Verizon’s 5G roll-out expands…

Verizon just announced that it will launch fifth-generation wireless networks (5G) in 20 additional cities this year.

Remember, 5G is the next-generation of wireless networks. They will be, on average, about 100 times faster than our current 4G networks.

The new cities getting 5G this year: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Des Moines, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Little Rock, Memphis, Phoenix, Providence, San Diego, Salt Lake City, and Washington, D.C.

What’s more, Verizon launched pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. This will be the first smartphone in the U.S. with 5G built in.

Those who pre-order the phone will receive a “VIP kit,” which includes wireless headphones and a wireless charging battery pack.

5G wireless network construction takes time. In fact, it takes years to build out nationwide coverage. The feeling is gradual… then suddenly, we’re live. That time is now.

But the news about the Galaxy S10 5G is a sign. It means that in the coming months, consumers can sign up and use this incredible technology. And we will see a wave of 5G phones hitting the market afterwards.

Ultimately, everyone will need to upgrade to a 5G phone to use fifth-generation wireless technology. Our 4G phones simply will not work on 5G networks.

5G has already launched in choice cities like Chicago and Minneapolis… And it is rapidly expanding.

Network coverage won’t be perfect at first, as it takes time to build out to the suburbs. But we have 4G networks to fall back on until that time comes. 5G-enabled phones will operate on 4G networks when 5G coverage is not available.

What really jumps out at me about Verizon’s announcement is that these cities span the United States. East Coast… West Coast… Midwest… the South… New England… Verizon is rapidly expanding 5G into every part of the country.

5G wireless networks are for everyone, not just key economic markets around the world. And the day when we’ll look back and wonder how we ever lived without 5G is not far away.

New York City’s $60 facial recognition system…

A group of independent technologists just announced that they built an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered facial recognition system in NYC, solely from public sources. Total cost: $60.

To build the system, the group collected public images from three cameras overlooking Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan.

This was simple… the camera feeds are streamed online for anyone to access.

They then ran the footage through Amazon’s Rekognition service – which is plugged into a public database of known people – and they were able to determine the daily routines of several individuals. In one case, they tracked a college professor as he made his way to lunch.

And they did this using public information… no laws were broken.

This speaks to how quickly AI technology has advanced… How inexpensive it is… And how it can be used for mass surveillance in metropolitan areas.

In fact, this experiment shows that we cannot walk outside in major cities anymore without being surveilled.

There are thousands of surveillance cameras in New York City alone. And according to researchers from Georgetown University, there’s a 50% chance that your face is already in a law enforcement facial recognition database.

In the past, a human would have to watch the camera feed to identify people… making mass surveillance impossible. But with the rapid advancement of AI, everyone can be tracked in real time.

The technologists who built the Bryant Park surveillance system deleted all their data after publishing the story… But other entities may not be so kind.

The company that will dethrone online surveillance just made a move…

Open-source web browser, Brave, just announced that it will pay users of its browser to view ads while they surf the web. What’s more, Brave will protect user privacy throughout the process. It won’t leak user data to third parties.

Here’s how it works…

Brave’s browser comes with a built-in digital wallet for its native cryptocurrency, the Basic Attention Token (BAT). For users that opt-in to view ads, Brave will pay out 70% of its revenue by depositing BAT in their browser wallet.

From there, users can trade their BAT for other cryptocurrencies. Or they can convert it into bitcoins (BTC) or ether (ETH) and convert those into U.S. dollars or other fiat currency.

This is a game-changer.

As a reminder, Google and Facebook track all of our online activity, collect behavioral data on each and every one of us, and sell that data to the highest bidder. They receive 100% of the advertising revenues from that sale, while we receive nothing.

Well, imagine what happens when people realize that they can get the same browsing experience without giving up their privacy… And they can get paid for it.

It’s a no-brainer, isn’t it? So much so, I believe that this is the next wave of innovation in online advertising. And it will transform the industry.

Brave could eventually become the next Google, in terms of market dominance.

And this business model can be applied to other applications, like social media, as well.

If it spreads, this model will become the disruptive force that leads to the downfall of companies like Google and Facebook. And the rise of user-friendly competitors.

Regards,

Jeff Brown
Editor, The Bleeding Edge
@JBTechResearch

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