SEEDLAND Group has teamed with Al Roker Entertainment to complete a series that explores the latest boundary-pushing reaches of scientific exploration. The project is titled Forging the Future. Distribution of the six-episode series will be handled by Sideways Film.
Forging the Future explores a variety of cutting-edge topics ranging from the smallest phenomena, like exploring the microbiome (the trillions of microorganisms that live in or on the human body), to those with interplanetary ramifications, like the requirements to sustain human life off-Earth.
This is the first documentary television production released by SEEDLAND Group, a multifaceted enterprise based in China, with roots in real estate development, that has quickly expanded via investments in smart living technologies into a variety of other sectors that enhance human life.
“Forging the Future showcases the stories of top scientists from our time who are confronting the grand challenges before humanity by uncovering the world’s leading discoveries. These scientists are indomitable heroes improving our lives,” said Liang Zhang, chairman of SEEDLAND Group. “Since the vision of SEEDLAND is to enable better life with technology, we are devoted to the exploration of prospective scientific and technological development. We also look forward to having more people interested in these breakthroughs and inspired to create a better future.”
“I am passionate about science and about bringing science programming to audiences everywhere,” said Al Roker, founder, Al Roker Entertainment.
Over the course of six episodes, Forging the Future transports viewers across North America, Europe, and Australia to some of the world’s most advanced research facilities, including elite institutions like Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Columbia University. The series reveals the most exciting disciplines being explored in popular science today.
Each episode of Forging the Future features a deep dive into topics such as: Artificial Intelligence, Achieving Immortality, Living Off the Earth, Genetic Engineering, Cyborg Technology, and creating a Disease-Free World with the Human Microbiome. Through conversations with world-renowned scientists and technologists, Forging the Future shows how the most cutting-edge technologies impact these fields and the hopeful future they are creating for humankind. Each episode is mastered in 4K.
Christopher Webb Young (Brain Games for National Geographic, Primal Connections for Discovery), Kyle McCabe (Mysteries of the Abandoned for Science Channel, When Sharks Attack for Nat Geo Wild, and Monsters Inside Me for Animal Planet), and K. K. Ng (SEED Awards) serve as executive producers.
South Korea fines Meta $15 million for illegally collecting information on Facebook users
South Korea's privacy watchdog on Tuesday fined social media company Meta 21.6 billion won ($15 million) for illegally collecting sensitive personal information from Facebook users, including data about their political views and sexual orientation, and sharing it with thousands of advertisers.
It was the latest in a series of penalties against Meta by South Korean authorities in recent years as they increase their scrutiny of how the company, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, handles private information.
Following a four-year investigation, South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission concluded that Meta unlawfully collected sensitive information about around 980,000 Facebook users, including their religion, political views and whether they were in same-sex unions, from July 2018 to March 2022.
It said the company shared the data with around 4,000 advertisers.
South Korea's privacy law provides strict protection for information related to personal beliefs, political views and sexual behavior, and bars companies from processing or using such data without the specific consent of the person involved.
The commission said Meta amassed sensitive information by analyzing the pages the Facebook users liked or the advertisements they clicked on.
The company categorized ads to identify users interested in themes such as specific religions, same-sex and transgender issues, and issues related to North Korean escapees, said Lee Eun Jung, a director at the commission who led the investigation on Meta.
"While Meta collected this sensitive information and used it for individualized services, they made only vague mentions of this use in their data policy and did not obtain specific consent," Lee said.
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