- The Guardian – Huawei ‘may have eavesdropped on Dutch mobile network’s calls’
The Chinese telecoms equipment supplier Huawei was able to monitor all calls made on one of the Netherlands’ largest mobile phone networks, according to a confidential report seen by the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant.
“We have never been accused by government bodies of acting in an unauthorised way,” it said.
- The Guardian – US police and public officials donated to Kyle Rittenhouse, data breach reveals
A data breach at a Christian crowdfunding website has revealed that serving police officers and public officials have donated money to fundraisers for accused vigilante murderers, far-right activists, and fellow officers accused of shooting black Americans.
The breach, shared with journalists by transparency group Distributed Denial of Secrets, revealed the details of some donors who had previously attempted to conceal their identities using GiveSendGo’s anonymity feature, but whose identifying details the website preserved.
- NYT – Mark Zuckerberg is urged to scrap plans for an Instagram for children.
An international coalition of 35 children’s and consumer groups called on Instagram on Thursday to scrap its plans to develop a version of the popular photo-sharing app for users under age 13.
“While collecting valuable family data and cultivating a new generation of Instagram users may be good for Facebook’s bottom line,” the groups, led by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood in Boston, said in the letter to Mr. Zuckerberg, “it will likely increase the use of Instagram by young children who are particularly vulnerable to the platform’s manipulative and exploitative features.”
- protocol – ICE and DHS use Clearview AI, but won’t say how. They’re being sued for an answer.
The ACLU of Northern California and immigrant advocacy groups Just Futures Law, the Immigrant Defense Project and Mijente have filed suit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection to gain access to any documents that show how and if they use Clearview AI's facial recognition software, after the government agencies did not respond to Freedom of Information Act requests.
- WaPo- California lawsuit against Chinese tech giant raises a thorny question: Can the plaintiffs remain anonymous?
A group of anonymous Californian plaintiffs suing the owner of a Chinese mobile app for alleged censorship and surveillance are clashing with defense lawyers about whether they need to identify themselves to the defense team.
Users of the WeChat app filed a lawsuit against Chinese tech giant Tencent in state court in January, alleging that the company’s practices violate their free-speech and privacy rights.
- The Markup – Big Tech Is Pushing States to Pass Privacy Laws, and Yes, You Should Be Suspicious
Concerned about growing momentum behind efforts to regulate the commercial use of personal data, Big Tech has begun seeding watered-down “privacy” legislation in states with the goal of preempting greater protections, experts say.
“The effort to push through weaker bills is to demonstrate to businesses and to Congress that there are weaker options,” said Ashkan Soltani, a former chief technologist for the Federal Trade Commission who helped author the California legislation.
- PVDN – Mexico Will Require New Cell Phone Users to Provide Biometric Data to The Government
The Mexican Senate approved a controversial bill that would create a nationwide registry of cell phone users, which will be mandatory for all new cell phone users and contain each person’s biometric data.
The main objective of the reform, according to the bill, is to stop the crimes of extortion and kidnappings that, in many cases, are committed from prisons, through cell phones that enter clandestinely to prisons.
- Reuters – U.S. banks deploy AI to monitor customers, workers amid tech backlash
Several U.S. banks have started deploying camera software that can analyze customer preferences, monitor workers and spot people sleeping near ATMs, even as they remain wary about possible backlash over increased surveillance, more than a dozen banking and technology sources told Reuters.
"We're already leveraging facial recognition on mobile," he said. "Why not leverage it in the real world?"
- Reuters – Google misled consumers over data collection – Australian watchdog
Australia's federal court found Google misled some consumers about personal location data collected through Android mobile devices, the country's competition regulator said on Friday.
"This is an important victory for consumers, especially anyone concerned about their privacy online, as the Court’s decision sends a strong message to Google and others that big businesses must not mislead their customers,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said in a statement.
- Reuters – U.S. House committee approves blueprint for Big Tech crackdown
The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee has formally approved a report accusing Big Tech companies of buying or crushing smaller firms, Representative David Cicilline’s office said in a statement Thursday.
"Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook each hold monopoly power over significant sectors of our economy. This monopoly moment must end," Cicilline said in a statement.