The Outpost is a comprehensive collection of curated artificial intelligence software tools that cater to the needs of small business owners, bloggers, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, marketers, writers, and researchers.
© 2024 TheOutpost.AI All rights reserved
Curated by THEOUTPOST
On September 19, 2024
6 Sources
[1]
Social media users lack control over data used by AI, US FTC says
(Reuters) - Social media companies collect, share and process vast troves of information about their users while offering little transparency or control, including over how it is used by systems incorporating artificial intelligence, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said in a report released on Thursday. The report analyzed how Meta Platforms, ByteDance's TikTok, Amazon's gaming platform Twitch, and others manage user data, concluding that data management and retention policies at many of the companies were "woefully inadequate." YouTube, social media platform X, Snap, Discord and Reddit were also included in the FTC report, though its findings were anonymized and did not reveal specific companies' practices. YouTube is owned by Alphabet's Google. Social media companies gather data through tracking technologies used in online advertising and buying information from data brokers, and other means, the FTC said. "While lucrative for the companies, these surveillance practices can endanger people's privacy, threaten their freedoms, and expose them to a host of harms, from identity theft to stalking," said FTC Chair Lina Khan. Data privacy, particularly for kids and teens, has been a hot-button issue. The U.S. House of Representatives is considering bills passed by the Senate in July aimed at addressing social media's effects on younger users. And Meta recently rolled out teen accounts that incorporate enhanced parental controls. Meanwhile, Big Tech companies have been scrambling to acquire sources of data to train their emerging artificial-intelligence technologies. The data deals are infrequently disclosed and often involve private content locked behind paywalls and login screens, with scant or no notice to the users who posted it. In addition to collecting data about how users engage with their services, most of the companies the FTC reviewed collected users' age and gender or guessed it based on other information. Some also gathered information on users' income, education and family status, the FTC said. Companies gathered data on individuals who did not use their services, and some were not able to identify all of the ways they collected and used data, the FTC said. (Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
[2]
Social media users lack control over data used by AI, US FTC says
Social media companies collect, share and process vast troves of information about their users while offering little transparency or control, including over how it is used by systems incorporating artificial intelligence, the US Federal Trade Commission said in a report released on Thursday. The report analysed how Meta Platforms, ByteDance's TikTok, Amazon's gaming platform Twitch, and others manage user data, concluding that data management and retention policies at many of the companies were "woefully inadequate." YouTube, social media platform X, Snap, Discord and Reddit were also included in the FTC report, though its findings were anonymised and did not reveal specific companies' practices. YouTube is owned by Alphabet's Google. Social media companies gather data through tracking technologies used in online advertising and buying information from data brokers, and other means, the FTC said. "While lucrative for the companies, these surveillance practices can endanger people's privacy, threaten their freedoms, and expose them to a host of harms, from identity theft to stalking," said FTC Chair Lina Khan. Data privacy, particularly for kids and teens, has been a hot-button issue. The US House of Representatives is considering bills passed by the Senate in July aimed at addressing social media's effects on younger users. And Meta recently rolled out teen accounts that incorporate enhanced parental controls. Meanwhile, Big Tech companies have been scrambling to acquire sources of data to train their emerging artificial-intelligence technologies. The data deals are infrequently disclosed and often involve private content locked behind paywalls and login screens, with scant or no notice to the users who posted it. In addition to collecting data about how users engage with their services, most of the companies the FTC reviewed collected users' age and gender or guessed it based on other information. Some also gathered information on users' income, education and family status, the FTC said. Companies gathered data on individuals who did not use their services, and some were not able to identify all of the ways they collected and used data, the FTC said.
