European regulators have launched an investigation into a clandestine advertising agreement between Google and Meta, allegedly circumventing Google’s own advertising policies for minors. The investigation focuses on a campaign promoting Instagram to teenagers on YouTube, raising serious concerns about data privacy and targeted advertising.
Spain’s new tourism regulations, demanding extensive personal data from travelers, have ignited a firestorm of controversy. While the government cites terrorism prevention, critics decry privacy violations, increased costs, and operational inefficiencies. The rollout has been plagued by technical issues, leading to industry threats of legal action and raising concerns about global implications for travel.
Concerns arise over Microsoft’s use of user data from Word and Excel files to train its AI models. This article clarifies Microsoft’s stance, details how the feature works, and provides clear instructions on how to disable data collection.
A UK consumer watchdog, ‘Which?’, has uncovered alarming data practices by some air fryer brands, with devices from Aigostar and Xiaomi transmitting personal information to servers in China. The study also examined smartwatches, smart speakers, and smart TVs, highlighting the need for stronger consumer protections against data-hungry devices.
Meta Platforms Inc. (META) has been fined $15 million by South Korea for unlawfully gathering sensitive personal information from Facebook users. The South Korean Personal Information Protection Commission found Meta guilty of collecting data on political views, sexual orientation, and other sensitive information without consent and sharing it with advertisers. This is the latest in a series of penalties against Meta for privacy violations, highlighting a global trend of increased scrutiny over big tech companies’ handling of user data.
ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, has been accused of using a powerful web scraper called ‘Bytespider’ to collect data at an alarming rate, raising concerns about data privacy and ethical AI development practices. This aggressive data collection strategy comes despite ongoing national security concerns surrounding TikTok and the potential for a U.S. ban.
WhatsApp directors and nodal officers in India are facing an FIR for their refusal to cooperate with a ₹4 crore fraud investigation. Gurugram police allege that the company failed to provide information on accounts linked to the case despite multiple requests, hindering the investigation. This action by the police highlights the ongoing tension between law enforcement agencies and tech companies regarding data access and cooperation.
Amidst rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has sent phone warnings to Lebanese civilians, urging them to evacuate areas believed to be Hezbollah strongholds. These warnings have sparked widespread fear and raised concerns about Israel’s surveillance capabilities and potential breaches of Lebanese privacy. The situation highlights the vulnerability of Lebanon’s data privacy framework and the ongoing struggle between Israel and Hezbollah.
LinkedIn has been accused of using user data for AI training without explicitly informing users in its privacy policy. While the company has since updated its terms of service, the practice has sparked controversy, particularly in the U.S., where data privacy laws are less stringent than in the EU. Users can now opt out of this data collection, but the incident raises concerns about transparency and user consent in the age of AI.
The European Union’s data protection regulators are investigating Google’s PaLM2 AI model, raising concerns about its handling of personal data in compliance with the GDPR. This investigation is part of a broader trend in Europe where regulators are scrutinizing the use of AI by major tech companies to ensure data privacy.
