Facebook has filed patents to use your face, voice, and DNA to unlock devices
 NOVEMBER 5, 2021 THE BIG STORY
Why Facebook shutting down its old facial recognition system doesn't matter  BuzzFeed News; Olly Curtis / Future via Getty Images Meta — the company formerly known as Facebook — announced that it would be shutting down "the Face Recognition system on Facebook," a technology that has been raising privacy alarms since it debuted. Major figures in the tech industry are calling the decision a huge win for people's online privacy. But... Meta still intends to collect unique, identifying information about its users, specifically their faces. Last week, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg told Stratechery's Ben Thompson that "one of the big new features" of Meta's new Cambria headset "is around eye-tracking and face-tracking." Facebook has also filed patents related to many of these data collection types, including one that would use things like your face, voice, or even your DNA to lock and unlock devices. Though Meta has retired its controversial facial recognition tech, the reality is that many more invasive data collection methods may soon be coming to a metaverse near you. STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
Atlantic City wants to close its needle exchange. Opponents say it's a terrible idea.  People march in support of the South Jersey AIDS Alliance/Oasis Drop In Center on Oct. 6, 2021, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Hilary Swift for BuzzFeed News For the last 14 years, the South Jersey AIDS Alliance/Oasis Drop In Center (Oasis for short) has offered access to needle exchange, the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, wound care, treatment for drug dependence, and HIV screenings. In July, Atlantic City lawmakers voted 7–2 to close the city's needle exchange, against the advice of their own health director.
Since then, the fight over Oasis's closure has been playing out in the city council, on the streets, and in the courtroom.
"Anyone who thinks people will just stop using if they close the exchange is crazy," said one needle exchange client. "That's not how it works."
The Oasis closure, held off by an AIDS Alliance lawsuit until at least Nov. 12 and possibly by a change to state law, is only the latest in a flurry of attacks on needle exchanges nationwide, including those in Indiana, West Virginia, and California. That's despite research showing that needle exchanges reduce HIV and hepatitis, and typically cut local disease rates in half. The CDC estimates needle exchange clients are five times more likely to enter drug treatment and three times more likely to stop using drugs. SNAPSHOTS
Attorneys are refusing to be added to a list of pro bono legal aid providers that the Biden administration plans to give immigrants affected by the relaunched "Remain in Mexico" program. "What we're not going to do is be complicit with the government in trying to make MPP somehow more palatable, because there's no way MPP can be made more humane. It's illegal and inhumane," said one legal nonprofit director.
White nationalist Richard Spencer said in a text message he was preparing for "IRL war" before the deadly Charlottesville rally. Over the course of hours of direct examination, the former national leader of the alt-right movement admitted to using hate speech in private and discussed a report he authored that falsely claimed that Black people are intellectually inferior to white people.
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Stars, they're just like us
Will Smith opened up about once considering killing his father to "avenge" his mother after years of domestic violence. "I'm Will Smith. No one would ever believe I killed my father on purpose. I'm one of the best actors in the world. My 911 call would be Academy Award level."
Dakota Johnson said she feels "sad for the loss of great artists" while defending her male costars against "cancellation." The actor recalled her "incredible" experiences working with former costars Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, and Shia LaBeouf, all of whom have been accused of abuse over recent years.
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Got three minutes? You have time to watch this woman dig up razor clams from the sandy shores of the Pacific Northwest.  A razor clam. BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no, I won't give any more details about how this clam digger retrieves clams from the sandy shores of the Pacific Northwest. I won't. I won't! See it for yourself here. HELLO NOVEMBER
It's been a long week. These longreads are here for you.  Paul Blow for BuzzFeed News These are boom times for stories about ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, Jews. In the last few years, Netflix has seen roaring success with series like My Unorthodox Life, Unorthodox, and Shtisel, all of which focus on the tensions and complications within Haredi communities. But many of the shows have received criticism from Orthodox Jews for focusing on unflattering aspects of Haredi life, and in particular on people who leave their communities.
This has led some in the Orthodox world to grapple with the thoroughly modern issue of representation in popular entertainment. It's a question that other minority groups in the US have struggled with for decades. But in the case of ultra-Orthodox communities, many of which define themselves by their distance from or rejection of the secular world, it becomes even more complicated. What does it mean to accurately represent a group that barely participates in its own representation?
Democrats realize they're in a new world: They can't just rage against Trump and expect to win For years, Democrats knew exactly what to do with Donald Trump — oppose him and everything he stood for, and wait for the votes to pour in. Now that he's no longer in office but still a looming presence in national politics, Democrats' calculus of how to incorporate him into their campaigning has gotten significantly more complicated, especially after some critical blows in this past week's state gubernatorial races.
Meanwhile, Trump has teased another run at the presidency virtually since the day he lost. At any moment he could announce he will run for president again in 2024, and instead of being a former president once again become the biggest story in American politics.
17 Indigenous science fiction and fantasy books to read this month Traditional science fiction has historically excluded Indigenous perspectives. These books put them at the forefront — and tell darkly imaginative stories of community, survival, and resilience. Share something that matters with someone that matters to you, Alexa 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Alexa Lee and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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