Meta's Face-Off with Texas Ends in a $1.4 Billion Payout 💸

Meta's Face-Off with Texas Ends in a $1.4 Billion Payout 💸

Meta just dropped a cool $1.4 billion to settle a lawsuit with Texas over its now-defunct facial recognition tech. 🤯

Here's the lowdown:

• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused Meta of violating Texans' privacy rights by collecting facial data from photos uploaded between 2010 and 2021. Think millions of violations, people. 😱

• Meta, formerly known as Facebook, shut down the facial recognition system back in 2021 after facing heat from privacy advocates and regulators. They even promised to delete the facial data of over a billion people.

• This settlement is a big deal. It's the largest ever obtained by a single state and the first to use Texas' biometric identifier law.

What does this mean for Meta?

• They're paying out $1.4 billion over five years. Ouch.

• They're also likely to be extra cautious about any future ventures involving facial recognition technology.

What does this mean for you?

• It's a reminder that your data is valuable and companies need to be transparent about how they use it.

• It also shows that states are taking privacy seriously and are willing to hold companies accountable.

Bonus fact: This isn't Meta's first rodeo with facial recognition lawsuits. Back in 2020, they settled a class-action lawsuit in Illinois for $550 million. Looks like they're learning the hard way that privacy matters.

76-Year-Old Retiree Loses $740,000 in Elaborate "Government Investigation" Scam

Barry Heitin, a retired lawyer, thought he was helping the feds bust a ring of criminals. Turns out, he was the target.

Here's the lowdown:

• The Setup: Scammers impersonated government officials and financial institutions, convincing Heitin his retirement savings were at risk. They even created a fake "investigation" with a world map showing the "thieves" being tracked.

• The Hustle: Heitin was instructed to withdraw his savings, transfer them to "safe" accounts, and even buy gold. He was coached on how to avoid raising suspicion from his bank and financial advisor.

• The Fallout: Heitin lost almost all of his $740,000 retirement savings. He's now facing a hefty tax bill because the withdrawals are considered taxable income.

Why This Matters:

• Seniors are prime targets: Scammers often prey on older adults, believing they have more savings.

• Sophisticated tactics: These scams are becoming increasingly elaborate, making them harder to spot.

• Limited recourse: Recovering stolen funds is incredibly difficult, especially when they're laundered through cryptocurrency or overseas accounts.

Key Takeaways:

• Be wary of unsolicited calls: Don't trust anyone who contacts you out of the blue claiming to be from a government agency or financial institution.

• Verify everything: Independently confirm any suspicious requests by contacting the organization directly using verified contact information.

• Don't be afraid to say no: If something feels off, trust your gut and don't hesitate to hang up or walk away.

Bottom Line:

This story is a chilling reminder that anyone can fall victim to a scam. Stay vigilant, be skeptical, and protect your hard-earned money.

Apple's AI is Coming...Eventually

Hold your horses, AI enthusiasts! Apple's hyped-up Siri chatbot and other AI goodies won't be gracing our iPhones and iPads just yet.

While iOS 18 drops this fall, the real AI party starts with iOS 18.1, expected a few weeks later. Think mid-September for iOS 18, and October for the AI-powered update.

Why the delay? Apple's playing it safe, ensuring their servers can handle the influx of AI-hungry users. Plus, they're letting developers tinker with the beta version of iOS 18.1 to iron out any kinks.

Here's the lowdown on what to expect:

iOS 18.1 (Coming Soon):

• New Siri: Say goodbye to robotic Siri! The revamped assistant boasts a more natural voice, understands your stumbles and changes mid-sentence, and can even answer questions about your Apple devices.

• Writing Wizardry: Proofreading, rewriting, summarizing, and even turning text into lists or tables – this AI-powered writing assistant has got you covered.

• Photo Magic: Search your photos using natural language and create videos based on written prompts. Think "A movie about my trip to the Bahamas."

• Transcription & Summaries: Get transcripts and summaries of phone calls, recordings in Notes, and even summaries of Messages, emails, and notifications.

Later This Year or Next Year:

• ChatGPT Integration: Siri gets a brain boost with ChatGPT integration, allowing for more conversational and context-aware interactions.

• Third-Party App Actions: Siri will be able to perform actions within third-party apps, opening up a whole new world of possibilities.

Still MIA:

• Image Creation/Editing: Features like Photos Clean Up (object removal), Image Playground (style-based image generation), and Genmoji (custom emoji creation) are still on the horizon.

• Screen-Aware Siri: Siri will eventually be able to understand what's on your screen, allowing for commands like "Add this address to his contact card."

• More Languages & Countries: Initially, Apple Intelligence only supports American English.

Bottom line: Apple's AI is coming, but patience is key. Keep an eye out for iOS 18.1, and prepare to be amazed (eventually).

Phone Companies Could Be on the Hook for Employee Data Theft

Hold onto your SIM cards, folks, because a recent court ruling could change the game for phone companies and their employees.

Remember those stories about creepy phone store employees stealing nude pics from customers' phones during upgrades? Yeah, those are about to get a lot more serious.

Here's the deal:

• A woman is suing AT&T, claiming an employee stole her nude photos during a phone upgrade. This isn't the first time AT&T has faced this accusation – there have been at least six other similar cases.

• But here's the twist: a recent court ruling against T-Mobile in a similar case could mean phone companies are now liable for their employees' actions.

Why is this a big deal?

Traditionally, phone companies could easily dismiss these lawsuits, arguing they weren't aware of the employee's actions. But this new ruling suggests they could be held responsible for negligence in hiring and training.

Think of it like this:

If a restaurant knows its waiter is stealing tips, they can't just say "Oh, we didn't know!" They're responsible for their employees' actions.

What does this mean for phone companies?

They might have to:

• Beef up their hiring practices: No more hiring creepy dudes who think it's okay to steal personal photos.

• Implement stricter data security measures: Think password protection, data encryption, and maybe even cameras in stores.

• Train employees on ethical data handling: Because stealing someone's nudes is a big no-no.

The bottom line:

This ruling could be a wake-up call for phone companies. They need to take responsibility for their employees' actions and protect their customers' privacy. Otherwise, they could face a wave of lawsuits and a serious hit to their reputation.

Microsoft's Cloud Growth Stumbles, Sending Stock Down

Microsoft's latest earnings report had investors feeling a little blue. While overall revenue and profits beat expectations, the star of the show, Azure cloud, fell short.

Here's the tea:

• Azure growth slowed to 29%, missing analyst expectations of 30%. This is a big deal because Azure is the backbone of Microsoft's AI strategy, and investors are obsessed with any sign of weakness in this area.

• Blame it on Europe and AI hardware. Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said soft demand in some European markets and limited AI hardware capacity contributed to the slowdown.

• Microsoft is doubling down on AI. Despite the hiccup, Microsoft is still pouring billions into AI infrastructure, with capital expenditures jumping 55% year-over-year.

• AI is already a big revenue driver. Eight percentage points of Azure's growth came from AI last quarter, up from 7% in the previous quarter.

• But the AI hype might be cooling. After a massive rally fueled by AI excitement, tech stocks, including Microsoft, have been pulling back lately.

The bottom line:

Microsoft's cloud business is still growing, but the slowdown in Azure growth is a red flag for investors. The company is betting big on AI, but it remains to be seen if this will be enough to sustain its growth in the long run.