Privacy & Policy
New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $25B in Cambridge Analytica penalties
A court in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in penalties after a jury found the company misled residents about its data practices.
DataSafe Times Privacy and Breach Desk
The DataSafe Times Privacy and Breach Desk is the part of the DataSafe Times newsroom that covers data breaches, leaks, privacy and regulators. It is a newsroom desk, not a single person. Sections: Data Breaches, Privacy & Policy. Stories start from more than 150 monitored sources. Drafts are prepared with AI assistance and checked by software against the cited sources before they are published. It has published 17 articles so far. See the editorial policy or report an error.
Data Breaches
2 Ransom Negotiators Suspected of Aiding ShinyHunters After FBI Data Theft
Sensitive personal data of FBI employees was stolen in a late September breach, prompting arrests and probes into ransomware negotiators who aided the extortion group.
Privacy & Policy
EFF: Warrants needed for stored ALPR data as judge rules on driver privacy
The Electronic Frontier Foundation argues that law enforcement should obtain judicial approval before searching historical records from automated license plate readers.
Data Breaches
80 WhatsApp Pages Leaked AI Orders to Dodge Regulators, Meta Says Bug
A bug exposed internal chatbot directives on dozens of WhatsApp support pages, including orders to avoid mentioning regulators.
Privacy & Policy
US Judiciary halts all bankruptcy notices nationwide due to BAE Systems cyber incident
A cyber incident at BAE Systems has taken offline the Bankruptcy Noticing Center, stopping the distribution of official court notices nationwide.
Privacy & Policy
Safari 26.5 users can now install EFF's Privacy Badger to block trackers on macOS
The Electronic Frontier Foundation released its tracker blocker for Safari on macOS, requiring version 26.5 or higher to stop data collection.
Privacy & Policy
Adaptive AI Solvers Achieve 85.4% Accuracy on Visual CAPTCHAs
New research shows adaptive AI systems can bypass visual CAPTCHA defenses by learning from every interaction, undermining static security assumptions.
Privacy & Policy
€115bn Price Tag: EU Cloud Act Slams Firms With Massive Software Rewrite Costs
A new analysis estimates the proposed cloud sovereignty law will impose heavy costs on European firms and public bodies over the next decade.
Data Breaches
18,000 Hit by 2020 Supply Chain Attack That Evaded Source Code Controls
Former CISO Tim Brown explains how the 2020 build supply chain attack bypassed source code controls to infect thousands of organizations globally.
Privacy & Policy
Intel CEO: US minority stake won't drive business ops, Trump admin lacks interference policy
Intel’s chief executive states the U.S. government holds no formal plan to leverage its minority ownership to direct the chipmaker’s business operations.
Privacy & Policy
US bankruptcy registration and noticing services halted after cyberattack on BAE Systems contractor
A cyberattack on contractor BAE Systems has disabled the US federal courts' bankruptcy notice distribution and registration services, halting critical legal communications.
Privacy & Policy
Flock Safety Cuts 18 Percent of Workforce Amid Surveillance Backlash
Automatic license plate reader maker Flock Safety is reducing staff as cities cancel contracts and lawmakers investigate its surveillance practices.
Privacy & Policy
14: Florida's social media ban for minors clears legal hurdle after appeals court rejects free speech claims
A federal appeals court rejected free speech claims from tech groups, allowing Florida to enforce its law barring minors from social platforms.
Privacy & Policy
Flock CEO: Don't pause tech progress, privacy risks outweighed by crime-fighting benefits
Flock’s leader argues crime-fighting benefits outweigh privacy risks, dismissing calls to pause progress despite cancelled contracts and layoffs.
Privacy & Policy
Flock CEO Claims Tech Improved Millions of Lives, Justifies Data Sacrifice for Crime-Free Society
The executive argues that sacrificing personal data is necessary to achieve a crime-free society, despite ongoing public debate about the trade-offs.
Data Breaches
FBI Arrests Executive in $70M ShinyHunters Extortion Probe
Canadian cybersecurity professional Edward Dubrovsky faces federal extortion charges linked to the ShinyHunters hacking group after an arrest in Pennsylvania.
Data Breaches
ShinyHunters Hit 2: Patel Targets Extortion Ring Behind FBI Breach Globally
Federal agents have detained another member of the ShinyHunters extortion group. Director Patel stated the bureau will pursue remaining operatives globally.