In the news...
- Proposed Pennsylvania Bill Seeks to Safeguard Online Privacy After Death [abc7.com]
Pennsylvania Rep. Ben Waxman is preparing legislation to address a growing privacy concern: the use of artificial intelligence to recreate people who have passed away. In a memo to fellow lawmakers, Waxman points to a Meta patent granted in December 2025 that could analyze a person's posts, messages, and online behavior to generate new content or interactions appearing to come from that individual. "Although Meta has stated it is not currently pursuing this technology, the very existence of such a model raises serious concerns about how personal data could be used to create AI-driven 'digital replicas' of real people after they have died," Waxman writes.
- Proton CEO Warns Global Age Verification Push Will Mean "the Death of Anonymity Online" [techradar.com]
Proton founder and CEO Andy Yen is sounding the alarm on the global wave of mandatory online age verification laws, warning that current proposals are "sleepwalking us into a surveillance nightmare." With lawmakers in dozens of countries and nearly half of US states racing to regulate online spaces, Yen argues that while protecting children is a sincere goal, the execution is fundamentally flawed and paves the way for unprecedented data collection.
- U.S. Lawmakers Seek to Override State Data Privacy Laws with New Bill [cnbc.com]
Two new federal data privacy bills would preempt nearly two dozen state laws and establish a single national standard for how tech and finance companies handle user data. The SECURE Data Act targets technology companies, while the companion GUARD Financial Data Act focuses on financial services, together forming one unified framework. House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and House Financial Services Chair French Hill (R-Ark.) are backing the legislation, with first votes likely next month. Guthrie said the SECURE Act would "put an end to the confusing state-by-state patchwork of laws that fail consumers and small businesses alike."
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