Tag Archives: processing

Irish Authorities Request Microsoft to Investigate Alleged Illegal Data Processing by IDF

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Irish officials have received a formal request to look into Microsoft regarding claims of unlawful data processing by the Israel Defense Forces.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), a human rights organization, filed the complaint with the Data Protection Commissioner, who is legally charged with overseeing all data processing activities within the European Union.

This comes after reports in August from the Guardian, along with Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew media Local Call, highlighted that substantial amounts of Palestinian phone communications were stored on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform as part of an extensive surveillance initiative by the Israeli military.

The ICCL asserts that the handling of personal data “aided in the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by Israeli forces.” Microsoft’s European headquarters are located in Ireland.

“Microsoft’s technologies are endangering millions of Palestinians. These are not just theoretical data protection issues,” said Joe O’Brien, executive director of ICCL.

He remarked that cloud services “enable tangible violence” and emphasized the need for the “DPC to respond swiftly and decisively” given the “risk to life involved in the matter at hand.”

He further stated, “When European infrastructure is used to facilitate surveillance and targeting, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner must step in and utilize its full authority to hold Microsoft accountable.”

A collection of leaked documents reviewed by the Guardian has indicated that as early as 2021, the Israeli military’s intelligence unit, Unit 8200, started discussions to transfer large amounts of classified intelligence data to a cloud service operated by a US company.

The documents revealed that Microsoft’s storage facilities were employed by Unit 8200 to archive extensive records of Palestinian daily communications, which facilitated specific airstrikes and other military actions.

Following this revelation, Microsoft initiated an urgent external inquiry into its connections with Unit 8200. Preliminary findings led the company to suspend this unit’s access to certain cloud storage and AI services.

ICCL contends that Microsoft played a crucial role in enabling Israel’s military surveillance system known as “Al-Minasek.”

The organization claims that records of intercepted conversations between EU servers and Israel were reportedly “deleted,” obstructing evidence of unlawful processing before an EU inquiry could commence, violating the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that regulates personal data usage.

With Azure’s vast storage and computational capabilities, Unit 8200 was establishing an indiscriminate system allowing agents to collect, replay, and analyze cell phone calls from entire populations.

A spokesperson for the DPC stated, “We can confirm that the DPC has received the complaint and is currently evaluating it.”

Microsoft has been approached for a response.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Neanderthals Operated a “Fat Factory” for Bone and Grease Processing.

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Neanderthal cooking abilities were more advanced than previously believed.

Gregoire Cirade/Science Photo Library

Almost 100,000 years ago, Neanderthals processed animal bones to extract fat, a practice that was also seen in modern humans around 125,000 years ago.

This discovery stems from a remarkable lakeside site in Neumark Nod, eastern East Germany, where over 100,000 bone fragments from at least 172 individual animals were uncovered, including horses, dogs, deer, foxes, large cats, and extinct twin rhinoceroses.

The bones exhibited clear signs of having been crushed into small pieces and heated to release the fat contained within the spongy tissues. This fat could have served as a rich source of high-calorie nutrition for hunter-gatherer groups.

Will Roebroeks and his team at Leiden University in the Netherlands described the site as a “fat factory” suggesting it was intensively used for a short period. “The fragmentation of the bones is distinctly artificial and not a result of natural predation or geological forces,” he states.

While there is no direct evidence of butchery by Neanderthals, they were the primary known human species in Europe at that time, Roebroeks points out.

Previously, the earliest evidence for grease rendering was located in Portugal, dating back only 28,000 years.

The labor-intensive process of breaking down large mammal bones into such tiny fragments only makes sense if it serves a purpose, Roebroeks notes.

The team lacks direct evidence of boiling; however, it is evident that the bones were heated. “Given the clearly heated bones, heated flint tools, and the presence of stones, it indicates that fire was utilized at the site,” he explains.

Since the earliest known pottery dates back around 20,000 years, the Neanderthals likely used other types of containers to boil the bones. Recent experiments indicate that containers made from materials like deer hides and birch bark can be placed directly over the fire, allowing sufficient water to heat up for cooking, according to Roebroeks.

“This adds yet another layer to the complex cultural practices of our distant relatives, suggesting that these hunter-gatherers may have engaged in forms of food preservation,” he concludes.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

How does the brain change with age when processing music?

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As individuals age, their brains may experience difficulties in learning and decision-making due to a decrease in brain cells and cognitive function. However, neuroscientists have found that the brain can rewire connections to compensate for age-related cognitive decline through a process known as compensatory scaffolding. This involves forming new connections in the brain, strengthening existing ones, and even generating new brain cells. Yet, the specifics of how these new connections operate and interact, as well as their limitations, remain unclear.

Research conducted by Leonardo Bonetti and colleagues indicates that older individuals may exhibit more compensatory scaffolding and less unilateral brain activity compared to younger individuals when processing auditory information like music. Previous studies have shown that certain brain areas involved in memory and task processing decline faster in aging individuals, prompting Bonetti’s team to investigate how age impacts the brain’s response to compensatory scaffolding during music processing.

To test their hypothesis, Bonetti and his team studied brain activity in 37 young adults (aged 18-25) and 39 older adults (aged 60 and above) as they listened to music. Using magnetoencephalography and magnetic resonance imaging devices, the researchers mapped brain activity in specific regions responsible for sound processing and decision-making, such as the temporal lobe, frontal lobe, and hippocampus.

During the study, participants were asked to memorize a musical sequence and distinguish between the original version and modified versions with altered notes. Older participants showed less brain activity in most regions compared to younger participants, except for the left auditory cortex. This increased activity in the left auditory cortex suggested that the aging brain can reorganize and maintain function in certain areas, despite decreased activity in memory-related regions.

Notably, younger participants displayed more brain activity in memory and working memory areas, enabling them to detect modified musical sequences more effectively than older participants. The study also revealed that individuals with strong working memory were better at recognizing modified sequences, regardless of age group.

Overall, the research highlights that parts of the brain linked to memory and cognitive function may decline with age, but healthy aging can trigger brain reorganization to mitigate functional decline. Bonetti’s findings challenge previous notions that aging does not impact brain pathways associated with memory, decision-making, and other executive functions.


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Source: sciworthy.com