Startup Offers Free Home Cleaning—If It Can Record It All for Robot Training

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/05/robot-training-startup-will-send-humans-wearing-cameras-to-clean-your-home/

(ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026)

#AI #Robotics #Privacy #DataCollection #Surveillance #HomeAutomation #HealOurCulture #LaborRights #AItraining #MicroAGI #automation #DataPrivacy

University of Washington researchers planned classroom recordings from teacher-worn and fixed cameras to train AI models on preschool interactions. 🎥
Parents told 404 Media they viewed the project as opt-out, while the university said participation required permission for all children recorded. 🧒

🔗 https://www.404media.co/researchers-wanted-preschool-teachers-to-wear-cameras-to-train-ai/

#TechNews #AI #Privacy #Surveillance #University #Washington #Education #DataCollection #Ethics #Children #Transparency #Security #FOSS #Research #Technology #US #USA

RE: https://infosec.exchange/@SkypLabs/116608604727428523

Excited to be speaking at VLCTechFest this year!

#Valencia #Spain #VLCTechFest #Privacy #Security #DataCollection #Democracy #BigTech #OpenSource #FOSS

We will be present at VLCTechFest this Saturday to talk about the problems caused by the massive data collections made by companies and States, and their impacts on our daily lives and democratises.

https://vlctechfest.org/en/

The talk will be given by @Skyper, and its description is as follows:

"But I Have Nothing To Hide! Or How Big Techs and States made you believe so

Data collection has become something that is hard to avoid in our modern societies. From telemetry to sensible personal data, many companies and even state actors rely on it for carrying out their operations. But is it really an issue? After all, I have nothing to hide.

What if I tell you that women were persecuted in the USA because they played to Candy Crush or used Tinder, and that their location data were sold to law enforcement which now criminalises people going to abortion clinics in some states? Or that it isn’t that difficult to figure out the real identity of spies with publicly sold data for little money? And when the data isn’t already available, state actors don’t hesitate to hack their own population, including in democratic countries like France and Spain.

Data collection has tangible impacts on our societies and democracies. Whether it’s for making business profits or controlling its own population while weakening adversary countries, the goal is the same: control. And with the current AI trend, data collection is reaching unprecedented highs.

So, what can we do about it in 2026? Thankfully, many technical and legal solutions exist, and we all have a role to play in it. Whether you are an entrepreneur, someone involved into the creation of a software, or a simple user, your choices can have a positive impact."

It is a free event, so come join us if you can!

#Valencia #Spain #VLCTechFest #Privacy #Security #DataCollection #Democracy #BigTech

Web Scraping vs In-House Data Collection, Which delivers better ROI?

While in-house data collection offers control, web scraping wins on speed, scalability, and cost-efficiency.

✅ Faster market insights
✅ Lower operational costs
✅ Real-time competitive intelligence
✅ Scalable data acquisition

Learn More: https://www.webscreenscraping.com/web-scraping-vs-in-house-data-collection/

#WebScraping #DataCollection #BusinessIntelligence #DataStrategy #AI #BigData

Perhaps businesses are collecting too much data for...

https://kottke.org/26/05/0048954-perhaps-businesses-are-co

#Privacy #DataCollection #Business

The Economic Mirage: The "Free" PayPal Money Ecosystem in 2026

Are 'free' PayPal money schemes in 2026 worth it? Learn how survey and cashback sites trade your data for small rewards and often require spending.

#PayPalScams, #FreeMoney2026, #DataCollection, #OnlineEarnings, #MicroTasks

https://newsletter.tf/paypal-free-money-schemes-pay-low-for-data/

Many 'free' PayPal money offers in 2026 pay less than minimum wage. You often trade your personal data and spend money to get small rewards.

#PayPalScams, #FreeMoney2026, #DataCollection, #OnlineEarnings, #MicroTasks
https://newsletter.tf/paypal-free-money-schemes-pay-low-for-data/

Fact of the Day: Did you know 'ZoneAlarm' (the PC 'security' suite) is made and run from Israel?

ZoneAlarm, which is listed as "Number 1 Security Suite" in a Google search, is owned by 'Check Point Software Technologies Ltd', an Israeli based company in Tel Aviv. It recently spent $600 million to market their products to people (results from Google) -

- Marketing Spend: As of 2025, Check Point reported substantial investments in "Selling and Marketing" to drive its Infinity Platform and AI-driven security solutions.

- In previous fiscal years (e.g., 2022), the company's "Selling and Marketing" expenses were over $600 million. While this figure covers sales team salaries, events, and other marketing activities, search engine advertising is also a part of this budget.

"search engine advertising is also a part of this budget", so google is being paid to recommend this software to you as "number 1" despite it's many controversies over the years from illegal data collection to scare tactic campaigns.

Check Point Software bought the rights to ZoneAlarm on March 29th 2004, from the Wiki;

- "As of January 2006, ZoneAlarm was reportedly sending data to the company's servers in a covert fashion. A developer dismissed allegations that ZoneAlarm was spying on its clients, saying that it was an issue related to software updates and that it would be fixed."

- "On September 2, 2010, the free version of ZoneAlarm started showing a 'Global Virus Alert' popup as a scareware tactic to get users to switch to their paid security suite. The popup was turned off by ZoneAlarm marketing team after an uproar from disgruntled users, many of whom uninstalled the software."

Cited from source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_System_Firewall

So the question remains: Are you really ok with having Israel access your data and monitor your activity on and offline if you currently have it installed?

TinyWall is a far better firewall option which is opensource, low system resource usage, no data collection and no telemetry, and because it's open source you can even download and read through the code if you really want to. 👍

#IsraeliSurveillance #PaidToBeNumberOneListed #BoycottIsrael #Security #Firewall #AntiVirus #Software #DataCollection #HumanRights