Category «Cybersecurity»

We caught 4 more states sharing personal health data with Big Tech

State-run health care websites around the country, meant to provide a simple way to shop for insurance, have been quietly sending visitors’ sensitive health information to Google and social media companies, Colin Lecher and Tomas Apodaca of The Markup and CalMatters found. The data, including prescription drug names and dosages, was sent by web trackers on state exchanges set up under the Affordable Care Act to help Americans purchase health coverage. The exchange websites ask users to answer a series of questions, including about their health histories, to find them the most relevant information on plans. But in some cases, when visitors responded to sensitive questions, the invisible trackers sent that information to platforms like Google, LinkedIn, and Snapchat. The Markup and CalMatters audited the websites of all 19 states that independently operate their own online health exchange. While most of the sites contained advertising trackers of some kind, The Markup and CalMatters found that four states exposed visitors’ sensitive health information.

Subjects: Big Data, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Health, Healthcare, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines, Social Media

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, June 21, 2025

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Five highlights from this week: How to Avoid a Huge Customs Bill on a Cheap Online Order; ‘No Kings’ Protests, Citizen-Run ICE Trackers Trigger Intelligence Warnings; 16 billion passwords exposed in record-breaking data breach, opening access to Facebook, Google, Apple, and any other service imaginable; How to Find the Owner of a VoIP Number: Easy Lookup Methods; and AI Chatbots Are Impersonating Students to Steal Financial Aid.

Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Financial System, Legal Research, Privacy

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, June 7, 2025

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Five highlights from this week: Deepfake Scams Are Distorting Reality Itself; Why does Amazon use palm scanners at Whole Foods and doctors’ offices? Crypto news: Why shocking and violent “wrench attacks” are going to get worse; Privacy Alarm: Meta Caught De-Anonymizing Android Web Activity; and When the FBI Has a Phone It Can’t Crack, It Calls These Israeli Hackers.

Subjects: AI, Big Data, Cryptocurrency, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Financial System, Government Resources, Privacy, Shopping, Social Media, Technology Trends

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, May 31, 2025

On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Five highlights from this week: Most AI chatbots devour your user data – these are the worst offenders; The US Is Building a One-Stop Shop for Buying Your Data; Digital Corruption Takes Over DC; A Starter Guide to Protecting Your Data From Hackers and Corporations; and Cybercriminals exploit AI hype to spread ransomware, malware.

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Cryptocurrency, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Financial System, Legal Research, Privacy

AI in Finance and Banking, May 31, 2025

This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government documents, NGO/IGO papers, conferences, industry white papers and reports, academic papers and speeches, and central bank actions on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological links provided are to the primary sources, and as available, indicate links to alternate free versions. Five highlights from this post: Wall Street Banks, Executives and U.S. Regulators Raise Warnings over Lack of AI Security; Expecting job replacement by GenAI: effects on workers’ economic outlook and behavior; The Economics of Transformative AI; Artificial intelligence and human capital: challenges for central bank; and Rising Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Financial Operations

Subjects: AI in Banking and Finance, Congress, Cybersecurity, Economy, Financial System, KM, Legal Research, Management

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, May 17, 2025

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Five highlights from this week: License Plate Reader Company Flock Is Building a Massive People Lookup Tool, Leak Shows; Senators want TSA to scale back facial recognition at airports; How Signal, WhatsApp, Apple, and Google Handle Encrypted Chat Backups; Deepfakes, Scams, and the Age of Paranoia; Does One Line Fix Google?

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, KM, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines, Social Media, Spyware

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, May 10, 2025

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Five highlights from this week: Using AI Can Be Ethically Iffy. Here’s How to Do It Right; How to Make Your iPhone as Secure as Possible; After $243M Crypto Heist, a Crucial Mistake; Postal Service Data Sharing to Deport Immigrants; and AI is getting “creepy good” at geo-guessing.

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Cryptocurrency, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Privacy