It was quite a week for controversial news. First up: Would you let a facial recognition program track your kids at school? One tech dad is making the technology a reality, starting with a pilot program at his children’s elementary school. The goal is to tighten security, but the tech also raises alarming ethical questions.
Plus, scooter sharing company Bird seems to be planning a launch in Seattle, advertising for a number of jobs in the city. That’s despite the fact that city law bans free-floating scooter rentals — something that hasn’t stopped the company from expanding into new markets in the past.
GeekWire also embarked on a unique project to report on homelessness this week with the #SeaHomeless campaign, an annual collaboration between Seattle-based media organizations. In response to questions submitted by readers, we investigated how other cities are combating homelessness and what Seattle might learn from them.
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This week’s stories:
- Bird landing in Seattle? Job postings indicate electric scooter launch, despite city objections
- Dockless bikeshare service Ofo reportedly laying off most of US workforce
- The cities making a dent in homelessness — and what Seattle can learn from them
- Are people flocking to Seattle for our homeless services?
- Safety over privacy? RealNetworks to offer free facial recognition technology to K-12 schools
