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Category Archives: Privacy

Mozilla’s first-ever Annual Consumer Creep-O-Meter

“Mozilla’s Annual Consumer Creep-O-Meter distills what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s just plain creepy in the world of consumer tech. Since 2017, Mozilla has published 15 editions of *Privacy Not Included, our consumer tech buyers guide. We’ve reviewed over 500 gadgets, apps, cars, and more, assessing their security features, what data they collect, and who… Continue Reading

Your Personal Information Is Probably Being Used to Train Generative AI Models

Scientific American: “Artists and writers are up in arms about generative artificial intelligence systems—understandably so. These machine learning models are only capable of pumping out images and text because they’ve been trained on mountains of real people’s creative work, much of it copyrighted. Major AI developers including OpenAI, Meta and Stability AI now face multiple… Continue Reading

Google just changed how you log in to your account

Washington Post [read free]: “Google is changing how you log into your account, but don’t worry — it’ll make your life easier. This month, Google said it’s making “passkeys” the default log-in option for Google accounts. That means that instead of typing in a password, you’ll log into your Google account and Google apps with… Continue Reading

Digital Dystopia – The Danger in Buying What the EdTech Surveillance Industry is Selling

ACLU Report – Digital Dystopia. The Danger in Buying What the EdTech Surveillance Industry is Selling [63 pages]: “Over the last two decades, a segment of the educational technology (EdTech) sector that markets student surveillance products to schools — the EdTech Surveillance industry — has grown into a $3.1 billion a year economic juggernaut with… Continue Reading

Generative AI and Guidance on Abusiveness

ABA Journal – Generative AI and Guidance on Abusiveness May Illuminate a New Focus on “Dark Patterns” for Enforcement and Related Consumer Research: Consumer Protection enforcement authorities are showing a new interest in “dark patterns” which they describe as manipulative design practices that subvert consumer choice, particularly in digital settings. This interest likely stems from… Continue Reading

How Ads on Your Phone Can Aid Government Surveillance

WSJ via MSN – “Technology embedded in our phones and computers to serve up ads can also end up serving government surveillance. Information from mobile-phone apps and advertising networks paints a richly detailed portrait of the online activities of billions of devices. The logs and technical information generate valuable cybersecurity data that governments around the… Continue Reading

AI in Banking and Finance, October 15, 2023

Via LLRX – AI in Banking and Finance, September 15, 2023 – This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government reports, industry white papers, academic papers and speeches on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological links provided are to the primary sources, and as available,… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 14, 2023

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 14, 2023. 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 increasingly… Continue Reading

Dark patterns: how online companies strive to keep your money and data when you try to leave

The Conversation – “Have you signed up to an online service for a free trial, decided it isn’t for you, but still ended up paying for it months – or even years – later? Or tried cancelling a subscription, and found yourself giving up during the painstaking process? If so, there’s a good chance you… Continue Reading