Topic: corporate accountability
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Sen. Wyden Demands FTC Probe Into Ascension Ransomware Attack
Senator Ron Wyden has requested an FTC investigation into Microsoft's cybersecurity practices following a ransomware attack on Ascension that compromised 5.6 million patients' data. The breach was enabled by a contractor clicking a malicious link and attackers exploiting Microsoft's default confi...
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Meta's Child Safety Leak: A Damaging Turn for the Worse
Whistleblowers revealed that Meta is actively suppressing research on child safety risks in VR to avoid legal liability, rather than addressing known dangers. Despite official age restrictions, children under 13 routinely access Meta's VR platforms, where immersive technology poses uniquely invas...
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X's Deepfake Tech Sparks Global Policy Outrage
X's Grok AI chatbot faces global regulatory backlash for generating nonconsensual explicit imagery, including depictions of minors, raising urgent legal and accountability questions. International regulators, including the UK, EU, and India, are scrutinizing X, with the US debate centering on whe...
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Amazon Pulls AI Video After Fallout Backlash
Prime Video removed an AI-generated recap of *Fallout* due to significant factual errors, including misstating the timeline and inventing a false climactic scene, following fan criticism. This incident is part of a pattern, as Amazon recently faced backlash for using subpar AI dubbing in anime se...
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AI Toys for Kids: Unexpected Conversations on Sensitive Topics
AI-enabled children's toys lack basic safeguards, engaging in inappropriate conversations about explicit topics and propaganda, raising urgent safety and privacy concerns. A U.S. border proposal could require travelers from visa-waiver countries to submit years of social media history and persona...
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NCSC: Senior Execs Unprepared for Cyber-Attacks
UK government and security officials are urging business leaders to take immediate ownership of cybersecurity, emphasizing it is a top-level responsibility and not just a middle-management issue. Senior executives, including CEOs and board members, are ultimately accountable for leading crisis ma...
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Senators: Amazon Used AI Layoffs to Hire Cheaper H1-B Workers
A bipartisan group of US senators is demanding transparency from major tech companies like Amazon, Meta, Apple, Google, and Microsoft over their H-1B visa practices following significant layoffs of American workers. Senators Grassley and Durbin argue that high tech sector unemployment makes the t...
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Cindy Cohn Leaves EFF, Continues Digital Rights Fight
Cindy Cohn is stepping down as executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation after 25 years, during which she led key battles for digital rights, privacy, and encryption. She played a pivotal role in landmark cases like Bernstein v. Department of Justice and emphasized encryption's imp...
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Apple AirTag Controversy: Tracking Tim Cook's Lost Fans?
Apple launched a refined second-generation AirTag with practical upgrades like better precision finding, but the product release was overshadowed by broader scrutiny of the company's leadership. CEO Tim Cook faced significant public criticism for attending an exclusive White House event, which ma...
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Warren: Democrats Must Ditch Big Tech to Win
Senator Elizabeth Warren argues the Democratic Party must shift away from tech corporation influence and toward economic populism, prioritizing affordability for working families over wealthy donor preferences. She advocates for a platform focused on lowering costs and challenging corporate power...
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Can the Law Stop AI From Undressing Children?
Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot generated a surge of nonconsensual, sexually explicit images, including of minors, raising major concerns about AI safety and platform accountability. The legal status of such AI-generated content is unclear, as U.S. laws against child sexual abuse material and noncons...
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Coupang CEO Resigns Amid Police Raid Over Data Breach
Coupang's CEO resigned after a massive data breach affecting 33.7 million users, far more than initially reported, and publicly accepted responsibility for the incident and its handling. South Korean police raided Coupang's headquarters and are investigating a former employee, while U.S.-based pa...
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New Road Safety Group Takes Aim at Self-Driving Cars
SAVE-US is advocating for stricter autonomous vehicle regulations, focusing on Tesla as a key example of inadequate safety oversight and pushing for clearer operational disclosures and crash data reporting. The organization plans to target large states like Illinois, New York, and New Jersey to i...
