Apple Tightens macOS Privacy Over AI Agent Issue; YouTube Shorts Recommendations-No Unoriginal Content; Sen. Sanders-Bill Bans Feds from Using Flock; OpenAI Putting Ads in ChatGPT Image Generation

Apple is locking down its macOS privacy controls even more as AI agents get more powerful and more intrusive. 9to5mac.com reports that Apple will tighten up ‘Full Disk Access.’  That change should help protect user privacy. The real purpose for Full Disk Access in the first place is to  “allow backup apps to function properly on the Mac.” That’s good and important…you should back up often. What has been happening though is “some developers” are using the Full Disk Access setting in macOS in “ways that could put users at risk.” Granting Full Disk Access to AI Agents can expose everything on a user’s systems—including files, mail, messages, and even browsing history—without users’ full knowledge and understanding. For communication apps, this can also compromise the privacy of the people users are communicating with.” Shortly, with new controls, a user will have to give explicit permission to an app or Agent to have Full Disk Access. Two always-on agents right now are Meta Muse and OpenAI’s Dots. Both request substantial access to your personal data.

In a victory of sorts for content creators, YouTube has announced that it has adjusted its Shorts recomendations so that users will see less unoriginal content. According to 9to5google.com, users who upload content that blatantly steals video from another channel will not get the same reach as they did before the change, according to what YouTube laid out in its release. The change should mean users will see a focus on original content, and creators that upload original Shorts will likely be rewarded. YouTube hasn’t detailed a rollout date for this change, but it sounds like it may be live already.

It will go no place in this Congress, but if the Democrats take control of both Houses in November, a bill that was moved by Senator Bernie Sanders might get reintroduced in the next Congress and get some traction. TechCrunch.com says the Ban Flock Act would bar federal agencies from using automatic license plate readers, or tapping into data collected by readers run by local police and private companies. Despite its title, the bill doesn’t call out nine-year-old Flock in the text but rather covers any and all ALPR systems. That’s a good thing, since there are 3 different companies that make the license plate reading cams. There are exceptions for toll collection and or uses that Congress approves in future legislation, which would have to limit data retention to 48 hours. State and local governments would be fined for violating the law and sharing with the feds.

Well here’s a real non-shocker…OpenAI is testing a visual ad format during image generation in ChatGPT. Thenextweb.com notes that the commercial is clearly labeled as separate from the image being made— if that makes you feel better about it. Nothing like charging you money via tokens, then making money from serving you ads. The younger folks who have grown up with the ability to pay extra on a subscription for streams will hate this. Usually it’s one or the other…not charging you AND running ads. OpenAI cheerily notes that the advertising doesn’t influence the answers ChatGPT gives. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.