UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) Stock
After the Australian data watchdog that retail chain Bunnings was breaching the country’s privacy laws by using facial recognition, the company received some unexpected support. A conducted by news.com.au this week revealed that 78 percent of nearly 11,000 respondents supported the company’s use of the controversial program, calling it an “important tool.” The news comes after Bunnings showing its staff being abused at work, which supports its claims that facial recognition systems are necessary for security. The household hardware and gardening chain store also indicated that it may appeal to the decision of the Office of the Information Commissioner (OAIC), adding that the technology reduced incidents of abuse, threats and assaults by half. Last week, the OAIC found Bunnings in breach of Australia’s Australian privacy law, which states that biometric data derived from facial recognition is highly sensitive and requires consent for collection. The company trialed the facial recognition system between November 2018 and November 2021, capturing the faces of customers in 63 of its stores across the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales. Former Australian Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santow said that authorities are concerned about the technology despite “legitimate concerns” such as preventing crime. “What you’re creating with this sort of facial recognition is a kind of virtual line up and we’re always in it every time we walk into one of those stores,” he told the media outlet. The company has also worked with the police in testing the system. Faces were matched against a “limited database” of almost 500 banned people, created by Bunnings stores by trawling through CCTV footage and collecting independent records from the police. Santow points out that current facial recognition systems rely on data captured without “rigor.” The legal expert, who currently works as Director for Policy and Governance at the Human Technology Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, also questioned the bias leading to errors with people with darker skin, women and other categories. The OAIC decision was hailed as a “landmark decision” by consumer group Choice, which has been highlighting facial recognition use by retailers such as Bunnings and Kmart. The latter is also under OAIC investigation. The ruling, however, could have broader effects on any organizations that use CCTV in Australia, according to Mullins law firm. “This case serves as a wake-up call for all organizations to consider their privacy practices, including in relation to the information they collect and why,” writes Andrew Nichols, partner at Mullins. In September, the OAIC also wrapped up an ’s use of facial recognition technology, after the retailer promised it would not repeat its 2021 breaches of the Privacy Act. UK’s supermarket chain Iceland Foods is standing in support of facial recognition. The frozen food stores’ executive chairman Richard Malcolm Walker shared his reaction on social media to recently released statistics from a UK Parliament committee. The data showed that nearly 17 million shoplifting incidents are happening every year, costing retailers almost £2 billion (US$2.5 billion). “Whilst we don’t yet use it, I will HAPPILY trial and use legal, proportionate facial recognition technology as an effective response to the very real threat my colleagues face,” Walker on LinkedIn. The statistics were by the Justice and Home Affairs Committee which called for reforms to address organized retail crime. In a letter to Policing Minister Diana Johnson, the group highlighted an unprecedented spike in large-scale theft operations. Facial recognition tools could become a crucial asset in identifying and deterring habitual offenders in retail settings, the committee concluded. An Illinois federal court has refused to dismiss a lawsuit against Target, that there was the plaintiff submitted enough sources to create a “plausible inference” that the retailer engaged in the alleged conduct. The Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) lawsuit was by a group of four customers who claimed that the retail giant was collecting and storing their biometrics without their consent. Target argued that the court should not accept the complaint because it is based on news articles and internet posts, USA Today . One of the women in the suit claims that Target employees followed her through the store and viewed her LinkedIn profile shortly after she entered it. The judge also noted that Target has declined to reveal the name of the video surveillance equipment provider to one of the plaintiff’s attorneys. And while retailers are struggling with facial recognition regulation, some companies are trying to find novel solutions. Paris-based company has developed AI technology that alerts store owners of shoplifting without collecting biometric data. Instead of facial recognition, the software detects gestures associated with potential shoplifting such as people putting items in their bags or clothes. A shoplifting attempt will generate a real-time video alert on the store owner’s mobile phone which allows them to approach the client and ask if they need help – warning them that they are being watched. Since the technology focuses on analyzing body movements, it does a better job at avoiding bias from store employees, Veesion co-founder Benoit Koenig CBS News. The firm’s technology can be incorporated into existing CCTV systems and is being used in 4,000 stores worldwide, including 500 in the U.S. | | | | | | | |'Democracy and freedom': Jimmy Carter's human rights efforts in Latin America
