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China and Google Self-Censorship

China and reports of Google’s plans for self-censorship; Drone attack in Venezuela; Mapping Niger Floods; AI to help protect New Zealand’s biodiversity.

The online news site The Intercept claims Google is developing a version of its search engine that will conform to China's censorship laws. Click hears from Patrick Poon, a researcher with Amnesty International about what this might mean for freedom of expression, if true.

Six people have been arrested in Venezuela in an apparent assassination attempt on President NicolΓ΅s Maduro, carried out with two drones loaded with explosives. Might drones be used in this way again in the future and what might be done to foil them? Click talks to Andrew Saxton from Radio Hill about disabling drones.

Niger has only a short rainy season which lasts three months from June to August. But in that time there is often devastation from floods. Click talks to Fatima Alher about her work to collect data in areas susceptible to floods and about the inhabitants who are threatened by them.

New Zealand has very strict biosecurity laws, and that’s because of the risk to valuable exports like wood, kiwi fruit, wine and milk powder. Simon Morton reports on a new system being developed that uses deep neural networks and machine learning to keep unwanted pests out - it’s called Biosecure-ID.

(Photo: Google logo outside the Google China head office building in Beijing, China Β© VCG via Getty Images)

Producer: Colin Grant

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27 minutes

Last on

Sun 12 Aug 2018 23:32GMT

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  • Sun 12 Aug 2018 00:32GMT
  • Sun 12 Aug 2018 23:32GMT

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