U.S. Privacy And World Privacy News
Justice Alito temporarily allows White House to continue censorship requests with social media firms:
Judicial Watch Sues Director of National Intelligence for Records on Social Media Censorship:
https://www.judicialwatch.org/sues-national-intelligence-social-media-censorship/
Censored and Controlled: Judicial Watch
https://www.judicialwatch.org/censored-and-controlled/
Republican lawmaker uses Israel-Hamas conflict to demand social media censor websites:
https://pallone.house.gov/media/press-releases/pallone-demands-social-media-platforms-take-immediate-action-against-spread
Internet Censorship, Everywhere All at Once:
https://brownstone.org/articles/internet-censorship-everywhere-all-at-once/
NEFAC, National Press Advocates Demand Info on FBI Raid of Journalist’s Home:
He's Going to Prison for Twitter Trolling. That's Not Justice:
https://reason.com/2023/10/20/hes-going-to-prison-for-twitter-trolling-thats-not-justice/
Background check company (Kentech Consulting) can’t dodge claims their inaccurate report got somebody fired:
https://www.courthousenews.com/background-check-company-cant-dodge-claims-their-inaccurate-report-got-somebody-fired/
https://www.ekentech.com/
Your Personal Information Is Probably Being Used to Train Generative AI Models:
Web crawlers and scrapers can easily access data from just about anywhere that’s not behind a login page. Social media profiles set to private aren’t included. But data that are viewable in a search engine or without logging into a site, such as a public LinkedIn profile, might still be vacuumed up, Dodge says. Then, he adds, “there’s the kinds of things that absolutely end up in these Web scrapes”—including blogs, personal webpages and company sites. This includes anything on popular photograph-sharing site Flickr, online marketplaces, voter registration databases, government webpages, Wikipedia, Reddit, research repositories, news outlets and academic institutions. Plus, there are pirated content compilations and Web archives, which often contain data that have since been removed from their original location on the Web. And scraped databases do not go away. “If there was text scraped from a public website in 2018, that’s forever going to be available, whether [the site or post has] been taken down or not,” Jesse Dodge of the nonprofit Allen Institute for AI said.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/your-personal-information-is-probably-being-used-to-train-generative-ai-models
It’s Time To Overhaul FOIA:
"Forcing agencies to take ownership over FOIA request backlogs, including consequences for noncompliance, would incentivize compliance. Reform could include limiting non-essential travel, such as conference attendance, unless FOIA request backlogs are caught up. Also, forcing the agencies to participate more actively in FOIA noncompliance litigation, rather than passing off the litigation to the Department of Justice, would force the agencies to take ownership of FOIA compliance.Another problem is inconsistency among agencies, which lends credence to concerns of arbitrary hurdles being erected that reduce transparency. The same request can be sent to two different agencies. One response may be forthcoming, while the other restricts access to the same types of records. A simple solution could be an estoppel system whereby when one agency responds to a particular record, precedent is set for that type of record for all federal agencies."
https://realclearwire.com/articles/2023/10/16/its_time_to_overhaul_foia__149900.html
Mass. police officer: Backpage ads weren’t clear prostitution
https://www.courthousenews.com/backpage-ads-werent-clear-prostitution-police-officer-testifies/
26 AGs take issue with proposal shifting to electric-dominant vehicles:
DISGUSTED: Judge Won't Prohibit Google From Collecting Health Data
https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/390337/judge-wont-prohibit-google-from-collecting-health.html
Adtech Surveillance and Government Surveillance are Often the Same Surveillance:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/10/adtech-surveillance-and-government-surveillance-are-often-same-surveillance
Google wants case over AI training data-scraping dismissed:
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/google-says-data-scraping-lawsuit-would-take-sledgehammer-generative-ai-2023-10-17/
Google-backed data fusion company Orbital Insight accused of helping Indonesian intelligence track West Papuans:
Project Alpha involves “full access, full untethered access” to the cellphone locations of Indonesian citizens, particularly those in the country’s politically contested region of West Papua. Access to bulk cellphone and vehicle location data can generally be categorized as either ‘front-door’ data hoovered up and resold thanks to lax consumer data privacy laws, or as ‘back-door’ wiretapping partnerships with telecommunications companies.
