Risk assessments and other preemptive analyses of AI and privacy systems are the best ways of negating harms before they arise, said panelists during an Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) event Monday about California’s proposed AI and privacy regulations.

Expect 23andMe to close its $305 million sale to former CEO Anne Wojcicki and her nonprofit in the “coming weeks,” the company announced Friday.

Last month’s Privacy Law Scholars Conference showed exploding interest in privacy, as well as growing concern about how the government may be weaponizing personal information, said PLSC Chair Ari Waldman in an interview with Privacy Daily earlier this month. The May 28-29 meeting was the privacy scholars’ first conference since penning a letter that raised concerns about the Trump administration.

Enacting a federally imposed 10-year moratorium on enforcing state-level AI laws (see 2506120083) wouldn't necessarily end the debate about the benefits and problems of regulation, panelists indicated during a Cato Institute event Thursday. While they agreed a bevy of state laws would blunt AI innovation and prompt legal challenges, their views varied about how best to protect citizens from potential AI harms, including privacy risks, and still stimulate innovation. In the end, even Congress' moratorium won't end confusion over AI regulation, one panelist said.

States rely on private aircraft owner data to collect millions in tax revenue annually, so the Federal Aviation Administration shouldn’t block access to it, state tax agencies said in comments to the agency.

A tech industry group on Friday ruled out the possibility that a rulemaking would alleviate its concerns with Vermont’s new age-appropriate design code law. Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed S-69 on Thursday (see 2506120094) despite vetoing a similar proposal last year. Businesses of all sizes will have to comply with the Vermont AADC or potentially face AG enforcement or lawsuits from individuals via a private right of action in the state's existing consumer protection law.

While immigrants seem to be the current target of mass-data collection, the federal government's collection of massive amounts of personal information has implications for other populations, including those who speak out against Washington, panelists said during a webinar Wednesday hosted by the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) and the Leadership Conference’s Center for Civil Rights & Technology.

The controversial U.K. Data Use (and Access) Bill (DUA), which cleared Parliament Wednesday night and awaits Royal Assent before becoming law, continues to spark concerns about whether its divergences from the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other EU laws will adequately protect Europeans' personal data. Moreover, passage of the bill could prompt the European Commission to deny adequacy status to Britain's data-protection regime, privacy attorneys and civil society groups said.

Meta AI users posting what's typically private information for everyone to see on the app is raising questions about whether all users understand they’re sharing their AI queries with the world. Users on X posted about the trend this week with many examples.

Ireland's Department of Social Protection (DSP) breached the General Data Protection Regulation when it collected biometric data in connection with registrations needed on applications to obtain a public services card, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced Thursday.