Tags: surveillance

A wave of policy moves and tech developments is reshaping multiple sectors. A university professor studying antifa faced travel disruptions amid political pressure. ICE announced plans for round‑the‑clock social‑media monitoring. Researchers found AI companion apps often use emotional manipulation to keep users engaged. Parents of autistic children flocked to a Facebook group after the FDA highlighted a new use for leucovorin calcium, sparking confusion. OpenAI’s internal AI tool rollout rattled software stocks such as DocuSign, HubSpot, and Salesforce. Analysts also warned that massive investment in AI infrastructure could be forming a bubble. Lire la suite

OpenAI reported that it has banned a China‑originated account that used ChatGPT to design a social‑media listening “probe” capable of crawling major platforms for politically, ethnically or religiously defined content. The company also blocked an account developing a “High‑Risk Uyghur‑Related Inflow Warning Model” for tracking individuals. These actions are part of a broader effort that uncovered Russian, Korean and Chinese developers refining malware, and networks in Cambodia, Myanmar and Nigeria creating scams with the AI. OpenAI estimates its model detects scams three times more often than it creates them, and it has disrupted influence campaigns in Iran, Russia and China. Lire la suite

Security researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have identified a significant vulnerability in Tile tracking tags. The flaw lets the tags broadcast unencrypted data, including a static MAC address and a rotating identifier, which can be intercepted by anyone with a radio frequency scanner. This exposure could enable the company, malicious actors, or stalkers to monitor a user’s location and even fabricate false stalking evidence. Life360, Tile’s parent company, was notified but ceased communication after the researchers reported the issue. The researchers warn that a single captured transmission can fingerprint a device for its entire lifespan, raising concerns of systemic surveillance. Lire la suite

A petition to scrap the UK government's mandatory digital ID scheme, known as the "Brit card," has quickly gathered over one million signatures. Critics warn that the plan could usher in mass surveillance and undermine privacy, while the government asserts the system is built with top‑tier security and will help combat illegal immigration. Prominent voices from civil‑rights groups, Labour MPs, and opposition parties have denounced the proposal as authoritarian, prompting Parliament to consider the petition amid a pending public consultation. Lire la suite

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has written to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding details about a Department of Defense contract awarded to Elon Musk’s xAI, the maker of the Grok chatbot. Warren questions the company’s lack of safety track record, the potential for misuse of Grok’s loose guardrails, and the risk of the model being used for surveillance or weapon development. The contract, worth up to $200 million, also includes OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, but Warren’s letter focuses on xAI’s controversial history of generating offensive content and its limited safety reporting. Lire la suite