What’s next for the moon and the stagnation of facial recognition? – News Block

More than 50 years have passed since the last time humans set foot on the moon. But starting this year, a series of missions by private companies and national space agencies plan to take us back, sending everything from tiny robotic probes to full human landers.

The last goal? Getting humans to live and work on the moon, and then use it as a way station for possible later deep space missions.

From private missions to search for water ice to much-needed updates on international lunar laws, here’s what’s next for the moon. Read the full story.

—Jonathan O’Callaghan

Jonathan’s article is part of our What’s Next series, which looks at industries, trends and technologies to give you a first look into the future. You can see the rest of the series. here.

How facial recognition rules in the US got stuck in a political stalemate

The US state of Massachusetts has become a hotbed of debate over police use of facial recognition. Lawmakers are considering a bill that would go a long way on the issue and could set a new tone of engagement for the rest of the country.

Tate Ryan-Mosley, our senior tech policy reporter, reported last week on how the governance of facial recognition remains in a unique kind of political stasis. That’s because the battle between ‘abolishing facial recognition’ and ‘not regulating it at all’ has led to a lack of action. Compromises are the only way to go. Read the full story.