Watching Hong Kong news coverage repeat many of the media failings of the Arab uprisings. Everyone who wrote about cool lasers foiling AI facial recognition, for example. Flashy visuals make good stories even if they don't make sense, but the real issue is missing the real story.
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zeynep tufekci Retweeted Dustin Braden
AI facial recognition is among the least of the issues here— and the lasers have little to do with it either way. Journalists are chasing spectacle and the word AI. China's surveillance infrastructure *is* important but the laser angle? Spectacle chasing.https://twitter.com/dbrades89/status/1157013384803565574 …
zeynep tufekci added,
5 replies 15 retweets 47 likesShow this thread -
Replying to @zeynep
Janis Wong Retweeted Mary Hui
Facial recognition is part of the wider discourse surrounding the protests. It's still a big issue, just not with lasers.https://twitter.com/maryhui/status/1151030982859821056 …
Janis Wong added,
Mary HuiVerified account @maryhuiAmid public misgivings about the Hong Kong government's plan to roll out smart lampposts across the city, the secretary for information & technology says the streetlights won't have facial recognition technology and won't collect personal data https://www.hk01.com/%E7%A4%BE%E6%9C%83%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E/352435/%E4%BF%A1%E7%94%A8%E9%AB%94%E7%B3%BB-%E5%AE%89%E8%A3%9D%E6%99%BA%E6%85%A7%E7%87%88%E6%9F%B1%E6%83%B9%E7%9B%A3%E6%8E%A7%E6%86%82%E6%85%AE-%E6%A5%8A%E5%81%89%E9%9B%84-%E7%84%A1%E4%BA%BA%E9%9D%A2%E8%AD%98%E5%88%A5%E5%8A%9F%E8%83%BD …Show this thread2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @janiswong_
For sure, just not with this “oh, lasers, oh look, cyberwar” angle. Have you seen the stories about the lasers that have come out, including in major outlets? They make no sense, and betray deep lack of understanding. :-(
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Replying to @zeynep
Yeah it's all a bit
but fortunately that line isn't taken in local media. Protesters are really worried about the tech though (while still using it in cool ways), especially when eyes are being pried open by police for faceid https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/26/technology/hong-kong-protests-facial-recognition-surveillance.html …1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
Yeah. That’s what I mean. There are *really* important issues at play, both short and long-term. But even some major outlets are writing nonsensical pieces on lasers and AI. 
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