Month: April 2025

Neurotech companies are selling your brain data, senators warn

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Three Democratic senators are sounding the alarm over brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies’ ability to collect — and potentially sell — our neural data. In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Maria Cantwell (D-IN), and Ed Markey (D-MA) called for an investigation into neurotechnology companies’ handling of user data, and Read more about Neurotech companies are selling your brain data, senators warn[…]

AI Helps Unravel a Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and Identify a Therapeutic Candidate

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A new study found that a gene recently recognized as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease is actually a cause of it, due to its previously unknown secondary function. Researchers at the University of California San Diego used artificial intelligence to help both unravel this mystery of Alzheimer’s disease and discover a potential treatment that obstructs Read more about AI Helps Unravel a Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and Identify a Therapeutic Candidate[…]

Can the EU’s Dual Strategy of Regulation and Investment Redefine AI Leadership?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Beyond sharing a pair of vowels, AI and the EU both present significant challenges when it comes to setting the right course. This article makes the case that reducing regulation for large general-purpose AI providers under the EU’s competitiveness agenda is not a silver bullet for catching Europe up to the US and China, and Read more about Can the EU’s Dual Strategy of Regulation and Investment Redefine AI Leadership?[…]

Europe’s Tech Sovereignty Demands More Than Competitiveness

Posted on by Robin Edgar

BRUSSELS – As part of his confrontational stance toward Europe, US President Donald Trump could end up weaponizing critical technologies. The European Union must appreciate the true nature of this threat instead of focusing on competing with the US as an economic ally. To achieve true tech sovereignty, the EU should transcend its narrow focus Read more about Europe’s Tech Sovereignty Demands More Than Competitiveness[…]

Content Moderation or Security Theater? How Social Media Platforms Really Enforce Community Guidelines

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] To better understand how major platforms moderate content, we studied and compared the community guidelines of Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and X. We must note that platforms’ guidelines often evolve, so the information used in this study is based only on the latest available data at the time of publication. Moreover, the strictness and regularity Read more about Content Moderation or Security Theater? How Social Media Platforms Really Enforce Community Guidelines[…]

1 Million customers from French Boulanger’s Customers Exposed Online for free

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In a recent discovery, SafetyDetectives’ Cybersecurity Team stumbled upon a clear web forum post where a threat actor publicized a database allegedly belonging to Boulanger Electroménager & Multimédia purportedly exposing 5 Million of their customers. What is Boulanger Electroménager & Multimédia? Boulanger Electroménager & Multimédia is a French company that specializes in the sale of Read more about 1 Million customers from French Boulanger’s Customers Exposed Online for free[…]

Google turns early Nest Thermostats into dumb thermostats

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google has just announced that it’s ending software updates for the first-generation Nest Learning Thermostat, released in 2011, and the second-gen model that came a year later. This decision also affects the European Nest Learning Thermostat from 2014. “You will no longer be able to control them remotely from your phone or with Google Assistant, Read more about Google turns early Nest Thermostats into dumb thermostats[…]

Microsoft mystery folder fix needs a fix of its own with simple POC

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Turns out Microsoft’s latest patch job might need a patch of its own, again. This time, the culprit is a mysterious inetpub folder quietly deployed by Redmond, now hijacked by a security researcher to break Windows updates. The folder, typically c:\inetpub, reappeared on Windows systems in April as part of Microsoft’s mitigation for CVE-2025-21204, an Read more about Microsoft mystery folder fix needs a fix of its own with simple POC[…]

Employee monitoring app exposes 21M work screens​ to internet

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A surveillance tool meant to keep tabs on employees is leaking millions of real-time screenshots onto the open web. Your boss watching your screen isn’t the end of the story. Everyone else might be watching, too. Researchers at Cybernews have uncovered a major privacy breach involving WorkComposer, a workplace surveillance app used by over 200,000 Read more about Employee monitoring app exposes 21M work screens​ to internet[…]

Internet Archive Sued for $700m by Record Labels about digitising songs pre 1960. Petition to rescue the Internet Archive

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A dramatic appeal hopes to ensure the survival of the nonprofit Internet Archive. The signatories of a petition, which is now open for further signatures, are demanding that the US recording industry association RIAA and participating labels such as as Universal Music Group (UMG), Capitol Records, Sony Music, and Arista drop their lawsuit against the Read more about Internet Archive Sued for $700m by Record Labels about digitising songs pre 1960. Petition to rescue the Internet Archive[…]

Australian Radio station uses AI host for 6 months before anyone notices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

I got an interesting tipoff the other day that Sydney radio station CADA is using an AI avatar instead of an actual radio host. The story goes that their workdays presenter – a woman called Thy – actually doesn’t exist. She’s a character made using AI, and rolled out onto CADA’s website. […] What is Read more about Australian Radio station uses AI host for 6 months before anyone notices[…]

A Data Breach at Yale New Haven Health Compromised 5.5 Million Patients’ Information

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), a massive nonprofit healthcare network in Connecticut. Hackers stole the data of more than 5.5 million individuals during an attack in March 2025. […] According to a public notice on the YNHHS website, the organization discovered “unusual activity” on its system on March 8, 2025, which was later identified as Read more about A Data Breach at Yale New Haven Health Compromised 5.5 Million Patients’ Information[…]

Perplexity CEO says its browser will track everything users do online to sell ‘hyper personalized’ ads

