Category «Privacy»

FTC Order Will Ban Avast from Selling Browsing Data for Advertising Purposes

“The Federal Trade Commission will require software provider Avast to pay $16.5 million and prohibit the company from selling or licensing any web browsing data for advertising purposes to settle charges that the company and its subsidiaries sold such information to third parties after promising that its products would protect consumers from online tracking. In …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Commerce, E-Records, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy

Survey Finds Workers are Putting Businesses at Risk by Oversharing with GenAI Tools

InsideBigData: “Our friends over at Veritas just released a new survey revealing that workers are oversharing with generative AI tools, putting businesses at risk. Nearly a third (31%) of global office workers admitted to inputting potentially sensitive information into generative AI tools, such as customer details or employee financials. Other key findings include: 61% of global …

Subjects: AI, E-Records, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

DOJ funding pipeline subsidizes questionable big data surveillance technologies

Via LLRX – DOJ funding pipeline subsidizes questionable big data surveillance technologies – Professor Andrew Guthrie Ferguson discusses how predictive policing has been shown to be an ineffective and biased policing tool. Yet, the Department of Justice has been funding the crime surveillance and analysis technology for years and continues to do so despite criticism from researchers, privacy …

Subjects: Congress, E-Records, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

Silicon Valley has its own ascendant political ideology. It’s past time we call it what it is.

The Rise of Techno-Authoritarianism by Adrienne LaFrance [The Atlantic; read free] “Silicon Valley still attracts many immensely talented people who strive to do good, and who are working to realize the best possible version of a more connected, data-rich global society. Even the most deleterious companies have built some wonderful tools. But these tools, at scale, …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Freedom of Information, Internet, Knowledge Management, Privacy, Search Engines, Social Media

US Census Bureau purposely fudges location data in census to protect people’s privacy

Via Kottke – The U.S. Census Is Wrong on Purpose: “…Full census data is only made available 72 years after the census takes place, in accordance with the creatively-named “72 year rule.” Until then, it is only available as aggregated data with individual identifiers removed. Still, if the population of a town is small enough, …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents, Housing, Legal Research, Privacy

This Tiny Website Is Google’s First Line of Defense in the Patent Wars

Wired: “TDCommons is a free space for inventors to lay claim to breakthroughs without having to file a patent. Why is it so off the radar? A trio of Google engineers recently came up with a futuristic way to help anyone who stumbles through presentations on video calls. They propose that when algorithms detect a …

Subjects: AI, E-Records, Government Documents, Legal Research, Patent and Trademark, Privacy, Search Engines

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, February 17, 2024

Via LLRX –  Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, February 17, 2024 -Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the …

Subjects: Courts, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Records, Economy, Financial System, Legal Research, Microsoft, Privacy, Securities Law

Service Jobs Now Require Bizarre Personality Test From AI Company

404 Media: “Applying to some of the most common customer and food service jobs in the country now requires a long and bizarre personality quiz featuring blue humanoid aliens, which tells employers how potential hires rank in terms of “agreeableness” and “emotional stability.” If you’ve applied to a job at FedEx, McDonald’s, or Darden Restaurants …

Subjects: AI, E-Records, Economy, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

What Is Focus Status on Your iPhone?

MakeUseOf – And How to Enable It – “Let everyone know you’re busy with Focus status on your iPhone. While Apple’s Focus feature is a great way to minimize distractions and silence notifications, you may unintentionally make your friends feel like you’re ignoring them at times. In such situations, you can use the “Share Focus …

Subjects: Privacy, Transportation

DuckDuckGo’s privacy browser adds built-in password syncing

The Verge: “DuckDuckGo has added a new “Sync & Backup” feature to its privacy-first browser that will keep passwords, bookmarks, and favorites constant across all of your devices — without setting up an account. Falling right in line with its usual claims that it won’t track you or collect your data, the company says that …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Internet, Privacy, Search Engines