NYC Will Test Gun Detectors on the Subway
- Written by Deep Shikha Content Writer
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
New York City plans to test a new system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect guns and other weapons on the Subway, Mayor Eric Adams announced on March 28 . This move follows a recent incident where a man was shot with his own gun during a conflict with another passenger at a Brooklyn subway station.
Mayor Adams said that New York City is currently working with Evolv, a company from Massachusetts that makes weapons detection systems used in schools and other places across the US. However, Evolv has been criticized for how well its detectors work. It’s also been investigated by the government twice and is facing a lawsuit from its investors.
When New York City set up Evolv’s scanning machines at a Bronx hospital in 2022, they often mistakenly identified objects as weapons, a report revealed. Of 194,000 scans, 50,000 triggered an alarm, but 85% were false positives. Police officers mostly caused the few true alarms, and only 295 were due to civilians carrying knives, guns, or other types of weapons.
The test will begin in 90 days. It will follow the POST Act rules that allow the New York City Police Department to share details about its surveillance tools and their effects before using new ones. Mayor Adams mentioned that during this 90-day period, the city will also evaluate other suppliers.
A city spokeswoman clarified that New York City hadn’t signed a deal with Evolv. The announcement was actually an invitation for any company with similar technology to come forward, correcting what Mayor Adams had previously stated.
The Legal Aid Society argued that these systems often make mistakes by incorrectly signaling there’s a gun when there isn’t. They mention that, despite what the mayor says, New York City shouldn’t be used as a place for companies to test surveillance technology without people’s agreement.
New York’s state and local officials are working to make the subway safer. Governor Kathy Hochul has sent the National Guard and State Police to do random bag checks . Also, Caban recently took subway trips to listen to what passengers had to say. Authorities report that crimes in the transit system have increased by 4% this year compared to last and by 8% compared to 14 years ago.
On March 25, the New York Police Department also revealed a plan to deploy 800 extra officers for a one-week effort to target people skipping subway fares. In addition, the city is bringing on more mental health professionals to assist those dealing with mental illness.
Google Photo Adds Default Gallery Access Feature to Select Smartphones
- Written by Shipra Sanganeria Cybersecurity & Tech Writer
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
After rolling out the activity-based recommendation in February 2024, Google Photo’s new upgrade allows easy access to its library from select OEM gallery app. iPhone and Samsung Galaxy users will need to be patient for the feature, as the company has yet to reveal any dates regarding its availability.
The new feature called “default gallery access” seamlessly integrates Google Photo Library with the smartphone’s default gallery app. Available to select OEMs, the devices in addition to having the latest version of the Photo app, must support Android 11 or above.
According to the document available on Google Photo support page, the integration is currently available to select manufacturers, including Oppo, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Realme.
To enable the Google Photo and gallery app seamless integration, users can navigate to their Google Photo app setting, go to “Apps and devices,” select their device’s default gallery app name, and grant or remove Google Photo access.
Once this feature is enabled, users can conveniently access their entire Google Photo library within the default gallery app. Moreover, a user needn’t leave the phone’s gallery app to backup, delete, edit, or move photos or videos in Google Photos.
According to Android Police , Xiaomi had started providing basic integration of its Gallery app with Google Photo in late 2022. But it did not support full two-way synchronization between the apps then. Now, with the Google update announcement, Xiaomi announced an update rollout of full integration between its gallery app and Google Photo.
Despite the availability of the feature with select OEMs, the feature has a few limitations, including limited Google Photo album support. Moreover, if a user deletes Photo app data, uninstalls Photos, resets the device, or gets a new device, they will need to grant or deny gallery access again.
Nonetheless, with this integration, Google offers Android users a new seamless way to access and manage their multimedia files, eliminating the need to switch between the two applications.