Posted on by Robin Edgar

CEO Aravind Srinivas said this week on the TBPN podcast that one reason Perplexity is building its own browser is to collect data on everything users do outside of its own app. This so it can sell premium ads. “That’s kind of one of the other reasons we wanted to build a browser, is we Read more about Perplexity CEO says its browser will track everything users do online to sell ‘hyper personalized’ ads[…]

Study finding persistent chemical in European wines raises doubts and concerns

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A report by the Pesticides Action Network (PAN Europe) and other NGOs that uncovered high concentrations of a forever chemical in wines from across the EU – including organic – is sparking debate about the causes of contamination and restrictions on the substance.  The report found some wines had trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) levels 100 times Read more about Study finding persistent chemical in European wines raises doubts and concerns[…]

Spacetop AR is now an expensive Windows app instead of a useless screenless laptop

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Spacetop AR laptop made a splash when it debuted a few years ago with an intriguing pitch: What if you could have a notebook that works entirely through augmented reality glasses, without a built-in screen of its own? Unfortunately, we found the Spacetop experience to be underwhelming, and the hardware seemed like a tough Read more about Spacetop AR is now an expensive Windows app instead of a useless screenless laptop[…]

EC fines Meta, Apple €700M for DMA compliance failures

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Meta and Apple have earned the dubious honor of being the first companies fined for non-compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which experts say could inflame tensions between US President Donald Trump and the European bloc. Apple was penalised to the tune of €500 million ($570 million) for violating anti-steering rules and Meta by Read more about EC fines Meta, Apple €700M for DMA compliance failures[…]

Blue Shield of California Exposed the Data of 4.7 Million People to Google for targeted advertising

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Blue Shield of California shared the protected health information of 4.7 million individuals with Google over a nearly three-year period, a data breach that impacts the majority of its nearly 6 million members, according to reporting from Bleeping Computer. This isn’t the only large data breach to affect a healthcare organization the last year alone. Read more about Blue Shield of California Exposed the Data of 4.7 Million People to Google for targeted advertising[…]

Tesla now seems to be remote hacking odometers to weasel out of warranty repairs. Time to stop DMCA type laws globally.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A lawsuit filed in February accuses Tesla of remotely altering odometer values on failure-prone cars, in a bid to push these lemons beyond the 50,000 mile warranty limit: https://www.thestreet.com/automotive/tesla-accused-of-using-sneaky-tactic-to-dodge-car-repairs The suit was filed by a California driver who bought a used Tesla with 36,772 miles on it. The car’s suspension kept failing, necessitating multiple servicings, Read more about Tesla now seems to be remote hacking odometers to weasel out of warranty repairs. Time to stop DMCA type laws globally.[…]

Discord Wants Your Face: Begins Testing Facial Scans for Age Verification

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Discord has begun requiring some users in the United Kingdom and Australia to verify their age through a facial scan before being permitted to access sensitive content. The chat app’s new process has been described as an “experiment,” and comes in response to laws passed in those countries that place guardrails on youth access to Read more about Discord Wants Your Face: Begins Testing Facial Scans for Age Verification[…]

Your TV is watching you better: LG TVs’ integrated ads get more personal with tech that analyzes viewer emotions

Posted on by Robin Edgar

LG TVs will soon leverage an AI model built for showing advertisements that more closely align with viewers’ personal beliefs and emotions. The company plans to incorporate a partner company’s AI tech into its TV software in order to interpret psychological factors impacting a viewer, such as personal interests, personality traits, and lifestyle choices. The Read more about Your TV is watching you better: LG TVs’ integrated ads get more personal with tech that analyzes viewer emotions[…]

Google Found Guilty of Illegal Ad Tech Monopoly in US Federal Court Ruling

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A federal judge has ruled that Google maintained illegal monopolies in the digital advertising technology market. In a landmark case, the Department of Justice and 17 states found Google liable for antitrust violations. Federal Court Finds Google Violated Sherman Act U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Google illegally monopolized two key markets in digital Read more about Google Found Guilty of Illegal Ad Tech Monopoly in US Federal Court Ruling[…]

OpenDNS Quits Belgium Under Threat of Piracy Blocks or Fines of €100K Per Day after having quit France

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In a brief statement citing a court order in Belgium but providing no other details, Cisco says that its OpenDNS service is no longer available to users in Belgium. Cisco’s withdrawal is almost certainly linked to an IPTV piracy blocking order obtained by DAZN; itt requires OpenDNS, Cloudflare and Google to block over 100 pirate Read more about OpenDNS Quits Belgium Under Threat of Piracy Blocks or Fines of €100K Per Day after having quit France[…]

Toothpaste widely contaminated with lead and other metals, US research finds

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Toothpaste can be widely contaminated with lead and other dangerous heavy metals, new research shows. Most of 51 brands of toothpaste tested for lead contained the dangerous heavy metal, including those for children or those marketed as green. The testing, conducted by Lead Safe Mama, also found concerning levels of highly toxic arsenic, mercury and Read more about Toothpaste widely contaminated with lead and other metals, US research finds[…]

LaLiga Piracy Blocks Randomly Take Down huge innocent segments of internet with no recourse or warning, slammed as “Unaccountable Internet Censorship”

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Cloud-based web application platform Vercel is among the latest companies to find their servers blocked in Spain due to LaLiga’s ongoing IPTV anti-piracy campaign. In a statement, Vercel’s CEO and the company’s principal engineer slam “indiscriminate” blocking as an “unaccountable form of internet censorship” that has prevented legitimate customers from conducting their daily business. Since Read more about LaLiga Piracy Blocks Randomly Take Down huge innocent segments of internet with no recourse or warning, slammed as “Unaccountable Internet Censorship”[…]