[…] “There are two main problems here,” Mozilla’s Caltrider said. “The first problem is Google only requires the information in labels to be self-reported. So, fingers crossed, because it’s the honor system, and it turns out that most labels seem to be misleading.” Google promises to make apps fix problems it finds in the labels, Read more about Google’s Play Store Privacy Labels Are a ‘Total Failure:’ Study[…]
Images in a graphic novel that were created using the artificial-intelligence system Midjourney should not have been granted copyright protection, the U.S. Copyright Office said in a letter seen by Reuters. “Zarya of the Dawn” author Kris Kashtanova is entitled to a copyright for the parts of the book Kashtanova wrote and arranged, but not Read more about AI-created images lose U.S. copyrights in test for new technology[…]
[…] with numerous recent studies showing the ease at which VR users can be profiled, deanonymized, and data harvested, metaverse platforms carry all the privacy risks of the current internet and more while at present having none of the defensive privacy tools we are accustomed to using on the web. To remedy this, we present Read more about MetaGuard: Going Incognito in the Metaverse[…]
[..] In a paper provided to The Register in advance of its publication on ArXiv, academics Vivek Nair, Wenbo Guo, Justus Mattern, Rui Wang, James O’Brien, Louis Rosenberg, and Dawn Song set out to test the extent to which individuals in VR environments can be identified by body movement data. The boffins gathered telemetry data Read more about 3 motion points allow you to be identified within seconds in VR[…]
Russ Cox, a Google software engineer steering the development of the open source Go programming language, has presented a possible plan to implement telemetry in the Go toolchain. However many in the Go community object because the plan calls for telemetry by default. These alarmed developers would prefer an opt-in rather than an opt-out regime, Read more about Google’s wants Go reporting telemetry data by default[…]
Many programs collect user data and send it back to their developers to improve software or provide more targeted services. But according to the PC Security Channel (via Neowin (opens in new tab)) Microsoft’s Windows 11 sends data not only to the Redmond, Washington-based software giant, but also to multiple third parties. To analyze DNS traffic generated by Read more about Windows 11 Sends Tremendous Amount of User Data to Third Parties – pretty much spyware for loads of people![…]
Microsoft wants everyone to know that it isn’t looking to invade their privacy while looking through their Windows PCs to find out-of-date versions of Office software. In its KB5021751 update last month, Microsoft included a plan to scan Windows systems to smoke out those Office versions that are no longer supported or nearing the end Read more about Microsoft won’t access private data in Office version scan installed as OS update they say[…]
After a delay of over a year, an open source code contribution to enable the export of data from Datadog’s Application Performance Monitoring (APM) platform finally got merged on Tuesday into a collection of OpenTelemetry components. The reason for the delay, according to John Dorman, the software developer who wrote the Datadog APM Receiver code, Read more about Claims Datadog asked developer to kill open source data tool, which he did. And now he’s ressurected it.[…]
The Federal Trade Commission took historic action against the medication discount service GoodRx Wednesday, issuing a $1.5 million fine against the company for sharing data about users’ prescriptions with Facebook, Google, and others. It’s a move that could usher in a new era of health privacy in the United States. “Digital health companies and mobile Read more about FTC Fines GoodRx $1.5M for Sending Medication Data to Facebook, Google, others[…]
A British man who planned to have a “robot lawyer” help a defendant fight a traffic ticket has dropped the effort after receiving threats of possible prosecution and jail time. Joshua Browder, the CEO of the New York-based startup DoNotPay, created a way for people contesting traffic tickets to use arguments in court generated by Read more about An AI robot lawyer was set to argue in court. Scared lawyers shut it down with jail threats[…]
Meta’s (META.O) WhatsApp subsidiary was fined 5.5 million euros ($5.95 million) on Thursday by Ireland’s Data Privacy Commissioner (DPC), its lead EU privacy regulator, for an additional breach of the bloc’s privacy laws. The DPC also told WhatsApp to reassess how it uses personal data for service improvements following a similar order it issued this Read more about Meta’s WhatsApp fined 5.5 mln euro by lead EU privacy regulator[…]
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Google Tuesday, accusing the tech giant of using its market power to create a monopoly in the digital advertising business over the course of 15 years. Google “corrupted legitimate competition in the ad tech industry by engaging in a systematic campaign to seize control of the wide Read more about Google Accused of Creating Digital Ad Monopoly in New Justice Dept. Suit[…]
Android users in India will soon have more control over their devices, thanks to a court ruling. Beginning next month, Indian Android wielders can choose a different billing system when paying for apps and in-app smartphone purchases rather than default to going through the Play Store. Google will also allow Indian users to select a Read more about Indian Android Users Can Finally Use Alternate Search and Payment Methods and forked Google apps[…]
