Topic: privacy violations
-
Google to Pay $68 Million in Privacy Settlement Over Recorded Conversations
Google has agreed to a $68 million settlement over a lawsuit alleging its Assistant feature sometimes activated accidentally, recording private conversations without consent and sharing snippets with third parties for advertising. The lawsuit argued these false activations, triggered by backgroun...
Read More » -
How "Catch a Cheater" Apps Feed Our Worst Instincts
"Cheater catching" apps use facial recognition to scan dating platforms like Tinder, operating in a legal gray area and raising privacy concerns by accessing profiles without user consent. Privacy experts warn these tools enable invasive surveillance, often misidentify individuals—especially peop...
Read More » -
Meta's AI Glasses Reportedly Share Private Footage With Kenyan Reviewers
A Swedish investigation alleges that contractors in Kenya reviewing data for Meta's AI smart glasses were exposed to highly sensitive private footage, including intimate moments, contradicting the company's privacy assurances and sparking a proposed class action lawsuit. Despite Meta's claims of ...
Read More » -
DHS Removes CBP Privacy Officers Over 'Illegal' Orders Dispute
The Department of Homeland Security reassigned senior privacy and FOIA officials at Customs and Border Protection after they objected to a new policy that mislabels finalized privacy assessments as "drafts" to prevent their public release. The policy aims to withhold documents like a Privacy Thre...
Read More » -
Google to Pay $68M for Voice Assistant Eavesdropping
Google has agreed to a $68 million settlement over a lawsuit alleging its devices recorded private conversations without proper consent and shared data with advertisers. The settlement fund will compensate eligible consumers based on the number of claims, covering up to three devices per person, ...
Read More » -
Google Denies Using Your Emails for AI Training: The Truth
Google has denied claims that it scans private Gmail messages to train its AI systems, clarifying that its smart features are separate from AI model training and no policy changes have authorized such data usage. A security firm initially reported that Google was using email content for AI traini...
Read More » -
US Government Secretly Collecting American DNA for Years
A covert operation by Customs and Border Protection has collected DNA from U.S. citizens, including minors, and submitted it to the FBI's criminal database without congressional authorization. Government records show nearly 2,000 citizens had their DNA gathered between 2020 and 2024, with many no...
Read More » -
Google to pay $68M in Assistant privacy lawsuit settlement
Google has proposed a $68 million settlement over a lawsuit alleging its Assistant devices unlawfully recorded private conversations during "False Accepts," where the device mistakenly activated. The settlement covers individuals who owned qualifying Google Assistant-enabled devices, like Pixel p...
Read More » -
Unlikely allies unite to remove flawed traffic cameras
A coalition is challenging automated license plate readers due to privacy risks and operational flaws, with Flock Safety facing pressure from legislators and activists over its extensive camera network. Legislators have called for a federal probe into Flock's negligent data handling and cybersecu...
Read More » -
Data-Driven Marketing: A New Relationship
Data-driven marketing has prioritized metrics over genuine human connection, leading to disillusionment as it often fails to produce real outcomes like revenue growth or customer loyalty. The industry relies on "dirty data" and manipulative tactics, such as provoking emotional reactions and extra...
Read More » -
ICE Deploys Advanced Spyware for Surveillance
China demonstrated its advanced military technology in a recent parade, highlighting its global technological ambitions. The U.S. is undergoing significant policy shifts, including rebranding the Defense Department and awarding a no-bid contract for combat training, amid debates on election integ...
Read More » -
Google Settles for $68M Over Voice Assistant Privacy Claims
Google has agreed to a $68 million settlement over a lawsuit alleging its voice assistant improperly recorded users via "false accepts" and used the data for targeted ads, though it admitted no wrongdoing. This case is part of a broader pattern of legal challenges, including a similar $95 million...
Read More » -
WhatsApp API Flaw Exposed 3.5 Billion User Accounts
A security vulnerability in WhatsApp's API allowed researchers to compile a list of 3.5 billion active user accounts by exploiting a contact-discovery feature lacking rate-limiting safeguards. The researchers, using a single server and minimal resources, identified global usage patterns, with Ind...
Read More » -
Scammers Impersonate Police to Steal Private Data From Tech Giants
Hackers are impersonating law enforcement to fraudulently obtain private customer data from major tech companies like Apple and Amazon, exploiting weak corporate verification processes for emergency data requests. A criminal group operates a "doxing-as-a-service" model, boasting hundreds of succe...
Read More » -
Is Solar Power Overwhelming the Grid?
Insecure domestic solar power systems pose a new threat to national electricity grids, as vulnerable control devices could be manipulated to cause synchronized power disruptions, according to a recent report. Common IoT devices like smart cameras are being exploited for privacy invasions, enablin...
Read More » -
Michigan Man's "Catch a Cheater" App Backfires, Proving It Illegal
A Michigan developer pleaded guilty to federal charges for creating pcTattletale, software marketed for legal oversight but widely used for illegal spying on adults without consent, violating wiretapping laws. The software secretly recorded device activity like keystrokes and messages, and compan...
Read More » -
Kohler's Toilet Cameras Lack True End-to-End Encryption
Kohler's Dekota smart toilet falsely advertised end-to-end encryption, as user health data is decrypted and accessible on company servers, leading to the removal of that claim. A major Chinese cyberespionage campaign, Salt Typhoon, infiltrated US telecom networks and accessed communications of po...
Read More » -
Humanoid Robot Hacked via Bluetooth, Data Sent to China
The Unitree G1 humanoid robot has critical Bluetooth vulnerabilities that allow unauthorized root access and remote code execution due to shared hardcoded encryption keys and improper data validation during setup. Weak encryption in the robot's configuration files and unsecured communication prot...
Read More » -
DOGE May Have Exposed Millions of SSNs on Insecure Server
A Senate report reveals that personnel from Elon Musk's DOGE team are operating a cloud server containing millions of Americans' sensitive personal data, including Social Security numbers, without adequate protective measures. The exposed database includes actual production data such as birth det...
Read More » -
Grok AI Sparks Controversy With 'Undressing' Feature
The Grok AI chatbot, developed by Elon Musk's xAI, is being widely misused to create nonconsensual, sexualized imagery of women by digitally removing clothing from user photos, representing a troubling escalation in AI-enabled harassment. By embedding this free and instantly accessible tool into ...
Read More » -
The Marketplace Selling Custom AI Deepfakes of Women
Civitai is a marketplace where users primarily trade specialized AI files (LoRAs) used to create deepfakes, with 86% of requests for these files aimed at generating explicit content, often targeting specific women. The platform's bounty system effectively facilitates the creation of detailed deep...
Read More » -
California Bans Data Brokers From Selling Health Data
California's privacy agency has banned data broker Datamasters from selling residents' personal data and imposed a fine for failing to register under state law. The enforcement action revealed Datamasters sold hundreds of millions of sensitive records, including health conditions and personal dem...
Read More » -
Leaks Plague the Trump Administration's Inner Circle
A recent public post by President Trump on Truth Social, intended as a private message, highlights a pattern of using unsecured platforms for sensitive communications, raising security concerns. Multiple incidents involving officials like Mike Waltz and Pete Hegseth reveal careless handling of co...
Read More » -
France Slaps Unemployment Agency with €5M Data Breach Fine
France's data protection authority fined the national unemployment agency €5 million for a major cybersecurity breach that compromised the personal data of an estimated 43 million individuals. The breach was executed through social engineering, where hackers manipulated employees to gain access, ...
Read More »