The European Union has approved Apple’s bid to buy music identification service Shazam. An alleged participant in the 2014 Sony hack has been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice. And a report by the Intercept reveals that IBM had access to New York City surveillance footage when developing its object identification technology.
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First, trending on LinkedIn: The European Union has approved Apple’s purchase of music identification service Shazam, after announcing that it would investigate the deal for potential violations of its antitrust policies. According to Reuters, the commission tasked with reviewing the deal has concluded that “After thoroughly analyzing Shazam’s user and music data… their acquisition by Apple would not reduce competition in the digital music streaming market.” Apple first announced its intent to buy Shazam for an undisclosed amount in December.
Next, trending on Twitter: North Korean citizen Park Jin Hyok has been formally charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for participating in state-sponsored attacks, including the WannaCry ransomware that hit more than 200,000 Windows computers in 2017 and the 2014 Sony hack that leaked thousands of internal company emails. In a conference call with reporters, a senior department official said that Hyok worked in China for a company called Korean Expo Joint Venture tasked with generating revenue for North Korean military intelligence. His official charges include extortion, wire fraud, and multiple hacking crimes.
Finally, on Reddit users are buzzing about an investigation by non-profit news organization the Intercept, which learned through a mix of confidential corporate documents and developer interviews that IBM had secret access to New York City surveillance camera footage when developing its object identification technology. According to the website, the NYPD gave Big Blue access to images of thousands of unknowing New Yorkers as early as 2012, when the company was creating search features that allow police departments to search camera footage by hair color, facial hair, and skin tone. IBM declined to comment on the report, but in an email the NYPD said that “Video, from time to time, was provided to IBM to ensure that the product they were developing would work in the crowded urban NYC environment and help us protect the city.”