By MEAD GRUVER and AMY BETH HANSON, Associated Press A judge on Monday rejected a request to block a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member from playing in a conference tournament on grounds that she is transgender. Monday’s ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to continue competing in the Mountain West Conference women’s championship scheduled for later this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes after a lawsuit was filed by nine current players who are suing the Mountain West Conference to challenge the league’s policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Judge Crews referred to the athlete as an “alleged transgender” player in his ruling and noted that no defendant disputed that San Jose State rosters a transgender woman volleyball player. He said the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief much earlier, noting that the individual universities had acknowledged that not playing their games against San Jose State this season would result in a forfeit in league standings. He also said injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022 and the San Jose State player has been on the roster since 2022 – making that the status quo. The player competed at the college level three previous seasons, including two for San Jose State, drawing little attention. This season’s awareness of her identity led to an uproar among some players, pundits, parents and politicians in a political campaign year. The tournament starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday. San Jose State is seeded second. The judge’s order maintains the seedings and pairings for the tournament. Several teams refused to play against San Jose State during the season, earning losses in the official standings. Boise State and Wyoming each had two forfeits while Utah State and Nevada both had one. Southern Utah, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was first to cancel against San Jose State this year. Nevada’s players stated they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details. Crews served as a magistrate judge in Colorado’s U.S. District Court for more than five years before President Joe Biden appointed him to serve as a federal judge in January of this year. Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Hanson from Helena, Montana.By CLAIRE RUSH President-elect Donald Trump has once again suggested he wants to revert the name of North America’s tallest mountain — Alaska’s Denali — to Mount McKinley, wading into a sensitive and decades-old conflict about what the peak should be called. Related Articles National Politics | Inside the Gaetz ethics report, a trove of new details alleging payments for sex and drug use National Politics | An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump National Politics | Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal National Politics | House Ethics Committee accuses Gaetz of ‘regularly’ paying for sex, including with 17-year-old girl National Politics | Trump wants mass deportations. For the agents removing immigrants, it’s a painstaking process Former President Barack Obama changed the official name to Denali in 2015 to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives as well as the preference of many Alaska residents. The federal government in recent years has endeavored to change place-names considered disrespectful to Native people. “Denali” is an Athabascan word meaning “the high one” or “the great one.” A prospector in 1896 dubbed the peak “Mount McKinley” after President William McKinley, who had never been to Alaska. That name was formally recognized by the U.S. government until Obama changed it over opposition from lawmakers in McKinley’s home state of Ohio. Trump suggested in 2016 that he might undo Obama’s action, but he dropped that notion after Alaska’s senators objected. He raised it again during a rally in Phoenix on Sunday. “McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president,” Trump said Sunday. “They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That’s what they do to people.” Once again, Trump’s suggestion drew quick opposition within Alaska. “Uh. Nope. It’s Denali,” Democratic state Sen. Scott Kawasaki posted on the social platform X Sunday night. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski , who for years pushed for legislation to change the name to Denali, conveyed a similar sentiment in a post of her own. “There is only one name worthy of North America’s tallest mountain: Denali — the Great One,” Murkowski wrote on X. Various tribes of Athabascan people have lived in the shadow of the 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) mountain for thousands of years. McKinley, a Republican native of Ohio who served as the 25th president, was assassinated early in his second term in 1901 in Buffalo, New York. Alaska and Ohio have been at odds over the name since at least the 1970s. Alaska had a standing request to change the name since 1975, when the legislature passed a resolution and then-Gov. Jay Hammond appealed to the federal government. Known for its majestic views, the mountain is dotted with glaciers and covered at the top with snow year-round, with powerful winds that make it difficult for the adventurous few who seek to climb it. Rush reported from Portland, Oregon.
The Giants were a no-show against the Bucs after releasing quarterback Daniel Jones
Qualcomm Defeats Arm in CourtShares of Rockfire Resources plc ( LON:ROCK – Get Free Report ) dropped 8.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as GBX 0.16 ($0.00) and last traded at GBX 0.16 ($0.00). Approximately 40,381,969 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 91% from the average daily volume of 21,155,254 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 0.18 ($0.00). Rockfire Resources Stock Performance The company has a market capitalization of £5.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.20 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 0.13 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 0.15. About Rockfire Resources ( Get Free Report ) Rockfire Resources plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mineral exploration in Australia. The company explores for gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, and molybdenum deposits. It holds five exploration permits for minerals in Queensland; and an exploration and exploitation license in Greece. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Rockfire Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rockfire Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .