Tag Archives: Policy

UK outlaws awful default passwords on connected devices

Getty Images reader comments 29 If you build a gadget that connects to the Internet and sell it in the United Kingdom, you can no longer make the default password “password.” In fact, you’re not supposed to have default passwords at all. A new version of the 2022 Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act (PTSI)… Read More »

School athletic director arrested for framing principal using AI voice synthesis

reader comments 122 On Thursday, Baltimore County Police arrested Pikesville High School’s former athletic director, Dazhon Darien, and charged him with using AI to impersonate Principal Eric Eiswert, according to a report by The Baltimore Banner. Police say Darien used AI voice synthesis software to simulate Eiswert’s voice, leading the public to believe the principal… Read More »

Deepfakes in the courtroom: US judicial panel debates new AI evidence rules

reader comments 15 On Friday, a federal judicial panel convened in Washington, DC, to discuss the challenges of policing AI-generated evidence in court trials, according to a Reuters report. The US Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules, an eight-member panel responsible for drafting evidence-related amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence, heard from computer… Read More »

New UK law targets “despicable individuals” who create AI sex deepfakes

reader comments 95 On Tuesday, the UK government announced a new law targeting the creation of AI-generated sexually explicit deepfake images. Under the legislation, which has not yet been passed, offenders would face prosecution and an unlimited fine, even if they do not widely share the images but create them with the intent to distress… Read More »

Justice Department indicts 7 accused in 14-year hack campaign by Chinese gov

peterschreiber.media | Getty Images reader comments 32 The US Justice Department on Monday unsealed an indictment charging seven men with hacking or attempting to hack dozens of US companies in a 14-year campaign furthering an economic espionage and foreign intelligence gathering by the Chinese government. All seven defendants, federal prosecutors alleged, were associated with Wuhan… Read More »

World’s first global AI resolution unanimously adopted by United Nations

Enlarge / The United Nations building in New York. reader comments 28 On Thursday, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously consented to adopt what some call the first global resolution on AI, reports Reuters. The resolution aims to foster the protection of personal data, enhance privacy policies, ensure close monitoring of AI for potential risks,… Read More »

Dell tells remote workers that they won’t be eligible for promotion

reader comments 251 Starting in May, Dell employees who are fully remote will not be eligible for promotion, Business Insider (BI) reported Saturday. The upcoming policy update represents a dramatic reversal from Dell’s prior stance on work from home (WFH), which included CEO Michael Dell saying: “If you are counting on forced hours spent in… Read More »

US gov’t announces arrest of former Google engineer for alleged AI trade secret theft

Enlarge / A Google sign stands in front of the building on the sidelines of the opening of the new Google Cloud data center in Hesse, Hanau, opened in October 2023. reader comments 48 On Wednesday, authorities arrested former Google software engineer Linwei Ding in Newark, California, on charges of stealing AI trade secrets from… Read More »

Avast ordered to stop selling browsing data from its browsing privacy apps

Getty Images reader comments 40 Avast, a name known for its security research and antivirus apps, has long offered Chrome extensions, mobile apps, and other tools aimed at increasing privacy. Avast’s apps would “block annoying tracking cookies that collect data on your browsing activities,” and prevent web services from “tracking your online activity.” Deep in… Read More »

LockBit ransomware group taken down in multinational operation

reader comments 29 Law enforcement agencies including the FBI and the UK’s National Crime Agency have dealt a crippling blow to LockBit, one of the world’s most prolific cybercrime gangs, whose victims include Royal Mail and Boeing. The 11 international agencies behind “Operation Cronos” said on Tuesday that the ransomware group—many of whose members are… Read More »