privacy

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Diane Keaton's Cause of Death Revealed

Oscar winner's family says she died of pneumonia

(Newser) - Diane Keaton's family reveals in a statement to People that the Oscar-winning actor died of pneumonia. They expressed deep gratitude for the "extraordinary messages of love and support" received after the 79-year-old died in California on Oct. 11, and suggested ideas for anyone wanting to honor her memory:...

Devices Like Neuralink Can Decode Your Thoughts
Devices Like Neuralink
Can Decode Your Thoughts
NEW STUDY
Aug 20, 2025 1:28 PM CDT

Devices Like Neuralink Can Decode Your Thoughts

Brain-computer interfaces found to process inner speech, not just imagined speech

(Newser) - Brain-computer interfaces give people with disabilities the ability to communicate by decoding signals in the brain. But what happens when these people don't want to communicate? A new study finds that a person's inner speech can be decoded in much the same way as attempted speech, raising questions...

YouTube's New AI System to Shake Out Young Users

Age-verification protocols to find underage viewers will be based on the videos they watch

(Newser) - YouTube on Wednesday will begin testing a new age-verification system in the US that relies on artificial intelligence to differentiate between adults and minors, based on the kinds of videos they've been watching. The tests initially will only affect a sliver of YouTube's US audience, but will likely...

Child Forgot iPad on Plane. Then Came Explicit Videos
Child Forgot iPad on Plane.
Then Came Explicit Videos
in case you missed it
Aug 2, 2025 4:10 PM CDT

Child Forgot iPad on Plane. Then Came Explicit Videos

Parents say Delta Air Lines failed to act after worker stole device, filmed himself masturbating

(Newser) - A family's vacation took a disturbing turn after their child's lost iPad was allegedly stolen by a Delta Air Lines worker, who used it to make explicit videos that surfaced in the family's cloud storage. Those claims appear in a federal lawsuit filed against the airline...

Ratings for These 'Smart' Toilets Are 'Through the Roof'

Tech-driven restrooms offer privacy, accountability, rapid deployment for cities

(Newser) - America's public restroom shortage is so dire the country now ranks 30th globally, sharing the spot with Botswana. Building more traditional bathrooms isn't the simple answer, though, as upkeep and misuse quickly turn new facilities into cautionary tales. Enter "smart" restrooms, an experiment led by the...

How to Get Your Share of Apple's $95M Siri Settlement

Claims open for devices on which Siri was activated without consent

(Newser) - Apple users who had private conversations accidentally picked up by Siri may now claim part of a $95 million settlement. The payout follows a class action lawsuit alleging Apple recorded users without consent and shared those audio clips with outside contractors. The affected period covers Sept. 17, 2014, through...

RFK Jr. Promised Autism Answers by September. NIH Says No

NIH pushes back the timeline laid out by HHS secretary

(Newser) - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised that by September, we'd know "what has caused the autism epidemic," but the National Institutes of Health on Tuesday said it won't quite be that quick. "We're going to get hopefully grants out the door by the end...

For Sale: The Genetic Data of 16M People at 23andMe

Experts advise deleting DNA data before bankrupt company is sold

(Newser) - The DNA of more than 15 million people who used 23andMe's genetic tests is up for sale. With the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and courting a buyer, its database of genetic information is set to be sold off, leaving users concerned about the fate of their very...

Hackman's Estate Doesn't Want Investigation Records Released

Estate especially seeks to shield sensitive images and videos from public

(Newser) - Highlighting the "exemplary private life" they lived for more than three decades in Santa Fe, known as a haven for celebrities, a representative for the estate of actor Gene Hackman is seeking to prevent the public release of autopsy and investigation records related to his and his wife Betsy...

Tesla Attack Case Highlights Volume of Data Cars Collect

Drivers' texts, destinations are among the information gathered

(Newser) - Your car is spying on you. That is one takeaway from the detailed data that Tesla collected on the driver of the Cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas this week. Privacy data experts say the deep dive by Elon Musk's company was impressive but spotlights a difficult question as...

