Business

Business


European privacy officials widen ban on Meta’s behavioral advertising to most of Europe

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — European officials widened a ban on Meta’s “behavioral advertising” practices to most of Europe on Wednesday, setting up a broader conflict between the continent’s privacy-conscious institutions and an American technology giant. Behavioral advertising, used by Meta’s Facebook and Instagram among many other tech companies, involves observing individual behavior such as browsing […]

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Amazon used an algorithm to essentially raise prices on other sites, the FTC says

Amazon used a secret algorithm to essentially help raise prices on other online sites and also “destroyed” internal communications as the Federal Trade Commission undertook an antitrust investigation against it, according to newly unredacted portions of the agency’s lawsuit. The new excerpts unveiled Thursday allege executives at the e-commerce giant intentionally deleted communication by using a feature […]

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Facebook and Instagram users in Europe could get ad free subscription option, WSJ reports

LONDON (AP) — Meta plans to give Facebook and Instagram users in Europe the option of paying for ad-free versions of the social media platforms as a way to comply with the continent’s strict data privacy rules, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The company wants to charge users about 10 euros ($10.50) a month […]

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Federal Court of Appeal rules against Google in privacy law case

OTTAWA — The Federal Court of Appeal has rejected an attempt by Google to overturn a decision that found the company’s search engine is covered by Canada’s privacy law, marking another victory for people seeking a digital “right to be forgotten.” The court ruled Friday in a 2-1 decision to uphold a 2021 decision by […]

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EU trade regulations put forest degradation in the crosshairs

Shortly after a new EU law was introduced to crack down on the import of unsustainable forest products that result in “forest degradation,” Canada went to work defining the term. Deforestation is widely understood as the razing of forests, largely tropical, to create farmland. However, forest degradation doesn’t have a universally agreed-upon definition. The EU’s […]

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Ottawa rolls out voluntary code of conduct for AI as ‘fear’ persists over its use

MONTREAL — Some big players in Canada’s technology sector have signed on to a voluntary code of conduct for generative AI announced by the federal government Wednesday as anxiety persists over its proliferation and pace of development. The self-imposed safeguards will “build safety and trust as the technology spreads,” Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told a […]

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Canada Post reviewing use of address data following criticism from privacy watchdog

OTTAWA — Canada Post said Friday it is reviewing how it uses data for tailored marketing campaigns after the federal privacy watchdog found the post office was breaking the law by gleaning information from the outsides of envelopes and packages. Privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne said in a report released this week that information collected for […]

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DuckDuckGo founder says Google’s phone and manufacturing partnerships thwart competition

WASHINGTON (AP) — Appearing in the biggest antitrust trial in a quarter century, DuckDuckGo founder Gabriel Weinberg testified Thursday that it was hard for his small search engine company to compete with Google because the powerhouse has deals with phone companies and equipment manufacturers to make its product the default search option on so many […]

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MGM Resorts computers back up after 10 days as analysts eye effects of casino cyberattacks

LAS VEGAS (AP) — MGM Resorts brought to an end a 10-day computer shutdown prompted by efforts to shield from a cyberattack data including hotel reservations and credit card processing, the casino giant said Wednesday, as analysts and academics measured the effects of the event. “We are pleased that all of our hotels and casinos […]

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Canada Post breaking law by gathering info from envelopes, parcels: privacy watchdog

OTTAWA — The federal privacy watchdog says Canada Post is breaking the law by gleaning information from the outsides of envelopes and packages to help build marketing lists that it rents to businesses. The office of privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne says information collected for the marketing program includes data about where individuals live and what […]

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Air Canada system briefly breached, customer info and flight ops unaffected

MONTREAL — Canada’s biggest airline says an unauthorized group briefly breached an internal system linked to the personal information and records of some employees. Air Canada says in a statement today that no customer information was accessed in the cyberattack. The Montreal-based company says flight operation systems and public-facing platforms were unaffected. It says it […]

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Google brings its AI chatbot Bard into its inner circle, opening door to Gmail, Maps, YouTube

Google is introducing Bard, its artificially intelligent chatbot, to other members of its digital family — including Gmail, Maps and YouTube — as it seeks ward off competitive threats posed by similar technology run by Open AI and Microsoft. Bard’s expanded capabilities announced Tuesday will be provided through an English-only extension that will enable users […]

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