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Tech giants
Artifcial Intelligence Data collection Europe GDPR Google Privacy Tech giants

Is Google Spying on You? EU Investigates AI Data Privacy Concerns



Google is currently being investigated in Europe over privacy concerns raised about how the search giant has used personal data to train its generative AI tools. The subject of investigation is led by Ireland's Data Protection Commission, which ensures that the giant technical company adheres to strict data protection laws within the European Union. This paper will establish whether Google adhered to its legal process, such as obtaining a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), before using people's private information to develop its intelligent machine models.

Data Collection for AI Training Causes Concerns

Generative AI technologies similar to Google's brand Gemini have emerged into the headlines because these tend to create fake information and leak personal information. This raises the question of whether Google's AI training methods, necessarily involving tremendous amounts of data through which such training must pass, are GDPR-compliant-its measures to protect privacy and rights regarding individuals when such data is used for developing AI.

This issue at the heart of the probe is if Google should have carried out a DPIA, which is an acronym for Data Protection Impact Assessment-the view of any risks data processing activities may have on the rights to privacy of individuals. The reason for conducting a DPIA is to ensure that the rights of the individuals are protected simply because companies like Google process humongous personal data so as to create such AI models. The investigation, however, is specifically focused on how Google has been using its model called PaLM2 for running different forms of AI, such as chatbots and enhancements in the search mechanism.

Fines Over Privacy Breaches

But if the DPC finds that Google did not comply with the GDPR, then this could pose a very serious threat to the company because the fine may amount to more than 4% of the annual revenue generated globally. Such a company as Google can raise billions of dollars in revenue every year; hence such can result in a tremendous amount.

Other tech companies, including OpenAI and Meta, also received similar privacy-based questions relating to their data practices when developing AI.

Other general issues revolve around the processing of personal data in this fast-emerging sphere of artificial intelligence.

Google Response to Investigation

The firm has so far refused to answer questions over specific sources of data used to train its generative AI tools. A company spokesperson said Google remains dedicated to compliance with the GDPR and will continue cooperating with the DPC throughout the course of the investigation. The company maintains it has done nothing illegal. And just because a company is under investigation, that doesn't mean there's something wrong with it; the very act of inquiring itself forms part of a broader effort to ensure that companies using technology take account of how personal information is being used.

Data Protection in the AI Era

DPC questioning of Google is part of a broader effort by the EU regulators to ensure generative AI technologies adhere to the bloc's high data-privacy standards. As concerns over how personal information is used, more companies are injecting AI into their operations. The GDPR has been among the most important tools for ensuring citizens' protection against misuse of data, especially during cases involving sensitive or personal data.

In the last few years, other tech companies have been prosecuted with regard to their data-related activities in AI development. Recently, the developers of ChatGPT, OpenAI, and Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter), faced investigations and complaints under the law of GDPR. This indicates the growing pressure technological advancement and the seriousness in the protection of privacy are under.

The Future of AI and Data Privacy

In developing AI technologies, firms developing relevant technology need to strike a balance between innovation and privacy. The more innovation has brought numerous benefits into the world-search capabilities and more efficient processes-the more it has opened risks to light by leaving personal data not so carefully dealt with in most cases.

Moving forward, the regulators, including the DPC, would be tracking the manner in which the companies like Google are dealing with the data. It is sure to make rules much more well-defined on what is permissible usage of personal information for developing the AI that would better protect individuals' rights and freedoms in this digital age.

Ultimately, the consequences of this study may eventually shape how AI technologies are designed and implemented in the European Union; it will certainly inform tech businesses around the world.


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Tech giants
AI Artificial Intelligence Business AI ChatGPT ChatGPT Enterprise Cyber Security Security Concerns Tech giants

ChatGPT Enterprise can Boost AI Adoption by Addressing Business Concerns


With the introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022, interest in AI has seen a massive lift. While it has made people envision the revolutionary potential for enterprises, it has also raised several concerns. 

Security concerns in regard to adopting AI have resulted in several tech giants restricting the usage of ChatGPT. One of the security concerns is the fear that their users’ information will be used by AI to enhance their model, which seems quite possible. 

Further concerns include trustworthiness, training data up to 2021, limited customization, and occasionally inaccurate responses. 

In order to allay these concerns, OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Enterprise, designed specifically for enterprises. In addition to advanced features like customization options, this edition promises improved security and quicker replies.

According to Rowan Curran, a senior analyst for Forrester, these security updates and plugins will eventually motivate enterprises to adopt AI technology. Early adopters of ChatGPT Enterprise include Canva and PwC. Danny Wu, the head of AI products at Canva, emphasizes the advantages of productivity. Users will be able to train the AI using their own data thanks to OpenAI, which will increase its utility. 

However, it seems like ChatGPT Enterprise should also not be trusted. According to legal consultant Emma Haywood, ChatGPT Enterprise could still possess risks when generating content. Compliance with SOC 2 and OpenAI’s data usage promise enhances its status, but GDPR and contractual duties still apply.

