Utah social media law requiring age verification blocked by judge
A federal judge halted a Utah child safety law requiring social platforms to verify the ages of their users. In an order on Tuesday, Judge Robert J. Shelby issued a preliminary injunction in favor of NetChoice, saying the law likely violates the First Amendment. NetChoice, the technology trade association that includes Meta, Snap, Google, and X, sued the state to block the law in December 2023, alleging it “violates the constitutional rights of all Utahns.” In addition to verifying the ages of users, the law would require social platforms to “enable maximum default privacy settings” on children’s accounts as well as disable features “that lead to excessive use,” such as endless scrolling and push notifications.
Nevada will use Google AI to process a backlog of unemployment cases
Nevada has a new helper in its quest to plow through a backlog of unemployment claims: Google AI. Gizmodo reports that the initiative will task one of the company’s cloud-based AI models with analyzing appeals hearing transcripts and suggesting whether cases should be approved. Welcome to the future, where a robot weighs in on whether you get the government money you requested. The Nevada Independent wrote in June that the AI model, trained on the state’s unemployment law and policies, will analyze transcripts of virtual appeals hearings. It will then spit out a ruling, which a state employee will review for mistakes and decide whether to honor.
Google faces EU investigation over AI data compliance
European privacy regulator, Data Protection Commission (DPC), has launched an inquiry into Google over its use of the personal data of users in the region, adding to the tech giant’s growing legal challenges. In a statement, DPC said that the inquiry focuses on whether Google complied with obligations under GDPR to conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) before processing personal data of EU or EEA individuals in developing its AI model, Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). DPIA is a process designed to help data controllers identify and mitigate data protection risks associated with high-risk processing activities. It aims to ensure that the processing is necessary and proportionate and that adequate safeguards are implemented based on the identified risks.
6 common Geek Squad scams and how to defend against them
For three decades, Geek Squad has been a trusted name in tech for anyone needing IT support. The Best Buy subsidiary dispenses diagnostics, repairs and advice to consumers across the US in-store and online – including 24-hour emergency support. But like many trust brands, it’s also ripe for abuse by cybercriminals. In fact, judging by the number of complaints sent to the Federal Trade Commission in 2023, Best Buy/Geek Squad is the most impersonated brand in the US. Scammers have devised a string of ways to leverage the brand and piggyback on its trusted reputation to part victims with their cash and personal information. We’ve rounded up the main tactics to look out for, and how to avoid falling for them.
Mastercard bolsters threat intelligence capabilities with $2.65 billion deal for Recorded Future
Mastercard (MA.N), opens new tab has agreed to buy threat intelligence company Recorded Future from private equity firm Insight Partners for $2.65 billion, the payments company said on Thursday. The acquisition will bring expanded threat intelligence capabilities to the New York-based payments firm, which recorded $9 trillion in gross dollar volumes last year, a metric that represents the total dollar value of all transactions processed. The rapid adoption of new technologies has upped the risk of cyber threats, with companies increasingly facing hacking or ransomware attacks. In June, Arkansas-based Evolve Bank confirmed that it was a victim of a cybersecurity incident with customer data illegally released on the dark web.
