The COVID-19 pandemic was exploited as an excuse to further normalise surveillance and monitor an increasing number of daily activities of people around the world under the guise of public health, a tech watchdog warned.Since the onset of the coronavirus crisis, a slew of automated decision-making (ADM) systems were adopted in haste and with almost no transparency, no adequate safeguards, and insufficient democratic debate, according to AlgorithmWatch, a non-profit that tracks ADM systems and

Thailand's cabinet has granted Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha sweeping new powers aimed at curbing COVID-19 that critics fear could be used as a political tool to suppress dissent.The country is struggling to contain a third wave that has seen a jump of more than 32,000 cases since an outbreak was detected in the capital's nightlife district.Mandatory mask-wearing and restrictions on daily life have done little to slow the rising death toll, with Prayut's leadership coming in for cr

The next time you attend a wedding or concert, visit a place of worship, eat indoors at a restaurant or even go to work, you may need to show digital proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results.On Friday, New York became the first state in the United States (US) to roll out a vaccine verification app, often referred to as a digital vaccine passport. It's using IBM's Excelsior Pass app, which leans on blockchain and displays a personalised QR code to verify health status.

The United States (US) has fired a new salvo in its rivalry with China, ordering sweeping restrictions against Chinese-owned social media stars TikTok and WeChat.Here are some key facts about the platforms:What Is WeChat?WeChat, known as "weixin" or micro-message in Chinese, belongs to tech giant Tencent and has grown to become ubiquitous in daily life across China since its 2011 launch.It has more than a billion monthly users and is a "super app" used for everything from

A Thai Muslim student group Wednesday called for police to drop an order requesting universities to provide "intelligence" on Muslim students and their activities in the Buddhist-majority state.Muslims make up Thailand's second largest religious group, with the majority residing in its three southernmost states, which since 2004 have been in the grip of a conflict between Malay-Muslim separatist rebels and Thai authorities.Rights groups have long accused the state of heavy-hand