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Victory! Illinois Supreme Court Protects Biometric Privacy Today the Illinois Supreme Court ruled unanimously that when companies collect biometric data like fingerprints or face prints without informed opt-in consent, they can be sued. Users don’t need to prove an injury like identity fraud or physical harm—just losing control of one’s biometric privacy is injury enough. In Rosenbach v. Six Flags , a 14 year old brought a challenge against an amusement park for collecting his thumbprint without his informed consent, in violation of Illinois law. The law in question, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act ( BIPA ), prohibits companies from gathering, using, or sharing biometric information without informed opt-in consent.  EFF, along with ACLU, CDT, the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, PIRG, and Lucy Parsons Labs , filed an amicus curiae brief urging the Illinois Supreme Court to adopt a robust interpretation of BIPA. The Illinois Supreme Court agreed ...

In WSJ Op-Ed, Mark Zuckerberg Speaks Down to Users and Misses the Point Mark Zuckerberg’s op-ed in the Wall Street Journal today (paywalled, but summarized here ) relies on all-too-familiar refrains to explain the dubious principles and so-called “facts” behind Facebook’s business model. It’s the same old song we’ve heard before. And, as usual, it wildly misses users’ actual privacy concerns and preferences. “Users Prefer Relevant Ads” He starts with one of his greatest hits: “People consistently tell us that if they’re going to see ads, they want them to be relevant.” This perpetuates the ad industry’s favorite false dichotomy: either consumers can have “relevant” ads—targeted using huge collections of sensitive behavioral data—or they can be bombarded by spam for knock-off Viagra and weight-loss supplements. The truth is that ads can be made “relevant” and profitable based on the context in which they’re shown , like putting ads for outdoor gear in a nature magazine. To r...

Blog co-authored by: Zach Tinkler, Business Development Manager, Panel Builders Thomas Eck, Team Lead, Marketing Communications Two macro trends are impacting every aspect of our lives: the need for information anytime, anywhere and the need for products to be connected to make this happen. While you can debate which one came first, you cannot debate that the Internet of Things revolution is here to stay. We have seen the value of “connected products” become more instrumental in all facets of our lives and we continue to explore more exciting and inventive ways to use this in everyday life, like connecting clothing items to measure heart rate and temperature or controlling our entire home systems through an app on our phones. We have seen a similar evolution with industrial connected product, the Industrial Internet of Things or IIoT. It will be up to Developers and Installers to design and build this connected reality. Developers and Installers have started embracing the IIoT...

In our previous post , we highlighted the importance of efficient product content management in the current competitive environment where consumers demand more trusted, transparent access to increasing relevant, reliable information on their product choices. Now in this post, let’s see how we can provide an answer to this challenge. What is a PIM solution? PIM stands for Product Information Management. It serves as a system of reference that centralizes all end-product data and makes it available to stakeholders internally and externally. The solution ensures data accuracy and consistency across different internal sources of information and retail channels. The data handled by PIM systems are constantly updated and should comply with GS1 standard (the common language used to identify, capture and share data between the actors of the CPG supply chain). A PIM solution assures that product data can be standardized, centralized, and distributed with complete security along the down...

EFF to Court: Don’t Let Celebrities Censor Realistic Art A huge range of expressive works—including books, documentaries, televisions shows, and songs—depict real people. Should celebrities have a veto right over speech that happens to be about them? A case currently before the California Court of Appeal raises this question. In this case, actor Olivia de Havilland has sued FX asserting that FX’s television series Feud infringed de Havilland’s right of publicity. The trial court found that de Havilland had a viable claim because FX had attempted to portray her realistically and had benefited financially from that portrayal. Together with the Wikimedia Foundation and the Organization for Transformative Works , EFF has filed an amicus brief [ PDF ] in the de Havilland case arguing that the trial court should be overruled. Our brief argues that the First Amendment should shield creative expression like Feud from right of publicity claims. The right of publicity is a cause of ac...

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Local Communities Can Inject Desperately Needed Competition in the ISP Market Last year we witnessed the elimination of critical privacy and network neutrality protections in the broadband market. But these moves would be less dangerous if we were able to vote with our wallets, and choose a provider that respected our privacy and didn’t engage in unfair data discrimination. Unfortunately, most of us have only one choice for high-speed Internet; if Comcast behaves badly we can complain but we can’t hit them where it really hurts by switching to someone else. The good news: communities across the country are trying to fix that by developing their own community broadband networks. And some members of Congress trying to help. Led by Congresswoman Eshoo , Congress recently introduced HR 4814 , the Community Broadband Act of 2018, to empower local citizens to explore community broadband as a means to induce competition and lower prices. In particular, the bill tackles barriers raised by...

If you could go back in time, how would you possibly explain modern data center concepts to a late-1960s “data processing programmer”? In those days it was not uncommon to see a paper sign posted in the data center that would read “The computer is down today”.  Computer systems were big and finnicky. Not many people knew how to run them or fix them.  In fact, the building that housed THE computer was not called a data center at all.  “Processing center” was the more familiar nomenclature. Most of these processing centers were owned, operated and maintained by big banks. Trucks loaded with paper would arrive in the evening, and the data would be “crunched” overnight in the processing center. Printouts would be created and sent back to bank branches the next day. State of the art. Right? Given the realities of that bygone era, how would our late-60’s processing operator react to the following list of modern data center “unimaginables”? 1. “You don’t need the utility to ...

When they first met with Schneider Electric, Lakeland Union High School officials needed to replace a single boiler system. But as they explored their options and gained insight into the breadth of solutions available, administrators learned how innovative technologies could help them accomplish not only the critical boiler replacement, but also a wish list of long-held goals for improving classroom comfort. The learning environment was of utmost importance to these administrators, but a lack of funding and clear solutions left them unable to take action for years. For a facility built in 1957, those solutions were sorely needed. Two different boilers and four different HVAC systems meant classroom temperatures varied widely and were no longer providing an optimal learning environment. In addition, several other key building systems responsible for classroom comfort were nearing the end of their useful life. A comprehensive solution creates an ideal learning environment Schneider El...

By: Rachel K. Carson, MarCom Intern for Process Industries Joseph McMullen, Marketing Director for Process Industries Schneider Electric Engineering software provides solutions to improve engineering efficiency for industrial processes. Engineering software is used for process design, simulation and training throughout the plant lifecycle. The benefits of using these software tools in an industrial setting have many proven benefits. However, like anything, there can be drawbacks that prevent companies from reaping all the benefits. In large organizations with many users, deployment on a broad scale can prove to be tedious. In smaller companies, the license cost of 1 or 2 users can be prohibitive. Regardless of the size of your business, maintaining the proper hardware can be a hassle. Whether you are a small company or a large company, we can solve your problems with the power of the cloud . You can now start by accessing PRO/II Process Engineering , DYNSIM Dynamic Simulation , an...