Public Service Internet

The makers of the We-Vibe, a line of vibrators that can be paired with an app for remote-controlled use, have reached a $3.75 million class action settlement with users following allegations that the company was collecting data on when and how the sex toy was used. Standard Innovations, the Canadian manufacturer of the We-Vibe, does not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement finalized Monday.

At least that's the claim of a proposed class-action lawsuit filed late Tuesday in Illinois that accuses the high-end audio equipment maker of spying on its users and selling information about their listening habits without permission.

"Facebook's collection of data makes it one of the most influential organisations in the world. Share Lab wanted to look "under the bonnet" at the tech giant's algorithms and connections to better understand the social structure and power relations within the company. "

"Leaked documents said to describe how the social network shares psychological insights on young people with advertisers"

Hijack Your Attention. Not just for a moment, or an hour - but every moment, of every hour. That's how the companies we worked at made billions. They win the more they keep you scrolling. They win the more they hook your kids. They win the more things interrupt you. They win when outrage keeps you hooked to the news.

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

" 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."

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.

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.

Ikea recently launched their Trådfri smart lighting platform in the US. The idea of Ikea plus internet security together at last seems like a pretty terrible one, but having taken a look it's surprisingly competent. Hardware-wise, the device is pretty minimal

House of Commons report on data ethics in 2014

"Instead of requiring a typed password or a fingerprint, this security software asks the user to speak or mouth a password directly at a device's camera."

openPDS/SafeAnswers allows users to collect, store, and give fine-grained access to their data all while protecting their privacy.

"Sikoryak's latest graphic novel, Terms and Conditions, is like a great piece of conceptual art: dazzling to behold, if more than a little perplexing. Its panels of text and dialogue are word-for-word true to the 20,669-word terms and conditions, published by iTunes in 2015 (Apple has since adopted a lighter 7,000-word version)."