Author: Tyler King

As AI becomes a more significant part of the technological landscape, organizations require more data to train their models. Many tools, such as chat-bots, rely on Large Language Models (LLMs), which require immense text repositories to train. The question then arises, where can organizations find large amounts of text to train their models? Some organizations have looked to their users as a means of acquiring large quantities of quality text data. Meta Platforms, Inc., finds itself amongst these organizations. Meta will use users’ Instagram and Facebook posts to supply training text data to its models. Though this may seem benign…

The online tutoring service Tutor.com has come under scrutiny due to its ownership being based in China. The U.S. Senate is investigating the company and looking to ban any agreement between it and federally funded schools. The significant risk when doing business with companies based in China comes from the CCP’s privacy regulations that mandate companies to turn over all foreign and domestic user data if the Party asks. The company can turn over U.S. citizens’ data to another nation’s government. This issue is similar to that of TikTok; hence, the app is banned on all U.S. government-owned devices. Higher…

Phishing attacks are becoming more complex and believable with AI technologies. This leads to a significant vulnerability among organizations and institutions. Phishing attacks target the soft underbelly of any organization’s technological security measures, the people. No matter how complex cybersecurity systems become, the human aspect of cybersecurity will always pose a risk to the organization’s overall security. AI is now being used to create moving images and voice cloning, coercing victims into divulging information, which is then used by attackers to gain access to systems that contain confidential data. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are much more prone to this type…

This past month has seen over a 100,000% increase in data records leaked from the same month last year. It is becoming ever more apparent that organizations must practice proper cyber hygiene and third-party risk management to ensure their users’ data privacy. The issues of cyber security and data privacy have never been more apparently linked. As the number of cyber-attacks increases, so does the risk of data breaches. Therefore, organizations must do everything possible to stay cyber secure to protect their data. Full article

There is only one constant when it comes to data privacy regulations; they are constantly changing. Organizations may find it difficult to maintain compliance with dozens of regulations across multiple countries, which often feel like a chaotic bird’s nest of tangled scope and language. On top of current regulations, dozens more are projected to be enacted in the coming years. To ensure one’s organization keeps up with changes, one must look ahead and plan a roadmap of future changes to be better prepared for them. One helpful tip is to compare all regulations that apply to one’s organization and see…

Data Privacy class action lawsuits have skyrocketed in the past few years. These suits have seen a record-breaking amount in settlement payments, soaring to billions of dollars. Much of these suits pertain to biometric data handling following the Illinois Supreme Court decision, which increased the statute of limitations on Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) claims from 1 to 5 years. This has increased the number and scale of biometric data collection consent and mishandling claims. Full story

The New Jersey Data Privacy Act (NJDPA) is now in effect, placing New Jersey on the growing list of states with their own data privacy regulations. The NJDPA has a few characteristics that set it apart from similar regulations. For example, NJDPA has a more stringent policy regarding the processing and definition of financial data, specific protections for children up to age 17, and it also requires that a user give consent to a company before that company can process “sensitive data” sensitive data is defined in the regulation. Although somewhat similar to its contemporaries, this new regulation adds another…

The state of Pennsylvania has become the first in the nation to adopt the use of generative AI for government employees. In conversations with OpenAI, the state has given the enterprise version of ChatGPT to a select number of employees. This small-scale test may prove the efficacy of generative AI in government, leading to possible widescale adoption in the near future. The version of ChatGPT used in the trial run is said to have increased privacy and security features that reduce the risk of data leaks and cyber-attacks. This program will act as a means for governments to see how…

Data sharing has never been easier. SaaS providers like Google and Microsft enable easy data storage, access, and sharing. Often, links are used to provide access to shared data. If used incorrectly, these links can seriously risk an organization’s data privacy. Data owners may give others access to more data than they intended due to incorrect permission configurations or sharing entire drives. Administrators must configure their systems to reduce the risk of such mishaps and train users to properly and safely utilize links. Full story

On 17 January 2024, Biometric Update hosted a webinar discussing some basic questions regarding biometrics solutions in organizations. The conversations ranged from finding the correct solution for a given problem to the importance of policy creation in solutions. Here are a few stand-out moments from the webinar: Ask yourself why you are using biometrics. Is it necessary? Biometric data collection, handling, and storage are no easy tasks. Before implementing a biometric solution, one must do exhaustive research to decide whether biometrics is the best solution for your given use case.  TLDR: Biometrics is difficult. Don’t go through the headache of…