[ad_1] Over the last few days Google and Apple have begun to address their use of real people that listen in on recordings to help improve voice AI like Assistant and Siri. For Amazon, these revelations surfaced months ago, and now it’s added a toggle that people can use to opt out of potentially having […]
Category: Privacy
Apple contractors frequently hear sensitive info in Siri recordings
[ad_1] Apple stressed in a statement that it has multiple privacy protections. The recordings aren’t tied to Apple IDs, and they’re studied in “secure facilities” by people who are bound to “strict confidentiality requirements.” It won’t know whose device made a request or otherwise make connections. That still leaves some concerns, though, and not just […]
Facebook code allowed partners ‘continued data access’ despite shutdown
[ad_1] The social site said it was restricting access for all partners, and was “immediately” ending Microsoft and Sony’s access to friend data. It also reiterated that it has new measures in place to limit data access, including more user controls, rewards for reports of data misuse and a review process for every new or […]
FTC to accuse Facebook of misusing phone numbers and facial recognition
[ad_1] The violations, expected to be announced tomorrow, are part of wide-ranging complaint and accompany the FTC’s probe into Facebook’s privacy practices. Last week, the FTC reportedly voted to approve a $5 billion settlement with Facebook. The settlement isn’t official yet, but it’s already being criticized for being too soft on the company. The complaint […]
Hackers broke into a contractor for Russia’s spy agency
[ad_1] The most prominent of the projects, Nautilus-S, was meant to deanonymize Tor traffic and create a database of Tor users and devices. Work started on it in 2012, and it appears to have been put into use in 2014, when Swedish researchers discovered Russian Tor nodes trying to decipher data. It’s unclear how successful […]
Chrome update will stop sites from checking for Incognito Mode
[ad_1] The internet giant says it’s a matter of respecting the very purpose of Incognito mode: maintaining privacy. While people do use private browsing to dodge site paywalls, people may have far more serious reasons for staying anonymous. They may be trying to avoid an abusive partner or political oppression, for instance. Google suggested that […]
Oakland bans city use of facial recognition software
[ad_1] Oakland, Calif. is now the third US city to ban the use of facial recognition technology. The city passed an ordinance yesterday that prohibits the use of the technology on the grounds that it is often inaccurate, potentially invasive and lacks standards. “Face recognition technology runs the risk of making Oakland residents less safe […]
Google pulls stalking apps from the Play Store
[ad_1] The apps were frequently pitched as employee and parental monitoring tools, but CNET found that some people weren’t using the app that way. Reviews for Spy Tracker, for instance, included numerous people using the app to stalk romantic partners. The clients were mildly popular — they had 130,000 total downloads. When asked for comment, […]
The FBI plans more social media surveillance
[ad_1] The tool would provide the FBI with access to the full social media profiles of persons-of-interest. That could include information like user IDs, emails, IP addresses and telephone numbers. The tool would also allow the FBI to track people based on location, enable persistent keyword monitoring and provide access to personal social media history. […]
Facebook reaches $5 billion FTC settlement
[ad_1] The inevitable has happened for Facebook. After weeks of reports that the company was working to settle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its privacy practices, the two parties have finally come to an agreement. The Wall Street Journal reports that commissioners voted to approve a $5 billion settlement — something Facebook had […]