Google acquired Fitbit five years ago, bringing a lot of changes to the popular app. Now, the app is being rebranded as Google Health. What does this mean for existing, longtime Fitbit users? @TechRadar shares these five things to know:

https://flip.it/WEpkiZ

#Tech #Apps #Fitbit #Health #Technology #Google

“The future has now arrived. And some people are finding it uncomfortable,” Richard Dawkins recently wrote in an op-ed in which the evolutionary biologist suggested that AI chatbot Claude may be conscious. Dawkins has taken some flack for his position, but he isn’t the first to suspect a chatbot taking on human qualities. @ScienceAlert has more, including a mid-1960s chatbot that had some people become emotionally involved with it:

https://flip.it/54gtiI

#Tech #AI #Chatbots #Science #Technology #Claude #ArtificialIntelligence

‚Auf der Suche nach Minderjährigen will Meta Nutzer*innen auf #Facebook und #Instagram umfassend durchleuchten. Der Konzern will sogar die Knochenstruktur von Menschen auf Fotos auswerten. Wie gefährlich ist das? ….‘

Analyse von @sebmeineck

https://netzpolitik.org/2026/du-siehst-aber-jung-aus-meta-will-uns-bis-auf-die-knochen-ueberwachen/

#Netzpolitik #Überachung #Meta #Instagram #Altersverifikation #Datenschutz #Privacy #Technology #BigTech

Been dumped but not over your ex? There's an app for that! @MikeElgan reports on "ex.skill," which allows you to upload photos, social posts and chat logs to create a chatbot that sounds like your lost love, and remembers the times you've spent together. Here's more from his Machine Society newsletter.

https://flip.it/.M-Len

#Technology #Tech #AI #Relationships #Culture

📰 #Law & #Technology updates from https://law.yale.edu/isp

“Congrats to @ignaciocofone.bsky.social fone on Canadian Privacy Law: Cases and Materials (Emond Publishing), a casebook comprehensively covering Canada’s privacy framework across private law, statutes, and the Charter. G...”

https://bsky.app/profile/yaleisp.bsky.social/post/3ml6uqtgro222

Mark Fuckerberg ‘Personally Authorized and Actively Encouraged’ Meta’s Massive Copyright Infringement to Train AI Systems, Publishers and Scott Turow Allege in Lawsuit

https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/meta-ai-mark-zuckerberg-copyright-infringement-lawsuit-publishers-scott-turow-1236738383/

#Meta #Llama #AI #piracy #copyright #enshittification #technology #socialmedia

Character.AI Is being sued by Pennsylvania over its AI chatbot that claimed to be a real doctor.

“The department’s investigation found that AI chatbot characters on Character.AI claimed to be licensed medical professionals, including psychiatrists, available to engage users in conversations about mental health symptoms,” Governor Josh Shapiro’s office said. “In one instance, a chatbot falsely stated it was licensed in Pennsylvania and provided an invalid license number.”

https://flip.it/SwR4P-

#AI #Health #Technology #News #CharacterAI

Instagram will no longer encrypt chats starting this Friday

Meta announced that IG will officially discontinue end-to-end encryption feature on May 8th.

All DMs will be decrypted once it reaches Meta's servers.

https://cybersecuritynews.com/instagram-end-encryption-direct-messages/

#Meta #Instagram #privacy #surveillance #security #enshittification #messaging #socialmedia #technology

Again, I challenge the traditional concept of authorship by arguing that creating written work has always been a matter of social attribution rather than manual production. The use of AI/LLMs is just the latest evolution in a long history of collaborative writing, much like the accepted roles of ghostwriters, speech writers, and editors.

https://philosophics.blog/2026/05/05/the-author-did-not-write-this/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

#philosophy #language #authorship #writing #llms #al #genai #debate #history#blog #podcast #books #research #attribution #technology

📰 #Law & #Technology updates from https://law.yale.edu/isp

“Big congrats to ISP Fellow María P. Angel on her new publication, "From Privacy to the Data Economy: The FTC’s Reframing of Its Regulatory Priorities," out in the Spring 2026 issue of the Arizona state Law Journal.

http...”

