Tag Archive for: NYC

Real-life nonviolent ‘RoboCops’ hitting the streets of NYC in city safety overhaul 

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It’s not just science fiction anymore.

Several nonviolent, real-life “RoboCops” are hitting the streets of New York City, as Mayor Eric Adams and the NYPD unveiled the latest technological upgrade for New York’s Finest.

The new devices — resembling, in many ways, the bots typically seen in sci-fi classics such as the 1987 action movie — are replete with new GPS gadgets, and include the return of a robot dog that the mayor said is “out of the pound” after being retired in 2021 due to outrage from advocates. 

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced the three new additions on April 11 in what she called a pilot program that includes large security robots that somewhat resemble Daleks from the popular British Television series Doctor Who; a robot dog that officials say will be instrumental in dealing with explosives; and a GPS gun that like a James Bond gadget is used to shoot a tracking device onto the back of a fleeing vehicle. 

“To safeguard our modern city and a forward-looking world it is essential that our officers are equipped with the tools, training and technology necessary to do that job safely and effectively,” Sewell said. “The NYPD has always stepped forward. In every era, we have maximized public and officer safety through emerging technology. And that approach continues today.”

The large, wheeled robot is dubbed the K-5 autonomous security robot and is equipped with a camera. The technology is being leased by the NYPD and will be used inside areas, such as in transit as well as outdoors.

K-five autonomous security robot resembles a Dalek from the TV Show Dr. Who. Photo by Dean Moses
K-five autonomous security robot resembles a Dalek from the TV Show Dr. Who.Photo by Dean Moses

According to Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, these machines are equipped with artificial intelligence to provide real time incident notifications to first responders. These robots are also being used on college campuses and shopping malls throughout the country, he added.

The second and perhaps most controversial piece of kit is the “Digidog,” a four-legged android that police say will be invaluable when dealing with hostage situations, bomb threats, or…

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NYC Scion Carter Burden III Says He Was Hoodwinked by Russian Oligarchs Tied to Putin

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The scion of a venerable New York family descended from 19th century railroad and shipping tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt says he was bamboozled by a U.S. private equity firm secretly fronting for a cabal of wealthy Russian oligarchs with direct ties to Vladimir Putin.

A group of financiers that Carter Burden III thought were providing a much-needed financial boost to his successful cloud services provider, Logicworks, were in fact responsible for its eventual collapse, forcing a fire sale for a fraction of the company’s worth, according to a newly filed fraud lawsuit.

What Burden didn’t know, and about which he says he was fed an ongoing string of lies by intermediaries, was that Pamplona Capital Management, the outfit that in 2016 bought a majority stake in Logicworks, was “less than a proper investment fund and more of a shell company” created to invest the personal fortunes of Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven, German Khan, and Alexey Kuzmichev, according to him. The four oligarchs are all said to be connected to the Kremlin, and at least one has been credibly accused of international money laundering. (None of them are named as defendants in Burden’s suit.)

“For years, Pamplona’s representatives lied to and obscured the truth from Mr. Burden to prevent him from learning the truth,” states the 22-page lawsuit, which was filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday and added to the public docket Saturday morning. “Fights with regulators were conveniently explained away. Concerns from banks and outside investors were swept aside. And questions from Mr. Burden were either deflected or simply falsely answered.”

Unaware of his new business partners’ true identities, Burden’s Logicworks continued to thrive—until Russia invaded Ukraine early last year, the suit says.

Soon, the four oligarchs with whom Burden, 55, had unwittingly gone into business became international pariahs cut off from the global banking system. Suddenly, Burden found his company had become kryptonite to banks, investors, and government regulators, according to his lawsuit.

On Feb. 28, 2022, Fridman, founder of the U.S.-blacklisted Alfa Bank, along with Alfa Bank president Aven— who served as…

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Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams wants NYC better prepared for cyber attacks

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Eric Adams wants to give New York City’s cyber security defenses a reboot.

The Democratic candidate in the November mayoral election said Wednesday that the city’s efforts to grow its tech security sector are moving too slowly and must be accelerated.

Appearing at an event focused on programs at the City College of Technology in downtown Brooklyn, Adams underlined the mysterious June hacking that struck the city’s Law Department over several days.

“This is not going to be the last cyber security attack,” Adams said. “Many are happening every day.”



Eric Adams talking into a microphone: Eric Adams, Brooklyn borough president (right)

© Luiz C. Ribeiro
Eric Adams, Brooklyn borough president (right)

Eric Adams, Brooklyn borough president (right) (Luiz C. Ribeiro/)

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The Brooklyn borough president said he’s had preliminary conversations with Mayor de Blasio about the need to bolster the city’s cyber security infrastructure, adding that the mayor was doing an “amazing examination” of the issue, but that he wants to speed up a city initiative meant to create 10,000 cyber jobs by 2028.

“I believe that 2028 is just too far out,” Adams said. “We need to expedite training.”

After the June hack of the city’s Law Department, workers in the agency were not able to use the department’s computer system or access their work email. At the time, two sources told the Daily News that the department had been using outdated software.

The FBI and the city’s Cyber Command office — which was established under a 2017 executive order from de Blasio — launched an analysis of the hack.

Laura Feyer, a City Hall spokesperson, said Wednesday that she had no update on the source of the hack. The Law Department declined to comment.

Adams, comparing cyber security to health, said a devastating hack could create a COVID-like slowdown for the city.

“Let’s arm ourselves with the right security, the right team, to prepare ourselves for the cyber security onslaught that this city and country is going to experience in the years to come,” Adams said.

“Remember, technology is running our water, it’s running our electricity, it is running how we’re notified during an emergency,” he said. “Everything is connected to technology.”

Adams…

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NYC mayoral candidate Eric Adams Brooklyn wants city better prepared for cyber attacks

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The Brooklyn borough president said he’s had preliminary conversations with Mayor de Blasio about the need to bolster the city’s cyber security infrastructure, adding that the mayor was doing an “amazing examination” of the issue, but that he wants to speed up a city initiative meant to create 10,000 cyber jobs by 2028.

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