privacy and security

Privacy Experts: AI Girlfriends Are a Data Harvesting Nightmare

AI developers creating romantic chatbots to serve as AI girlfriends and boyfriends for lonely people are able to harvest an entirely new set of data from unsuspecting users, as the bots collect details far more personal than a typical app. A privacy expert studying the aps says, “Although they are marketed as something that will enhance your mental health and well-being, they specialize in delivering dependency, loneliness, and toxicity, all while prying as much data as possible from you.”

Digi AI girlfriend

FTC: Data Broker Sells ‘Staggering’ Amount of Sensitive Info on Americans

A recently unsealed court filing by the FTC accuses massive data broker of Kochava of selling a “staggering” amount of sensitive information on Americans gathered from a wide variety of sources including smartphone apps. Data brokers like Kochava promise their customers a “360-Degree perspective” on individuals, which the government alleges happens without the consent of consumers.

spy with binoculars

Identity Management Software Giant Okta Suffers Hack

Okta, an identity and authentication management software company whose products are widely used in business and education, has fallen victim to a security breach where hackers accessed sensitive customer information through its customer support management system.

Participant hold their laptops in front of an illuminated wall at the annual Chaos Compute

RICO Lawsuit: H&R Block, Facebook, and Google Passed Around Private Data ‘Like Candy’

A class action lawsuit has been filed against H&R Block, Facebook (now known as Meta), and Google, accusing the companies of scheming to illicitly install trackers on H&R Block’s website used scan and transmit sensitive tax data, which was allegedly used for targeted advertising and refining Facebook’s AI algorithms. As one attorney explained, “It’s like your income tax guy handing your pay stubs and tax returns over to a marketing firm.”

Mark Zuckerberg Facebook creepy smile

Sick and Twisted: Scammers Target Parents with AI-Generated Copies of Their Children Begging for Help

A sophisticated and twisted new phone scam is targeting parents in New York City, with fraudsters utilizing advanced AI to mimic the distressed voices of their target’s children. One woman who was scammed by a call seeming to come from her 14-year-old daughter crying and claiming to have been arrested explains, “I’m aware it was really stupid – and I’m not a stupid person – but when you hear your child’s voice, screaming, crying, it just puts you on a different level.”

distressed woman on phone

State Department Emails Compromised by China Following Microsoft Hack

Hackers purportedly linked to the Chinese government infiltrated the State Department after hacking a Microsoft employee earlier this summer, pilfering around 60,000 emails from the inboxes of 10 employees, revealing sensitive information including travel itineraries and diplomatic deliberations.

Hacker in a dark hoody sitting in front of a notebook with digital Chinese flag background

Boss of Private Messaging App Signal Labels AI as ‘Surveillance Technology’

Meredith Whittaker, the president of private messaging app Signal, shed light on the intrinsic link between AI and Big Tech’s surveillance capitalism, emphasizing the profound implications of the technology on privacy and user data during her appearance at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023. Whittaker went so far as to label AI as “surveillance technology,” which may be why the Silicon Valley Masters of the Universe are rushing to integrate AI into everything they do.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg closeup