Meta says it has fixed a Meta AI feature that generated invasive automatic prompts on Instagram posts, such as questions identifying a poster's child or home location, after parenting blogger Kalie Robins showed the tool piecing together private details from years of old photos and family accounts. Meta confirmed the feature missed its intended purpose and will no longer surface such personal suggestions, though it gave few specifics on what exactly was changed.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-12
A how-to guide walks readers through setting up an OpenStreetMap account, installing the JOSM editor, downloading local map data, and filtering it to find shops or amenities missing a website tag. The process guides contributors to add that missing link, a change that then propagates into the many free services built on OSM data.
high5apps.github.io
· 2026-09-12
Revolut confirmed it handed over sensitive customer information after receiving fraudulent data requests sent from what appeared to be a legitimate government agency email domain. The exposed data reportedly included names, birth dates, addresses, phone numbers, ID documents, and possibly verification selfies and transaction histories. The company says only a limited number of customers were affected and that it has since blocked the fraudulent email address and alerted authorities.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-12
Google Maps estimates how crowded entire areas, not just individual businesses, are by aggregating anonymous location data from users who have opted into Google Timeline. The feature combines data from nearby stores, restaurants, and parks, but excludes private residences, and typically only works in high-traffic zones like tourist areas or festival grounds where enough visitor data exists.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-12
A group of former EPA officials, working through the Environmental Protection Network, released a report identifying 30 federal actions since January 2025 that they say weaken environmental protections to speed AI data center construction. They argue this has pushed data centers toward dirtier power sources, worsening pollution exposure even for people who don't live near the facilities, and are calling on Trump to adopt a 'Data Center Health Protection Pledge.'
theverge.com
· 2026-09-12
Insurers and reinsurers are exploring catastrophe bonds to help cover the massive, geographically concentrated value of hyperscale data centers, many of which sit in hurricane- and flood-prone regions. Industry experts told CNBC that while no dedicated data center cat bond has yet been issued, activity is building one step upstream through reinsurance vehicles like quota shares and sidecars as firms work out pricing and capacity.
cnbc.com
· 2026-09-12
Mecka AI, a startup that pays people to record themselves performing everyday tasks to generate motion data for training humanoid robots, is close to finalizing a new funding round led by Sequoia Capital valuing the company at roughly $500 million. The deal comes just three months after Mecka raised $60 million in a round led by Framework Ventures, though the exact size of the new round remains unknown and terms could still change.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-11
Sony Music and Warner have filed a copyright lawsuit against Anthropic, alleging the AI company scraped and used their song catalogs without permission to train its models. This follows a similar suit from Universal Music Group in January, meaning all three major music publishers are now pursuing legal action against Anthropic.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-11
Meta piloted a Model Capability Initiative that would have captured employees' keystrokes and mouse movements to help train its AI models. Workers pushed back quickly, circulating an internal petition, and the program was ultimately shelved after concerns about privacy and a reported data breach.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-11
Senator Ron Wyden and Congressman Warren Davidson sent a letter to Britain's Investigatory Powers Tribunal demanding it stop concealing details of Apple's dispute with the UK government over encrypted iCloud data. The case began when the Home Office ordered Apple to build backdoor access to encrypted backups worldwide, prompting Apple to pull its Advanced Data Protection feature for UK users; the tribunal later dismissed Apple's challenge after the UK narrowed its demand to British users only.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-11
Florida has filed a lawsuit against Netflix, alleging the streaming company misled subscribers about its privacy practices while secretly gathering detailed data on users' devices, locations and viewing habits. The suit contends this tracking extended to children and families who were unaware of the extent of the surveillance.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-11
The EPA is proposing to eliminate a federal rule requiring states to notify the public and accept comments before approving air-pollution permits for industrial facilities, including data centers and the power plants built to supply them. A separate EPA proposal from last month would also allow developers to begin construction before permits are finalized. These changes come as data centers expand rapidly across the rural South, disproportionately affecting Black communities.
capitalbnews.org
· 2026-09-11
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