"For too long, our Department has been bogged down by bureaucracy and busy-work; even the most productive public servants are mired in paperwork and process. Across our mission space - from research, to health care delivery, to public health - we've layered administrative red tape on innovators," HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill wrote in an introductory letter for the strategy. "We will harness AI technologies to streamline operations and enhance support for care delivery throughout the entire health care industry. We call it OneHHS."
A law that allowed the sharing of limitless amounts of personal data across the state to find people eligible for CalFresh was rescinded this week. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 593 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, a Democrat from Oakland, that forbids state and local departments from sharing sensitive personal data to increase food stamp enrollment. But only a year ago, it was Wicks who introduced that same data sharing initiative, to get more people enrolled in CalFresh, the state's federally funded food assistance program.
Your car already knows more about the road than you do. It can feel the pothole before your wheel does. It knows when you slam on the brakes at an obscured stop sign. It senses when traffic patterns don't match the posted speed limit. The question is: what if this knowledge could be shared to make driving safer for everyone?
People living in 17 boroughs in the capital who need financial support will be automatically enrolled on the water company's social tariff scheme without having to go through the application process. Under data-sharing agreements, Thames Water said it was working with councils and the Policy in Practice social data platform to identify customers whose water bills exceed 5% of their net income. Eligible households will be signed up to the WaterHelp scheme, which cuts bills by 50%.
Walk down the street and you're likelyto be recorded by one of thousandsof security cameras, some belongingto the New York Police Department,others just connected or available to the department's databases. Drive into the city and traffic cameraswill automatically photograph your car, capturing your vehicle's license plate, make, model, color, distinctive markings and even passengers. Post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or TikTok and the N.Y.P.D. can scrape and store your messages, capturing your thoughts, plans, political statements and friend groups.
On Tuesday night, Berkeley City Council will vote on a contract with Flock Safety to operate fixed surveillance cameras throughout Berkeley. But given reports in the past month on Flock's illegal cooperation with ICE and the Trump administration, such a contract will put the Berkeley community in grave danger. The council must uphold our sanctuary city commitments and vote no on a new contract with Flock.
The Labor Department is planning to require states to hand over sensitive unemployment information in the name of fighting fraud. The plan, detailed in a notice of proposed rulemaking issued on Friday, would require states to hand over confidential unemployment claims information to federal officials. The department is also considering creating a national claims database for oversight and audits, it says in the notice.
"I can say that the demand for data is incredibly high, but at the moment, we are forming policy on how to organize this process correctly," said Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's digital minister, in an interview with Reuters published on Wednesday. But Fedorov's comments indicate Ukraine won't freely give out this data, which he called "priceless." Kyiv is "very carefully" considering how to share its records and footage with its allies, the minister said.
In a new report, vpnMentor warns your smartwatch is more than just a fitness tracker it's a window into your daily life. It monitors your heart rate, logs your sleep patterns, detects signs of stress, and even records your alcohol consumption. But where does all that sensitive data go? Who gets to see it and what do they do with it?
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) issued a compliance notice to the chef on July 28, They highlighted three posts where Skehan promoted goods or events marketed by Wind Shore Goods - which sells such products as olive oil and crockery, as well a running events. Officials said the posts contravened rules aimed at making it explicit when posts are paid promotions, including clear and appropriate disclosure labels
The study was inspired by anecdotes from authors who cited articles only because reviewers asked them to, says study author Adrian Barnett, who researches peer review and metaresearch at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. Sometimes, these requests are fine, he says. But if reviewers ask for too many citations or the reason to cite their work is not justified, the peer-review process can become transactional, says Barnett. Citations increase a researcher's h-index, a metric reflecting the impact of their publications.
"This initiative aims to build a smarter, more secure, and more personalized health care system - one that improves patient outcomes, reduces provider burden, and drives greater value through private-sector innovation and aligned federal leadership," CMS spokesperson Catherine Howden said in a written statement.
Healthline Media LLC will pay $1.55 million in penalties for privacy violations under a pending settlement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The settlement is the largest for violations under the California Consumer Privacy Act. The website publisher did not allow consumers to opt out of targeted advertising, and it shared data without proper protections.
The CC signals project proposes a solution that balances data sharing with governance, allowing dataset holders to specify AI usage while fostering openness in the digital landscape.
The Data (Use & Access) Bill enhances the UK's capabilities to share data for financial crime prevention, moving from 'legitimate interest' to 'recognised legitimate interest'.
Data locked away benefits no one, but when data is shared responsibly and carefully with bright minds everywhere, we get results that will give us all a healthier future.