BS Warning: Google's policy framework to protect children and teens online
https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/public-policy/google-legislation-framework-children-teens-safety/
Meta shareholder lawsuit over user privacy revived by appeals court:
https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-shareholder-lawsuit-over-user-privacy-revived-by-appeals-court-2023-10-18/
Delete-your-data laws have a perennial problem: Data brokers who fail to register
https://therecord.media/state-data-broker-registries-california-vermont
Why Are So Many Studies Being Retracted?
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/10/why-are-so-many-studies-being-retracted/
How thousands of invisible citations sneak into research papers and make for fake metrics:
Federal agencies are falling behind on meeting key privacy goal set five years ago:
https://cyberscoop.com/federal-agencies-data-privacy-concerns-risk-management-strategies/
US House Panel: AI Regulation Begins With Privacy
https://www.govinfosecurity.com/us-house-panel-ai-regulation-begins-privacy-a-23348
Inmediata fined $1.4M for data breach:
https://events.in.gov/event/attorney_general_todd_rokita_protects_15_million_patients_from_inmediatas_data_breach_leads_33_states
Personal Touch Holding Corporation fined $350K for data breach:
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2023/attorney-general-james-secures-350000-long-island-home-health-care-company
Arietis health data breach:
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arietis-health-llc-data-breach-alert-issued-by-wolf-haldenstein-adler-freeman--herz-llp-301946244.html
Gillette children’s specialty healthcare data breach:
https://www.gillettechildrens.org/nuance-data-breach
OrthoAlaska data breach:
State & Local Privacy News
ME- Attorneys identify 4 more people without court-appointed counsel:
ME- Big Tech’s role in state’s debate over online privacy:
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/10/13/politics/big-tech-maine-privacy-xoasq1i29i/
ME- Advocates call for strict digital privacy protections, but businesses object:
NH- Concord police to use an additional half-million dollars to increase pay and overtime:
https://home.concordmonitor.com/newcm/2023/09/Concordpoliceretentionrequestcitycouncil-52610138.php
MA- A police camera likely reads your license plate everywhere you go:
"For police in Easthampton, one of several departments — including Revere, Holyoke, Quincy, Lawrence, Chicopee and West Springfield — that confirmed with MassLive that they use Flock cameras, license plate reading technology has become an important crime fighting tool. Flock wouldn’t provide MassLive with a list of which police departments that use their cameras. And many of the departments that MassLive contacted, that confirmed they used the technology, declined to say where they were deployed. While police departments are Flock’s largest customers, the technology is also being used by private citizens — most frequently in gated communities or neighborhoods, malls and in hospitals, according to Beilin. In these settings, individuals living in the neighborhoods are allowed to opt-out of having their license plate saved in any footage."
https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/10/drive-in-mass-a-police-camera-likely-reads-your-license-plate.html
https://www.govtech.com/public-safety/if-you-drive-in-massachusetts-its-probably-on-camera
MA- State Police union seeks tougher penalties for move over law violations:
Under the proposal, fines would increase to $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second offense, and $1,000 for all subsequent offenses. In instances where violations result in “bodily injury” to an individual, the fine would increase to $2,500 and the offender could face up to a year in prison.
