https://nordictimes.com/tech/the-swedish-government-launches-ai-inquiry/

Tech

The Swedish government launches AI inquiry

Published 26 September 2024

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: Solen Feyissa/Unsplash

The Swedish government has decided to review legislation on the use of AI in Sweden to ensure that Swedish rules are in line with the new EU AI Regulation.

The new EU AI Regulation, which came into effect on 1 August this year, will create a common set of rules for the development and use of AI systems in the EU. It aims to ensure a high level of safety, health and protection of fundamental rights for all EU citizens.

The government has now decided to set up an inquiry to examine “the need for national adjustments” in Swedish laws to bring them into line with the regulation.

– We are in the midst of a technological change where AI has great potential to change the way we work in many sectors and in many parts of society. With this inquiry, we are taking an important step to ensure that AI is used in a way that is safe, reliable and in line with our fundamental values, said Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner in a press release.

The inquiry will propose any necessary legislative changes, as well as measures for transparency and control. Helena Rosén Andersson has been appointed as the investigator and will report no later than 30 September 2025.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-police-300-shootings-last-year/

Sweden

Swedish police: 300 shootings last year

organized crime

Published yesterday 18:02

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: Yazid Nasuha/iStock

The police see a clear decrease in firearms-related violence.

According to a report by the Swedish Police Authority, firearm violence in Sweden decreased in 2024 for the second consecutive year. Last year, 296 confirmed shootings took place – which is almost 20% lower than in 2023.

– Our assessment is that the decrease is due to our increased ability to prevent and avert acts of violence, says Johan Olsson, head of the police’s national operations department, Noa.

However, he stresses that “the level of conflict and demand for violence” remains high and that gangs continue to try to use digital environments to recruit new members and people who can commit acts of violence.

According to the police, they have become better at apprehending suspected killers quickly and the number of identified suspects per shooting has also increased.

– This means that today we achieve broader prosecutions and can target more of those involved than before, Olsson continues.

The police authority states that over the past two years, it has developed the ability to collect and analyze information, both in terms of hunting down perpetrators and the actual investigative work afterwards. In addition, it is claimed that the ability to bring together information available in local police areas, criminal investigation of serious crimes, intelligence and international activities has been strengthened.

Relatives still “legitimate” targets

Last year, 44 people were killed in firearm violence compared to 54 in 2023 – while 66 were injured. There has also been a slight decrease in the number of relatives and innocent people injured or killed in shootings and explosions.

– Our view is that the approach that emerged in 2023, where family members are seen as legitimate targets, unfortunately persists, notes Johan Olsson.

The police also note that the suspected perpetrators are getting younger and that the proportion of suspects under 18 has more than doubled since 2019.

Last year, a quarter of all suspected shooters were minors and some of them were also under 15 years old. For fatal shootings in 2024, around a third of the suspects were under 18 and a dozen were under 15.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-criminologists-no-link-between-immigration-and-violent-crime/

Sweden

Swedish criminologists: No link between immigration and violent crime

Deteriorating safety

Published 20 January 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: iStock/ovjo12

“The proportion of immigrants does not explain violent crime in a municipality”, according to criminologist Amber Beckley.

– Based on our analysis, we have seen that there is little to no link between the proportion of immigrants in a municipality and reported violent crime, said Amber Beckley, associate professor of criminology and senior lecturer at Örebro University.

The study, conducted by criminologists at five Swedish universities, claims to have compared the 20 municipalities in Sweden with the highest increase in violent crime between 2000 and 2020 with the 20 municipalities with the least negative trend, controlling for the number of immigrants living in these 40 municipalities.

– Most violent crime in a municipality can be explained by other factors, such as the number of people working and education, Beckley further argues in an interview with Swedish public radio SR.

It should be noted that the researchers only looked at people who had immigrated to Sweden and obtained Swedish residence permits or citizenship – not asylum seekers or children of immigrants. According to previous studies, second-generation immigrants have been identified as a group with the highest proportion of criminal suspects.

Violent crime increased in all municipalities

The main author of the report, which has received a lot of attention in the establishment media, is the well-known left-wing activist criminologist Jerzy Sarnecki, and Amber Beckley, who is the report’s second author, also admits to Samnytt that violent crime has increased in almost all of the municipalities analyzed.

– Almost all have increased. There was almost no municipality in these twenty years where violent crime decreased.

– What we have shown was that the proportion of immigrants in the municipalities with the largest increase in violent crime was not that different from the proportion in the municipalities with the smallest increase… The proportion of immigrants does not explain violent crime in a municipality, and it cannot explain the increase in the twenty municipalities, she concludes.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/tech/pixelfed-challenges-instagram-now-as-a-mobile-app/

Tech

Pixelfed challenges Instagram – now as a mobile app

Published 18 January 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Montage. Photo: picjumbo.com, screenshot/Pixelfed

Pixelfed, a challenger to Meta’s Instagram, has now been launched as a mobile app. The image sharing platform does not share user data with third parties and is based on open source code.

The platform has been available since 2018 but has previously only been accessible via the web or through third-party app clients.

The Android app launched on January 9, while the iOS app was released earlier this week, Engadget reports.

Unlike Instagram, Pixelfed does not share user data with third parties, nor does it have any advertising. However, the platform is similar to Instagram in both appearance and image sharing functionality but is based on open source code. Furthermore, Pixelfed will also display content in chronological order, which Facebook and Instagram no longer do.

On Monday, the creator, Daniel Supernault, wrote that 11,000 users had joined the platform in the last 24 hours and that more than 78,000 posts have been shared to Pixelfed.

Earlier this week, reports emerged that Meta had blocked links to Pixelfed on Facebook. A representative from the company said it was mistakenly treated as spam and that the posts would be reinstated.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/sweden-sees-rise-in-hazardous-waste-exports/

Sweden

Sweden sees rise in hazardous waste exports

Published 18 January 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Press Photo: Mette Ottosson/Tullverket

Swedish Customs stopped a record amount of hazardous waste last year. The biggest increase was in the Stockholm area.

More than 1 529 tons of hazardous waste were stopped from being exported from Sweden to countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia in 2024. This is a significant increase compared to the 627 tons stopped in 2023 and a new record. The previous peak was measured in 2022 and was 1 043 tons. Waste exports are linked to organized crime and are estimated to generate around SEK 6.1 billion (€530 million) annually, according to the police.

– We know that waste exports to developing countries are a growing source of income for organized crime. That is why I am particularly pleased that we managed to stop so many exports of hazardous waste in 2024, says Director General of Customs Johan Norrman in a press release.

Six times as many cases

In total, Swedish Customs handled 88 cases of illegal waste exports to countries outside the EU, an increase from 47 cases the year before. The biggest increase was in the Stockholm area, where the amount of waste more than sixfold compared to the previous year.

The most common type of waste exported is still vehicles and vehicle parts. Of the 88 stopped exports, 71 contained either whole vehicles, such as cars, tractors and trucks, or parts, such as tires, engines, gearboxes and rims.

However, few of the cases lead to legal consequences, according to the Swedish Customs. The most common action is to issue an export ban for shipments of environmentally hazardous waste, while serious cases can lead to fines.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Polaris of Enlightenment

Polaris of Enlightenment