#data-privacy

#data-privacy

OpenAI and training data company Handshake AI are asking third-party contractors to upload real work that they did in past and current jobs, according to a report in Wired. This appears to be part of a larger strategy across AI companies that are hiring contractors to generate high-quality training data in the hopes that this will eventually allow their models to automate more white-collar work.

Health tech gadgets displayed at the annual CES trade show make a lot of promises. A smart scale promoted a healthier lifestyle by scanning your feet to track your heart health, and an egg-shaped hormone tracker uses AI to help you figure out the best time to conceive.Tech and health experts, however, question the accuracy of products like these and warn of data privacy issues - especially as the federal government eases up on regulation.

California isn't the only state to enact stronger consumer privacy laws in recent years, but its Delete Requests and Opt-Out Platform (DROP) is the first of its kind. The tool is live now, though brokers won't begin processing submissions until August. Here's what to do now if you live in California-and some options for removing your information from data brokers if you don't.

The AI assistant has access to the most powerful models and strict security controls, but controversy after controversy has brought Grok into disrepute. How suitable is the solution for business use? The new business versions of Grok offer access to xAI's most advanced models: Grok 3, Grok 4, and Grok 4 Heavy. The setup is similar in every way to the business propositions of ChatGPT and Claude. Grok Business costs

Do you have what could be described as unusual living arrangements? Perhaps you live in communal housing, or a commune or with extended family. Maybe you have been living with friends for years and have no intention of changing this. We'd like to hear from you. Can you tell us how your unusual living arrangement came about? What do you like about it? What are the downsides? Would you recommend it? Share your experience

Earlier this month, Strava, the popular fitness-tracking app, released its annual "Year in Sport" wrap-up-a cutesy, animated series of graphics summarizing each user's athletic achievements. But this year, for the first time, Strava made this feature available only to users with subscriptions ($80 per year), rather than making it free to everyone, as it had been historically since the review's debut in 2016.

Whenever I hear about consumer data tracking, my half-century-old brain dredges up that Hall and Oates hit called "Private Eyes" with the refrain "they're watching you." I don't mean to incite Big Brother paranoia; I know I'm not being spied on everywhere I go, especially not in the seclusion of my home. But while using streaming devices, you can almost guarantee that your entertainment and advertisement preferences are being tracked.

"AI is reshaping the fabric of DevSecOps in telecommunications," the report reads. "Telcos are under intense pressure to modernize network infrastructure and offer profitable digital services. They're expected to transform into software-driven technology companies, yet still ensure security, reliability, and customer trust as they adopt AI and work to accelerate innovation. This balancing act - between speed, security, and new skill sets - is defining a pivotal moment for the next era of DevSecOps in telecommunications."

Rehmat Alam operates from the mountains of northern Pakistan, according to one of his online profiles. There, he flaunts his talent for harvesting LinkedIn data and advises YouTube viewers how to earn money off the internet. His company, ProAPIs, allegedly boasted in marketing materials that its software can handle hundreds of requests per second to scrape profiles, selling the underlying data for thousands of dollars a month.

This pilot is expected to serve as a starting point for initial UI claims that would provide both ID verification and work authorization services. Once those front-end services are complete, individuals will be directed to states to file their initial claims," they said, noting that "DOL is not piloting initial claims intake or taking that function over on behalf of states.

2025 has been a defining year for L&D. AI is no longer a future trend-it's the backbone of how we design courses, deliver content, accelerate rapid eLearning, and support learners across geographies. But with every new AI-powered capability comes a fresh challenge, a new decision point, and a need for clarity. Here is a curated read that will help you navigate it all.

The advertisement spoof began innocuously, introducing the 2025 edition of Spotify "Wrapped"-the streaming service's popular year-in-review feature that repackages data gathered from individual listeners into brightly hued, shareable statistics-which the show also tackled last year. When Spotify revealed to Andrew Dismukes's character that he'd jammed to 2,705 minutes of Steely Dan since January, his character smiled knowingly: "Yeah, that tracks."

You probably don't need to be told that grocery prices have skyrocketed since the pandemic - up 25% in five years. But the bad news only continues: Retailers are seeing how far they can push the envelope on dynamic pricing. Instacart has been experimenting with selling the same product from the same store at different prices, which a nonprofit determined by enlisting volunteers to add the same items to their cart. Eggs, for example, varied by 20%, from $3.99 to $4.79.

Cornell Tech faculty made a strong showing at the 2025 Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS), held Dec. 2-7 in San Diego, presenting 23 research papers at one of the world's premier gatherings for artificial intelligence and machine learning. NeurIPS draws thousands of scholars and industry leaders each year and is widely recognized as a leading forum for breakthroughs in AI, computational neuroscience, statistics, and large-scale modeling.

For years, a US telecommunications company has been building proprietary AI models using phone and video calls placed by inmates in US prisons as building blocks.

The Danish postal service will deliver its last letter at the end of this month to focus on packages, citing the increasing digitalisation of society. While the public will still be able to send letters through the distributor DAO, it made us think about how we would use that last chance to send a letter. We would like to hear from you on the last letter you would write, who you would send it to, and why.

Apple's latest lineup of Apple Watches drummed up quite the hype when it was announced during its annual iPhone event. Apple unveiled several new features, like emergency SOS communications via satellite connectivity and FDA-cleared hypertension detection. I was in attendance in the Steve Jobs Theater, and as I watched Apple unveil these features, I couldn't help but compare the new watch to Google's Pixel Watch 4. Apple's new satellite SOS feature bears some striking similarities to Google's standalone satellite connectivity, for example.

Recipes carry stories, and often when they have been passed down from generation to generation, these tales have a chapter added to them each time they are made. Family members concoct elaborate treats and seasoning mixes, which in some cases travel across oceans to end up on our dinner tables. We would like to hear about the recipes that have stood the test of time for you, and never fail to impress.

The scandal's statewide reach vastly expands the known number of Kaiser security personnel - which now includes a former Oakland Police Department assistant chief - whose employment ended after the allegations arose. Only a couple of them were directly accused of using data from the law enforcement-only tool, which contains residents' criminal history and driving records, and links to national law enforcement data systems.

"Hundreds of millions of people are engaging with large language models every week,"

In business, this becomes an on-premises AI that can be accessed remotely by authorized endpoints (you, your iPhone, your employees' devices). The beauty of this arrangement is that whatever data you share or requests you might make are handled only by the devices and software you control. How it might work You might be running an open-source Llama large language model (LLM) to analyze your business documents and databases - combined with data (privately) found on the web - to give your field operatives access to up-to-the minute analysis relevant to them.

What's in a name? As people such as Peach, Riot and Aquaman have found, it can change your life for the better, or worse. With this in mind, we would like to hear from people with unusual names about how it affects others' perceptions of you. How has your name shaped your life? Share your experience You can tell us about how your name has shaped your life using this form.