privacy

A jury has found Facebook liable for deceiving its users in the long-running Cambridge Analytica case, stemming from the scandal in which data from millions of profiles was harvested without consent for political targeting. The verdict marks a significant legal reckoning for Meta years after the 2018 revelations, and observers are weighing what damages and precedent it could set for social media data practices.

Presley Gerber, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber and older brother of model Kaia Gerber, has died at the age of 27. News of his death broke on Wednesday, prompting an outpouring of tributes and condolences across social media. No cause of death has been confirmed by the family, who are said to be requesting privacy as they grieve.

Breaches of academic research databases have exposed clinical trial data, including genetic and medical history information, affecting thousands of trial participants. Privacy advocates are urging people to exercise their rights under HIPAA, which allows patients to obtain their medical records and a list of everyone those records were shared with, and to request corrections where needed.

Lobbyists are pressuring the European Union to weaken or dismantle existing regulations so companies can operate with fewer restrictions. Critics say targets include the CO2 emissions trading system, the supply chain law, consumer protection, data privacy rules, and pesticide restrictions, warning that pesticides could return to fields and food. Commentators argue this serves corporate profit at the expense of public health and environmental safeguards.

Singapore telco Simba has reported a data breach affecting 23,549 customers, and the Personal Data Protection Commission has opened an investigation into the incident. The breach involves customers' personal data, though details on what information was exposed and how it happened have not yet been fully disclosed. The case is drawing attention to data security standards among Singapore's telecom operators as regulators examine whether privacy laws were breached.

Meta unveiled Muse, a new AI agent, at its Connect event, but the launch has drawn criticism. Commenters question whether users can trust the company with sensitive information, given that Meta's core business model relies on selling targeted advertising. Skeptics argue trust, not technology, is the main hurdle for adoption.

Singapore telecom provider SIMBA has suffered a data breach affecting 23,549 customer records, according to Singapore Business Review. The exposed data has raised concerns about how the company stores and protects customer information. Details on what specific data was compromised and whether affected customers are being notified have not yet been fully disclosed.

The Zano blockchain has been restarted to remove unauthorized tokens that were created during a security breach affecting its asset issuance system. Attackers exploited the flaw to mint tokens without authorization, prompting the network restart to protect asset integrity. The incident highlights ongoing security risks facing privacy-focused blockchain projects.

Hong Kong police have arrested a 34-year-old man after hidden cameras were found in gym changing rooms in the city. The discovery has raised alarm among gym-goers about privacy and surveillance in changing facilities, and police are investigating the extent of the recordings and whether other locations were involved. The case has drawn wide attention from local media and residents.

A reported breach at crypto exchange Bitget is rattling confidence in custodial platforms, according to a late-September 2026 report that also notes renewed attention on Zcash and privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. Details of the incident, including any losses or affected users, were not immediately available, but the episode is fueling fresh debate over exchange security and the appeal of privacy coins.

Flock, the US company behind a nationwide network of roughly 300,000 automated license plate reader cameras, is seeking to have the most detailed public map of its devices taken offline, according to The Intercept. Critics say the move is a double standard: the cameras track people's movements constantly, yet the company resists public transparency about where they are located. Privacy advocates argue the public has a right to know the extent of the surveillance network operating in their neighborhoods.

Surveillance company Flock, a Y Combinator alum from 2017, is pressing for the takedown of a detailed map documenting roughly 300,000 of its license-plate-reader cameras across the United States, according to The Intercept. The effort is drawing criticism from privacy advocates who argue the public has a right to know where the devices operate.

Witnesses testified before US lawmakers that they were wrongly flagged and, in their words, 'treated like a criminal' by misuse of Flock's automated license plate reading cameras. The testimony detailed how warrantless data sharing and false hits by the surveillance network affected innocent drivers, intensifying debate over police access to plate-tracking databases and calls for stricter oversight.

Flock Safety chief executive Rick Smith's home address was tagged as a public toilet on a popular online mapping service, in what observers see as an act of protest against the surveillance company. Flock Safety, which sells license plate recognition cameras to police and neighborhoods across the United States, has drawn criticism from privacy advocates. The prank-style vandalism highlights growing hostility toward the firm and its leadership.