Latest news with #biometricData
TechCrunch
6 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Yes, your DNA can be up for sale — we just saw it happen
As the recent $256M acquisition of 23andMe shows, yes, your DNA can be bought and sold. What private companies can do with biometric data may surprise you, and we've only seen the tip of the iceberg so far.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Urgent warning to Americans over 'dangerous' technology quietly rolled out in 80 airports
You look up. A camera captures your face. Within seconds, you've been scanned, stored, and tracked—before even reaching airport security. Without ever handing over your ID, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) already knows exactly who you are. This is happening at 84 airports across the US. And chances are, you didn't even notice. Marketed as a tool to enhance security, TSA's facial recognition system is drawing criticism for its potential to track Americans from the terminal entrance to their final destination. While the agency insists the scans are voluntary, many passengers say they're unaware that opting out is even an option. Behind these sleek, touchless scanners lies a vast biometric database, which is raising concerns among experts about how the data might be used, or misused, by the very government that collects it. Jeramie Scott, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, described the facial recognition as 'an invasive and dangerous surveillance technology.' 'That will ultimately accelerate the use of our faces as our ID, and that has some very important implications for privacy, civil liberties, civil rights and our democracy,' he added. TSA's facial recognition program, known as Credential Authentication Technology with Camera (CAT-2), scans a traveler's face in real time and matches it to the photo on their government-issued ID. Once verified, passengers can proceed without ever showing their physical license. The technology is already in use at major US airports, including Los Angeles International, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, and Chicago O'Hare. But this is only the beginning. TSA plans to expand the program to more than 400 airports in the coming years. Gerardo Spero, TSA's Federal Security Director for Pennsylvania and Delaware, said: 'Identity verification of every traveler prior to flying is a key step in the security screening process. 'This technology enhances our ability to detect fraudulent IDs such as driver's licenses and passports at checkpoints, and it increases efficiency by automatically verifying a passenger's identity. We just want to ensure that you are who you say you are.' However, the initiative has drawn significant criticism from privacy experts, civil rights groups, and lawmakers across the political spectrum. Behind these sleek, touchless scanners lies a vast biometric database, which is raising concerns among experts about how the data might be used, or misused, by the very government that collects it One concern is the lack of comprehensive federal regulations governing the use of facial recognition technology. Speaking to HuffPost, Scott warned that 'what may be the safeguards today does not mean they will be the safeguards tomorrow.' According to the TSA, passengers who are uncomfortable with the facial recognition system can choose to opt out and request a manual ID check. Saira Hussain, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, regularly declines the facial scan when she flies. But she says TSA agents often respond with statements like, 'We already have your information, so it's not like you're giving us anything more.' TSA's long-term vision, outlined in its technology roadmap, is to create a fully 'touchless' and 'frictionless' airport experience, transforming your body into your boarding pass. But what's marketed as convenience by the agency is viewed as surveillance by others. Travis LeBlanc, a lawyer and former member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, warns that TSA's placement within the Department of Homeland Security raises serious concerns about the use of traveler data. 'TSA is part of the Department of Homeland Security, which is also responsible for immigration enforcement,' LeBlanc said. 'There are many potential uses for these images.' In January, the Trump administration removed LeBlanc and two other Democratic board members. He is currently suing the U.S. government to be reinstated, arguing that the dismissal was unlawful. Despite the criticism, TSA remains committed to expanding the program. In a recent statement, the agency said biometric screening will 'improve security effectiveness' and 'enhance the passenger experience.' For now, opting out remains an option. But as summer travel ramps up and facial recognition systems roll out to more airports, passengers are left to weigh the trade-off between speed and privacy.