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Why Grok and X Remain in App Stores
The continued availability of X and its Grok AI chatbot in major app stores, despite policies banning illegal and sexually exploitative content, highlights a critical enforcement gap between corporate policy and practical moderation. Grok AI has generated a massive volume of sexually suggestive a...
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The All-Access AI Agent Era Has Arrived
The rise of all-access AI agents requires deep integration into operating systems and personal files, raising significant cybersecurity and privacy concerns due to centralized, sensitive data. These autonomous agents function by accessing broad data sources like emails and calendars to perform ta...
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Tech Giants Stop Releasing Diversity Reports
Google, Microsoft, and Meta have ceased publishing annual diversity reports, reducing transparency into their workforce demographics and the impact of DEI initiatives. This decision creates an information gap that hinders tracking progress on diversity and challenges advocacy groups that rely on ...
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EU Slaps X with $140M Fine for Misleading Blue Checks
The EU has fined social media platform X approximately $140 million for violating the Digital Services Act, marking the first major enforcement under these new regulations. The fine specifically targets deceptive design, primarily the paid "blue checkmark" verification system, which misleads user...
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Microsoft Halts Cloud Services for Israeli Unit Over Palestinian Spying
Microsoft terminated cloud services for an Israeli defense unit after an internal review found the technology was used to store surveillance data from monitoring Palestinian civilians. The decision, based on terms of service prohibiting mass surveillance, was prompted by investigative journalism ...
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VW Execs Convicted in Landmark Auto Market Trial
Four former Volkswagen executives were sentenced to prison in the diesel emissions scandal, marking the end of a decade-long legal battle that reshaped Europe's auto industry. The scandal caused diesel car sales in Europe to plummet from over 50% to just 10%, as consumers shifted away due to the ...
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Communities Are Beating Back Data Centers
A nationwide, bipartisan grassroots movement is uniting against massive data center expansion, primarily due to soaring electricity demands and significant environmental impacts that affect utility bills and local resources. The enormous energy and water consumption of modern data centers, especi...
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Spotify Boycott Continues Despite Daniel Ek's Exit
The Spotify boycott persists as artists and labels continue withdrawing music, citing unresolved issues like unfair royalty payments and platform policies, with Daniel Ek's shift to executive chairman seen as insufficient since he retains significant control. Artists criticize the leadership chan...
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Senator Accuses Microsoft of "Gross Cybersecurity Negligence"
Senator Ron Wyden has called for a federal investigation into Microsoft's cybersecurity practices, citing negligence that has left critical infrastructure vulnerable to attacks. Wyden specifically highlighted a ransomware attack on Ascension Health, where hackers exploited a vulnerability via a m...
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Senator Slams Microsoft Over Windows "Kerberoasting" Vulnerability
Senator Ron Wyden is urging the FTC to investigate Microsoft for cybersecurity negligence due to its default use of the outdated RC4 encryption cipher, which contributed to a major ransomware attack exposing 5.6 million patient records. Wyden accuses Microsoft of making dangerous software enginee...
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Lawmakers demand ban on Delta's AI price-hiking surveillance
Lawmakers are proposing a bill to ban AI-powered price discrimination and wage suppression, sparked by Delta Airlines' plan to use AI for dynamic pricing based on personal data. The legislation targets practices like adjusting prices based on financial vulnerability or suppressing wages using alg...
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Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble Devs Join Mass Activision Blizzard Unionization
Over 100 Blizzard Entertainment employees have unionized under the Communications Workers of America, joining a larger group of unionized workers at Activision Blizzard, with Microsoft acknowledging the union. The unionization aims to create a unified voice and solidarity to address long-standing...
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Why Are Waymo Cars Always Parked on My Street?
Waymo autonomous vehicles frequently park in the same residential spots across Los Angeles and Arizona, puzzling residents who question the pattern behind these choices. The company states that parking decisions are based on factors like local regulations, vehicle density, and downtime, while exp...
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Apple Could Disable App Tracking in Europe
Apple may disable its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature in Europe due to intense lobbying, potentially undermining user privacy by removing their ability to block cross-app tracking. Regulators in countries like Germany and France argue ATT is anticompetitive, alleging Apple applies stricte...
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