#data-harvesting

#data-harvesting

The four seemingly helpful extensions are Urban VPN Proxy, 1ClickVPN Proxy, Urban Browser Guard, and Urban Ad Blocker. They're distributed via the Chrome Web Store and Microsoft Edge Add-ons, but include code designed to capture and transmit browser-based interactions with popular AI tools. "Urban VPN Proxy targets conversations across ten AI platforms," said Idan Dardikman, co-founder and CTO of Koi, in a blog post published Monday.

According to a security report from Infoblox, in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the China-focused Universe Browser is advertised as a safe and private way to bypass censorship and web blocks. It has a specific use case for would-be online gamblers. But just underneath its surface, the browser is recording the user's location, routing all traffic data through servers in China, installing keyloggers, and changing network settings.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a complaint against social app Sendit and its CEO Hunter Rice, alleging that the company unlawfully harvested children's data, misled users about privacy protections, and violated federal children's privacy law. The complaint, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, accuses the app's parent company, Iconic Hearts, of building its business on deceptive practices while targeting one of the most vulnerable demographics online: children under 13.