#user-privacy

#user-privacy

OpenAI's decision to introduce advertisements into ChatGPT has sparked serious concerns about privacy, trust, and the ethical complexities of monetizing artificial intelligence. This shift marks a dramatic departure from earlier assurances by OpenAI's leadership, who once described pairing ads with AI as a "last resort." For users who rely on ChatGPT for everything from brainstorming ideas to sharing sensitive information, the implications of this change feel deeply personal, and potentially unsettling.

The bill, sponsored by Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL), sought to speed up the removal of troubling online content: non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). The spread of NCII is a serious problem, as is digitally altered NCII, sometimes called "deepfakes." That's why 48 states have specific laws criminalizing the distribution of NCII, in addition to the long-existing defamation, harassment, and extortion

The Indian government has officially rescinded a controversial mandate that would have forced smartphone manufacturers to ship new devices with a state-run cybersafety tool preloaded. The decision, confirmed by India's telecoms ministry on Wednesday, marks a swift policy reversal following significant resistance from global tech giants and privacy advocates. The initial directive, issued confidentially on Nov. 28, set a 90-day deadline for vendors to integrate the Sanchar Saathi app into their firmware, with the stipulation that users must not be allowed to delete it.

Apple has always pushed hard on the need for user privacy. Apple CEO Tim Cook has spoken about the threat of a surveillance economy and Craig Federighi, Apple's software vice president, gave an extensive speech on the topic at the European Data Protection and Privacy Conference in 2020. "The mass centralization of data puts privacy at risk," he said then, "no matter who's collecting it and what their intentions might be. So ,we believe Apple should have as little data about our customers as possible.

"When you read content on X, you should be able to verify its authenticity," Bier posted on X. "This is critical to getting a pulse on important issues happening in the world."

If true, this new order is not 'less worse' than the first. That's because, as we have been saying all along, Apple cannot undermine end-to-end encryption of iCloud services only for the UK when those services are used worldwide. If Apple breaks end-to-end encryption for the UK, it breaks it for everyone. The resulting vulnerability can be exploited by hostile states, criminals and other bad actors the world over.

A US federal court has told Google to pay $425m (316.3m) for breaching users' privacy by collecting data from millions of users even after they had turned off a tracking feature in their Google accounts. The verdict comes after a group of users brought the case claiming Google accessed users' mobile devices to collect, save and use their data, in violation of privacy assurances in its Web & App Activity setting. They had been seeking more than $31bn in damages.

Instagram is launching a new feature called Instagram Map that allows friends to share their real-time locations, enhancing user visibility and connection.

Retail media networks, like those launched by RE/MAX, exemplify how traditional companies can tap into diverse advertising revenue beyond their primary markets.

Fitify exposed 373K files including 138K progress photos through unsecured Google cloud storage.

Whether sharing your name and address for food deliveries, or phone numbers when making a booking at a barber shop, there is no guarantee that businesses are keeping crucial information safe and secure, said Sarunas Sereika, product manager at Surfshark, which carried out the research.

Citizen has launched a 'NYC Public Safety' account to alert three million users about emergencies, crimes, and safety tips, targeting notifications by neighborhood.

The technique used to achieve this was truly innovative, and akin to malware behaviour. It exploited protocols to break the isolation between apps and browsers, a fundamental security concept meant to protect users.

"Obviously, you don't want to spend too much on this solution, and it can be expensive because the model itself is pretty expensive, but at the same, you don't want to make that number too small, because like in some in a lot of ways, I think every dollar into this system, you know, is like more than one dollar out."

The federal judge has granted the New York Times and its co-plaintiffs access to OpenAI's user archives, including deleted materials, amid a copyright infringement lawsuit.

IVPN offers an impressive level of user privacy, standing out in comparison to established services like NordVPN, while matching great speeds with Mullvad VPN.

We've heard it all - X is turning into a right-wing echo chamber, Bluesky is a liberal bubble, and so on. But a glitch on Threads has turned these concerns into a reality: everyone is saying the same exact thing over and over again.