The Daily Populous

Thursday March 25th, 2021 evening edition

image for Don’t Arm Robots in Policing

Click to expand Image Boston Dynamics presents its SpotMini robot at a conference in Hanover, Germany, June 13, 2018.

Elected officials and local authorities across the United States and around the world should consider replicating an innovative legislative proposal that would prohibit police from arming robots used in their law enforcement operations.

The proposed law comes after a social media outcry over the use of an unarmed 70-pound ground robot manufactured by Boston Dynamics in a policing operation last month in the Bronx.

Playter also said that the company prohibits customers from attaching weapons to its robots.

Pledges not to weaponize robots will not prevent a future of digital dehumanization and automated killing.

Fully autonomous weapons systems need to be prohibited in all circumstances, including in armed conflict, law enforcement, and border control, as Human Rights Watch and other members of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots have advocated.

Allowing machines to select and attack humans without meaningful human control crosses a moral line. »

Personality trait predictors of adjustment during the COVID pandemic among college students

Authored by journals.plos.org

The aim of this study was to examine how personality traits were associated with adjustment to the COVID pandemic in college students.

Results, as expected, showed that mood and wellness indices generally declined during the COVID period, although stress levels actually decreased.

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. »

12 people are behind most of the anti-vaxxer disinformation you see on social media

Authored by mashable.com
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The largest anti-vaxxer influencer on social media, according to the report, is Joseph Mercola.

However, despite calls to deplatform him from Twitter and Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, Kennedy’s accounts remain on those social media services.

For example, a recent report from Media Matters For America found that beyond the 12 major influencers mentioned in this article, “micro-influencers” are having a moment on Instagram. »

Mitch McConnell keeps getting caught telling lies: Being minority leader is less fun

Authored by salon.com
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Historians broadly agree that the filibuster is deeply rooted in the legislative tradition of obstructing civil rights for Black people.

The minority leader specifically claimed the had not been invited to the White House and had not spoken to President Biden since he took office.

On one occasion, the minority leader himself claimed the two had spoken about the status of the coronavirus relief bill. »