The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will deploy AI to combat social media abuse directed at 15,000 athletes and officials during the Paris Olympics next month, IOC President Thomas Bach announced on Friday. With the Games set to begin on 26 July, more than 10,500 athletes will compete across 32 sports, generating over half a billion social media engagements.
The AI system aims to safeguard athletes by monitoring and automatically erasing abusive posts to provide extensive protection against cyber abuse. That initiative comes amid ongoing global conflicts, including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, which have already led to social media abuse cases. Russian and Belarusian athletes, who will compete as neutral athletes without their national flags, are included in the protective measures. The IOC did not specify the level of access athletes would need to grant for the AI monitoring.
Despite recent political developments in France, including a snap parliamentary election called by President Emmanuel Macron, Bach assured that preparations for the Olympics remain on track. He emphasised that both the government and opposition are determined to ensure that France presents itself well during the Games.
Facial recognition company Clearview AI has reached a groundbreaking class action settlement to address allegations of violating the privacy rights of millions of Americans. Filed in Chicago federal court on Wednesday, the agreement is notably unconventional as it does not specify a monetary payout upfront. Instead, it ties compensation to Clearview AI’s future financial outcomes, such as its potential IPO or merger valuation.
The lawsuit, rooted in Clearview AI’s alleged scraping of billions of facial images from the internet without consent, invoked Illinois’ biometric privacy law. Although Clearview denies any wrongdoing, the proposed settlement now awaits approval from US District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman.
In a related development earlier this year, Clearview AI agreed with the ACLU to restrict access to its facial recognition database for private entities and government agencies in Illinois for five years. The plaintiffs’ attorneys acknowledged that this prior agreement influenced their approach to the class action settlement, adopting a structure that allows class members to share in potential future profits of Clearview AI.
The novel settlement approach, spearheaded by Loevy & Loevy, aims to provide meaningful relief to affected individuals while navigating Clearview AI’s financial constraints. Attorney Jon Loevy highlighted that this solution allows class members to reclaim some ownership over their biometric data, reflecting a unique attempt to compensate for privacy violations in the digital age.
A lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s company X against Media Matters, scheduled for trial in April 2025, marks the latest development in a contentious legal battle. The US District Court for the Northern District of Texas set this date following allegations from X that Media Matters misrepresented the prevalence of hate speech on social media platforms, specifically targeting content on X’s platform.
Media Matters, a nonprofit watchdog group, has been accused by X of distorting data and exaggerating the likelihood of encountering extremist content. X claims that Media Matters’ methodology does not accurately reflect real user experiences, prompting a legal challenge that has garnered significant attention.
In response to Thursday’s court order, neither X nor Media Matters provided immediate comments. However, Media Matters President Angelo Carusone previously denounced the lawsuit as baseless and an attempt to stifle criticism of Elon Musk. Motions for summary judgment are expected by December, with a decision potentially influencing the case’s outcome before it reaches trial.
The lawsuit is part of a broader pattern for Musk, who has faced legal setbacks in similar cases aiming to challenge watchdog groups. Earlier this year, a federal judge in California dismissed a lawsuit by X against the Center for Countering Digital Hate, criticising it as retaliatory rather than protective of platform integrity. The outcome of these legal battles could affect how social media platforms and watchdog organisations navigate issues of content moderation and free speech moving forward.
Microsoft has decided to delay the rollout of its AI-powered ‘Recall’ feature, which tracks and stores computer usage histories, citing privacy concerns. Initially planned for launch with new computers next week, Recall will now undergo a preview phase within its Windows Insider Program (WIP) in the coming weeks rather than being widely available to Copilot+ PC users starting 18 June.
The Recall feature, designed to record everything from web browsing to voice chats for later retrieval, aims to help users remember past activities even months later. Microsoft emphasised that the delay is part of their commitment to ensuring a trusted and secure customer experience, seeking additional feedback before a broader release.
Copilot+ PCs, introduced in May, integrate AI capabilities and were set to include Recall as a key feature. The WIP, which allows enthusiastic users to test upcoming Windows features, will play a crucial role in gathering feedback on Recall before its eventual wider availability.
Privacy concerns surfaced swiftly after Recall’s announcement, with critics suggesting potential misuse for surveillance purposes. Elon Musk likened the feature to a scenario from the dystopian TV series ‘Black Mirror’, reflecting broader anxieties about the implications of pervasive technology on personal privacy and security.
OpenAI has announced the appointment of retired US Army General Paul M. Nakasone, former head of the National Security Agency (NSA), to its board of directors. Nakasone, who led the NSA from 2018 until earlier this year, will join OpenAI’s Safety and Security Committee. This committee, prioritised by CEO Sam Altman, focuses on enhancing the company’s understanding of how AI can be leveraged to improve cybersecurity by swiftly identifying and countering threats.
The addition of Nakasone follows notable departures from OpenAI related to safety concerns, including co-founder Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike. Sutskever was involved in the controversial firing and reinstatement of CEO Sam Altman, while Leike has publicly criticised the company’s current focus on product development over safety measures.
OpenAI board chair Bret Taylor emphasised the importance of securely developing and deploying AI to realize its potential benefits for humanity. He highlighted Nakasone’s extensive experience in cybersecurity as a valuable asset to guiding the organisation toward this goal.
The current OpenAI board comprises Nakasone, Altman, Adam D’Angelo, Larry Summers, Bret Taylor, Dr Sue Desmond-Hellmann, Nicole Seligman, and Fidji Simo, with Microsoft’s Dee Templeton holding a non-voting observer position.
