6 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Privacy

As gadgets and services get smarter, they need more data, and face the hard problem of keeping it safe. Data privacy has become a huge problem for Google, Facebook, Amazon, and any company using artificial intelligence to power its services — and a major sticking point for lawmakers looking to regulate. Here’s all the news on data privacy and how it’s changing tech.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
The problem with custom AI chatbots.

While it might be fun to interact with Character.AI’s user-created chatbots, a report from Wired shows the challenges of taking down chatbots that impersonate people without their consent, including a teen who was murdered in 2006:

Given that Character.AI can sometimes take a week to investigate and remove a persona that violates the platform’s terms, a bot can still operate for long enough to upset someone whose likeness is being used. But it might not be enough for a person to claim real “harm” from a legal perspective, experts say.

Anyone Can Turn You Into an AI Chatbot. There's Little You Can Do to Stop Them

[WIRED]

How to lock any app with Face ID on an iPhone using iOS 18How to lock any app with Face ID on an iPhone using iOS 18
Marriott agrees to pay $52 million settlement after multiple data breachesMarriott agrees to pay $52 million settlement after multiple data breaches
Data breach leaks SSNs of over 230,000 Comcast customersData breach leaks SSNs of over 230,000 Comcast customers
Wes Davis
Wes Davis
Texas is suing TikTok for sharing minors’ personal data.

State Attorney General Ken Paxton alleges that TikTok has violated the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act by not giving parents control of their kids’ privacy and account settings, writes Reuters. TikTok denied the allegations in a statement to The Texas Tribune.

TikTok A federal judge blocked part of the act requiring large social networks to stop harmful content from reaching minors just prior to the law taking effect on September 1st.

Texas sues TikTok for violating children's privacy

[Reuters]

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Mozilla on the future of advertising and privacy.

In a blog post, Mozilla president Mark Surman writes about the organization’s plans to fix the “fundamentally broken” online advertising industry:

We have the beginnings of a theory on what fixing it might look like — a mix of different business practices, technology, products, and public policy engagements. And we have started to do work on all of these fronts.

You can read Mozilla’s full plan in the post linked below.

A free and open internet shouldn’t come at the expense of privacy | The Mozilla Blog

[The Mozilla Blog]

The feds still can’t get into Eric Adams’ phoneThe feds still can’t get into Eric Adams’ phone
College students used Meta’s smart glasses to dox people in real timeCollege students used Meta’s smart glasses to dox people in real time
Don’t ever hand your phone to the copsDon’t ever hand your phone to the cops
Telegram will now hand over your phone number and IP if you’re a criminal suspectTelegram will now hand over your phone number and IP if you’re a criminal suspect
The FTC says social media companies can’t be trusted to regulate themselvesThe FTC says social media companies can’t be trusted to regulate themselves
Snapchat’s AI selfie feature puts your face in personalized ads — here’s how to turn it offSnapchat’s AI selfie feature puts your face in personalized ads — here’s how to turn it off
Instagram is putting every teen into a more private and restrictive new accountInstagram is putting every teen into a more private and restrictive new account
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Your public Facebook and Instagram posts were used to train Meta’s AI models.

With exceptions for users under 18, posts that weren’t set to public, or EU accounts that opted out.

Now ABC reports on Australian senator David Shoebridge’s question to Meta’s global privacy director, Melinda Claybaugh.

Shoebridge: “...Meta has just decided that you will scrape all of the photos and all of the texts from every public post on Instagram or Facebook since 2007, unless there was a conscious decision to set them on private. That’s the reality, isn’t it?”

Claybaugh: “Correct.”

Facebook admits to scraping every Australian adult user's public photos and posts to train AI, with no opt-out option

[ABC News]

Telegram disables ‘misused’ features as CEO faces criminal chargesTelegram disables ‘misused’ features as CEO faces criminal charges
Snapchat’s ‘disappearing’ messages make it easy for predators to target kids, state lawsuit allegesSnapchat’s ‘disappearing’ messages make it easy for predators to target kids, state lawsuit alleges
Dutch regulator slaps Clearview AI with $33 million fine and threatens executive liabilityDutch regulator slaps Clearview AI with $33 million fine and threatens executive liability
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
An alarming number of kids say their friends generate nudes of classmates with AI.

