Data Privacy

The U.S. Justice Department told Congress in November that there were no major disputes with the United Kingdom over how the two allies seek data from each other’s communication companies.

But at that time, officials knew British authorities were preparing a demand that Apple build a back door to its users’ encrypted data, according to people familiar with the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal department matters.

Apple users in the United Kingdom will no longer have access to a key data security feature for iCloud storage: Advanced Data Protection. It’s a relatively small change, but privacy experts worry it could have ripple effects for data privacy around the world.

The iPhone maker confirmed last week that it would end access for UK users to the optional end-to-end encryption feature, which helps to ensure that only users can access their own personal data, such as photos and messages.

If your healthcare data hasn't been breached in 2024, then you either don't know it yet or should consider yourself very lucky. 

That's because 2024 was a nightmare year for healthcare institutions and patients in the U.S. A total of 184,111,469 records were breached. That's 53% of the 2024 population of the United States. 

This staggering figure represents a significant increase from previous years, setting a new and alarming record in healthcare data breaches. 

Most AI builders don't say where they are getting the data they use to train their bots and models — but legally they're required to say what they are doing with their customers' data.

The big picture: These data-use disclosures open a window onto the otherwise opaque world of Big Tech's AI brain-food fight.

In this new Axios series, we'll tell you, company by company, what all the key players are saying and doing with your personal information and content.

23andMe, a genetic-testing and ancestry-tracing company, collects the most personal kind of data from its customers: their DNA. 

Now, after a data breach in late 2023 and a full board resignation, the company faces an uncertain future, and many customers believe the genetic information they once willingly handed over could be vulnerable. CEO Anne Wojcicki has also previously said she'd consider a potential takeover of the company, which has raised concerns among customers about what would happen to their data in the event of a sale. 

The Senate overwhelmingly passed a pair of bills to expand online privacy and safety protections for children on Tuesday, delivering a major win for parent and youth activists who have clamored for action against tech companies they say are endangering the well-being of kids.

The Senate overwhelmingly passed two bills intended to strengthen children’s online safety on Tuesday, imposing new rules on what online firms can offer to minors and how they use those children’s data.

Both bills, the Kids Online Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Action (COPPA) 2.0, were approved in bipartisan 91-3 votes.

The Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to pass two landmark bills meant to protect children from the harms of social media and ensure children’s user privacy is safeguarded.

By a vote of 91-3, the Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, the most significant tech-regulation package of the past two decades. It remains unclear whether the legislation will pass the House, which is currently on recess until September.

U.S. phone giant AT&T confirmed Friday it will begin notifying millions of consumers about a fresh data breach that allowed cybercriminals to steal the phone records of “nearly all” of its customers, a company spokesperson told TechCrunch.

In a statement, AT&T said that the stolen data contains phone numbers of both cellular and landline customers, as well as AT&T records of calls and text messages — such as who contacted who by phone or text — during a six-month period between May 1, 2022 and October 31, 2022.