All articles tagged with #digital privacy
The article discusses the rebranding of Twitter to X and highlights the emergence of a deepfake porn site associated with the platform, raising concerns about digital privacy and online safety.
Disney agreed to pay a $10 million fine for collecting children's data on YouTube without proper designation of videos as 'Made for Kids,' violating federal privacy laws. The company will improve its video classification practices and adopt age verification technology to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.
The US Courts records system was breached over a month ago, marking the first major federal cybersecurity failure of the new Trump administration, with details about the breach and responsible parties still unclear.
Personalized pricing, driven by AI, is spreading across industries, allowing companies to charge different prices based on individual data. Consumers can counteract this by using cash, clearing online caches, disabling location services, and delaying purchases to avoid targeted pricing. The article warns about the lack of transparency and fairness in AI-driven pricing models and emphasizes the importance of understanding how prices are set.
Cybersecurity experts predict that "Q-Day," the day when quantum computers can crack codes protecting our digital data, could arrive as soon as 2025. Quantum computers are significantly more powerful than regular computers, capable of performing calculations that are currently impossible. However, the key processing units of quantum computers, known as qubits, are not yet stable enough to decrypt large amounts of data. Despite this, countries like the United States and China are investing heavily in quantum research, with North America currently leading in quantum computing development. The race to achieve quantum computing capabilities has significant implications for global security.
The European Union has reached a landmark deal on a comprehensive bill to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), solidifying its position as the de facto global tech regulator. The legislation establishes strict regulations for AI systems, with the most stringent limits placed on high-risk applications. The negotiations were prolonged due to disagreements between EU legislators and member states, particularly regarding generative AI models and the use of facial recognition by law enforcement. The EU's leadership in tech regulation has already had significant implications for Silicon Valley companies, and this AI bill is expected to influence other jurisdictions worldwide. In contrast, the US Congress is still in the early stages of crafting AI legislation, with concerns raised about the potential heavy-handedness of the EU's approach.
Parents' digital lives can be upended by innocent online mistakes made by their children. Google-owned YouTube's artificial intelligence-powered systems can sometimes flag innocent individuals as child abusers, leading to account suspensions and investigations by law enforcement. In one case, a mother lost access to all her Google accounts, including photos, documents, and email, after her 7-year-old son uploaded a video of his bottom as a dare from a classmate. Google's appeals process has faced criticism for its lack of transparency and the severity of punishments. While technology companies are under pressure to monitor and prevent the spread of abusive imagery, the challenges of accurately adjudicating appeals and the sheer volume of flagged content remain significant obstacles. Parents are advised to set up dedicated accounts for their children's internet activity to avoid such situations.
The National Crime Investigation Bureau has released a list of seven secret codes to enhance smartphone security. The codes include features such as checking call forwarding, testing phone functionality, determining SAR value, finding IMEI number, accessing battery and network information, checking camera functionality, and performing a factory reset. However, some social media users have reported that only a few of the codes are working properly.
A controversial proposed European law to combat child sexual abuse, known as Chat Control or CSA Regulation (CSAR), has faced fresh scandal as a researcher discovered a biased and misleading ad campaign paid for by the European Commission. The campaign, which targeted select countries and violated data protection laws, aimed to influence public opinion and pressure countries critical of the legislation to support it. The CSAR proposal has been strongly criticized by digital rights activists, privacy regulators, and national governments for its potential for mass surveillance and violation of EU citizens' privacy rights. The discovery adds to the controversy surrounding the Commission, which has been accused of being influenced by AI firms and advocacy groups.
Hunter Biden has filed a civil lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani and his former attorney, accusing them of violating federal and state computer privacy laws by allegedly hacking into his devices and manipulating his data. The lawsuit claims that Giuliani and his attorney have refused to cease their unlawful activities and return the data. This is the latest in a series of lawsuits brought by Hunter Biden as he faces scrutiny over his business dealings. Giuliani, who is already facing multiple legal actions, has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
Google provides a 60-second security check to help users identify if their account has been compromised. By visiting google.com/devices, users can see a list of devices that have accessed their account within the last 28 days. If any unfamiliar devices are detected, users can sign them out remotely. Additionally, users are advised to change their password and review their Google Timeline to ensure their account's security and privacy.
A government report has revealed that US intelligence agencies are buying and storing personal information on Americans with little oversight and few guidelines. The report warns that commercially available information (CAI) can reveal sensitive and intimate information about individuals and poses a threat to Americans. While government agencies have to navigate an array of laws that often prevent them from tracking Americans without a court order or warrant, there are few legal restrictions on private companies that buy, repackage and sell personal data. The report calls for legislation to put guardrails around government purchases, to rein in private companies that collect and sell this data, and keep Americans’ personal information out of the hands of adversaries.
Concerns about killer AI taking over the world are not rooted in good science and distract from the real problems that AI is already causing, such as copyright chaos, digital privacy and surveillance concerns, and increased cyberdefenses hacking. Many researchers and engineers believe that AI takeover is not an imminent threat. However, the ripple effects of AI are still unclear, and entire industries are bracing for disruption. The focus should be on the very real and present exploitative practices of the companies claiming to build AI, who are rapidly centralizing power and increasing social inequities.