Something was wrong, but Thomas Schmickl couldn't put his finger on it. It was 2007, and the Austrian biologist was spending part of the year at East Tennessee State University. During his daily walks, he realized that insects seemed conspicuously absent. Schmickl, who now leads the Artificial Life Lab at the University of Graz in Austria, wasn't wrong. Insect populations are indeed declining or changing around the world.

The New York City Police Department has spent over $159 million on surveillance systems and maintenance since 2007 without public oversight, according to newly released documents. The Legal Aid Society (LAS) and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) obtained the documents from the NYPD, which include contracts with vendors. They show that the NYPD has spent millions on facial recognition, predictive policing tech and other surveillance systems. The NYPD made the purchases through a Special Expenses Fund. It didn't need to gain the approval of the NYC Council or other city officials before signing the contracts, as Wired reports.

The novel coronavirus that first appeared in mainland China has now spread across the world, with more than 82,000 reported cases and nearly 3,000 deaths, as of Thursday. And right alongside the outbreak is the deployment of myriad types of AI-powered tech that is now being put on full display. New technology like infrared thermometers -- potentially unreliable devices known as "thermometer guns" -- are becoming increasingly commonplace in China, where health workers regularly check people's temperatures. Somewhat behind the scenes, however, more futuristic technology powered by artificial intelligence is helping to identify coronavirus symptoms, find new treatments, and track the spread of the disease. Meanwhile, robots are making interactions with and treatment of sick patients easier. Powerful surveillance tech -- including facial recognition-enabled cameras and drones -- is also helping find people who might be sick or who aren't wearing masks.

The epic coronavirus that initially showed up in mainland China has now spread over the world, with more than 82,000 reported cases and almost 3,000 deaths, as of last week. What's more, right alongside the outbreak is the deployment of myriad types of AI-powered tech that is now being put on full display. New innovation like infrared thermometers, possibly unreliable devices known as "thermometer guns" are getting progressively typical in China, where health laborers normally check individuals' temperatures. To some degree in the background, in any case, increasingly modern technology fueled by artificial intelligence is assisting with distinguishing coronavirus symptoms, finding new treatments, and track the spread of the disease. In the meantime, robots are making collaborations with and treatment of debilitated patients simpler.

Why the American Civil Liberties Union is calling out Amazon's facial recognition tool, and what the ACLU found when it compared photos of members of Congress to public arrest photos. A group of Amazon shareholders is pushing the tech giant to stop selling its controversial facial recognition technology to U.S. government agencies, just days after a coalition of 85 human rights, faith, and racial justice groups demanded in an open letter that Jeff Bezos' company stop marketing surveillance technology to the feds. Over the last year, the "Rekognition" technology, which has been reportedly marketed to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has come under fire from immigrants' rights groups and privacy advocates who argue that it can be misused and ultimately lead to racially biased outcomes. A test of the technology by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) showed that 28 members of Congress, mostly people of color, were incorrectly identified as police suspects. According to media reports and the ACLU, Amazon has already sold or marketed "Rekognition" to law enforcement agencies in three states.

BEIJING – It can crack your smartphone password in seconds, rip personal data from call and messaging apps, and peruse your contact book. The Chinese-made XDH-CF-5600 scanner -- or "mobile phone sleuth," as sales staff described it when touting its claimed features -- was one of hundreds of surveillance gadgets on display at a recent police equipment fair in Beijing. The China International Exhibition on Police Equipment is something of a one-stop shop for China's police forces looking to arm up with the latest in "black tech" -- a term widely used to refer to cutting-edge surveillance gadgets. The fair underscores the extent to which China's security forces are using technology to monitor and punish behavior that runs counter to the ruling Communist Party. That sort of monitoring -- both offline and online -- is stoking concerns from human rights groups about the development of a nationwide surveillance system to quell dissent.

When the Tokyo Marathon was held on Feb. 26, major security firm Secom Co. lifted a balloon equipped with cameras from a building near the finish line in front of JR Tokyo Station and deployed vehicles equipped with a radar system that can detect drones. The building stands at 35 meters, and the balloon, connected with a wire from the roof, was equipped with two kinds of cameras, one with a zoom lens and another showing thermal images, according to Secom adviser Tsuneo Komatsuzaki. In addition, the firm deployed vehicles equipped with radars to detect drones, as well as cameras worn by security guards and stationary cameras to monitor the entire area. "We identify suspicious individuals and predict how the crowd moves next, helping us to prevent an accident," Komatsuzaki said. Public and private entities are beefing up surveillance to combat terrorism amid the ongoing debate in the Diet over a conspiracy bill to punish people for just planning to conduct serious crimes.