This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more news about online age verification and your privacy, follow Emma Roth. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started Virtual private networks, or VPNs, weren’t always […]
Cloaked’s latest round is a mix of equity and growth funding.
FBI director Kash Patel admitted that the agency is buying location data that can be used to track people’s movements. Unlike information obtained from cell phone providers, this data can be accessed without a warrant – and used to track anyone. “We do purchase commercially available information that’s consistent with the Constitution and the laws […]
FBI director Kash Patel told lawmakers that the agency is actively purchasing commercially available location data, which can track Americans without needing a warrant.
Instagram will no longer support end-to-end encrypted messages starting May 8th. In a statement to The Verge, Meta spokesperson Dina El-Kassaby Luce says the platform is discontinuing the feature because “very few people” were using E2EE in their DMs. Instagram has begun notifying impacted users about the change inside its app, and has also posted […]
Today we’re talking about the messy, fast-moving situation at Anthropic, the maker of Claude that now finds itself in a very ugly legal battle with the Pentagon. The back-and-forth is complicated, but as of a few days ago, the Pentagon had deemed Anthropic a supply chain risk, and Anthropic has filed a lawsuit challenging that […]
Grammarly’s “expert review” feature offers to give users writing advice “inspired by” subject matter experts, including recently deceased professors, as Wired reported on Wednesday. When I tried the feature out myself, I found some experts that came as a surprise for a different reason – one of them was my boss. The AI-generated feedback included […]
A package of child safety bills is headed to the House floor following an hours-long session that left Democrats and Republicans divided. On Thursday, lawmakers on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce voted to advance the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act; Sammy’s Law; and the App Store Accountability Act, which would require […]
Italian authorities are making progress in their investigation into a wide-ranging spyware scandal in Italy involving Paragon spyware. But the mystery of who hacked two Italian journalists with Paragon spyware continues.
Lawyers say Meta’s marketing materials promised privacy and user control over sharing footage. But an investigation found that subcontractors are reviewing footage from customers’ glasses.