At a Glance.
- Pressure on Israel grows to justify its use of AI in Gaza.
- The US Treasury Department has sanctioned a Greek spyware creator.
Israel is under increasing pressure to justify its use of AI in Gaza.
The News.
Tensions are rising around the Israeli government’s continued use of artificial intelligence (AI) to grow its offensive measures in Gaza. Reportedly, Israel’s military has been increasingly relying upon an AI system, known as “the Gospel,” to help determine military targets. These targets have included schools, aid offices, places of worship, and medical facilities.
While it is unclear if any of the civilian casualties have been a direct result of AI targeting, concerns have continued to grow with how the military has been increasingly utilizing this system. Human rights organizations, from both Palestine and Israel, have drawn attention to these concerns by calling upon the Israeli government to provide more transparency on this new AI system and how its automated targeting system functions.
As of now, the Israeli government has declined to comment on its continued use of AI-guided weaponry in Gaza. However, a spokesperson from the Israeli government previously commented on Gospal saying that while Gospal was used to identify potential targets, the final decision to strike was always made by a human being and must also be approved by at least one other person in the chain of command.
The Knowledge.
The concerns surrounding how the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is using AI systems for warfare echo many of the global concerns emerging on how AI could be used for warfare. Many nations have come together to create a new international treaty that would define how to responsibly use AI in warfare. This treaty has seen significant support with nations like the United States (US), Germany, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine backing its creation. As of now, Israel has yet to show its support for this treaty. Domestically, President Biden also signed an executive order last October that addressed how the US military and intelligence agencies were to use AI and the Pentagon also published its own AI strategy near the end of 2023 to outline how it intends to integrate AI into its operations.
However, while nations across the world are recognizing the importance of AI and the impacts it could have on modern warfare, significant concerns still exist surrounding the technology’s accuracy, security, and potential usage. Specifically, concerns surrounding AI accuracy have drawn significant attention as experts have warned how unmonitored use could lead to indiscriminate targetted.
The Impact.
As militaries across the world continue to work to implement AI into their operations and strategies, concerns will continue to grow around the emerging technology and how it should be ethically used. By supporting the previously mentioned international treaty as well as signing his AI executive order, President Biden has acknowledged these concerns and is treating the emerging technology seriously. However, it remains unclear to what degree these policy actions will impact the use of AI for warfare over the coming months and years.
AI developers should understand that, while their technology may not have been originally designed for warfare, concerns surrounding ethical AI use have already emerged and will continue to grow. Developers should expect governmental oversight to expand until these concerns have been addressed thoroughly.
US Treasury Department sanctions European spyware maker.
The News.
On Tuesday, the US Treasury Department announced new sanctions on two individuals and five corporations tied to the Intellexa consortium. The consortium is a network of European firms that have created a market for selling the widely-used mobile surveillance software, known as Predator. The Department announced it was targeting these individuals and organizations for their efforts in “developing, operating, and distributing commercial spyware technology.”
These sanctions will freeze the targets’ US assets as well as will bar any American from dealing with these organizations. Any organization or individual caught dealing with these entities will risk being hit with these same consequences. This announcement marks the first time the government has sanctioned a commercial spyware entity.
The Knowledge.
This announcement marks the latest move by the Biden administration to address concerns surrounding commercial spyware usage and follows several notable efforts from 2023. Last July, the administration signaled its concerns surrounding the Intellexa consortium after it added two other European firms to a Commerce Department blacklist. In that same year, the administration previously signed an executive order that targeted the infamous NSO group, which created the Pegasus software package.
Additionally, these sanctions come just before the March 18th Summit for Democracy in South Korea where last year, the US along with several foreign partners signed a joint statement expressing their concerns surrounding commercial spyware and its continued global proliferation.
The Impact.
The growing use of spyware represents both a problem for governments and individuals alike. Spyware represents a gray area that malicious actors have historically exploited to conduct espionage activities on governments as well as harvest and steal individual user data, such as personal information. While one set of sanctions alone will not stop the widespread use of spyware, it does show a clear intent by the administration to address the problematic actors associated with spyware.
While spyware usage is not expected to diminish soon, these latest efforts mark a renewed effort by the Biden administration to combat spyware. Consumers and businesses should take additional care to secure themselves from spyware and protect their data as malicious actors look for new software to conduct their espionage activities.
Other Noteworthy Stories.
New York Attorney General opens prope into AT&T Outage.
What: New York’s Attorney General, Letita James, announced that her office is launching an investigation into AT&T’s wireless outage, which occurred on February 22nd.
Why: The New York’s Attorney General office now joins the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in investigating an AT&T incident, which caused a wireless outage for twelve hours. With this outage, consumers were unable to make calls, send texts, or access the internet leaving many unable to call 911. AT&T initially claimed that this outage was caused by an application error, not a cyber attack. When launching this investigation, James commented that “nationwide outages are not just an inconvenience, [that] they can be dangerous, and we must protect consumers when an outage occurs.” The investigation’s primary goal is to investigate what caused the outage and assess AT&T’s response to the outage.
DeSantis vetoes Florida bill banning social media app for minors.
What: Governor Ron DeSantis vetoes Florida’s bill that would ban minors under sixteen from accessing social media applications.
Why: In an update from last week’s story, Governor DeSantis has vetoed the state legislator's bill that would have banned minors sixteen and under from being able to access social media applications. With this veto, Governor DeSantis commented that the Florida legislature was ready “to produce a different, superior bill.” The Governor continued to mention that this new bill will aim to protect children as well as maintain parents’ rights to dictate what their children can and cannot do. So far, the currently proposed amendments to the legislation would allow fourteen and fifteen-year-olds to have social media accounts with parental approval. Currently, the bill is still being debated in the Florida state legislature.
New Zealand's central bank aims to implement cyber reporting rules in 2024.
What: On Monday, New Zealand’s central bank announced that New Zealand banks must report cyber incidents within seventy-two hours of discovery, and the central bank announced its plans to implement new cyber reporting requirements throughout the year.
Why: With New Zealand seeing a rise in online incidents, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has proposed new rules that would require all New Zealand banks to implement self-assessments and report all cyber incidents among other new measures. The RBNZ developed these measures after collaborating with the Financial Markets Authority to develop shared reporting requirements and improve coordination efforts. With these proposed cyber reporting rules, the New Zealand banking system is looking to improve its accountability and reduce the number of financially related cyber incidents.
Proposed class action lawsuit alleges Apple is monopolizing cloud storage on its devices.
What: A new class action lawsuit has been filed against Apple that alleges the company holds an illegal monopoly over digital storage options for its consumers.
Why: In a lawsuit filed last Friday, plaintiffs are alleging that Apple’s devices restrict their right to utilize other storage options outside of the iCloud system. The suit stated that “Apple’s arbitrary prohibition on hosting Restricted Files fundamentally distorts the competitive landscape to privilege iCloud over all rivals.” Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that with this monopoly, Apple has continued to raise its prices due to the lack of competition. The class action lawsuit is comprised of tens of millions of members, all of whom are iCloud users. As this lawsuit has only been recently filed, its impacts could have wide-sweeping consequences for cloud providers and Apple depending on the results.