Meta pays $1.4B Privacy Settlement and Argentina Plans to Predict Future Crimes (Issue 36, 2024)
Meta pays $1.4B Privacy Settlement and Argentina Plans to Predict Future Crimes (Issue 36, 2024)
X (Twitter) also in Trouble with the EU while El Salvador Helps Russia Skirt US Sanctions..
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In this edition:
New York’s Online Child Safety Legislation Becomes Law
X Sued for Training Grok AI on EU Users Without Consent
NFL Rolls Out Facial Recognition
El Salvador Proposes Bitcoin-based Trade with Russia
Argentina Plans to use AI for “Predictive Policing”
Meta Settles $1.4B Privacy Lawsuit vs. Texas
Over 4 Million Social Security Numbers Stolen in Data Breach
Live Facial Recognition in UK Proposed after Civil Unrest
New York’s Online Child Safety Legislation becomes Law
Two new pieces of legislation from the State of New York aim to protect children online and were recently turned into law. The longevity of these laws has already been called into question however as advocacy groups like the New York chapter of the ACLU believe at least one of the new laws may violate the US Constitution.
The focus of the NY ACLU’s concern is the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) Act that, “Requires social media companies to restrict feeds on their platforms for users under 18 unless parental consent is granted, and prohibits companies from sending notifications regarding feeds to minors from 12.00am to 6.00am.” The NY ACLU believes this law violates the First Amendment and is very likely to be struck down if or when it is challenged in court.
The second law, titled New York Child Data Protection Act, has been met with less push-back as it, “Prohibits online sites from collecting, using, sharing or selling personal data of anyone under the age of 18, unless they receive informed consent or unless doing so is necessary for the purpose of the website”.
There are still critics of the second bill though, and according to NetChoice’s Vice President and General Counsel Carl Szabo, “New York has created a way for the government to track what sites people visit and their online activity by forcing websites to censor all content unless visitors provide an ID to verify their age.”
X Sued for Training Grok AI on EU Users without Consent
Starting last month, X (formerly Twitter) began scooping user data to train Grok AI. Additionally, the only opt-out required users to login to X on a web browser and then find a buried setting that disables Grok’s use of their data.
For users in the EU, the approach taken by X immediately raised concern and within weeks the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) had filed for an injunction against X’s data collection. It also appeared likely that the DPC will refer this case to the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) after the injunction stops the data collection.
This is far from X’s only EU data violation as a court case in the Netherlands regarding shadow banning just went against the social media company and there are rumblings from the European Commission saying that they, “…suspect X of breaching the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA).”
NFL Rolls Out Facial Recognition
Following a pilot program in 6 stadiums last year, the National Football League (NFL) will be using facial recognition tech at all 32 team stadiums to, “…regulate access to high-security zones including locker rooms, the press box, and, of course, the playing field”.
The technology roll out will primarily affect staff, vendors and press who work at the stadiums and access high security areas. It is estimated that thousands of people will need to be integrated into the facial recognition system, and this process, along with ongoing use of the tech, worries privacy advocates.
According to the Minnesota ACLU, use of facial recognition technology, “Intensifies racial and gender discrimination because it is more frequently inaccurate when identifying people of color, women and non-binary individuals.” Also of concern is the tracking of people’s locations and who may have access to this sensitive data.
El Salvador Proposes Bitcoin-based Trade with Russia
For any country that uses the US dollar, trading with US sanctioned entities like Russia can be quite difficult. El Salvador’s latest approach however, may set a precedent for countries to skirt the US financial influence.
Confirmed by Russia’s embassy in Nicaragua, El Salvador has proposed using Bitcoin as a medium-of-trade with Russia, which would by-pass the need for US dollars altogether. Additionally, El Salvador may be considering an application to BRICS, the economic alliance headed by Russia that includes Brazil, China, and India among others.
Argentina Plans to use AI for “Predictive Policing”
In late July, Argentina’s Ministry of Security established the Artificial Intelligence Unit Applied to Security (UIAAS) and tasked them with, “…integrating artificial intelligence into crime investigations, including analyzing camera footage with real-time facial recognition, drone surveillance and scanning social media”.
In something straight out of a Hollywood movie, the new security unit will also, “…be applying machine learning to analyze historical crime data to predict future crimes, collecting data to create suspect profiles or identify links between different cases as well as scouring the Dark Web and preventing cyber-attacks.”
Cele, an Argentinian based digital rights organization, has stated that, “The opacity in the acquisition and implementation of technologies and the lack of accountability are worrying. In the past, these technologies have been used to profile academics, journalists, politicians and activists.”
The past abuses Cele are likely referring to include the facial recognition system previously used in Buenos Aires that was shut down in 2022 after a court declared it unconstitutional. The authorities behind the system were found to be using it in cases of wrongful arrests and making attempts to track journalists and rights activists.
Meta Settles $1.4B Privacy Lawsuit vs. Texas
Most Texans will tell you that everything is just bigger in their state, and the recent $1.4B settlement from Facebook appears to confirm this folksy braggadocio applies to their legal system as well.
Originally filed in 2022 by the state of Texas, the suit alleged that Meta, “…was in violation of a state law that prohibits capturing or selling a resident’s biometric information, such as their face or fingerprint, without their consent.” The Texas suit came on the heels of Meta shutting down their facial recognition system in 2021 as a response to growing controversy regarding governments, police and other entities misuse.
Texas attorney general Ken Paxton commented on the outcome of the lawsuit, stating that, “This historic settlement demonstrates our commitment to standing up to the world’s biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans’ privacy rights.”
Over 4 Million Social Security Numbers Stolen in Data Breach
American health savings account (HSA) provider HealthEquity has disclosed a data breach affecting millions of people’s highly sensitive information. The breach occurred after a HealthEquity partner’s credentials were compromised and hackers used the credentials to access a database containing customer’s personal data.
The stolen data unfortunately included full names, home addresses, telephone numbers, employer and employee IDs, Social Security numbers, general dependent information and partial payment card information.
So far no hackers have claimed responsibility for the breach and none of the stolen data has been leaked online, which is unusual in lucrative (for the hackers) breaches such as this. For those who had HealthEquity HSA’s, notifications will apparently be mailed to affected customers and all HealthEquity users are advised to be on the lookout for phishing communication making use of their stolen data.
Live Facial Recognition in UK Proposed after Riots
In a response to the recent rioting and civil disobedience taking place in the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer proposed expanding the live facial recognition technology currently used by the Metropolitan and South Wales police.
Facing immediate push-back to the proposal from privacy and digital rights advocates, Big Brother Watch’s director Silkie Carlo commented, “Expanding live facial recognition means millions of innocent Britons being subjected to automated ID checks. These are the surveillance tactics of China and Russia and Starmer seems ignorant of the civil liberties implications.”
Adding to the criticism, Daragh Murray, a senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, said: “There is a clear danger that in responding to a tragedy and public unrest we expand and entrench police surveillance without appropriate scrutiny. Given that the police have responded to disorder and riots for decades, why is facial recognition needed now?”
That concludes this edition of Your Worldwide INTERNET REPORT!
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This issue of Your Worldwide INTERNET REPORT was written by Matt Millen of WillenRimer; Edited by Suzie Dawson; Graphics by K4t4rt; with production support by Beth Bracken.
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