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Applied Machine Learning Days 2025 – AI & Software Development Life Cycle

The integration of AI into the SDLC has the potential to revolutionize software development by automating tasks, improving efficiency, and enhancing decision-making. However, it also introduces risks and challenges that need to be addressed. This track, entitled “AI-Driven Software Development: Transforming the Life Cycle with Intelligent Automation”, is organized by the C4DT and is motivated by the need to explore the transformative potential of AI in the SDLC while ensuring responsible and ethical use. By understanding the advantages, risks, and best practices, participants can harness the power of AI to drive innovation, improve software quality, and optimize development processes.

Facebook: Lieber Zensur als Datenschutz

[DE] “Ein sehr empfehlenswerter Überblicksartikel über laufende EU-Verfahren gegen Meta. Als wären dies allein nicht schon genug negative Presse, enthält der Beitrag eine besorgniserregende Beobachtung: Meta scheint sich offenbar das Recht vorzubehalten Beiträge zu zensieren die die Plattform kritisieren. Sollte das über die im Artikel genannten Einzelfälle hinaus Standardvorgehen sein, wäre dieser Missbrauch ihrer Position (…)

Turkey blocks instant messaging platform Discord

The banning of Discord in Russia and Turkey is concerning because it serves as a crucial communication tool (without suitable alternatives available), and both countries justify the ban by citing security concerns, such as misuse for illegal activities. At the core of the ban is also Discord’s alleged unwillingness to comply with local laws and (…)

A matter of taste: Electronic tongue reveals AI inner thoughts

Finally some fun and fascinating news on AI. Penn State researchers have created an electronic tongue that uses AI to tell different liquids apart, like watered-down milk or various sodas, and check for food safety. This opens up a some cool possibilities to have AI as your very own food tester!

The Disappearance of an Internet Domain

A very popular top-level domain (.io) is facing a weird situation I never knew could happen. This particular domain is, in fact, a ccTLD, which means it’s tied to a country code—particularly “the British Indian Ocean Territory”—whose ownership is about to be moved from the UK to a neighboring nation. This transfer could result in (…)

U.S. Wiretap Systems Targeted in China-Linked Hack

This hack on U.S. wiretap systems illustrates the risks of creating backdoors meant only for ‘good guys.’ Similar concerns have been raised about the EU’s chat control legislation. Whatever weaknesses are designed to allow for ‘lawful interception’ also opens opportunities for ‘unlawful interception’, it is as simple as that.

perfctl: A Stealthy Malware Targeting Millions of Linux Servers

Time to check your Linux servers again – ‘perfctl’ wants to install a cryptominer for Monero on your systems, add your server as a node to Tor, and some other nice things. It uses Apache RocketMQ as an entry point, but most probably this will be extended in the coming months. Stay safe out there!

Testing TLS in local development

TLS or Transport Layer Security is the cryptographic protocol that allows your internet connected devices to contact any website or any API or cloud service securely (over HTTPs). It adds privacy to your connection, by encrypting the transferred data, and more importantly helps your computer make sure that it’s talking to the right server, and (…)

C4DT DeepFakes workshops

Introduction Following on the heels of our conference on “Deepfakes, Distrust and Disinformation: The Impact of AI on Elections and Public Perception”, which was held on October 1st 2024, C4DT proposes to shift the spotlight to the strategic and operational implications of deepfakes and disinformation for organizations. We are hosting two distinct workshops tailored for (…)

Telegram will now provide some user data to authorities

Telegram is used for freedom of speech (resp. cybercrime, at a presumably smaller scale), as is TOR,and many of the privacy-preserving systems around us. Will the latter have the same fate as Telegram? or does the fact that they are “distributed” spare them? I’m curious how democracies can enforce law to systems distributed worldwide. Prohibit (…)

A Realist Perspective on AI Regulation

A good discussion on the reasons behind the regulatory fervor regarding AI which reveals that, at its core, it is a struggle for power—specifically, the power to determine the values, goals, and means that will eventually be enshrined in regional and international institutional settings governing AI.

Data Policy and Data Regulation in Switzerland

This project addresses the growing need for a strategic policy approach to data and data spaces in Switzerland, especially as the EU is rapidly advancing in this field. Since 2023, the Federal Chancellery, particularly the DTI (Digital Transformation and ICT Steering), has been consolidating efforts towards the “Swiss Data Ecosystem.” The C4DT at EPFL supports these efforts, aiming to develop a foundational document for Swiss data policy, focusing on the state’s role in the data ecosystem. This document will be crafted in collaboration with key policy actors in Switzerland and will include practical recommendations for the Federal Council and Parliament.

Celebrating a Successful Second Summit of Centers for Digital Trust

C4DT held the second edition of the summit on August 28-30, 2024. Sixteen globally renowned centers for digital trust gathered in Glion (above Montreux), Switzerland to mutually discuss their respective missions, operations, and challenges. The Glion Summit continued in its aim of establishing a space in which academic centers for digital trust can engage in (…)

ADAN: Adaptive Adversarial Training for Robust Machine Learning (2024)

Modulation recognition state-of-the-art architectures use deep learning models. These models are vulnerable to adversarial perturbations, which are imperceptible additive noise crafted to induce misclassification, posing serious questions in terms of safety, security, or performance guarantees at large. One of the best ways to make the model robust is to use adversarial learning, in which the model is fine-tuned with these adversarial perturbations. However, this method has several drawbacks. It is computationally costly, has convergence instabilities and it does not protect against multiple types of corruptions at the same time. The objective of this project is to develop improved and effective adversarial training solutions that tackle these drawbacks.

Swiss Data Space Forum

The Swiss Data Space Forum is organised by the Swiss Datta Alliance. It aims to help participants connect with technical, legal and business pioneers from across the country!

Deepfakes, Distrust and Disinformation: The Impact of AI on Elections and Public Perception

This full-day conference will explore the impact of gen AI on disinformation campaigns – specifically, deepfakes and disinformation created by gen A, but also the proliferation of disinformation through AI – and how such campaigns may impact elections outcomes (and trust in electoral systems). It is organized by the Center for Digital Trust (C4DT), EPFL in collaboration with EPFL’s AI Center and the Initiative for Media Innovation (IMI).

Empowering Digital Identities: The SSI Protocol Landscape

In this fourth part of the blog series “Swiss e-ID journey”, we give an overview of the Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) [10] landscape in CH, EU, and beyond. This allows the reader to put the current effort of the e-ID in context with international efforts in references and implementations regarding e-ID systems. You can read the (…)

The Swiss Confederation E-ID Public Sandbox Trust Infrastructure – Part 3

C4DT Demonstrator using the Swiss Public Sandbox Trust Infrastructure This is our third article about the Swiss e-ID Journey. An overview of the system can be found in our first article, Switzerland’s e-ID journey so far [1a], and an introduction to the first steps of using the sandbox [8] in our second article, The Swiss (…)

Secure, Transparent, and Verifiable Elections: The D-Voting Project

The d-voting project from the DEDIS lab at EPFL is a decentralized voting system that leverages blockchain technology and cryptographic algorithms to ensure secure, transparent, and verifiable elections. By using a blockchain as the storage medium, the system allows multiple entities to oversee the election process and enables easy access for public verifiers to ensure (…)