Category: Data-Mining and Database Marketing

How China Keeps Tabs on Foreigners

The New York Times – On the Runway:
An unsecured police dashboard was a rare window into how the authorities track foreigners by collecting and aggregating vast amounts of private data.
Apple’s Siri Got an A.I. Brain Transplant. Try These 5 Prompts to Get Acclimated.

The New York Times – Business:
An upgrade transformed the beleaguered virtual assistant into a modern chatbot. It’s imperfect but worth trying.
Finding Trends in Sports Stats and ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Puzzles

The New York Times – Business:
Ben Blatt, a data reporter for The Upshot, dreams up inventive ways to answer questions like: “Is Taylor Swift actually increasing N.F.L. ratings?”
Instagram and Facebook Users in Europe Get Option of Sharing Less Data

The European Commission said Meta, which owns both platforms, is giving users the option of sharing less data in exchange for less personalized ads.
‘A Big Positive’: How One Company Plans to Profit From Medicaid Cuts

New work requirements are expected to leave millions of poor Americans uninsured. For Equifax, which charges states steep prices for its trove of employment data, it is a business opportunity.
WhatsApp Introduces Ads in Its App

They will appear in only one part of the Meta-owned messaging service, it said. The move is potentially lucrative, while raising questions about user privacy.
Trump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans

The Trump administration has expanded Palantir’s work with the government, spreading the company’s technology — which could easily merge data on Americans — throughout agencies.
The Surveillance Tools That Could Power Trump’s Immigration Crackdown

Border enforcement agencies have spent billions assembling surveillance tools to track and find people. These could be critical in President Trump’s immigration agenda.
Texas Sues General Motors for Collecting and Selling Driver Data

The lawsuit accuses the automaker of tricking drivers into sharing detailed driving records that were then sold to insurance companies.
Meta’s Ad-Free Subscription Violates Competition Law, E.U. Says

Regulators said the subscription service introduced last year is a “pay or consent” method to collect personal data and bolster advertising.
Is Your Driving Being Secretly Scored?

The insurance industry, hungry for insights into how people drive, has turned to automakers and smartphone apps like Life360.
Maryland Passes 2 Major Privacy Bills, Despite Tech Industry Pushback

One bill would require apps like Instagram and TikTok to prioritize young people’s safety and the other would restrict the collection of consumer data.