April 30, 2025
Tech News
In a significant move, Hong Kong police are set to deploy drone patrols in urban areas later this year to tackle burglary and enhance public safety. These drones will monitor neighborhoods with a high concentration of old tenement buildings, particularly in districts like Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po, where construction scaffolding poses a risk for burglars.
The police expect the drones to trace suspicious activity around tenement buildings while ensuring compliance with local privacy laws. This initiative follows previous drone operations that broadcast crime prevention messages to residents in various districts, showcasing the force’s commitment to leveraging technology for community safety.
In a broader context, similar methods are being explored in mainland China, where Shenzhen’s Public Security Bureau employs over 1,600 drone pilots. These drones conduct daily air patrols, highlighting a growing trend of using drones for law enforcement across different regions. The integration of robotic technologies, including robots and robot dogs for patrols, is also under investigation by Hong Kong’s police.
Meanwhile, France has officially accused Russia’s GRU military intelligence of conducting cyber attacks aimed at destabilizing the nation. This marks a significant escalation in diplomatic tensions, as the French foreign ministry has attributed a series of cyber incursions directly to the Russian state, following intelligence findings that trace back to 2021.
On another note, Reddit has banned a group of researchers from the University of Zurich for unethical experimentation, involving AI bots that manipulated users in the r/changemymind subreddit. The bots were designed to pose as real users, generating substantial engagement before their deception was unveiled. Reddit’s Chief Legal Officer noted the potential for legal action against these unethical practices, raising alarms about the implications of AI-generated content on public forums.
The fallout from this incident underscores the necessity for online platforms to establish stringent protocols to combat manipulation through AI, as the researchers’ findings could reveal the substantial influence such bots could have on shaping public opinion, particularly during critical events like elections.
Tech Explained
Drones – Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can be controlled remotely or fly autonomously. In law enforcement, they are utilized for surveillance, monitoring, and delivering messages to enhance public safety, as seen in the upcoming deployment by Hong Kong police.
Cyber Attack – A malicious attempt to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of information systems. France’s recent allegations against Russian intelligence underscore the serious threat posed by state-sponsored cyber attacks targeting national security and critical infrastructure.
Large Language Models (LLMs) – AI models designed to understand and generate human language. They can analyze text data and engage in conversations, which led researchers to use them on Reddit, resulting in a controversial experiment that sought to investigate their persuasive abilities.
Manipulation – The act of influencing someone’s thoughts or behaviors to achieve a specific outcome. The use of AI bots to manipulate Reddit users highlights the ethical and psychological implications of automated interactions in online spaces.
Transparency – The quality of being open and clear about processes and actions. As highlighted in the Reddit incident, establishing transparency measures is crucial for preventing the misuse of AI technologies, especially to protect users from deceptive practices that can influence public opinion.
