The Week Unwrapped podcast: Facial recognition, the dollar and lashings of ginger beer
Should we be worried about facial recognition? What’s happening to the US dollar? And why do kids continue to flock to Enid Blyton?
The Week delves behind the headlines and debates what really matters from the past seven days.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
Facial recognition
Over the weekend, Protestors in Hong Kong were filmed cutting down lampposts which, they believe, were rigged with facial recognition surveillance systems. Hong Kong, however, isn’t the only region employing face-scanning tech, as similar systems found in London’s King’s Cross sparked fresh privacy concerns a few weeks ago. Are the systems a step too far? Or are they vital for public security?
Read our briefing on the rise of facial recognition here.
The Famous Five
Enid Blyton was racist, sexist and a middle-class snob - and, if you believe the English scholars, her books aren't even that good. So why do millions of children all over the world still flock to the dated adventures of the Famous Five or the schoolgirls of Malory Towers?
Read more about why the Royal Mint refused to make an Enid Blyton commemorative coin here.
The dollar
Bank of England governor Mark Carney has officially called time on the US dollar’s status as the global reserve currency. But what does that mean, what could replace it, and what impact would that have on our day-to-day lives?
