Google unveils back-to-school AI rollout featuring free college subscriptions and K-12 classroom integrations
Google has unveiled its annual "Back to School" education updates, introducing a series of AI-powered learning tools and global subscription offers across Google Search, Gemini, and Google Workspace for Education. The initiative combines consumer-facing study tools with deep integrations inside Google Classroom, aiming to provide students with tailored AI study assistance while giving educators centralized control over how generative models are used in academic settings. Free
OpenAI ships Apple messages plugin allowing ChatGPT desktop to draft and send texts
OpenAI has released a native Apple Messages plugin for its ChatGPT desktop application on macOS, allowing the AI assistant to read, search, and send iMessage, SMS, and RCS texts directly from a user's Mac. The integration, available across all ChatGPT subscription tiers for Apple silicon Macs, operates within the platform's ChatGPT Work and Codex workspace environments. The release enables the AI assistant to synthesize message histories, draft context-aware responses, check
Dutch privacy regulator fines Uber €825 million ($966 million) over automated driver suspensions
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) has hit Uber Technologies Inc. with an €825 million ($966 million) fine for deactivating driver accounts using fully automated systems without human oversight. The decision marks the second-largest penalty ever issued under Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), trailing only the €1.2 billion fine levied against Meta in 2023. Editorial credit: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock GDPR Violations and A
TikTok to pay $400 million to settle US federal children's privacy lawsuit
TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have agreed to pay $400 million to settle a 2024 federal lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging widespread violations of children's online privacy laws. The resolution marks one of the largest financial recoveries ever obtained under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), an historic 1998 federal statute designed to shield users under the age of 13 from unau
US bank investigating security incident following LockBit ransomware extortion claim
U.S. Bank, the fifth-largest commercial banking institution in the United States, is currently investigating claims made by the prolific ransomware group LockBit that it breached the bank’s internal systems. The threat actors added the financial institution to their dark web leak site, establishing a September 4 deadline for extortion negotiations before threatening to release exfiltrated files. Extortion Deadline Without Proof-of-Possession Samples Unlike typical ransomware
