privacy News

Amazon Keeps Growing, and So Does Its Cache of Data on You

From what you buy online, to how you remember tasks, to when you monitor your doorstep, Amazon is seemingly everywhere. And it appears the company doesn’t want to halt its reach anytime soon. In recent weeks, Amazon has said it …

Meta Reaches $37.5 Million Settlement of Facebook Location Tracking Lawsuit

Meta Platforms Inc. reached a $37.5 million settlement of a lawsuit accusing the parent of Facebook of violating users’ privacy by tracking their movements through their smartphones without permission. A preliminary settlement of the proposed class action was filed on …

Data ‘Surveillance’ Crackdown Begins With FTC Privacy Pitch

The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public feedback on a proposed rulemaking to limit what it’s dubbed “commercial surveillance” by businesses that sell or share information collected about people, with potential new powers to levy fines for data protection violations. …

New Orleans Approves Some Police Use of Facial Recognition

The New Orleans City Council has reversed itself and approved police use of facial recognition software and cellphone surveillance towers to investigate violent crimes. The ordinance, approved by the council on a 4-to-2 vote Thursday, comes as killings in the …

California Social Media Addiction Bill Drops Parent Lawsuits

A first-of-its-kind proposal in the California Legislature aimed at holding social media companies responsible for harming children who have become addicted to their products would no longer let parents sue popular platforms like Instagram and TikTok. The revised proposal would …

Tech Giants Brace for Legal Mess of Abortion Data Subpoenas

Technology giants including Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Google, facing questions about whether they’d hand over users’ personal data to authorities pursuing evidence on abortion seekers, are bracing for the multi-state legal quagmire that will govern privacy in a post-Roe …

D.C. Sues Zuckerberg Over Cambridge Analytica Data Breach

The District of Columbia said it sued Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg for his alleged role in the data breach that allowed political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica to target Facebook users during the 2016 presidential election. A …

U.S. Cities Are Backing Off Banning Facial Recognition as Crime Rises

Facial recognition is making a comeback in the United States as bans to thwart the technology and curb racial bias in policing come under threat amid a surge in crime and increased lobbying from developers. Virginia in July will eliminate …

Face-Scanner Clearview Agrees to Limits in Court Settlement

Facial recognition startup Clearview AI has agreed to restrict the use of its massive collection of face images to settle allegations that it collected people’s photos without their consent. The company in a legal filing Monday agreed to permanently stop …

California State Bar Notifies 1,300 Identified in Data Breach

The State Bar of California has begun notifying individuals whose names appeared in more than 322,000 confidential attorney discipline records published online in a massive data breach. The State Bar said it will contact 1,300 complainants, witnesses or respondents whose …