It must also be noted that ChatGPT Enterprise is not one of its kind, since it now has several competitors from other AI platforms such as Microsoft’s Azure AI and Bard, Google’s generative AI. In order to find the most suitable AI platform, businesses look into several attributes like cost, performance, and security.

Regulatory concerns have also been raised with the developments in AI regulations made in the EU, the US and the UK. Customization could make the distinction between user and provider more hazy and complicate regulatory issues.

ChatGPT Enterprise attempts to address security and usability issues for enterprises, yet obstacles still exist, highlighting the changing face of AI in the corporate world.

Several other reasons indicate why ChatGPT might not be ready for enterprises, such as: 

  • Developing malware: Malware can be created by the same generative AI that creates ethical code. Additionally, users have discovered that they can easily get around ChatGPT's restrictions, despite the fact that it rejects requests that are overtly illegal or sinister.
  • Phishing scams: Cybercriminals may quickly create highly convincing content using generative AI, personalize it to target particular victims (spear phishing), and adapt it to match a variety of mediums, including email, direct messaging, phone calls, chatbots, social media commentary, and phony websites.
  • API attacks: It is being speculated that cybercriminals might utilize generative AI to discover the specific vulnerabilities in APIs. Theoretically, attackers may be able to direct ChatGPT to examine API documentation, compile data, and create API queries in order to find and exploit vulnerabilities more quickly and proficiently. 

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Technology
Data Safety Digital Ads Digital Advertising Online Advertising Tech giants Technology

Slowly But Surely: The Decline of Online Advertising is Inevitable

 

The first-ever digital banner advertising campaign was bizarrely launched by stodgy American telecoms giant AT&T in 1994. Both AT&T and Wired, the website that published the advertisement, were unable to foresee how pervasive digital advertising would become or that it would grow to be a $700 billion industry in only three short decades. 

Today's internet goliaths like Meta and Google were born as a result of the juggernaut of online advertising. The digital economy depends on it for survival. However, it also has an existential crisis. Digital advertising very likely no longer exists in the way that we currently perceive it and have for the past thirty years. 

In terms of excess, abuse, and privacy violations, the digital advertising sector is a Lovecraftian horror story. It is a monster with several heads, each of which is more disgusting than the previous one. If only to convince the sceptics that the demise of online advertising isn't just inevitable, but essential, I'll go into the industry's most terrible acts later in this article.

Cause of decline 

We should strive to comprehend the root causes before describing the phenomena speeding digital advertising's terminal demise. And in order to accomplish that, we must go back to the beginning. The initial banner advertisement was strangely prophetic in many ways. It utilised strategies that nowadays would be referred to as "clickbait." It read: “Have you ever clicked your mouse right HERE? YOU WILL”. 

Obvious? Yes. Sophisticated?No way. But most all, it was incredibly efficient. A 2017 retrospective that was published in The Atlantic found that 44% of people who saw it also clicked on it. By today's standards, such a sum is nearly unfathomable. The typical clickthrough rate for Google Ads is 3.17 percent, according to the ad industry analytics firm Smart Insights. 

Of course, there is much more to online advertising than just clickbait. As the Internet got more and more ingrained in our daily lives, it drew in famous "blue chip" corporations that wanted to take advantage of its expanding reach but didn't want to risk the safety and reputation of their brands by using dishonest methods. 

Thus, we came to possess a highly developed tracking and profiling system. The ad-tech sector developed extensive, comprehensive profiles of specific consumers, their interests, and their preferences. Almost like a private spy agency, these ad-tech companies operated. They could deliver adverts with gravity-defying accuracy through their surveillance. This situation held until it didn't. Consumer privacy awareness increased significantly in the 2010s, in large part as a result of the Snowden revelations, which, while mostly unconnected to the advertising sector, nonetheless demonstrated the great targeting power of our personal data. 

There were further controversies that followed, most notably those involving Cambridge Analytica and AggregateIQ, two companies that employed traditional ad-tech strategies and tactics to achieve political change as opposed to promoting consumer electronics and fragrance brands. Regulators were forced to deal with the predicament it had caused.

The opposition to the existing data-centric advertising paradigm that has been voiced by regulators and tech corporations is the most noticeable factor.

On the regulatory front, there has been a flurry of measures designed to rein in the excesses of the online advertising industry. Of course, the most famous example is GDPR. It is notable for three primary reasons: first, the extent of the European market, second, the fact that it has acted as a model for legislation of a similar nature in other non-EU territories and states. Examples of the latter are Canada's Digital Charter Implementation Act (DCIA) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). 

The GDPR (and related legislation) expands the definition of what counts as private data, establishes a need for consent before any data is processed, and imposes severe financial penalties for breaking its rules. Additionally, it formalises the line of command by requiring certain sizable enterprises that rely heavily on data to designate a Data Privacy Officer (DPO) and mandates that companies acquire specific consent before processing "special categories" of data. This phrase refers to both a person's biographical details as well as possibly less obvious information, such as political ideas. 

