey McKenna explains [what the technology does](, the ways in which it threatens privacy and how French authorities have so far avoided running afoul of European data privacy laws. [ [Science from the scientists themselves. Sign up for our weekly science email newsletter.]( ] Eric Smalley Science + Technology Editor It won’t be just human eyes monitoring the thousands of security cameras at the Paris Olympics. Martin Bureau/AFP via Getty Images [AI mass surveillance at Paris Olympics – a legal scholar on the security boon and privacy nightmare]( Anne Toomey McKenna, University of Richmond France is using experimental AI-enabled surveillance and data collection tools before, during and after the 2024 Summer Olympics. Here’s what that means for the trade-off between security and privacy. 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Waters, American University The Supreme Court’s recent ruling means that judges will have more power than scientific experts in determining whether people should be able to get an emergency abortion, for example. Arts + Culture - [A short history of the rise, fall and return of Detroit’s Michigan Central Station]( Mila Puccini, Wayne State University; Jeffrey Horner, Wayne State University Michigan Central Station stood abandoned for decades as a symbol of Detroit’s decline. A major investment by Ford has breathed new life into the structure – and, residents hope, the city. Environment + Energy - [America faces a power disconnection crisis amid dangerous heat: In 27 states, utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment even in a heat wave]( Sanya Carley, University of Pennsylvania; David Konisky, Indiana University One in 4 American households is at risk of losing power because of the high cost of energy. Over 30% of those disconnections are in summer, when heat gets dangerous. 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But prism adaptation therapy – noninvasive and easy to administer – can help. Trending on site - [Could people turn Mars into another Earth? Here’s what it would take to transform its barren landscape into a life-friendly world]( - [‘One inch from a potential civil war’ – near miss in Trump shooting is also a close call for American democracy]( - [Flirting with disaster: When endangered wild animals try to mate with domestic relatives, both wildlife and people lose]( Today's graphic 📈 [On one major online betting site, a bet that President Joe Biden will withdraw from the presidential race before the Democratic National Convention would earn $2 for every $1 wagered. The same $1 bet that he won't step aside would win just $0.33. That translates to the betting site believing there is a 75% chance Biden will stay in the race, and a 33.3% chance he'll drop out. The probabilities don't add to 100% because betting sites set odds to improve the likelihood they make a profit regardless of the actual outcome.]( From the story, [Odds are that gambling on the Biden/Trump competition will further reduce the presidential campaign to a horse race]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [Giving Today]( [New!] • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Follow us on social media: • [Bluesky]( • [Mastodon]( • [Threads]( • [Nostr]( • [LinkedIn]( • [Instagram]( • [Facebook]( • Or [get a daily text from us]( - - About The Conversation We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to [help you make sense of our complex world](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. 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