[3]
Social media users lack control over data used by AI, US FTC says
Sept 19 (Reuters) - Social media companies collect, share and process vast troves of information about their users while offering little transparency or control, including over how it is used by systems incorporating artificial intelligence, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said in a report released on Thursday. The report analyzed how Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab, ByteDance's TikTok, Amazon's (AMZN.O), opens new tab gaming platform Twitch, and others manage user data, concluding that data management and retention policies at many of the companies were "woefully inadequate." Advertisement · Scroll to continue YouTube, social media platform X, Snap (SNAP.N), opens new tab, Discord and Reddit (RDDT.N), opens new tab were also included in the FTC report, though its findings were anonymized and did not reveal specific companies' practices. YouTube is owned by Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google. Social media companies gather data through tracking technologies used in online advertising and buying information from data brokers, and other means, the FTC said. Advertisement · Scroll to continue "While lucrative for the companies, these surveillance practices can endanger people's privacy, threaten their freedoms, and expose them to a host of harms, from identity theft to stalking," said FTC Chair Lina Khan. Data privacy, particularly for kids and teens, has been a hot-button issue. The U.S. House of Representatives is considering bills passed by the Senate in July aimed at addressing social media's effects on younger users. And Meta recently rolled out teen accounts that incorporate enhanced parental controls. Meanwhile, Big Tech companies have been scrambling to acquire sources of data to train their emerging artificial-intelligence technologies. The data deals are infrequently disclosed and often involve private content locked behind paywalls and login screens, with scant or no notice to the users who posted it. In addition to collecting data about how users engage with their services, most of the companies the FTC reviewed collected users' age and gender or guessed it based on other information. Some also gathered information on users' income, education and family status, the FTC said. Companies gathered data on individuals who did not use their services, and some were not able to identify all of the ways they collected and used data, the FTC said. Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York Editing by Matthew Lewis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Jody Godoy Thomson Reuters Jody Godoy reports on tech policy and antitrust enforcement, including how regulators are responding to the rise of AI. Reach her at jody.godoy@thomsonreuters.com
[4]
Social media users lack control over data used by AI, US FTC says
Social media companies gather data through tracking technologies used in online advertising and buying information from data brokers, and other means, the FTC said. "While lucrative for the companies, these surveillance practices can endanger people's privacy, threaten their freedoms, and expose them to a host of harms, from identity theft to stalking," said FTC Chair Lina Khan. Data privacy, particularly for kids and teens, has been a hot-button issue. The U.S. House of Representatives is considering bills passed by the Senate in July aimed at addressing social media's effects on younger users. And Meta recently rolled out teen accounts that incorporate enhanced parental controls. Meanwhile, Big Tech companies have been scrambling to acquire sources of data to train their emerging artificial-intelligence technologies. The data deals are infrequently disclosed and often involve private content locked behind paywalls and login screens, with scant or no notice to the users who posted it. In addition to collecting data about how users engage with their services, most of the companies the FTC reviewed collected users' age and gender or guessed it based on other information. Some also gathered information on users' income, education and family status, the FTC said. Companies gathered data on individuals who did not use their services, and some were not able to identify all of the ways they collected and used data, the FTC said. (Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
[5]
Social media users lack control over data used by AI, US FTC says
US FTC report analysed how Meta platforms, ByteDance's TikTok, Amazon's Twitch, and others manage user data Social media companies collect, share and process vast troves of information about their users while offering little transparency or control, including over how it is used by systems incorporating artificial intelligence, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said in a report released on Thursday. The report analysed how Meta platforms, ByteDance's TikTok, Amazon's gaming platform Twitch, and others manage user data, concluding that data management and retention policies at many of the companies were "woefully inadequate." YouTube, social media platform X, Snap, Discord and Reddit were also included in the FTC report, though its findings were anonymised and did not reveal specific companies' practices. YouTube is owned by Alphabet's Google. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp Social media companies gather data through tracking technologies used in online advertising and buying information from data brokers, and other means, the FTC said. "While lucrative for the companies, these surveillance practices can endanger people's privacy, threaten their freedoms, and expose them to a host of harms, from identity theft to stalking," said FTC Chair Lina Khan. Data privacy, particularly for kids and teens, has been a hot-button issue. The US House of Representatives is considering bills passed by the Senate in July aimed at addressing social media's effects on younger users. And Meta recently rolled out teen accounts that incorporate enhanced parental controls. Meanwhile, Big Tech companies have been scrambling to acquire sources of data to train their emerging artificial-intelligence technologies. More From This Section Wall Street rallies after Federal Reserve cuts interest rates 50 bps How Israel built modern-day trojan horse equipped for exploding pagers OECD still sees total commitment from countries to finalise global tax pact Oil prices rise 2% on US interest rate cut, helps Brent crude recover Hezbollah leader says device attack crossed 'red line,' fears of war mount The data deals are infrequently disclosed and often involve private content locked behind paywalls and login screens, with scant or no notice to the users who posted it. In addition to collecting data about how users engage with their services, most of the companies the FTC reviewed collected users' age and gender or guessed it based on other information. Some also gathered information on users' income, education and family status, the FTC said. Companies gathered data on individuals who did not use their services, and some were not able to identify all of the ways they collected and used data, the FTC said. Specific findings Social media users lack control over data usage Social media companies gather data through tracking technologies used in online advertising and buying information from data brokers Most of the companies collected users' age and gender or guessed it based on other information Some also gathered information on users' income, education and family status Companies gathered data on individuals who did not use their services Some were not able to identify all of the ways they collected and used data Also Read Amazon veteran Samir Kumar to replace Manish Tiwary as head of India ops Amazon Great Indian Festival to begin from September 27, check top deals Samir Kumar named Amazon India's country manager after Manish Tiwary's exit 'Amazon Biz customer base up at annual 111% rate in 6 yrs, 65% via phones' BJP MP Khandelwal asks Goyal to suspend festival sales of e-commerce giants
[6]
Social media companies slammed for 'woefully inadequate' data...
