Tag: Data Privacy

Meta announced the purchase of Moltbook, a niche social platform built for autonomous AI agents, as part of its intensified push into artificial intelligence. The Moltbook team will join Meta’s Superintelligence labs, but the company has offered no details on how the technology will be used. Industry observers warn that integrating a network where AI agents communicate freely could expose Meta’s massive user base on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to new security risks, reviving concerns about the firm’s handling of personal data. Leggi di più

Anthropic has begun rolling out identity verification for users of its Claude chatbot, requiring a government‑issued photo ID and a selfie in limited cases. The verification is handled by third‑party Persona, whose investors include Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. While the company says the step targets fraudulent or abusive activity, many subscribers balk at the added biometric check, citing privacy concerns and the service’s ties to government surveillance firms. Anthropic maintains the data will be encrypted, not stored, and will never train its models. Leggi di più

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has opened a formal investigation into OpenAI and its ChatGPT chatbot, citing concerns about national security, data handling and potential real‑world harms. The probe, which may include subpoenas, comes as the AI firm prepares for a possible initial public offering and faces heightened scrutiny from regulators and investors. Leggi di più

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has released a report on “agentic AI,” systems that act on a consumer’s behalf for activities such as shopping or insurance hunting. While the technology promises convenience and cost savings, the CMA flags a range of risks, including biased recommendations, hallucinated information, over‑reliance, algorithmic pricing collusion, data‑privacy concerns, and lock‑in to closed ecosystems. The regulator stresses that businesses remain fully responsible for outcomes, and calls for transparent practices, strong interoperability standards, secure digital identities, and clear consumer consent mechanisms before the market fully embraces autonomous digital assistants. Leggi di più

OpenAI has entered a new contract with the U.S. Department of Defense that critics say leaves room for the technology to be used in mass domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons. The agreement follows Anthropic’s loss of a $200 million Pentagon contract after refusing such uses. While OpenAI removed a 2023 ban on military applications and signed a deal with Anduril for national‑security purposes, experts warn that current regulations lag behind AI advances, risking privacy violations for everyday citizens. Leggi di più

OpenAI has signed a contract with the U.S. Department of War, prompting a wave of criticism from ChatGPT users and industry observers. After Anthropic turned down a similar deal over safety concerns, OpenAI announced its agreement, claiming it includes stronger safeguards. Many users are canceling their ChatGPT subscriptions, moving to alternatives like Claude, and posting guides on how to remove their data. Critics accuse OpenAI of abandoning ethical standards, while the company insists its contract contains “red lines” to prevent misuse. The controversy has fueled a broader debate about AI safety, surveillance, and autonomous weapons. Leggi di più

OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Health, a dedicated health‑focused tab within the ChatGPT app that offers users a safer way to ask medical questions, review lab results, and organize health information. The feature uses the same large language model as standard ChatGPT but adds stricter limits, physician‑reviewed responses, and extra encryption to protect sensitive data. It can sync with apps such as Apple Health and upload documents, yet it does not replace professional diagnosis or treatment. OpenAI stresses that the tool is for consumer wellness and is not HIPAA‑covered, while acknowledging ongoing risks like hallucinations and the need for user caution. Leggi di più

Organizations adopting AI face a paradox: powerful AI models need massive compute, yet the hyperscalers that provide it often cannot guarantee that sensitive data remains protected or compliant. To resolve this tension, many are turning to sovereign‑first cloud architectures, hybrid and multi‑cloud deployments, and zero‑copy designs that keep data within national borders and under strict control. These approaches aim to balance the need for scalable AI compute with evolving privacy regulations and the emerging security challenges of AI agents. Leggi di più

Leading web‑scraping companies say their bots only collect publicly available information, despite lawsuits from major platforms. Executives from Bright Data, ScrapingBee and Oxylabs stress compliance with open‑web principles and note legitimate uses such as cybersecurity and investigative journalism. The growing demand for AI‑trained data has spurred a new market, with over 40 firms offering bots for AI training and a nascent marketing approach called generative engine optimization. Industry leaders predict this trend will intensify through 2026, creating both opportunities and challenges for publishers and regulators. Leggi di più

Britain’s data protection watchdog has opened a formal investigation into X and its subsidiary xAI after reports that the Grok chatbot generated millions of sexually explicit AI images, including many that appear to depict minors. The inquiry focuses on possible breaches of the General Data Protection Regulation, examining whether the companies failed to implement adequate safeguards to prevent the creation and distribution of non‑consensual deepfakes. Officials warn that violations could trigger fines of up to £17.5 million or 4 % of global turnover, and lawmakers are calling for stronger AI legislation. Leggi di più

