All articles tagged with #privacy violations
A class action lawsuit against Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other company leaders has begun, alleging that Meta misled investors about privacy risks related to the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal, violating a 2012 FTC consent order and resulting in over $8 billion in legal and settlement costs. The trial includes testimonies from privacy experts and former Facebook executives, with a ruling expected in the coming months.
Meta shareholders are suing CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, and other executives in a Delaware court, alleging they failed to prevent privacy violations like the Cambridge Analytica scandal, resulting in over $8 billion in settlements. The case focuses on breaches of fiduciary duties related to the 2012 FTC consent order and ongoing regulatory scrutiny of Meta's data practices.
Meta's AI app, widely used globally, inadvertently posts users' private queries—including sensitive health, personal, and financial information—to a public discover feed, raising serious privacy concerns and highlighting Meta's lack of accountability.
The FTC is proposing a $7 million fine against telehealth firm Cerebral for careless handling and sharing of patients' data, as well as deceptive advertising practices. The company allegedly shared sensitive data with third parties, mailed patients postcards with diagnosis and treatment details, and had lax security practices that exposed confidential medical records. Cerebral will be required to pay partial refunds, establish a comprehensive data privacy program, and report annually on it, with a 20-year audit requirement.
A Florida woman has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, calling for a halt in AI development due to concerns about the creation of "slaughterbots," privacy violations, and other risks. The suit argues for transparency, accountability, and control over AI technology, and criticizes OpenAI's shift from a non-profit model to a for-profit entity. It also calls for compensation for stolen data and ethical guidelines for AI products. The lawsuit is one of several facing OpenAI and highlights the ongoing debate over the risks and regulation of AI technology.
Italy's data protection authority has accused OpenAI's ChatGPT of violating privacy laws, citing breaches of the EU GDPR. OpenAI has been given 30 days to respond to the allegations. Concerns include the collection of personal data, age protections, and potential exposure of sensitive information. Meanwhile, Apple expresses deep concern over proposed amendments to the UK Investigatory Powers Act, warning that it could give the government unprecedented power to veto privacy and security updates to its products and services.
The Biden administration reached its first settlement on a privacy issue by stopping a company, Outlogic (formerly X-Mode Social), from selling data on people's medical visits, particularly visits to abortion providers. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that Outlogic collected location data on people's visits to medical facilities and then shared it with a clinical research company for marketing and advertising, leading to a significant privacy violation. The settlement requires Outlogic to delete all previously collected data without consent and provide an opt-out option for its location data collection. Privacy advocates are concerned about the potential misuse of location data, including targeting individuals seeking abortion and prosecuting them.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, is facing a legal complaint from the attorneys general of 33 states, accusing the social media giant of unlawfully collecting data from millions of users under the age of 13. The complaint alleges that Meta routinely documented the presence of underage users on Instagram but disabled only a fraction of their accounts, while continuing to collect their personal information without parental permission. The states are seeking civil penalties that could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. The complaint also accuses Meta of failing to prioritize effective age-checking systems and knowingly allowing underage users to lie about their age to create Instagram accounts. Meta has responded by stating that the complaint mischaracterizes their work and that they have measures in place to remove underage accounts.
Hunter Biden has filed a lawsuit against the IRS, alleging that the agency unlawfully disclosed his confidential tax return information to the media. The lawsuit cites interviews by IRS supervisor Gary Shapley and whistleblower Joseph Ziegler, claiming that they repeatedly and intentionally disclosed Biden's protected tax return information. The lawsuit also alleges that Shapley made comments during interviews that disclosed confidential information about Biden's taxes and finances. The IRS has not commented on the lawsuit.
Facebook users in the U.S. have until August 25 to file a claim for their share of a $725 million settlement related to privacy violations. The settlement arises from lawsuits alleging that Facebook improperly shared user information with third parties. Users who used Facebook between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022, can file a claim online or by mail. The settlement amount per user will depend on the number of claims filed, with lawyers potentially receiving up to 25% of the settlement. The court will decide on final approval in September, and payments will be distributed after any appeals are resolved. Users who do not file a claim or opt out of the settlement give up their right to sue Facebook on these issues.
Facebook users have until August 25 to sign up for a portion of Meta's $725 million settlement for privacy violations related to the sharing of user data with Cambridge Analytica. The exact payout for each user will depend on the number of eligible participants and the length of their account's activation. The settlement accuses Cambridge Analytica of sharing Facebook's data with third parties, although Meta denies any wrongdoing. CEO Mark Zuckerberg previously apologized for not taking sufficient action to protect user data.
Facebook users have less than a month to apply for their share of a $725 million settlement over the social network's privacy violations, stemming from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The settlement, signed in December 2022, was the largest class action settlement of its kind. In addition to the settlement, Facebook's parent company, Meta, paid a $5 billion settlement to the Federal Trade Commission and $100 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Users who had an active U.S. Facebook account between May 2007 and December 2022 can make a claim until August 25. Individual settlement payments will depend on the number of users who submit claims and the duration of their Facebook account usage.
Facebook users have until August 25 to apply for their share of a $725 million settlement over the social network's privacy violations, stemming from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The settlement, signed in December 2022, marked the largest class action settlement of its kind. In addition to the settlement, Facebook's parent company, Meta, paid a $5 billion settlement to the Federal Trade Commission and $100 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Users can make a claim by visiting Facebookuserprivacysettlement.com and providing their information. The settlement amount for each individual is yet to be determined based on the number of claims and the duration of their Facebook account usage.
Sweden's data protection watchdog, IMY, has issued fines totaling over $1.1 million to Swedish telco Tele2 and online retailer CDON for breaching the bloc's privacy rules by exporting European users' data via Google Analytics, citing risks posed by U.S. government surveillance. The regulator found that Google's supplementary measures for protecting European users' data sent to the U.S. were insufficient. Two other companies, Coop and Dagens Industries, were also found to have breached GDPR rules but were not fined. IMY has ordered all four companies to stop using Google Analytics. The fines mark the first penalties following privacy complaints against Google Analytics and Facebook Connect.
The FTC has fined Amazon $30.8 million for privacy violations involving its Alexa assistant and Ring security cameras. The fine includes $25 million for breaching children's privacy laws and $5.8 million in consumer refunds for allowing employees and contractors broad access to private videos recorded using Ring cameras. Amazon has been ordered to delete collected information, disclose data retention practices, and implement adequate security controls to protect Ring user accounts. Over 55,000 U.S. customers had their accounts compromised between January 2019 and March 2020 due to these lax policies.