Additionally, major digital companies have taken actions that restrict the ability of the advertising sector to follow and target consumers. Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT), which is both widely used and incredibly effective, is an excellent example. Analysts estimate that in 2022, Facebook would have lost close to $13 billion in revenue. And that's only one business. 

Google has also taken similar actions, most notably by deciding to stop using tracking cookies in Google Chrome in 2024. Building anti-fingerprinting technology is a goal of the open-source Chromium project, which also creates the engine that powers Microsoft's Edge, Brave, and the Chrome browser. These will make it even more difficult for ad-tech companies to accurately identify people. 

In other words, the legal and technological framework that let the ad-tech business flourish unrestrainedly has been removed. The importance of these developments cannot be overstated. The impending ban on the sale of new gasoline vehicles in California and other US jurisdictions is the closest analogy I can come up with. They will be that drastically transformational. 

There is a cascading impact from these actions. Legislators and tech companies aren't the only ones making life difficult for the online advertising industry. Digital channels are consequently becoming less desirable (or useful) for advertisers. They are therefore seeking other places to spend their budget. One outstanding example is audio advertising, which surged by 57.9 percent in 2021 and is still rapidly expanding.

Future of digital advertising 

I believe it is important to provide some depth so that I am not accused of using the same clickbait strategies that I criticised before in this article. I firmly feel that the current method of digital ads is obsolete. It will happen in due course. Simply said, there is no longer any technological infrastructure or regulatory negligence that supported the status order. Clearly, companies will continue to advertise their products online. But it will appear very different from what we have right now. The age of highly specific targeting has come to an end. 

Additionally, the importance of the browser to advertisers will decline, partly as a result of the causes I already discussed but also as a result of the widespread adoption of technology solutions that enable users to efficiently opt out of advertising. Ad blockers are used by about 42.7% of people, and this percentage is rising. 

In terms of digital channels, controlled platforms like YouTube will become more prevalent. This is an excellent illustration of what online advertising will look like in the future because most of its customers choose to utilise the mobile app to access the site, which makes it nearly difficult to block advertising without subscribing to a premium service. 

Browser-based advertising will inevitably rely on cohort-based or contextual targeting. As a result, advertisers will probably see a decline in conversions and switch back to more traditional advertising channels. One excellent illustration of this is audio, as I already highlighted. Additionally, outdoor advertising is.

In other words, although being less invasive, this new iteration of digital advertising will also be less profitable. Working with massive, monolithic platforms like YouTube will be necessary since they can exercise some control over the situation through their mobile experiences. Less and less of the world's advertising budget will be spent on online advertisements. Most of this problem is self-inflicted.

By simply exercising more control and self-policing, the digital advertising business might have prevented a large portion of this upheaval. Though it didn't. It must now pay the price of the approaching existential crisis.
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Technology
New Feature New Innovation Password free Tech giants Technology

Google, Apple, Microsoft to Soon Bring Passwordless Sign-Ins for Users

 

Big tech giant companies including Apple, Google, and even Microsoft announced almost two years ago that the companies will create a passwordless future for all, thus, dismissing the need for passwords for protection and making authentication more secure. 

On the occasion of World Password Day, May 5, these tech giants encourage passwordless sign-ins in every device including mobiles, laptops, and browser platforms such as Chrome, Edge, and Safari browsers; and the Windows and macOS desktops in the coming year. 

Google's Sampath Srinivas who is in charge of the secure authentication said the "passkey will bring us much closer to the passwordless future" as tech giants seek a "common passwordless sign-in standard". 

This new standard for passwordless authentication is created by FIDO (Fast Identity Online) and the World Wide Web Consortium. Passwordless authentication will allow users to have access to their online accounts as usual but using a unique cryptographic token called a passkey will be quicker in the user's sign-in authentication and allow a person to log in without a password. 

Apple Senior Director of platform product marketing Kurt Knight said, "Just as we design our products to be intuitive and capable, we also design them to be private and secure. Working with the industry to establish new, more secure sign-in methods that offer better protection and eliminate the vulnerabilities of passwords is central to our commitment to building products that offer maximum security and a transparent user experience — all with the goal of keeping users’ personal information safe.” 

This new feature will allow apps and websites to offer easy passwordless sign-ins, and security to users across devices and platforms said apple. Also, without password log-ins is expected to be a much safer way, considering that passwords are more prone to malicious activities. Plus, maintaining and remembering passwords is a difficult task for many. 

Microsoft’s vice president for security, compliance, identity, and privacy, Vasu Jakkal, said that "With passkeys on your mobile device, you’re able to sign in to an app or service on nearly any device, regardless of the platform or browser the device is running. For example, users can sign in on a Google Chrome browser that’s running on Microsoft Windows—using a passkey on an Apple device.”
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