Your international money transfers might not be as discreet as you think. Senator Ron Wyden and The Wall Street Journal have learned that US law enforcement can access details of money transfers without a warrant through an obscure surveillance program the Arizona attorney general’s office created in 2014. A database stored at a nonprofit, the Read more about US law enforcement has warrantless access to many money transfers[…]
Meta has filed a lawsuit against Voyager Labs, which it has accused of creating tens of thousands of fake accounts to scrape data from more than 600,000 Facebook users’ profiles. It says the surveillance company pulled information such as posts, likes, friend lists, photos, and comments, along with other details from groups and pages. Meta Read more about Meta sues surveillance company for allegedly scraping more than 600,000 accounts – pots and kettles[…]
Google has agreed to pay $9.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Washington DC Attorney General Karl Racine, who accused the company earlier this year of “deceiving users and invading their privacy.” Google has also agreed to change some of its practices, primarily concerning how it informs users about collecting, storing and using their Read more about Google will pay $9.5 million to settle Washington DC AG’s location-tracking lawsuit[…]
NHS England has extended its contract with US spy-tech biz Palantir for the system built at the height of the pandemic to give it time to resolve the twice-delayed procurement of a data platform to support health service reorganization and tackle the massive care backlog. The contract has already been subject to the threat of Read more about Spy Tech Palantir’s Covid-era UK health contract extended without public consultation or competition[…]
France’s data protection authority, CNIL, fined Apple €8 million (about $8.5 million) Wednesday for illegally harvesting iPhone owners’ data for targeted ads without proper consent. […] The French fine, though, is the latest addition to a growing body of evidence that Apple may not be the privacy guardian angel it makes itself out to be. Read more about Apple Faces French $8.5M Fine For Illegal Data Harvesting[…]
In what looks like a victory for farmers in the United States, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has struck a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with equipment vendor John Deere regarding the repairability of its machines. As farming has become more technology-driven, Deere has increasingly injected software into its products with all of its tractors Read more about John Deere signs right to repair agreement[…]
A startup says it has begun releasing sulfur particles into Earth’s atmosphere, in a controversial attempt to combat climate change by deflecting sunlight. Make Sunsets, a company that sells carbon offset “cooling credits” for $10 each, is banking on solar geoengineering to cool down the planet and fill its coffers. The startup claims it has Read more about Startup Claims It’s Sending Sulfur Into the Atmosphere to Fight Climate Change[…]
For the last thirteen years the Free Software Foundation has published its Ethical Tech Giving Guide. But what’s interesting is this year’s guide also tags companies and products with negative recommendations to “stay away from.” Stay away from: iPhones It’s not just Siri that’s creepy: all Apple devices contain software that’s hostile to users. Although Read more about FSF Warns: Stay Away From iPhones, Amazon, Netflix, and Music Steaming Services[…]
The version of the iconic character from “Steamboat Willie” will enter the public domain in 2024. But those trying to take advantage could end up in a legal mousetrap. From a report: There is nothing soft and cuddly about the way Disney protects the characters it brings to life. This is a company that once Read more about Mickey’s Copyright Adventure: Early Disney Creation Will Soon Be Public Property – finally. What lawsuits lie in wait?[…]
It’s been four years since Facebook became embroiled in its biggest scandal to date: Cambridge Analytica. In addition to paying $4.9 billion to the Federal Trade Commission in a settlement, the social network has just agreed to pay $725 million to settle a long-running class-action lawsuit, making it the biggest settlement ever in a privacy Read more about Meta agrees to $725 million settlement in Cambridge Analytica class-action lawsuit[…]
ou may have noticed the world getting excited about the capabilities of ChatGPT, a text-based AI chat bot. Similarly, some are getting quite worked up over generative AI systems that can turn text prompts into images, including those mimicking the style of particular artists. But less remarked upon is the use of AI in the Read more about The Copyright Industry Is About To Discover That There Are Hundreds Of Thousands Of Songs Generated By AI Already Available, Already Popular[…]
The United States Copyright Office (USCO) reversed an earlier decision to grant a copyright to a comic book that was created using “A.I. art,” and announced that the copyright protection on the comic book will be revoked, stating that copyrighted works must be created by humans to gain official copyright protection. In September, Kris Kashtanova Read more about AI-Created Comic Has Copyright Protection Revoked by US[…]