https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/10/17/massachusetts-state-police-union-seeks-tougher-penalties-for-move-over-law-violations/
NY- Bill Would Require a Criminal Background Check to Buy a 3D Printer:
https://gizmodo.com/new-york-bill-criminal-background-check-buy-3d-printer-1850930407
DC- Embattled Crime Lab Could Regain Accreditation As Early As January:
https://dcist.com/story/23/10/06/dc-crime-lab-reaccreditation-possible-next-year/
IN- Media coalition sues to block enforcement of police ‘encroachment’ law:
https://www.rcfp.org/ind-police-encroachment-lawsuit/
FL- Bar Considers Whether Lawyers Using AI in Legal Cases Must Get Client Consent:
https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/florida-bar-weighs-whether-lawyers-using-ai-need-client-consent-2023-10-16
MS- The Supreme Court Moved to Ensure Poor Criminal Defendants Would Always Have a Lawyer. It’s Not Working:
https://www.propublica.org/article/mississippi-supreme-court-poor-criminal-defendants-lawyer
MS- Starkville police receive DHS grant to purchase more license plate readers:
https://www.wcbi.com/starkville-police-receive-grant-to-purchase-more-license-plate-readers/
MI- Muskegon police to purchase 10 Flock Safety license plate readers:
MN- Small business owners say they’re pressured to hire off-duty Minneapolis cops for security:
TX- The Southern Methodist University Launches Intelligent Systems and Bias Lab:
https://www.smu.edu/News/Research/SMU-launches-ISaBEL-lab
https://www.smu.edu/Provost/virtualization/Research/ISaBEL
CO- Supreme Court Upholds Keyword Search Warrant:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/10/colorado-supreme-court-upholds-keyword-search-warrant
CO- Reasonable Expectation of Privacy in Google search history which also implicates freedom of expression
https://www.eff.org/files/2023/10/16/opinion.pdf
CA- Gov. Newsom loaned Oakland police $1.2M to purchase 300 Flock Safety license plate readers:
CA- Chula Vista to purchase 150 Flock Safety license plate readers with $3M state grant:
CA- Sacramento asks court to toss ‘flawed’ homeless lawsuit by DA:
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article280651935.html
CA- Gov. Newsom signs in-vehicle camera privacy law:
https://contracosta.news/2023/10/18/governor-signs-sen-dodds-in-vehicle-camera-privacy-law
World Privacy News
US Travel To Europe Will Require Prior Approval, Facial Recognition Scanning:
https://www.axios.com/2023/10/20/europe-travel-requirements-2025-etias
https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/what-etias_en
Amazon launching drone deliveries in Italy, the UK, and a third location in the U.S.
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/operations/amazon-prime-air-drone-delivery-updates
World Bank Helped Cover Up Serial Child Abuse at For-Profit School Chain it Funded:
https://theintercept.com/2023/10/17/world-bank-whistleblower-bridge-international/
UK woman says paragliders could have been Hamas invasion force:
https://metro.co.uk/2023/10/17/doncaster-woman-paragliders-hamas-israel-palestine-19674545
BS Warning: Two Panasonic divisions and a Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University claim their algorithms can reduce facial recognition bias
The European Data Protection Board urges more privacy safeguards for digital euro:
https://www.reuters.com/technology/eu-data-watchdog-urges-more-privacy-safeguards-digital-euro-2023-10-18/
https://edpb.europa.eu/our-work-tools/our-documents/edpbedps-joint-opinion/edpb-edps-joint-opinion-022023-proposal_en
Spain- The Council of Ministers Creates AI Regulator to Enforce the AI Act:
UK- Former ambassador and Assange advocate Craig Murray detained under country's terror laws:
https://thegrayzone.com/2023/10/17/assange-craig-murray-detained-uk-terror/
UK- Clearview AI wins appeal of 7.5 million GBP fine:
https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukftt/grc/2023/819
UK- Clearview AI harvested billions of photos without consent. Government is powerless to act:
https://www.politico.eu/article/ai-ruling-obstruct-british-efforts-protect-citizens-images-us-data-harvesting/
UK- Southend police to use facial recognition starting October 24th:
https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/23864678.southend-see-police-use-facial-recognition-technology/
UK- Court of Appeals: One Year in Prison for Small Boat Immigrants Not Excessive
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/18/people-smuggler-jailed-hewa-rahimpur-essex-small-boats/
UK- Outcry as shocking footage shows police tasering 14-year-old Black boy:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-taser-black-teenager-birmingham-b2431070.html
UK- 13-Year-Old Black Boy With Water Pistol Confronted By Armed Cops:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-67148208
UK- Met Police Defend Shutting Down Pro-Israel Mobile Billboards:
