Google’s Workspace for Education will require school admins to independently approve all integrated third-party applications students use. Users under 18 cannot use their Google accounts to access third-party applications without consent configured in user settings. Access will terminate automatically on October 1, 2023. Google Workspace for Education’s Terms of Service does not cover third-party applications
AI Firms Sign Voluntary Commitments to Oversee Use of AI Technology
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Artificial Intelligence
Amid growing concern of the use of AI tools, Congressional questioning and hearings, and the lack of regulation around its use, at least seven technology firms have signed on to follow voluntary commitments to oversee how AI technology is used. The commitments include oversight of thorny issues such as AI safety, privacy, cybersecurity, and public…
Growing Calls to Ban Chinese Owned TikTok App and Other Software Apps Considered to be National Security Threats
By Kathleen Porter on
Chinese company ByteDance faces growing concerns from governments and regulators that user data from its popular short video-sharing app TikTok could be handed over to the Chinese government. The concern is based on China’s national security laws, which give its government the power to compel Chinese-based companies to hand over any user data. More than…
Texas Sues Google for Gathering Biometric Data
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Google for alleged “blatant defiance” of Texas’s biometric privacy law, which prohibits capturing biometric identifiers without prior consumer consent. The complaint alleges that several Google products, including Google Home, Nest, and Google Photos, collect and catalog biometric identifiers such as facial structure and voice print.
Texas…
Privacy Tip #311 – New Mexico AG Serious About Children’s Privacy Protections
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
New Mexico’s Attorney General, Hector Balderas, continues to champion children’s online privacy protections, this time settling with Google over alleged violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
We previously reported that the AG sued Rovio Entertainment, the maker of Angry Birds, alleging that it violated COPPA by collecting data on players under the…
Could Artificial Intelligence Save the Holiday Shopping Season?
By Kathryn Rattigan on
Posted in Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain
As we all know supply chain disruptions over the past two years do not seem to be going away any time soon. However, businesses are turning to new artificial intelligence-powered (AI) simulations, known as “digital twins,” to help get products and services to consumers on time – especially as we head into the holiday shopping…
Privacy Tip #303 – Russian Hacking Group Targets Gmail Users
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
If you think the Russians are only targeting U.S. companies and the defense industry, think again. The cyber war between Russia and the U.S. has escalated since the President threw down the gauntlet on Putin, and the retaliation is to attack Gmail users in the U.S. Yes, Gmail users are part of the war.
According…
Privacy Tip #291 – Cryptomining Apps Offer Fake Services for a Fee
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips
Although app platforms guard against fake apps, criminals are working hard to get around app platform rules to scam victims out of a cryptobuck. Apple and Google throw apps off their platforms if they don’t play by the rules, yet fake and scam apps have proliferated and continue to scam victims.
Recently, security researchers at…
Girl Scout Troop Teams Up with Wing for Drone Cookie Deliveries
By Kathryn Rattigan on
Posted in Drones
Calling all Thin Mints fans! Girl Scout Thin Mints cookies can now be delivered right to your doorstep – by drone… IF you live in Christiansburg, Virginia. The town has been a testing arena for commercial drone delivery by Wing (a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google’s parent company). Before Girl Scout Thin Mints, starting in 2019,…
National Cybersecurity Center Launches Free Training for State Elected Officials
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in New + Now
Speaking of security education and training, the National Cybersecurity Center this week launched a new initiative to offer cyber-hygiene and IT security sessions to elected state government officials and their staff for FREE. The training sessions are getting a financial boost from Google and bipartisan support from Secretaries of State Frank LaRose (R-Ohio) and…