A federal judge on Tuesday refused to bring back a class action lawsuit alleging four auto manufacturers had violated Washington state’s privacy laws by using vehicles’ on-board infotainment systems to record and intercept customers’ private text messages and mobile phone call logs.
Court rules automakers can record and intercept owner text messages
H/T: Steve Lehto
Report: Unregulated Data Brokers Sell Military Family Info For Pennies
“It is not difficult to obtain sensitive data about active-duty members of the military, their families, and veterans, including non-public, individually identified, and sensitive data, such as health data, financial data, and information about religious practices. The team bought this and other data from U.S. data brokers via a .org and a .asia domain for as low as $0.12 per record. Location data is also available, though the team did not purchase it.”
A shocking new report in the Texas Tribune reveals that state health officials illegally turned over 800 infant blood samples to a federal DNA database to be used not for medical research but forensic crime fighting.
Texas secretly gave newborns’ blood to federal DNA database
H/T: Steve Lehto
Previously:
Without informed consent from newborns’ parents, officials must destroy blood samples, lawsuit says
Civil rights group sues New Jersey to stop secret storage, use of baby blood spots
The Air Force is investigating whether children who live at New Mexico’s Cannon Air Force Base are more likely to develop brain cancer than those at other installations.
Air Force investigating potential brain cancer cluster at Cannon AFB
Related:
Dueling Digital Dollar Bills Debated in Congressional Hearing on U.S. CBDC
Will Citizens’ Distrust of Government Surveillance Stop CBDCs?
But the eNaira launch came nine months after the CBN effectively banned cryptocurrencies, which were used to fund anti-police brutality protests that swept the country in late 2020. The CBN claimed crypto jeopardized the financial system and could be used to fund terrorism and froze protestors’ bank accounts.
The cyber defense teams monito crucial networks in allied countries. US cyber chief Gen. Paul Nakasone also said the NSA is centralizing AI-related missions.
‘Hunt Forward’ cyber teams have deployed to 24 countries, including Ukraine
Related:
NSA to stand up AI security center
Securing artificial intelligence entails “protecting AI systems from learning, doing, and revealing the wrong thing,” he said. “We must build a robust understanding of AI vulnerabilities, foreign intelligence threats to these AI systems, and ways to encounter the threat in order to have AI security. We must also ensure that malicious foreign actors can’t steal America’s innovative AI capabilities.”
…
Asked about AI—including deepfakes—influencing voting in the upcoming 2024 U.S. general election, Nakasone said people need to practice vigilance, and that his team is making sure they “understand the threat techniques of our adversaries”—which the center will help them do
from the look,-we-honestly-thought-no-one-would-keep-asking-questions dept
Thu, Sep 28th 2023 10:41am – Tim CushingTwo years ago, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its initial review of federal use of facial recognition tech. That report found that at least half of the 20 agencies examined were using Clearview’s controversial facial recognition tech.
Oversight Report Finds Several Federal Agencies Are Still Using Clearview’s Facial Recognition Tech
For all the (mostly misleading) talk of the US government having too much say in content moderation decisions, this move would literally put US government officials effectively in control of content moderation decisions for TikTok. Apparently the thinking is “welp, it’s better than the Chinese government.” But… that doesn’t mean it’s good. Or constitutional.
…
Honestly, what this reads as is the moral panic over China and TikTok so eating the brains of US officials that rather than saying “hey, we should have privacy laws that block this,” they thought instead “hey, that would be cool if we could just do all the things we accuse China of doing, but where we pull the strings.”
…
So, look, if we’re going to talk about US government influence over content moderation choices, why aren’t we talking much more about this?
Related:
TikTok and U.S. rekindle negotiations, boosting app’s hopes for survival
CFIUS monitoring agencies, including the departments of Justice, Treasury and Defense, would have the right to access TikTok facilities at any time and overrule its policies or contracting decisions. CFIUS would also set the rules for all new company hires, including that they must be U.S. citizens, must consent to additional background checks and could be denied the job at any time.
A Draft Of TikTok’s Plan To Avoid A Ban Gives The U.S. Government Unprecedented Oversight Power
The left-wing government of Germany has passed a controversial new “green” heating law that will force at least 65 percent of all new installed heating systems to be “renewable” energy.
Germany passes impossible “green” heating legislation that will cost economy $1 TRILLION
Related:
Germany Heating Law: How the Building Energy Act Became So Controversial
“If we really want to tackle climate change, the state has to interfere more in what had been private issues because we have to change our behavior,” Römmele said.
Germany mandates switch to heating via renewables with Building Energy Act amendment
The focus of the amendment is on new heating systems, as these are used for an average of 20 to 30 years and the government wants to ensure they are low carbon from the outset. Existing heating systems, however, can continue to be operated as before. This is a compromise reached in the legislative process to mitigate the economic hardships otherwise caused by the amendment.
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
You must be logged in to post a comment.