Lawmakers criticised Microsoft for failing to prevent these cyberattacks, which exposed federal networks to significant risk. They highlighted a report by the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) that condemned Microsoft for lack of transparency regarding the China hack, labelling it preventable. Smith acknowledged the report’s findings and stated that Microsoft acted on most of its recommendations. He emphasised the growing threat posed by nations like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, which are increasingly sophisticated and aggressive in their cyberattacks.
During the hearing, Smith defended Microsoft’s role, saying that the US State Department’s discovery of the hack demonstrated the collaborative nature of cybersecurity. However, Congressman Bennie Thompson expressed dissatisfaction, stressing that Microsoft is responsible for detecting such breaches. Given its substantial investments there, panel members also inquired about Microsoft’s operations in China. Smith noted that the company earns around 1.5% of its revenue from China and is working to reduce its engineering presence in the country.
Despite facing significant criticism over the past year, some panel members, including Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, commended Smith for accepting responsibility. In response to the CSRB’s findings, Microsoft has pledged to prioritise security above all else, launching a new cybersecurity initiative in November to bolster its defences and ensure greater transparency moving forward.
Japan has passed a new law requiring tech giants like Google and Apple to allow access to third-party smartphone apps and payment systems on their platforms, threatening substantial fines for non-compliance. Like the EU’s Digital Markets Act, this legislation mandates fair access to operating systems, browsers, and search engines, with fines reaching up to 30% of revenue for continued anti-competitive behaviour.
The law was approved by Japan’s National Diet with no amendments and aimed to align Japan’s digital market regulations with those of the United States and Europe. That move is intended to foster fair competition and improve the competitive environment for software, such as app stores while ensuring consumer security. The law is set to take effect by the end of 2025.
Japan’s Fair Trade Commission highlighted the necessity for this new legal framework to address the dominance of major tech companies. Although the law does not explicitly name companies, it targets those like Google and Apple, often seen as a ‘duopoly’ in the smartphone app market. The EU’s similar regulatory efforts, particularly the Digital Markets Act, have faced criticism from Apple regarding potential risks to user privacy and security.
Apple has declined to award a bug bounty to Kaspersky, the cybersecurity company, after disclosing four zero-day vulnerabilities in iPhone software. These vulnerabilities were reportedly exploited to spy on Kaspersky employees and diplomats from Russia. A spokesperson for Kaspersky stated that their research team believed their findings were eligible for Apple’s Bug Bounty rewards. However, upon inquiry, they received a decline from Apple’s Security team, citing the company’s policy.
Bug bounties serve as incentives for researchers to disclose vulnerabilities to companies, rather than selling them to malicious actors. Kaspersky’s disclosure last year revealed a highly sophisticated spying campaign dubbed ‘Operation Triangulation.’ Eugene Kaspersky, the company’s CEO, described it as ‘an extremely complex, professionally targeted cyberattack’ affecting several dozen iPhones of top and middle-management employees.
The campaign, suspected to be state-sponsored due to its sophistication and intelligence-focused targeting, utilised 13 separate bullet points in its attack chain. Simultaneously, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) accused the United States and Apple of collaborating to spy on Russian diplomats.
The FSB’s allegations aligned with Russia’s computer security agency’s claim that both campaigns shared the same indicators of compromise. A critical concern was a vulnerability known as CVE-2023-38606, which affected an unusual hardware feature unused by iOS firmware. Kaspersky suggested it may have been included in the iPhone operating system mistakenly or for debugging purposes. Apple refuted claims of collaboration with any government to insert backdoors into its products, emphasising its commitment to user privacy and security.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has directed his government to expedite the drafting of legislation to establish an active cyber defense system, enabling pre-emptive measures against cyberattacks. Addressing the inaugural meeting of an expert panel convened at the prime minister’s office, Kishida emphasised the pressing need to bolster the country’s cyber response capabilities.
The government of Japan aims to present the proposed legislation during the upcoming extraordinary parliamentary session scheduled for autumn. During the meeting, Digital Transformation Minister Taro Kono outlined three critical areas for discussion – enhancing information sharing between the public and private sectors, identifying servers involved in cyberattacks, and determining the extent of governmental authority.
Kono urged the panel consisting of 17 experts such as specialists on cybersecurity and lawyers to provide progress reports on these issues within the coming months, highlighting the urgency of addressing cybersecurity challenges. Kono highlighted the importance of establishing a system on par with those of the United States and European nations, while also safeguarding the rights and interests of the people.
Amidst the onslaught of cybersecurity related incidents affecting hospitals in the United States, Microsoft and Google have pledged their support to assist operators better safeguard patient data. The ongoing cybersecurity risks have sent hospital staff scampering back to the dark ages of paper filing of patient records. The back tracking has begun to affect staff’s ability to manage other aspects of patient care, given the exponential increase in the data collected and stored by the healthcare sector over the last five years.
The rate at which this sector collects data outpaces many top performers including manufacturing, finance and media and entertainment, and is expected to account for approximately 36% CAGR of the global volume of data by 2025. Nurses at the recently hit Ascension network of hospitals bemoan the increased level of insecurity cybersecurity threats now bring. In 2023, the sector faced a 128% increase in cyber insecurity threats. In an effort to find a solution to this problem facing some 1800 community hospitals in the US, White House National Security Council officials have solicited the support of the two top tech firms.
Other measures the current administration has proposed include minimum cybersecurity requirements for hospitals, a stance some claim could further penalise patients.
Why does it matter?
Cybersecurity attacks on hospitals not only present a threat to patients and staff at these hospitals but they have had a trickle down effect on the entire economy. In fact, it has been estimated that about one-third of Americans have had their data stolen, and given the trend of hospitals paying ransoms, hackers are becoming increasingly emboldened.
