Academic libraries across North America, Europe and Oceania report being hit by waves of data-scraping bots seeking content for AI companies' large language models. Staff at institutions including San Jose State University and University of Victoria say the bot traffic has slowed or crashed digital archives, disrupting access for students, researchers and the public. Researchers say the problem emerged in late 2024 and has been worsening since.
cbc.ca
· 2026-11-06
An internal audit at the Savannah Police Department flagged nearly 1,000 license-plate-reader searches tied to officer Amber Harpe's account between January and July. Investigators found Harpe had given her username and password to her husband, a Homeland Security ICE agent who lacked his own Flock access, and he told investigators he used it to locate immigration targets with active warrants. The department fired Harpe for violating policy and undermining accountability safeguards meant to track who accesses the surveillance system.
wjcl.com
· 2026-10-19
A journalist filed over 100 California Consumer Privacy Act data-access requests to major companies, including McDonald's, which returned a 515-page report detailing app behavior and predictive profiling. Many companies mishandled the process—some deleted data instead of disclosing it despite explicit instructions otherwise, while others ignored the contact methods listed in their own privacy policies.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-08-29
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