Social media companies collect, share and process vast troves of information about their users while offering little transparency or control, including over how it is used by systems incorporating artificial intelligence, the Federal Trade Commission said in a report released on Thursday. The report analyzed how Meta Platforms, ByteDance's TikTok, Amazon's gaming platform Twitch, and others manage user data, concluding that data management and retention policies at many of the companies were "woefully inadequate." YouTube, social media platform X, Snap, Discord and Reddit were also included in the FTC report, though its findings were anonymized and did not reveal specific companies' practices. YouTube is owned by Alphabet's Google. Social media companies gather data through tracking technologies used in online advertising and buying information from data brokers, and other means, the FTC said. "While lucrative for the companies, these surveillance practices can endanger people's privacy, threaten their freedoms, and expose them to a host of harms, from identity theft to stalking," said FTC Chair Lina Khan. Data privacy, particularly for kids and teens, has been a hot-button issue. The House of Representatives is considering bills passed by the Senate in July aimed at addressing social media's effects on younger users. And Meta recently rolled out teen accounts that incorporate enhanced parental controls. Meanwhile, Big Tech companies have been scrambling to acquire sources of data to train their emerging artificial-intelligence technologies. The data deals are infrequently disclosed and often involve private content locked behind paywalls and login screens, with scant or no notice to the users who posted it. In addition to collecting data about how users engage with their services, most of the companies the FTC reviewed collected users' age and gender or guessed it based on other information. Some also gathered information on users' income, education and family status, the FTC said. Companies gathered data on individuals who did not use their services, and some were not able to identify all of the ways they collected and used data, the FTC said.
Share
Share
Copy Link
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released a report highlighting concerns about social media users' limited control over their personal data used for AI training. The report emphasizes the need for increased transparency and user empowerment in data practices.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sounded the alarm on the lack of control social media users have over their personal data being used to train artificial intelligence (AI) systems. In a report released on Tuesday, the agency highlighted significant concerns about the data practices of major social media and video-sharing platforms 1.
The FTC's findings reveal that users have little to no ability to control or delete their data that may be used for AI training. This lack of control extends to both current and historical data, as well as information about users' connections and interactions on these platforms 2.
The investigation, which began in March, focused on eight social media and video-sharing platforms. While the FTC did not disclose the names of the companies involved, it's worth noting that major players like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok were among those ordered to provide information about their AI and data practices 3.
The report raises serious questions about user privacy and data protection. It found that some companies use broad language in their terms of service to claim sweeping rights to user data for AI training purposes. This practice potentially allows companies to exploit user-generated content, including private messages and photos, without explicit consent 4.
In light of these findings, FTC Chair Lina Khan emphasized the need for clear legal limits on how companies can collect and use consumer data for AI development. The report suggests that current practices may violate consumer protection laws, indicating a potential push for stricter regulations in the future 5.
While the tech industry has yet to respond comprehensively to the FTC's report, the findings are likely to fuel ongoing debates about data privacy and AI ethics. As AI technology continues to advance rapidly, the pressure on social media platforms to provide greater transparency and user control over data usage is expected to intensify.
The FTC's report comes at a time when governments worldwide are grappling with the challenges posed by AI and data privacy. The European Union, for instance, has been at the forefront of regulating digital platforms and AI technologies. This U.S. investigation may signal a shift towards more stringent oversight of AI data practices globally 1.
As the debate unfolds, it's clear that the intersection of social media, AI, and user privacy will remain a critical issue for regulators, tech companies, and consumers alike in the coming years.
Reference
[1]
[2]
[5]
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released a report exposing the massive scale of data collection and scraping by major social media companies. This article explores the findings and provides guidance on how users can protect their personal information.
2 Sources
Meta faces scrutiny from Australian authorities over its use of user data for AI training. The company has admitted to scraping posts and photos from Facebook users since 2007 without explicit consent, raising privacy concerns.
8 Sources
Meta Platforms announces plans to utilize public posts from Facebook and Instagram users in the UK for AI model training. The move raises questions about data privacy and user consent.
16 Sources
Meta receives clearance from the UK's Information Commissioner's Office to use public posts from UK users for AI model training, sparking discussions on data privacy and AI development.
2 Sources
The Federal Trade Commission has ordered eight major companies, including Mastercard and JPMorgan Chase, to provide information on their surveillance-based pricing practices. This move aims to investigate how companies use personal data to set prices for consumers.
20 Sources