https://bsky.app/profile/yaleisp.bsky.social/post/3ml4i5vwgdc2m

Utah’s New Law Targeting VPNs Goes Into Effect Next Week

Next week Utah will become the first state in the nation to target the use of VPNs to avoid legally mandated age-verification gates. Advocates in states like Wisconsin successfully forced the removal of similar provisions due to constitutional and technical concerns

#utah #privacy #surveillance #VPN #ageverification #technology #tech

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/utahs-new-law-regulating-vpns-goes-effect-next-week

The courtroom battle between Elon Musk and Sam Altman heated up Monday when Musk’s AI expert Stuart Russell, a Cal-Berkeley computer science professor, took the stand. Russell co-signed an open letter in 2023 calling for a six-month pause in AI research. Here's more from @Techcrunch, including what Russell told jurors and Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rodgers about the risks associated with AI:

https://flip.it/28x0Q5

#Tech #AI #ElonMusk #SamAltman #Technology #ArtificialIntelligence

States across the wildfire-prone Western U.S. are using AI for early detection.

@AssociatedPress reports: "In Arizona, California and beyond, the technology is mostly used in high-risk areas that are sparsely populated, rural or remote, where a blaze might not be quickly spotted by human eyes."

https://flip.it/S539W9

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Tech #Wildfires #Technology

The competition among the best music streaming services has become increasingly tough, making it even more challenging for new entrants. That isn’t stopping Vocana from wading into the industry’s strong current. Vocana is an independent-only streaming service founded in 2021 to “fix what’s broken in streaming.” @TechRadar has more on the no-major-labels-allowed venture:

https://flip.it/wrCE83

#Tech #Streaming #Music #Vocana #Technology

The Authoritarian Stack

How Tech Billionaires Are Building a Post-Democratic America — And Why Europe Is Next

https://www.authoritarian-stack.info/

#USA #Europe #Surveillance #Technology #Capitalism #TechnoFacism

First we take USA, then we take Europe!
Autoritäre Tech-Milliardäre

‚Die Auslagerung von Kernaufgaben des Militärs und anderer sicherheitsrelevanter staatlicher Aufgaben an Privatunternehmen ist das Thema einer umfassenden Recherche, die Francesca Bria, José Bautista und xof-research.org unter dem Titel „The authoritarian stack“ (Der autoritäre Block) veröffentlicht haben. Europa stehe vor einer existenziellen Entscheidung, so die Autor*innen….‘

Vorstellung der Reportage The Authoritarian Stack! Via @npla_de
https://www.npla.de/thema/politik-gesellschaft/autoritaere-tech-milliardaere-first-we-take-usa-then-we-take-europe/

#Palantir #PeterThiel #USA #BigTech #Digitalisierung #Technology

Canadian tech expert says social media ban won't work

https://mobilesyrup.com/2026/04/30/canadian-tech-expert-social-media-ban-problems/

> Prominent Canadian law professor Michael Geist says a social media ban would fail to protect kids while also posing risks to privacy and free expression for all Canadians.

#privacy #technology

Detecting pancreatic cancer can be challenging for doctors. By the time they identify the disease, it’s often too late to treat effectively. But an AI model developed by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., might be able to find signs of the disease before tumors are visible on a scan. Read more from NBC News:

https://flip.it/P4ARsQ

#Tech #AI #Health #Cancer #Technology #ArtificialIntelligence

Uber has announced that it wants to outfit its human-driven cars with sensors that collect data for autonomous vehicle companies and possibly more companies that train AI models. The plan is an extension of Uber’s data-gathering AV Labs program that launched in January. Read more from @Techcrunch:

https://flip.it/6C4Mdl

#Tech #Uber #AI #Technology #ArtificialIntelligence #Cars #Transportation

AI matchmaking services like Amata and Sitch promise better dates by cutting out the swiping grind—curated matches, structured meetups, and a monthly fee. Some find it refreshing; others worry about privacy and losing control over love. Is AI the future of dating? #technology #ai

https://wesearch.press/s/can-ai-find-you-love-d2fffa73?utm_source=social&utm_medium=auto&utm_campaign=mastodon

Alt...

