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surveillance

Monday

The Mission District in San Francisco is one of the city's most densely populated and diverse neighborhoods. It's where software engineer Riley Walz set up his Bop Spotter to capture the music playing in the area.

The Mission District in San Francisco is one of the city's most densely populated and diverse neighborhoods. It's where software engineer Riley Walz set up his Bop Spotter to capture the music playing in the area. Eric Risberg/AP hide caption

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Eric Risberg/AP

Culture

A surprising device is capturing the vibe of a single street corner in San Francisco

San Francisco software engineer Riley Walz's Bop Spotter runs the song identifier app Shazam to quietly listen in on what music passersby are listening to in the city's diverse Mission District.

A San Francisco man has a new spin on surveillance technology

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Monday

Thursday

Israel is using an AI system to find targets in Gaza. Experts say it's just the start

Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on north Gaza on November 22, 2023. Israel says it is using artificial intelligence to find targets. JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East crisis — explained

Israel is using an AI system to find targets in Gaza. Experts say it's just the start

Israel's military says the system makes it more efficient and reduces collateral damage. Critics see a host of problems with the nation's use of AI, but other militaries will likely follow suit.

Israel is using an AI system to find targets in Gaza. Experts say it's just the start

Listen · 3:43
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Thursday

What's Your Worth?
zhuweiyi49/Getty Creative Images

Throughline

What's Your Worth?

The credit score: even if you don't think much about it, that three-digit number can change your life. A high score can mean the keys to a new apartment or a new car, while a low score can keep you locked out of the American Dream. Around 40% of people in the U.S. have a low credit score or no credit score at all. So what happened? Today on the show, we talk with media historian Josh Lauer about credit's origins as a moral judgment, and how a tool intended to level the playing field has instead created haves and have-nots.

What's Your Worth?

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Friday

Militaries have sought to use spy balloons for centuries. The real enemy is the wind

The Pentagon's multi-billion-dollar program to develop advanced missile warning balloons is just one of many projects over the decades that has been sabotaged by a gusty breeze. Patrick Semansky/AP hide caption

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Patrick Semansky/AP

Analysis

National Security

Militaries have sought to use spy balloons for centuries. The real enemy is the wind

The U.S. government suspects that China's surveillance balloon may have blown off course. It wouldn't be the first time.

Militaries have sought to use spy balloons for centuries. The real enemy is the wind

Listen · 3:07
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Friday

Blinken postpones his Beijing trip after a Chinese balloon is spotted over Montana

A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Wednesday. The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace. Larry Mayer/AP hide caption

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Larry Mayer/AP

National Security

Blinken postpones his Beijing trip after a Chinese balloon is spotted over Montana

China's foreign ministry described the balloon as "a civilian airship" for meteorological research that had blown far off course by winds. The Pentagon suspects it's collecting sensitive information.

Sunday

Thursday

Facebook bans 7 'surveillance-for-hire' companies that spied on 50,000 users

Meta banned seven surveillance firms from Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp on Thursday, accusing the firms of using the platforms to spy on about 50,000 unsuspecting people. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images

Technology

Facebook bans 7 'surveillance-for-hire' companies that spied on 50,000 users

The parent company of Facebook and Instagram says the firms used its platforms to spy on human rights activists, government critics, celebrities and journalists in more than 100 countries.

Facebook bans 7 'surveillance-for-hire' companies that spied on 50,000 users

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Saturday

For Many American Muslims, The Legacy Of 9/11 Lies In The Battle For Civil Rights

Ali Malik is part of a class action lawsuit against the FBI alleging religious discrimination and violations of surveillance laws. Umara Chaudry hide caption

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Umara Chaudry

The 20th Anniversary Of The 9/11 Attacks

For Many American Muslims, The Legacy Of 9/11 Lies In The Battle For Civil Rights

A Southern California community grapples with the legacy of being secretly surveilled by the FBI. Twenty years later, the matter is a legal fight that has reached the Supreme Court.

For Many American Muslims, The Legacy Of 9/11 Lies In The Battle For Civil Rights

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Thursday

Your Amazon Echo Will Share Your Wireless Network With Neighbors, Unless You Opt Out

Amazon's Echo Show devices are among those that will automatically be added to its shared wireless network scheme, called Amazon Sidewalk. Amazon hide caption

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Amazon

Technology

Your Amazon Echo Will Share Your Wireless Network With Neighbors, Unless You Opt Out

The company says its Sidewalk system extends the range of low-bandwidth devices by pooling neighbors' networks to improve connectivity. It's all in the customer's interest, Amazon says.

Your Amazon Echo Will Share Your Wireless Network With Neighbors, Unless You Opt Out

Listen · 3:28
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Wednesday

With more people working remotely, companies are turning to technology that tracks what employees are doing all day on their computers. Some workers say they feel like their privacy is being compromised.

With more people working remotely, companies are turning to technology that tracks what employees are doing all day on their computers. Some workers say they feel like their privacy is being compromised. Jackie Ferrentino for NPR hide caption

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Jackie Ferrentino for NPR

The Coronavirus Crisis

Your Boss Is Watching You: Work-From-Home Boom Leads To More Surveillance

With more people now working from home, employers are increasingly relying on tracking software to monitor what employees do when they're on the clock.

Your Boss Is Watching You: Work-From-Home Boom Leads To More Surveillance

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Wednesday

Moscow To Launch New Surveillance App To Track Residents In Coronavirus Lockdown

Police officers walk across an empty Red Square in Moscow on Tuesday, as the Russian capital goes into lockdown to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. Pavel Golovkin/AP hide caption

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Pavel Golovkin/AP

Coronavirus Updates

Moscow To Launch New Surveillance App To Track Residents In Coronavirus Lockdown

Muscovites will have their movements followed through a program required on their smartphones. They will also have to carry a new QR code with their personal data.

Thursday

A Spy Agency's Challenge: How To Sort A Million Photos A Day

View Of Satellite In Space. Jose Luis Stephens / EyeEm / Getty Images/EyeEm hide caption

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Jose Luis Stephens / EyeEm / Getty Images/EyeEm

National Security

A Spy Agency's Challenge: How To Sort A Million Photos A Day

The Earth's entire land mass is being photographed by satellites every single day. Trying to make sense of all these images falls to a U.S. spy agency many have never heard of.

A Spy Agency's Challenge: How To Sort A Million Photos A Day

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Saturday

Thursday

Report Alleges Police Use Secret Evidence Collected By Feds To Make Arrests

A report from the Human Rights Watch makes the case that federal law enforcers, police and local prosecutors are concealing the origins of evidence and intelligence in scores of criminal cases, especially drug arrests. Fantastic Studio/Getty Images hide caption

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Fantastic Studio/Getty Images

Criminal Justice Collaborative

Report Alleges Police Use Secret Evidence Collected By Feds To Make Arrests

A Human Rights Watch report raises questions about the legality of some investigative tactics federal, state and local police are allegedly using to mask sources of evidence in criminal cases.