As reported by 404 Media, a survey from the anti-human trafficking nonprofit Thorn revealed that 1 in 10 minors said they knew of peers who used AI to create nudes of other kids:

While the motivation behind these events is more likely driven by adolescents acting out than an intent to sexually abuse, the resulting harms to victims are real and should not be minimized in attempts to wave off responsibility.

In March, two Florida teens were arrested for creating deepfake nudes of classmates.

1 in 10 Minors Say Their Friends Use AI to Generate Nudes of Other Kids, Survey Finds

[404 Media]

Google has to face a class action lawsuit over Chrome’s data collectionGoogle has to face a class action lawsuit over Chrome’s data collection
Plaintext passwords may have struck againPlaintext passwords may have struck again
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Proton says iPhone users in Brazil can’t download its VPN app.

The company doesn’t know if the issue is related to an App Store bug, or if Apple is “secretly implementing a censorship order,” as it’s apparently affecting “multiple other VPNs” on iOS in Brazil.

On Saturday, X shut down its operations in Brazil over claims the government gave it secret “censorship orders.”

National Public Data admits it leaked Social Security numbers in a massive data breachNational Public Data admits it leaked Social Security numbers in a massive data breach
Google Pixel phones sold with security vulnerability, report findsGoogle Pixel phones sold with security vulnerability, report finds
Signal has been blocked by Venezuela and RussiaSignal has been blocked by Venezuela and Russia
US sues TikTok for collecting kids’ data without parents’ permissionUS sues TikTok for collecting kids’ data without parents’ permission
Meta to pay $1.4 billion settlement with Texas over facial recognition and photo tagsMeta to pay $1.4 billion settlement with Texas over facial recognition and photo tags
Customs agents need a warrant to search your phone nowCustoms agents need a warrant to search your phone now
Kamala Harris hasn’t said a lot about tech policy, but here’s what we know

This is what we’ve pieced together about her views on AI, privacy, antitrust and more.

Justine Calma, Kylie Robison and 2 more
Google’s plan to turn off third-party cookies in Chrome is dyingGoogle’s plan to turn off third-party cookies in Chrome is dying
Man convicted of ‘sextortion’ of more than 100 children on Omegle, Snapchat, and TikTokMan convicted of ‘sextortion’ of more than 100 children on Omegle, Snapchat, and TikTok
The FBI got into the Trump rally shooter’s phone in just 40 minutesThe FBI got into the Trump rally shooter’s phone in just 40 minutes
Elizabeth Lopatto
Elizabeth Lopatto
It is fully 2024 and J. D. Vance’s Venmo is still public.

Apparently J. D. Vance didn’t read my PSA about Venmo. Among his contacts? The elites he claims to loathe, execs from Anthropic and AOL, lobbyists, Tucker Carlson, and the people pushing Project 2025.

J.D. Vance Left His Venmo Public. Here’s What It Shows

[WIRED]

The app that promised to ‘use AI to weed out daters with STIs’ has been shut downThe app that promised to ‘use AI to weed out daters with STIs’ has been shut down
It’s never been easier for the cops to break into your phone

The FBI said it ‘gained access’ to the Trump rally shooter’s phone just two days after the attempted assassination.

Gaby Del Valle
Heritage Foundation insists it was not hacked by ‘gay furries’Heritage Foundation insists it was not hacked by ‘gay furries’
Early Apple tech bloggers are shocked to find their name and work have been AI-zombifiedEarly Apple tech bloggers are shocked to find their name and work have been AI-zombified
Meta will soon let young kids chat in VR — but only with their parents’ approvalMeta will soon let young kids chat in VR — but only with their parents’ approval
The aftermath of the Supreme Court’s NetChoice ruling

Here’s what the SCOTUS decision might mean for everything from kids online safety laws to the TikTok ‘ban.’

Lauren Feiner
Google’s dark web monitoring service will soon be free for all usersGoogle’s dark web monitoring service will soon be free for all users
FTC says anonymous messaging app failed to stop ‘rampant cyberbullying’FTC says anonymous messaging app failed to stop ‘rampant cyberbullying’

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