My AI Matchmaker Let Me Down

"Europe should regulate Big Tech instead of banning kids from social media, Estonia says"
"Federal Bill Would Bring OS-Level Age Verification to the Entire U.S."
"Japan relaxes privacy laws to make itself the ‘easiest country to develop AI’"
"City Learns Flock Accessed Cameras in Children’s Gymnastics Room as a Sales Pitch Demo, Renews Contract Anyway"

Check out the full list headlines I caught for April.

https://theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/april-2026-privacy-news-roundup

#privacy #surveillance #AI #anonymity #technology

Apple CEO Tim Cook warns of extended memory crunch.

"Across the tech landscape, executives have been voicing their concerns about soaring prices for memory, which faces a worldwide crunch due to insatiable demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure," CNBC reports.

https://flip.it/KHRNDZ

#Apple #TimCook #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Technology

Mickey Mouse is watching you: Disneyland deploys facial recognition

Disney said on its website that “technical, administrative and physical measures” had been implemented to protect visitors’ information. But the company also noted: “please be aware, despite our best efforts, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable.”

#disneyland #entertainment #facialrecognition #surveillance #privacy #technology #tech

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/disneyland-entrance-facial-recognition

The New York Childrens Online Safety Act will ban anyone under 18 from chatting online.

The bill specifically states that all online platforms, including video games which have a live chat feature for their users, are required to implement age verification measures, and ban anyone under the age of 18 from using communication features.

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S4609/amendment/original

#AgeVerification #IDVerification #privacy #surveillance #dystopia #socialmedia #gaming #technology #NewYork #USA

Spotify is rolling out a new “Verified by Spotify” badge so listeners can more easily differentiate between human artists and AI-generated music. Should save us all the embarrassment of saying something like “Xania Monet has a better voice than Beyoncé” in public. @Techcrunch has more:

https://flip.it/Mnd.TX

#Tech #AI #Spotify #Music #Technology #ArtificialIntelligence

Social media posts are getting some high-profile names in hot water this week. A post on platform X, appeared to contradict Elon Musk in court yesterday in his case against OpenAI. Meanwhile, former FBI director James Comey has been indicted over an Instagram post involving seashells that the Trump administration claims threatened the president.

Be careful what you post folks!

On the stand, Elon Musk can’t escape his own tweets:
https://flip.it/EoAoJ0

Exclusive: Former FBI Director James Comey indicted over alleged ‘threat’ against Trump:
https://flip.it/z7pAyZ

#SocialMedia #ElonMusk #JamesComey #USNews #Technology

Why does every individual site need to work out whether I'm a bot or not?

Surely there must be a better way than having to wait 10 seconds for EVERY SINGLE SITE ON THE INTERNET to verify that I'm a human?

Just as we once taught ourselves to use passwords we would never remember, but a computer could guess in seconds, we now seem to be at a point where humans are being frustrated by every site wanting to make sure we're real.... but computers just work around it (or move to the next site)....

#Verification #Technology #Frustration #Robots #Bot #Internet

Alt...

Black screen with "Making sure you're not a bot!" in yellow and a big blue cog underneath

Alt...

Swirling green dots with text "Verifying..." on the left. The Cloudflare logo with privacy and help links on the right all on a white background

RIghtsCon, the world's largest digital human rights conference, has been suddenly canceled. The event was due to be held in Zambia from May 5-8, but the country's Ministry of Information said today it was postponed due to "thematic issues" and problems with speakers. @404mediaco reports that organizers Access Now have now confirmed its cancelation.

https://flip.it/N5fPA2

#RightsCon #Zambia #HumanRights #Technology #Tech

Maryland becomes first state to ban surveillance pricing in grocery stores

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/29/maryland-grocery-stores-ban-surveillance-pricing

#privacy #surveillance #surveillancepricing #enshittification #dystopia #technology #Maryland #USA

One of the most valuable AI companies in the world might be experiencing a bit of a money problem. Despite OpenAI being valued at an impressive $852 billion, it's still reportedly struggling to meet its revenue targets as rumours spread of its plans to go public. Futurism has more:

https://flip.it/tRrkkj

#AI #OpenAI #SamAltman #Technology

Facial recognition data is a key to your identity – if stolen, you can’t just change the locks https://theconversation.com/facial-recognition-data-is-a-key-to-your-identity-if-stolen-you-cant-just-change-the-locks-278289 #technology #privacy #business #cybersecurity #STEM