Privacy Digest 06/24
Reddit’s Sale of User Data for AI Training Draws FTC Inquiry
The platform disclosed ahead of its IPO, that licensing user content (comments) to tech giants like Google for AI training could generate more than $200 million in revenue. However, this plan has drawn scrutiny from the US Federal Trade Commission due to potential privacy, fairness, and copyright concerns. The FTC's inquiry into Reddit's data licensing practices reflects broader regulatory and public debate over the ownership and ethical use of user-generated data in AI development. Despite the controversy, Reddit believes it hasn't engaged in unfair practices but acknowledges the potential costs and disruptions of government investigations.
wired.com
Location Data Tracks Abortion Clinic Visits. Here’s What to Know
Our concerns about the selling and misuse of location data for those seeking reproductive and gender healthcare are escalating amid a recent wave of cases and incidents demonstrating that the digital trail we leave is being used by anti-abortion activists.
eff.org
Users ditch Glassdoor, stunned by site adding real names without consent
Anonymous review site Glassdoor now consults public sources to identify users.
arstechnica.com
Automakers Are Sharing Consumers’ Driving Behavior With Insurance Companies
Kenn Dahl, a meticulous driver from Seattle, was puzzled by a 21% hike in his car insurance for his leased Chevrolet Bolt in 2022. Investigating further, he discovered that his driving data had been extensively tracked and shared with insurers by LexisNexis, a global data broker. The data included detailed logs of every trip, revealing aspects like speed, hard braking, and rapid accelerations, but not the locations. This information was sourced from General Motors, the Bolt's manufacturer, and used to create a risk score for insurance purposes. Dahl felt betrayed, highlighting a broader issue where car companies and data brokers, under the guise of usage-based insurance and with often obscure consent from drivers, monitor and share detailed driving behaviors. This practice raises significant privacy concerns and questions about transparency and the real intent behind data collection, leading to increased scrutiny from consumers and policymakers alike.
nytimes.com
Want to see an NHS doctor? Prepare to cough up your data first.
In the U.K., accessing a doctor's appointment increasingly requires sharing personal data with private companies, due to government pressures and the National Health Service's (NHS) use of third-party software for managing appointments. This shift, driven by an effort to meet appointment timelines and prioritize cases, compromises patient privacy. The NHS, historically a symbol of state-funded healthcare, faces challenges like underfunding, staffing shortages, and privatization, leading to controversial data-sharing agreements with major tech firms. With primary care heavily reliant on private software, patients are left with little choice but to comply, highlighting a significant change in how basic healthcare services are accessed.
techcrunch.com