News of the Cyber World

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Lawsuits

Google Agrees to Settle Lawsuit over Spying on Chrome ‘Incognito’ Users

Google has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit accusing the tech giant of collecting data from users of its Chrome browser’s Incognito mode. Incognito mode is supposedly a private browsing mode, but Google gathers significant data from users who mistakenly believe the Masters of the Universe will respect their privacy.

Ars Technica reports that Google’s decision to settle a lawsuit, originating from the Northern District of California, represents a significant turn in the ongoing debate over digital privacy. The lawsuit, filed by William Byatt of Florida, along with Chasom Brown and Maria Nguyen of California, accused Google of violating wiretap laws by continuing to “track, collect, and identify [users’] browsing data in real time,” even in Incognito mode. Breitbart News initially reported on the lawsuit when it was filed in 2020.

The core of the lawsuit is the allegation that Google, through tools like Google Analytics and Ad Manager, was able to collect data from browsers in Incognito mode. This data included detailed information such as web page content, device data, and IP addresses. The plaintiffs argued that Google’s practice of associating this data with users’ already-existing profiles was a clear invasion of their expectations of privacy in Incognito mode.
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Google initially sought to dismiss the lawsuit, highlighting the disclaimer displayed to users upon entering Incognito mode, which states that their activity “might still be visible to websites you visit.” However, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers dismissed this defense. She highlighted that Google never explicitly informed users that it continued to collect data even in Incognito mode. Judge Rogers stated: “Google’s motion hinges on the idea that plaintiffs consented to Google collecting their data while they were browsing in private mode. Because Google never explicitly told users that it does so, the Court cannot find as a matter of law that users explicitly consented to the at-issue data collection.”

On Tuesday, Google and the plaintiffs reached an agreement that will lead to the dismissal of the ongoing litigation. The details of the agreement will be presented to the court by the end of January, and final approval by the court is expected by the end of February.

Judge Greenlights Lawsuit Against Elon Musk’s X/Twitter for Unpaid Staff Bonuses

Business Insider reports that the lawsuit, brought forth in June by Mark Schobinger, Twitter’s former head of compensation, has become a focal point in a broader narrative about employee rights and corporate promises. Representing thousands of current and former employees, Schobinger alleges that the company failed to honor verbal commitments regarding annual bonuses. These bonuses, integral to employee compensation, were promised during and after Musk’s takeover of the company.
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The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in San Francisco. It states that high-ranking executives within the company repeatedly assured staff members that they would receive 50 percent of their annual bonuses for 2022 in the months preceding billionaire Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.

Judge Vince Chhabria has decided to let the case proceed despite arguments from X/Twitter’s legal team. The court found sufficient grounds to consider these verbal agreements as potentially legally binding. The central argument is that these promises, including one that employees as of January 1, 2023, would receive a part of their annual bonuses, formed a contractual obligation under California law.

This interpretation counters X/Twitter’s legal stance that such verbal agreements, especially those made by former management, are not enforceable under Texas law, where Musk’s lawyers argued the case should be tried. However, Judge Chhabria’s ruling confirmed that the case falls under California jurisdiction and that the claims for dismissal under both states’ laws failed.
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Schobinger’s resignation in May was attributed to X’s failure to fulfill various promises, including the payment of the 2022 bonuses. This case adds to a series of legal challenges faced by Musk’s X/Twitter, encompassing claims of missed payments on rent, other services, and disputes following layoffs and resignations post-takeover.

AI NEWS

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4 Articles

New York Times Sues OpenAI and Microsoft over AI Copyright Infringement

The New York Times has filed a lawsuit Microsoft and ChatGPT developer OpenAI, alleging copyright infringement in a pivotal case that could reshape the boundaries of intellectual property and AI technology.

The Wall Street Journal reports that The New York Times’ legal action against Microsoft and OpenAI, filed in the U.S. federal court in the Southern District of New York, represents a significant challenge in the world of AI and media. The lawsuit, grounded in allegations of copyright infringement, accuses the tech giants of using the Times‘ content to train their AI tools, including ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot, without permission. The NYT argues that this has led to a diversion of web traffic and consequently, a substantial loss in advertising, licensing, and subscription revenue.

