When is it appropriate for police to conduct a face recognition search? To figure out who's who in a crowd of protesters? To monitor foot traffic in a high-crime neighborhood? To confirm the identity of a suspect -- or a witness -- caught on tape? According to a new report by Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy & Technology, these are questions very few police departments asked before widely deploying face recognition systems.

Stephanie Palermo wasn't interested in living in a "smart home" outfitted with web-connected appliances controlled remotely by phone or computer. She didn't need her fridge to have Wi-Fi or her blinds to close themselves. But when Amazon temporarily discounted the price on its voice-controlled Echo speaker to 99 for Amazon Prime members, there was "a low barrier to entry," and the 28-year-old from Belmont, Calif., was willing to take a risk. She started using the cylindrical device as a hands-free speaker. During board game nights, she'd tell Alexa -- the artificial intelligence that powers the Echo -- to play themed music from Pandora.

Amazon.com Inc.'s own video store will no longer have the starring role on the company's Fire TV streaming devices. Software updates coming this year will give movies and TV shows from Netflix, HBO and other competitors equal prominence on the devices' home screens. The approach is similar to one Apple Inc. took when it refreshed its Apple TV device last year. Amazon's Fire TV has offered solid performance at reasonable prices, but its home screen has been cluttered with Amazon products -- whether to rent, to buy or offered at no extra charge through Amazon's 99-a-year Prime program. That's made it tough to find video from competing providers without turning to a voice-search feature that, until recently, excluded Netflix.

After Elon Musk announced Wednesday that all new Tesla vehicles will be equipped with hardware to transform them into driverless cars as soon as the software and regulations are ready, the company posted this video. There's a guy in the driver's seat as the car wheels through Silicon Valley on its own, "for legal reasons," but his hands stay clear of the wheel. Then, at the 2:30 mark in the video, the man gets out of the car in a Tesla parking lot, and the vehicle heads out to find itself a parking spot, totally on its own. The final presidential debate, earthquake forecasting, Game 4 of the Dodgers vs. Cubs, and Bridge to Nowhere bungee jumping faces opposition. The final presidential debate, earthquake forecasting, Game 4 of the Dodgers vs. Cubs, and Bridge to Nowhere bungee jumping faces opposition.

Newport Beach start-up NextVR has partnered with NBA Digital to livestream at least one NBA game a week in virtual reality this season. The games can be viewed in virtual reality only through NBA League Pass, a subscription service that broadcasts games on multiple devices and on television. NBA League Pass is part of NBA Digital, which is jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports. The virtual reality game broadcasts will be "fully produced" with announcers and multiple camera angles, according to NBA Digital. During game breaks, it said, viewers can see the entertainment at the venue, behind-the-scenes footage and VR-specific commentary.

Tesla announced Wednesday that all cars being produced today and going forward will be equipped with the necessary hardware to support fully autonomous driving -- including the upcoming Model 3. The required hardware includes eight cameras that add up to 360-degree visibility, 12 updated ultrasonic sensors with added sensitivity, and a forward-facing radar the company says will see through heavy rain, fog, dust "and even the car ahead." With the upgrade, Tesla moves further down the road to making its fleet of electric vehicles capable of driving without human direction, when the software and regulations allow for it. Chief Executive Elon Musk used a news briefing after the announcement to lay into media for spotlighting accidents that occur with Tesla cars using its Autopilot driver assist systems, without putting the accidents in context of the large number of overall traffic deaths. "You effectively dissuade people from using autonomous vehicles, and you're killing people," he said. The latest hardware upgrade adds yet another project to Musk's ever-rising stack of ambitions.

After snapping up Irvine television maker Vizio in July for 2 billion in cash, Chinese tech firm LeEco made its official U.S. debut Wednesday, hosting a San Francisco news conference to spell out its ambitions to sell gadgets as varied as phones and cars. During the two-hour presentation, the company ran through nearly a dozen products it plans to launch, including a range of 4K smart TVs, the Le Pro3 and Le S3 smartphones, a virtual reality headset, a smart bicycle that can travel up to 30 mph, a video streaming service and two smart cars: the semi-autonomous LeSee and the fully autonomous LeSee Pro concept car. But the LeSee was noticeably absent from the news conference. LeEco founder Jia Yueting told the audience it got into a "serious accident" while in transit from Los Angeles to Silicon Valley. The LeSee Pro, present at the event, sat stationary on display.