https://www.thejc.com/news/news/met-police-order-jewish-charity-to-switch-off-billboards-of-missing-children-in-central-london-7gY4IYFDaCGzv02pDQQhbM
UK- ICO New Guidance for Monitoring Employees:
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/employment-information/employment-practices-and-data-protection-monitoring-workers/
China- Telpo launches facial recognition self-checkout terminals:
https://www.telpo.com.cn/blog/computer-vision-enable-self-service.html
Hong Kong- Protester shot by police sentenced to nearly four years jail:
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hong-kong-protester-shot-by-police-sentenced-nearly-four-years-jail-2023-10-18/
India- Pune Railway Station to use 120 facial recognition cameras to ID passengers:
https://punemirror.com/pune/others/pune-railway-station-to-enhance-security-with-120-facial-recognition-cameras/cid1697718875.htm
India- A.P. girls’ home staff gave out confidential data many times:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/ap-girls-home-staff-gave-out-confidential-data-many-times-earlier-reveals-probe-by-child-rights-panel/article67426569.ece
Mapping the supply of surveillance technologies (facial recognition) to Africa:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374229343_Mapping_the_supply_of_surveillance_technologies_to_Africa_case_studies_from_Nigeria_Ghana_Morocco_Malawi_and_Zambia
Nigeria- Government Launches Cash Transfers with Biometric ID Verification for 15M Households:
https://www.thecable.ng/tinubu-launches-cash-transfer-to-15m-households-says-hope-is-here
UAE- LuLu retail outlets to use syping VSBLTY to ID and monitor customers in 200 stores:
https://vsblty.net/news/vsblty-partners-with-lulu-group-international-the-largest-retail-chain-in-the-middle-east/
AU- The e-Safety Commission fined X $386,000 over anti-child abuse gaps:
https://www.reuters.com/technology/australia-fines-musks-x-platform-386000-over-anti-child-abuse-gaps-2023-10-15
Canada- Some Major Newsrooms Tell Reporters: Don’t Say “Terrorism”
https://www.motherjones.com/media/2023/10/hamas-terrorism-word-ban-media/
Canada- The Office of the Privacy Commissioner strengthens privacy protections for young people:
https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/opc-news/news-and-announcements/2023/an_231017/
Canada- He was arrested for sending a tweet 8 years later, he's still fighting for a public hearing:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/andrew-abbass-rnc-complaints-1.6967702
Canada- Police shoot man exiting porta-potty:
The resident says officers were shouting at the man to exit the porta-potty. “He must have been there, 20 minutes or so, and then he came out and then they shot him,” said the witness, adding the suspect “went about 10 metres” before police opened fire.
https://www.castanet.net/news/West-Kelowna/452633/Police-shoot-man-following-short-standoff-at-porta-potty-in-West-Kelowna-says-witness
Mexico- 20-story surveillance tower becomes an unsettling landmark for privacy advocates:
The building will have 1,791 automated license plate readers. 3,065 pan-tilt-zoom cameras. 74 drones. Live feeds from cameras owned by neighborhood businesses and residents. Biometric filters running constantly to support facial recognition. Connections to infrastructure throughout the city.While the details of Texas’ participation are vague, in April 2022 Abbott and Campos appeared at a press conference to unveil the MOU, with Campos telling reporters the Centinela project will give Texas authorities “eyes on this side of the border.”
https://therecord.media/torre-centinela-sentinel-tower-chihuahua-ciudad-juarez-texas-surveillance
Mexico- City police injure 10 in attempt to evict activists from government offices:
https://www.courthousenews.com/mexico-city-police-injure-10-in-attempt-to-evict-activists-from-government-offices/
Mexico- Tijuana police can no longer pull over drivers for tinted windows that busted Americans:
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/tijuana-police-can-no-longer-pull-over-drivers-for-this-common-infraction-that-got-many-americans/3330197/
Guatemala- Hackers disable government webpages in support of pro-democracy protests:
Brazil- Payface buys SmileGo to expand facial recognition retail payments:
https://exame.com/negocios/startup-payface-compra-a-smilego-para-turbinar-expansao-em-pagamentos-com-reconhecimento-facial/
Brazil- Police arrest two intelligence officials for using "Cognyte" phone hacking tools without judicial authorization:
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-police-arrest-two-intel-agents-alleged-illegal-surveillance-2023-10-20/
https://www.cognyte.com/
Peru- UN rights office criticizes government's response to recent protests:
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/countries/peru/Peru-Report-2023-10-18-EN.pdf