A.G. Sulzberger, the publisher of the Times, has placed his company at the forefront of this legal battle, which follows months of unsuccessful commercial negotiations with Microsoft and OpenAI. The Times had sought a deal that would fairly compensate for the use of its content and support a healthy news ecosystem. The negotiations aimed to ensure the responsible development of generative AI technology that benefits society and maintains a well-informed public while also respecting copyright laws.

Michael Cohen Gave Lawyer Fictitious Legal Citations Generated by AI, Could Benefit Trump in N.Y. Case

Michael Cohen, a former personal lawyer to Donald Trump, said in court papers unsealed Friday that he had accidentally given his lawyers fictitious legal citations generated by an artificial intelligence program — an admission that could undermine his credibility when he testifies against his former boss.

The fake citations were used by Cohen’s lawyer, David Schwartz, in a motion submitted to federal Judge Jesse M. Furman, the New York Times reported Friday. Cohen had asked the judge in the motion for an early end to the court’s supervision of his case, after serving prison time and complying with the conditions of his release, the report said. He pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations.

Cohen said in a sworn declaration that he did not realize that Google Bard was a “generative text service that, like ChatGPT, could show citations and descriptions that looked real but actually were not.” He also said he did not know his lawyer would submit his fake citations to the court without confirming they existed.

According to the Times, Cohen’s use of fake citations could undermine Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s criminal case against Trump, in which Cohen is expected to be the star witness.

Company Claims It Will Replace Humans on TV News with AI-Generated Anchors

The Daily Mail reports that Channel 1, an LA-based news channel hoping to launch in the near future, is planning to introduce AI news anchors. These AI-generated anchors, set to debut as early as February on ad-supported streaming platforms like Crackle, Tubi, and Pluto, represent a significant shift in news broadcasting.

The AI anchors are created using a blend of digital doubles and animated faces, designed to mimic real human behavior and expressions. However, despite their naturalistic hand gestures, a closer examination reveals a number of irregularities like longer fingers and more than five fingers on each hand. It seems AI continues to struggle with hand generation.

Additionally, while the AI anchors’ eyes blink, they lack emotional expression, giving a somewhat vacant look. These factors, coupled with their ability to read news in multiple languages, including Greek and Tamil, have raised concerns about the authenticity and emotional depth of AI-delivered news.
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Channel 1 plans to source its news content from three primary avenues: partnerships with legacy news outlets, commissioned freelance journalists, and AI-generated reports based on trusted official sources such as public records and government documents. This approach aims to balance technological innovation with credible news sourcing, although concerns remain about the authenticity — and potential legality — of AI-generated content

Privacy Concerns Mount as Project Reveals AI Can Find Locations in Photos

A project created by three Stanford graduate students apparently shows that artificial intelligence (AI) can geolocate where a photo is taken, an ability that has sparked concern.

The students designed the project, called Predicting Image Geolocations (PIGEON), to find locations using Google Street View, NPR reported on December 19.

When presented with personal images that were unfamiliar, for the most part, the program guessed the correct location. The outlet continued:

Like so many applications of AI, this new power is likely to be a double-edged sword: It may help people identify the locations of old snapshots from relatives, or allow field biologists to conduct rapid surveys of entire regions for invasive plant species, to name but a few of many likely beneficial applications.

But it also could be used to expose information about individuals that they never intended to share, says Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union who studies technology. Stanley worries that similar technology, which he feels will almost certainly become widely available, could be used for government surveillance, corporate tracking or even stalking.

The students had played the Swedish game GeoGuesser, in which players geolocate images, and they wanted to try and create an AI player that could surpass human attempts at the task.

“The Stanford students trained their version of the system with images from Google Street View,” the NPR report said, adding that PIGEON notices small clues that humans do but also others, such as minute differences in foliage, soil, and weather.