OpenAI is planning to charge roughly $60 per 1,000 views for ads on ChatGPT, about three times the rate Meta typically charges. Early advertisers will receive only high‑level metrics such as total views and clicks, without detailed user‑action data. The first ads are slated to appear in the coming weeks for users on the free and lower‑tier Go plans, with exclusions for users under 18 and conversations about mental health or politics. OpenAI maintains that it will not sell user data to advertisers and will keep conversations private. Leggi di più

Apps such as Cheaterbuster and CheatEye allow users to upload a name or a photo and, using facial‑recognition technology and public data, locate a person's dating profile on services like Tinder. The services charge a fee per search and have been shown to locate profiles accurately in tests. Privacy experts warn that the practice violates user consent, may be inaccurate, and raises concerns about bias and data protection laws such as GDPR. Tinder has not commented, and lawmakers are being urged to address the growing surveillance trend. Leggi di più

A Deloitte survey of U.S. consumers shows that while more than half are experimenting with or regularly using generative AI, a majority also express strong worries about privacy and security. About four in ten respondents pay for AI services, yet concerns about data misuse, inaccurate results, and companies’ focus on competition over problem solving persist. Users increasingly verify AI outputs and remain reluctant to share personal data, highlighting a trust gap that tech firms must address. Leggi di più

Slack is testing a redesigned Slackbot that leverages generative AI to help users with common work tasks. The new bot can draft project plans, highlight daily priorities, analyze reports, and retrieve information across integrated services such as Google Drive, Salesforce, and OneDrive. Available as a beta to tens of thousands of users, the feature is slated for a broader release later this year. Slack also notes that the AI can generate channel recaps, thread summaries, and writing assistance in Canvas, while allowing organizations to opt out of using chat data for model training. Leggi di più

Google Gemini is positioning itself as a direct competitor to OpenAI's ChatGPT by offering deep integration across Google services, real‑time information access, and native support for files, images, and audio. The assistant operates within Chrome, Android, Workspace, and other Google products, allowing users to ask questions about PDFs, Docs, images, and short audio clips without extra steps. Gemini also taps into Google’s vast data ecosystem, offers image generation through the Nano Banana model, and can orchestrate tasks across Maps, messaging, and calendars. While praised for its polished design and multimodal capabilities, some users voice concerns about data privacy. Visits to Gemini have risen sharply, indicating growing interest. Leggi di più

Imgur has blocked its image‑hosting service for users in the United Kingdom, displaying a regional restriction notice. The move follows a warning from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) that it intends to levy fines after an investigation into Imgur’s handling of children’s data, age‑verification practices and overall privacy protection. Regulators emphasized that the suspension is a commercial decision by Imgur but does not shield the company from potential penalties. The ICO’s heightened enforcement mirrors recent actions against other platforms, including a multibillion‑dollar fine for TikTok and scrutiny of Snapchat’s AI chatbot. Leggi di più

Anthropic announced that it will begin using user conversations and coding sessions from its Claude chatbot to train future large language models, unless users actively opt out. The policy change, detailed in an updated privacy notice, also extends data retention from thirty days to five years. New users encounter an opt‑in toggle during sign‑up, while existing users see a pop‑up prompting a choice. Users can manage the setting at any time under Privacy Settings by disabling the “Help improve Claude” switch. Commercial‑tier accounts remain exempt from the new training policy. Leggi di più

OpenAI is rolling out a suite of parental safety tools for teenagers using ChatGPT. The new features let parents receive notifications if a teen discusses self‑harm or suicide, restrict exposure to graphic or mature content, set usage time windows, and opt out of data training. These measures arrive amid lawsuits alleging the chatbot contributed to a teen's death and follow a similar tragedy involving another AI platform. OpenAI says the updates aim to provide age‑appropriate experiences while balancing teen privacy, and the company expects other AI firms to adopt comparable safeguards. Leggi di più

OpenAI has launched parental controls for ChatGPT, allowing parents to link their accounts with teen accounts to set safeguards. Features include default reduction of sensitive content, the ability to limit memory retention, quiet hours, and the option to disable voice and image generation. Parents can also decide whether a teen's chats are used to improve future models. Account linking requires mutual consent, and parents do not gain direct access to chat content except in rare safety‑risk situations. The rollout aims to provide stronger safety measures for younger users while preserving user privacy. Leggi di più

ChatGPT excels at drafting questions, translating jargon, and offering basic explanations, but it falls short when asked to diagnose health conditions, provide mental‑health support, make emergency safety decisions, handle personalized finance or tax planning, process confidential data, or create legally binding documents. The model also cannot be trusted for cheating‑related tasks, real‑time news monitoring, gambling advice, or original artistic creation. Users are urged to treat the AI as a supplemental tool rather than a replacement for professionals in these high‑risk areas. Leggi di più