State AG Drops Lawsuit Linked to 10-Year-Old's Abortion

Indiana's Todd Rokita said IU Health violated privacy laws when doctor spoke about case publicly

(Newser) - Indiana's attorney general has dropped a lawsuit he filed against the state's largest hospital system after a doctor told the media about a 10-year-old rape victim who traveled to the state from Ohio for an abortion in 2022. In a court filing last week, Todd Rokita said the...

Post Office Lets Police Monitor Americans' Mail

Thousands of requests to log the outside of letters are approved each year, per the Washington Post

(Newser) - The Washington Post reports that the US Postal Service allows law enforcement agencies to monitor the mail of Americans—or at least the outside of it—on a fairly regular basis. The postal service has received more than 60,000 such requests since 2015, and it has honored virtually all...

Apple Releases Fix for 'Zombie' Photos on iPhones

Users have complained that pictures deleted years ago are reemerging after update

(Newser) - Apple has had a "pretty bad" issue going on with its iPhones, though it hopes a fix it just released will remedy the situation. The problem, according to 9to5Mac : Users say that photos they deleted, some even years ago, have been popping up again unexpectedly. The users say the...

US Senate OKs Spying Bill, Despite Privacy Worries

Bipartisan vote gives thumbs-up to reauthorization of FISA surveillance program

(Newser) - Barely missing its midnight deadline, the Senate voted early Saturday to reauthorize a key US surveillance law after divisions over whether the FBI should be restricted from using the program to search for Americans' data nearly forced the statute to lapse. The legislation approved 60-34 with bipartisan support would extend...

Users Rail on Glassdoor for 'Breach of Trust'

Company review site seems to have attached real names to profiles without consent

(Newser) - Glassdoor was recently named one of the most innovative companies in the nation by Fast Company , but some users aren't too pleased these days with the employer review site. "Time to delete your Glassdoor account," one software professional named Monica wrote in a recent blog post, upset...

You May Get a Specific Google Pop-Up Starting Thursday
Google Launches Plan
to Kill (Non-Edible) Cookies
the rundown
Jan 4, 2024 1:07 PM CST

Google Launches Plan to Kill (Non-Edible) Cookies

Initiative to eliminate third-party trackers online begins with test of 1% of Chrome users

(Newser) - If you're a Chrome user who gets a pop-up from Google on Thursday, it's likely a sign that you're part of the first phase of the company's plan to eliminate cookies—the much-reviled tech gizmos that track your online activity and direct targeted ads your way....

Google to Settle Lawsuit Over Claims It Tracks People in 'Incognito' Mode

Plaintiffs argued Google continued to track users who thought they were browsing privately

(Newser) - Google will settle the class-action lawsuit, filed in 2020, accusing the tech giant of tracking users even when they were using "incognito" mode on their Chrome web browsers, the AP reports. Plaintiffs argued Google had amassed an "unaccountable trove of information" on users who were misled into believing...

Spied-Upon Woman Fighting to Hold Amazon Accountable

Judge allows lawsuit proceed, scoffs at company's 'shock' over illicit use

(Newser) - Spy cams that boast about how easily they can peep in on someone's private moments are easy to find on Amazon, reports the BBC , and a young woman who says she was victimized is now fighting to hold the company accountable. The woman is a Brazilian foreign exchange student...

Hunter Biden Is Suing Rudy Giuliani
Hunter Biden
Is Suing
Rudy Giuliani
Sep 26, 2023 9:40 AM CDT

Hunter Biden Is Suing Rudy Giuliani

President's son says Giuliani broke the law by hacking computer data

(Newser) - First, Hunter Biden sued the IRS for breaching his privacy. Now he's going after Rudy Giuliani with the same accusation. The president's son, embroiled in serious legal trouble of his own, has filed suit against Guiliani and his former attorney for what he calls the "total annihilation"...

Hunter Biden Sues the IRS Over Tax Reveals

Complaint by president's son alleges 2 whistleblower agents violated his privacy

(Newser) - Just days after Hunter Biden was indicted on federal firearms charges, the president's son is pushing back on separate allegations about his taxes with a lawsuit against the IRS. The AP reports that Biden filed his complaint Monday, accusing two whistleblower IRS agents, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, of...

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