Meta is rolling out a sweeping change to how it handles user data. Beginning December 16, interactions with its AI chat tools, whether text or voice, will feed into content recommendations and ad targeting across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. And in the U.S., users will have no way to opt out.
On October 7, Meta will begin notifying users that their AI interactions will influence recommendations. But the initial notice is vague, saying only, “Learn how Meta will use your info in new ways to personalize your experience.” Users must click through to see the part about AI. Meta says the omission is not deliberate. A spokesperson insists the AI connection becomes clear immediately after the notice opens. [Read more…]
In a legal filing meant to defend its advertising empire, Google may have inadvertently said what many in the industry have long suspected: the open web is in serious decline. That’s the phrase the company used in its September 5 court response as it fights against a proposed breakup of its ad business. At stake is whether Google must divest its AdX advertising exchange—an engine that has helped it dominate online display advertising for years.
On Wednesday, researchers uncovered three improperly issued TLS certificates for Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 DNS service, encrypted DNS lookup used by millions. The concern was clear: anyone with those credentials could impersonate Cloudflare’s resolver, decrypt user traffic, or redirect queries to malicious sites.
A startup called Farnsworth & Co. has found a niche in the dark overlap between surveillance, malware, and civil litigation. Their product? Personal data stolen from infected computers—now available for purchase by debt collectors, divorce lawyers, and anyone with a grudge and a budget.
If you use an Android phone, there’s a good chance Google’s Gemini AI is now interacting with your apps, even if you thought you had disabled it. The company recently rolled out changes that grant Gemini new levels of access to messages, phone calls, and third-party apps like WhatsApp, regardless of whether users had previously opted out. If that sounds invasive, it’s because it is.