FTC Targets Facebook: Is Your Family’s Data Building Unsafe AI Worlds for Your Child?

FTC Targets Facebook: Is Your Family’s Data Building Unsafe AI Worlds for Your Child?

Data Safety

Children’s data and AI FTC opens 6(b) inquiry into AI companion chatbots September 11, 2025 The Federal Trade Commission issued compulsory 6(b) orders to seven firms that run consumer AI chatbots, seeking details on testing for youth harms, guardrails for teen use, data handling, and monetization practices. Sources are listed at the end of this […]

9/16/2025
U.S. Social Media Screening Mandate for Student Visa Applicants

U.S. Social Media Screening Mandate for Student Visa Applicants

Government

All foreign nationals applying for student and educational visas must now undergo social media and online presence vetting. According to a leaked cable obtained by POLITICO, consular officers are now directed to scour the internet for signs of what they deem as “hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United […]

9/13/2025
DOGE copied a Social Security mega-database to a private cloud, whistleblower says

DOGE copied a Social Security mega-database to a private cloud, whistleblower says

DOGE

If you wanted to design the perfect identity-theft jackpot, you would build a single file that stores names, SSNs, dates of birth, citizenship, parent names, and more. That file exists inside the Social Security Administration. It is called NUMIDENT. A whistleblower says DOGE-affiliated officials created a cloud copy of it with weaker protections than normal, […]

9/1/2025
What Is a Social Media Footprint and Why It Matters

What Is a Social Media Footprint and Why It Matters

Digital Footprint

Definition of Social Media Footprint A social media footprint is the sum of all the activity, content, and data linked to your presence on social platforms. Every comment, like, share, video upload, private message, profile update, and even your connections contribute to this footprint. Some of it is public and easy for others to find. […]

8/29/2025
AI Photo Geo-location: A Dangerous Precedent for Public Privacy

AI Photo Geo-location: A Dangerous Precedent for Public Privacy

Cybersecurity

Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly, and one of its latest uses is raising serious questions about safety and privacy. Tools like GeoSpy can analyze a single photo and determine its location in seconds, even if all metadata has been stripped away. For investigators, this may seem like a powerful tool. For the public, it represents […]

8/18/2025
ID Verification on YouTube (2025): What It Is, Why It’s Here, and How Australian & UK Laws Are Driving It

ID Verification on YouTube (2025): What It Is, Why It’s Here, and How Australian & UK Laws Are Driving It

AI

TL;DR – YouTube is expanding age checks for viewers and tightening identity checks for creators. The UK’s Online Safety Act and Australia’s new under-16 social-media rules are the big levers forcing platforms toward “highly effective age assurance” (read: ID, credit card, or selfie verification). Read on for details about the changes, and how you can […]

8/11/2025
How to Clean Up Your Social Media Before Applying for a U.S. Visa

How to Clean Up Your Social Media Before Applying for a U.S. Visa

Data Privacy

Scrub Before You Submit: Visa Screenings and the Rise of Social Media Background Checks by the Trump Admin Applying for a U.S. visa in 2025 means more than just paperwork and an interview. Consular officers are now reviewing your social media accounts as part of the screening process, adding a new layer of scrutiny that […]

8/5/2025
U.S Social Media Screening Mandate for Student Visa Applicants

U.S Social Media Screening Mandate for Student Visa Applicants

Social Media

All foreign nationals applying for student and educational visas must now undergo social media and online presence vetting. According to a leaked cable obtained by POLITICO, consular officers are now directed to scour the internet for signs of what they deem as “hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United […]

6/19/2025
Meet the Airline-Owned Data Broker Selling Over 50% of Flight Data to ICE

Meet the Airline-Owned Data Broker Selling Over 50% of Flight Data to ICE

Business

Delta, United, and American Airlines have probably sold your itinerary, credit card info, and your movements to Homeland Security and ICE. Major U.S. airlines are acting as data brokers, selling your data to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 404 Media acquired a contract that indicated an airline-owned data […]

6/18/2025
How Public Personal Info Helped the Minnesota Shooter Target His Victims

How Public Personal Info Helped the Minnesota Shooter Target His Victims

Data Brokers

On June 14, 2025, Minnesota witnessed a harrowing act of political violence when Vance Luther Boelter, a 57-year-old former gubernatorial appointee, fatally shot State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounded State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Boelter, disguised as a police officer, carried out these attacks at the victims’ homes […]

6/17/2025