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WhatsApp’s ‘View Once’ is a blunt form of false privacy.
— Security researcher Tal Be’ery
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Happy Thursday, folks! Welcome back to Snippets 👋
- Experts are warning users to be extra cautious when using Grok AI, Elon Musk's "anti-woke" AI chatbot.
- Plus, a researcher has uncovered significant security flaws in WhatsApp's "View Once" messaging feature.
- There's more: French authorities charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov under outdated encryption laws, Apple's new AI features fail to impress, and California's AB 3048 promises to simplify privacy.
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Grok AI collects maximum data with minimum limits
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Wired Staff/Getty Images
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Experts are urging caution when using Grok AI due to a range of issues, including hallucinations, bias, election misinformation, and the use of automatically opted-in user data from X (formerly Twitter).
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- Musk's "anti-woke" vision for Grok has resulted in a system with minimal safeguards and a tendency to spread misinformation; for example, it falsely claimed that ballot deadlines had passed in five U.S. states.
- Moreover, experts fear X’s policy of collecting data from users’ “posts, interactions, inputs, and results” makes Grok more likely to disseminate biased content.
- Users worried about data misuse can switch their X accounts to private, delete conversation history, and opt out of having their data used for future training.
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Explore the ultimate guide to consent and preference management ✅
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Effective consent and preference management are crucial for navigating the data privacy landscape, but it's important for businesses to understand the differences between the two.
Our latest guide breaks down how consent and preference management differ, offers tips for deploying compliant consent management interfaces, and explains how to build preference centers that foster customer delight and trust.
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WhatsApp’s "View Once" feature found to be faulty
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Simonkr / Getty Images
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Security researcher Tal Be’ery has uncovered a flaw in WhatsApp's 'View Once' feature, which is marketed as a way for users to send media that disappears after being viewed once on the recipient's device.
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- In a detailed blog post, Be'ery revealed it's possible to access “View Once” media from the web app and save it to a device.
- To support his claim, Be’ery showed TechCrunch in a live demo that he was able to save a picture sent as "View Once" on WhatsApp Web to his computer.
- Be’ery’s findings add fuel to long-standing complaints about “View Once,” with multiple social media posts showing that browser extensions and other methods can bypass the feature.
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Telegram founder charged under outdated encryption law
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Aïda Amer/Axios
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Following his dramatic arrest last month in France, Pavel Durov was charged with failing to make a legal declaration about Telegram's encryption and for not reporting that the technology was “imported” under a 2004 French law.
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- The law, passed before encryption was protected, is considered relatively easy to comply with—requiring companies to submit a legal declaration showing their tech behaves as advertised.
- Yet, according to Noémie Levain, a legal expert at La Quadrature du Net, “I would bet a lot of services [...] are not in compliance, and chief executive officers are not being arrested."
- Privacy and security advocates worry Pavel's indictment could have broader implications, reflecting a trend of increased government scrutiny and throttled privacy protections.
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- Industry finds Apple Intelligence unremarkable.
- China declines to endorse responsible AI use in the military.
- Texas sues Biden Administration regarding new health data rule.
- Aqara releases a privacy-friendly smart home hub.
- Telegram's case and the balance between privacy and security.
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Underwater AI servers raise environmental concerns
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Wired Staff/Getty Images
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A proposal from NetworkOcean founders Sam Mendel and Eric Kim to place AI data servers in San Francisco Bay has met substantial resistance.
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- Mendel and Kim argue the infrastructure would offset AI data server's massive water consumption and save electricity by enabling seawater to naturally cool the servers.
- But scientists contend heat released from the servers could facilitate harmful algae growth, while tech experts point to increased overhead due to the need for underwater maintenance.
- A WIRED inquiry to the agencies in charge of the bay revealed NetworkOcean has been pushing for a preliminary test of its data center without fully considering regulatory requirements.
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California’s AB 3048 promises to simplify privacy
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Illustration by Elena Lacey/The Washington Post
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AB 3048, a proposed opt-out law in California, is aiming to provide a simple and effective way for residents to manage and protect their data online.
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- Though California’s existing laws give users the right to opt out of businesses collecting and selling their data, the process can be difficult and complex.
- Consumers do have simpler options, like using third party apps to enforce these limits, but the new proposed law would further streamline the process.
- Under the new rules, browsers and smartphones would be required to offer users a one-click checkbox that would instruct every company to stop selling their data—a move experts believe will drive greater user adoption.
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Understanding California’s latest wave of privacy and AI bills
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In a marathon finish for the California Legislature, lawmakers sent nine bills to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for signature—most revolving around the handling of consumer data and regulating artificial intelligence.
In a recent legislative livestream, Runway Strategies co-founder Dave Barmore and Transcend Field CPO Ron De Jesus reviewed the bills and explored the implications for privacy teams. Find the recording and recap below!
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