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
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Privacy Tip #361 – Beware of ChatGPT-Themed Scams
Researchers at Meta, the owner of Facebook, released a report this week which indicated that since March 2023, Meta “has blocked and shared with our industry peers more than 1,000 malicious links from being shared across our technologies” of unique ChatGPT-themed web addresses designed to deliver malicious software to users’ devices.
According to Meta’s report…
Popular Tax e-Filing Sites Reportedly Sent Tax Info to Meta
According to reporting from the Verge and the Markup, several popular e-filing providers have been transmitting sensitive financial information to Meta through Meta Pixel. Meta Pixel is a free advertising analytics service offered by Meta that, similar to cookie files and other persistent user identifiers, collects personalized data about how the users interact with content…
Ireland Fines Instagram €405 Million for Children’s Data Violations
Ireland’s Data Privacy Commissioner will reportedly fine Instagram for its handling of children’s data. According to an investigation that began in 2020, Instagram published emails and phone numbers for children ages 13 to 17 who operated business accounts. Business accounts typically post this information by default. Meta, Instagram’s parent, plans to appeal the €405 million…
Texas AG Sues Meta, Alleging Massive Collection of Face Geometries Without Consent
Texas enacted a biometric information privacy law way back in 2001, which was amended in 2009. That was a long time ago in the context of the development of privacy laws, and even longer when it comes to biometric information privacy laws. In this rapidly changing area of law, Texas was surely ahead of its…
Privacy Tip #319 – How Facial Recognition Technology Works and Why You Should Care
I have written about the privacy concerns of facial recognition technology many times before [view related posts].
Many individuals are unaware of how facial recognition technology works, who is collecting their facial geometry, and how their biometric information is being used and disclosed.
The Texas Attorney General sued Meta Platforms (fka Facebook) this week,…
Meta Hit with Lawsuits Over Allegations of Promoting Hate Speech
Meta has been hit with two related lawsuits totaling over $150 billion in its first major legal challenge since rebranding. The suits (one filed in California Superior Court and the other in the UK) come from a class representing the Rohingya, a minority Muslim population that has suffered severe systematic violence in Myanmar.…
Meta Announces the End of Facial Recognition Technology on Facebook
The Facebook company now known as Meta announced this week that it is shutting down the Face Recognition system on Facebook. Meta stated that this is part of a company-wide move to limit the use of facial recognition technology in its products. What does this mean? If you have a Facebook page and you previously…