Public Service Internet

Using Docracy's unique document change analysis, we are now tracking terms of service and privacy policies for hundreds of the world's top sites. See below for summaries of recent changes, or to see the complete terms for any of the sites we track.

burger King will start televising a commercial for its signature Whopper sandwich that is designed to activate Google voice-controlled devices, raising questions about whether marketing tactics have become too invasive.

Burger King hijacks the Google Assistant, gets shut down by Google Burger King's ad invokes the "OK Google" hotword to advertise fast food; gets blocked.

" Bose's $350 wireless headphones need an app to "get the most" out of them, and this app monitors everything you listen to -- the names of the podcasts, the music, videos, etc -- and sends them to Bose without your permission, according to a lawsuit filed this week in Chicago by Kyle Zak."

" Home Assistant is an open-source home automation platform running on Python 3. Track and control all devices at home and automate control. Perfect to run on a Raspberry Pi. "

"Over the past couple of years, Roombas haven't just been picking up dust and chauffeuring cats around, they've also been mapping the layout of your home. Now, Colin Angle, the chief executive of Roomba maker iRobot, has said he wants to sell the data from these maps in order to improve the future of smart home technology."

All the Secret Stuff That Happens When You Visit Google.com

To celebrate its fifth birthday, Philips is extending the compatibility of its smart lights to sync with media

London's Metropolitan Police have been urged to back down on plans to once again use facial recognition software at next weekend's Notting Hill Carnival. Privacy groups including Big Brother Watch, Liberty and Privacy International have written to police commissioner Cressida Dick (PDF) calling for a U-turn on the use of the tech. Automated facial recognition technology will snap the party-goers' faces, and run them against a database. The aim is to alert cops to people who are banned from the festival or are wanted by the police, presumably so they can take immediate action. The tech was first tested at the festival - where relations between police and revellers are often strained - last year, but it failed to identify anyone.

Is your digital assistant taking orders behind your back? Scientists from China's Zheijiang University have proved it's possible, publishing new research that demonstrates how Siri, Alexa, and other voice-activated programs can be controlled using inaudible ultrasound commands.

An algorithm deduced the sexuality of people on a dating site with up to 91% accuracy, raising tricky ethical questions

South Park writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone haven't ever really shied away from social commentary (president Donald Trump notwithstanding) and that doesn't look like it's changing with the upcoming South Park: The Fractured but Whole. When creating your character in the make-believe superhero game, Eurogamer discovered that the darker the skin tone you choose, the more the difficulty level ramps up. "Don't worry, this doesn't affect combat, just every other aspect of your life," perpetual jerk Eric Cartman says in voiceover.

The timeline below identifies key developments on tech platforms used by journalism publishers. Here you can explore the significant shifts in the platform landscape as these companies adjust to new relationships with publishers.

Users should be aware of why people use Facebook to avoid feelings of envy

"The big companies developing them show no interest in fixing the problem."

Unroll.me is apologizing for a lack of transparency, but not for selling info.