The Guardian
18-05-2025
- The Guardian
NSW education department caught unaware after Microsoft Teams began collecting students' biometric data
The New South Wales education department was caught by surprise when Microsoft began collecting the voice and facial biometric data of school students using the Teams video conferencing app in March. Late last year, Microsoft announced it would enable data collection by default, commencing in March, for a Teams feature known as voice and face enrolment. Voice and face enrolment in Teams creates a voice and face 'profile' for each participant in Teams meetings, which the company said improves the audio quality, reduces background noise, and enables the software to tell who is speaking in meetings by recognising their voice and face. The data is also fed into Microsoft's large language model CoPilot to improve accuracy in transcription or summaries when that is enabled in those meetings. The NSW education department website states Teams is used by schools as 'a hub for teachers and students to engage, create, interact, and collaborate'. 'It's a one-stop communication platform that combines chat, video meetings/lessons, file storage, assignments and integration of multiple applications,' the website states. Guardian Australia can reveal that when the voice and face enrolment for Teams was switched on in March, the department was caught unaware for a month. 'A new Microsoft Teams feature that allowed voice and facial enrolment for people entering Teams meetings was quickly disabled across our network, and any face or voice recognition profiles that were created have been removed,' a spokesperson for the education department said. The feature was switched off in April and the profiles were deleted within 24 hours of the department becoming aware that voice and facial enrolment was enabled. The education department did not answer questions about the number of students or staff who had biometric data collected on them in the time it was available, or if those affected had been informed. One concerned parent who alerted Guardian Australia to the matter expressed concern that despite the reassurances the department had given them about the data being deleted and the feature switched off, other parents may not have been aware it had been collected in the first place. Microsoft retains a copy of the data while a user is enrolled and a user can choose to delete the profile at any point. If a user deletes their Teams account, Microsoft states on its website that it deletes the biometric data within 90 days. Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Rys Farthing, the director of policy and research at the research organisation Australia, described the collection of biometric data of children as 'a real worry'. 'That young people's biometric data was unnecessarily collected creates real concerns – those students now have a lifetime to live with those risks,' Farthing said. 'Was this data used to train their AI after it was collected? Are we sure it wasn't disclosed or shared while it existed, and that all copies of it have been deleted? Data is like toothpaste, it's hard to put it back in the tube once it's been collected. 'This just shows why we need stronger protections around children's data, especially around preventing excessive collection. It's worrying stuff.' Microsoft declined to comment.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google to pay Texas $1.4B to settle claims of unauthorized tracking, collecting of private data
Google will pay $1.4 billion to Texas to settle a lawsuit claiming the company collected users' data without permission, according to state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton said the settlement sends a message to tech companies that he will not allow them to profit off "selling away our rights and freedoms." He also said the agreement "is a major win for Texans' privacy and tells companies that they will pay for abusing our trust." "In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law," Paxton said in a statement. "For years, Google secretly tracked people's movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won." Google Signs Deal With Nuclear Developer For A Trio Of Advanced Energy Products This is the largest amount won by any state in a settlement with Google over similar data-privacy violations, Paxton said. The agreement settles several claims Texas made against Google in a 2022 lawsuit over geolocation, incognito searches and biometric data. The state argued Google was unlawfully tracking and collecting users' private data. Read On The Fox Business App Paxton claimed the tech giant collected millions of biometric identifiers, including voiceprints and records of face geometry, through applications like Google Photos and Google Assistant. Google said the agreement settles various "old claims," including some related to product policies the company has already changed. The company said the settlement does not require any additional product changes. "We are pleased to put them behind us, and we will continue to build robust privacy controls into our services," Google spokesperson José Castañeda said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. Google Parent Alphabet Buys Back Stock, Extends Dividend In Earnings Beat Texas had previously reached two other settlements with Google within the last two years, including in December 2023 when the company agreed to pay $700 million and make several other concessions to settle allegations that it had been stifling competition against its Android app store. Last year, Meta agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas over claims that the company used facial recognition software without users' consent. The "tag suggestions" feature was specifically cited in the suit, as Facebook would run photos uploaded to the website through its facial recognition software and suggested people to tag in article source: Google to pay Texas $1.4B to settle claims of unauthorized tracking, collecting of private data Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Washington Post
09-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Google will pay Texas $1.4B to settle claims the company collected users' data without permission
Google will pay $1.4 billion to Texas to settle claims the company collected users' data without permission, the state's attorney general announced Friday. In 2022, Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Google, saying the search giant collected millions of biometric identifiers, including voiceprints and records of face geometry, through its products and services like Google Photos, Google Assistant and Nest Hub Max.
