Below: Twitter reveals a takedown of China-based operations seeking to influence US politics, and the FTC accuses an education technology firm of poor cybersecurity practices. First:
If Meta’s dream of the metaverse comes true, regulators will face a whole new set of privacy concerns
Most recently, the CEO of Meta Mark Zuckerberg has offered a rosy picture about the future success of his company’s big bet on transforming human communication through immersive virtual worlds known as the metaverse. In response to dismal financial results last quarter, Zuckerberg told investors that the company’s new $1,500 virtual powered headset, the Quest Pro, would help employees do their jobs better than they ever could through ordinary computers.
“I think our work will be of historic importance and will lay the groundwork for a whole new way that we will interact with each other and mix technology into our lives, as well as a basis for a throughout our business,” Zuckerberg. told investors.
What Zuckerberg didn’t say was that policy watchers and industry representatives are already grappling with the sharp ethical and regulatory issues that would arise if services like Quest Pro were to gain popularity.
Among the more complicated questions facing Meta and other companies is what they do with the intimate information they collect about users and their interactions in these immersive virtual spaces. The Quest Pro improved on previous iterations of the VR headset by tracking the user’s eyeballs and facial muscles to help them express emotions through a virtual avatar.
Meta says that face and eye tracking capabilities are completely optional and turned off by default, and that images captured by the cameras are processed on the device and then discarded. But like my colleague Geoffrey A. Fowler has reported that Meta will continue to convert users’ facial reactions into data that they will send to certain app creators who have requested permission.
The XR Association, which counts Meta, Microsoft and Google as members, has said manufacturers should integrate privacy controls into their devices and make sure the public is aware of how that information is being used. Companies can control where they process the data they collect or hide images of people simply standing next to someone wearing AR or VR-powered glasses or headsets, XRA’s CEO said Elizabeth Hyman.
“Our basic approach to this is privacy by design. Make sure the consumer understands what the technology does,” Hyman said. “And give that consumer or user control” over how that data is used.
But Samir Jain, director of policy at the Center for Democracy and Technology, argues that the traditional model of tech companies notifying users of how they’re using the information they collect and offering them some choice to opt out may not work. in virtual reality. . For starters, Jain said, the data these devices can collect is much more intimate than the information collected through text- and video-based social media services.
“That model becomes particularly challenging when you’re talking about behaviors like heart rate or pupil dilation that are involuntary, that you may not be aware of, and that can be quite revealing about your emotions,” he said. “It can be quite revealing about inner feelings that you are not expressing otherwise, or may not be fully aware of. I mean, you can even imagine someone going out as a result of eye tracking.”
With the exception of some legislative efforts to study virtual and augmented reality, the issue has not fully risen to the top of Congress’ legislative agenda. But both Jain and Hyman acknowledged that regulators will eventually have to weigh in on whether Zuckerberg succeeds in turning his metaverse dreams into reality.
Twitter cracks down on China-based operations trying to change US policy
The three China-based operations sought to covertly influence US politics in the run-up to the midterm elections by amplifying polarizing themes. Jeremy B. Merrill, Joseph Menn and report. The operations involved about 2,000 accounts, some of which were claimed to be located in the United States, and weighed in on hot topics such as allegations of rigging the 2020 election and criticism of the transgender community.
“Twitter’s divestment of the networks, which operated mostly between April and October, came during a tumultuous period for the social media giant as it prepared to sell itself to the billionaire. Elon Musk and faced continued scrutiny over how it controls disinformation ahead of next week’s midterms, when political control of Congress is essential,” my colleagues write. Twitter did not respond to a request for further comment.
FTC goes after ed tech firm Chegg for ‘negligent security’
The Federal Trade Commission accused the company, a prominent educational software provider, of lax cybersecurity practices that led to a data breach that exposed personal information belonging to tens of millions of its users, the New York Times reported. Natasha Singer reports. Chegg agreed to implement a comprehensive data security program to resolve the allegations, the FTC said.
“The FTC’s enforcement action against Chegg is a wake-up call for the US education technology industry,” Singer writes.
It comes months after the FTC unanimously warned education technology companies against illegal student surveillance and lax cybersecurity programs. An investigation in May by Human Rights Watch found that many educational tools were designed to send data to advertising firms, with few telling parents how they would use the data.
TikTok’s use by US politicians raises questions about the app’s readiness for disinformation
The increased presence of politicians on the app signals that it could play a bigger role in the upcoming elections. It also worries social media and national security experts, who worry that the app isn’t as prepared as other social networks to identify disinformation. Zakrzewski the cat, Naomi Nix AND Taylor Lawrence report.
“Nearly 30 percent of all major party candidates in Senate races have TikTok accounts, and one-fifth of all House candidates have an account on the platform, according to a new analysis by the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a US-based nonprofit group that examines efforts by foreign nations to interfere with democratic institutions,” my colleagues write.
- Democrats are the most likely to embrace TikTok, with 34 percent of candidates for Senate, House, Governor and Secretary of State having TikTok accounts, according to the report. About 12 percent of Republican candidates in those races have accounts.
- Politicians are still learning how to best use the app, according to a review of these accounts’ posts. “Some clips attack their opponents or feature photos from famous supporters,” my colleagues wrote. “Others encourage young people to vote.”
TikTok has announced new policies and initiatives ahead of the midterms, including adding tags for political content and directing users to an Election Center. TikTok takes “our responsibility to protect the integrity of the platform and our choices with the utmost seriousness,” said spokesman Ben Rathe. “We continue to invest in our policy, security and safety teams to counter election disinformation and verify the accounts of US politicians”
Elon Musk reaches out to EU industry chief to pledge compliance with content policing (Reuters)
Delhi Police raid The Wire offices and homes of three of its editors (Move)
Instagram users report accounts being randomly suspended, apps crashing (Bloomberg News)
EU to launch advanced Microsoft-Activision probe (Politico Europe)
Democratic US senator calls for probe into Saudi firm’s Twitter holdings (Reuters)
Nibel gave Twitter a lot for a little in return (Gene Park)
- Senior FTC officials, researchers and academics speak today at the Federal Trade Commission’s PrivacyCon event.
- The American Enterprise Institute hosts an event on online election disinformation Friday at 10 a.m.
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