[…]As highlighted in a Reddit post, Google recently sent out an email to some Android users informing them that Gemini will now be able to “help you use Phone, Messages, WhatsApp, and Utilities on your phone whether your Gemini Apps Activity is on or off.” That change, according to the email, will take place on Read more about Google to Gemini Users: We’re Going to Look at Your Texts Whether You Like It or Not[…]

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: After a court ordered OpenAI to “indefinitely” retain all ChatGPT logs, including deleted chats, of millions of users, two panicked users tried and failed to intervene. The order sought to preserve potential evidence in a copyright infringement lawsuit raised by news organizations. In May, Judge Ona Read more about Judge Denies Creating ‘Mass Surveillance Program’ Harming All ChatGPT Users after ordering all chats (including “deleted” ones) be kept indefinitely[…]

Makers of air fryers, smart speakers, fertility trackers and smart TVs have been told to respect people’s rights to privacy by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). People have reported feeling powerless to control how data is gathered, used and shared in their own homes and on their bodies. After reports of air fryers designed Read more about Makers of air fryers and smart speakers told to respect users’ right to privacy in UK[…]

Many porn sites, including Pornhub, YouPorn, and RedTube, all went dark earlier this month in France to protest a new age verification law that would have required the websites to collect ID from users. But those sites went back online Friday after a new ruling from a French court suspended enforcement of the law until Read more about Pornhub Back Online in France After Court Ruling About Age Verification[…]

Last month, ahead of the launch of the Switch 2 and its GameChat communication features, Nintendo updated its privacy policy to note that the company “may also monitor and record your video and audio interactions with other users.” Now that the Switch 2 has officially launched, we have a clearer understanding of how the console Read more about Nintendo will record your Gamechat audio and video[…]

23andMe Holding Co. (“23andMe” or the “Company”) (OTC: MEHCQ), a leading human genetics and biotechnology company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of 23andMe to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Regeneron”) (NASDAQ: REGN), a leading U.S.-based, NASDAQ-listed biotechnology company that invents, develops and commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious Read more about Regeneron to Acquire all 23andMe genetic data for $256m[…]

New Orleans’ police force secretly used constant facial recognition to seek out suspects for two years. An investigation by The Washington Post discovered that the city’s police department was using facial recognition technology on a privately owned camera network to continually look for suspects. This application seems to violate a city ordinance passed in 2022 Read more about New Orleans police secretly used facial recognition on over 200 live camera feeds[…]

If there’s one thing the Federal Bureau of Investigation does well, it’s mass surveillance. Several years ago, then attorney general William Barr established an internal office to curb the FBI’s abuse of one controversial surveillance law. But recently, the FBI’s long-time hater (and, ironically, current director) Kash Patel shut down the watchdog group with no Read more about FBI Director Kash Patel Abruptly Closes Internal Watchdog Office Overseeing Surveillance Compliance[…]

The Russian government has introduced a new law that makes installing a tracking app mandatory for all foreign nationals in the Moscow region. The new proposal was announced by the chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, who presented it as a measure to tackle migrant crimes. “The adopted mechanism will allow, using modern technologies, Read more about Russia to enforce location tracking app on all foreigners in Moscow[…]

[…] “For years, Google secretly tracked people’s movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won.” The agreement settles several claims Texas made against the search giant in 2022 related to geolocation, incognito searches and biometric data. The state argued Google was “unlawfully tracking Read more about Google will pay Texas $1.4B to settle claims the company collected users’ data without permission[…]

A U.S. senator introduced a bill on Friday that would direct the Commerce Department to require location verification mechanisms for export-controlled AI chips, in an effort to curb China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology. Called the “Chip Security Act,” the bill calls for AI chips under export regulations, and products containing those chips, to be Read more about US senator introduces bill calling for location-tracking on AI chips to limit China access[…]

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[…]

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[…]

[…]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[…]

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[…]

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[…]

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[…]

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[…]

Apple Inc. will begin analyzing data on customers’ devices in a bid to improve its artificial intelligence platform, a move designed to safeguard user information while still helping it catch up with AI rivals. Today, Apple typically trains AI models using synthetic data — information that’s meant to mimic real-world inputs without any personal details. Read more about Apple to Spy on User Emails and other Data on Devices to Bolster AI Technology[…]

A court has blocked a British government attempt to keep secret a legal case over its demand to access Apple Inc. user data in a victory for privacy advocates. The UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal, a special court that handles cases related to government surveillance, said the authorities’ efforts were a “fundamental interference with the principle Read more about UK Effort to Keep Apple Encryption Fight Secret Is Blocked[…]

T-Mobile sells a little-known GPS service called SyncUP, which allows users who are parents to monitor the locations of their children. This week, an apparent glitch in the service’s system obscured the locations of users’ own children while sending them detailed information and the locations of other, random children. 404 Media first reported on the Read more about T-Mobile SyncUP Bug Reveals Names, Images, and Locations of Random Children[…]

[…]Your TV wants your data The TV business traditionally included three distinct entities. There’s the hardware, namely the TV itself; the entertainment, like movies and shows; and the ads, usually just commercials that interrupt your movies and shows. In the streaming era, tech companies want to control all three, a setup also known as vertical Read more about Your TV is watching you watch and selling that data[…]