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Dutch Authorities Block $115 Million Deal by a U.S. Tech Company

The Netherlands blocked a U.S. company from buying a Dutch firm that handles its national ID system, saying it would create a “threat to the public interest.”

© Laurens Van Putten/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Willemijn Aerdts, the Dutch minister for the digital economy and sovereignty, spoke to the news media last month after blocking the acquisition of Solvinity, a Dutch tech company, by the U.S. firm Kyndryl.

Wary of U.S., Carney Bets on AI Strategy for Canada

4 June 2026 at 21:32
The country on Thursday released a national artificial intelligence strategy that focuses on building its sovereign capability and protecting consumers.

© Chris Young/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press

Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada during a demonstration at a Toronto hospital on Thursday. “Canadian A.I. adoption will be prudent, pragmatic and pro-worker,” he said.

Meta Silently Added Face-Recognition Code for Its Smart Glasses to Millions of Phones

4 June 2026 at 18:28
Code reviewed by WIRED uncovered an unreleased face-recognition system embedded in Meta’s smart glasses platform. It’s designed to identify people via biometric data stored on users’ phones.

Android Is Fighting Phone Scams With a New Feature to Prove Who’s Calling

2 June 2026 at 19:00
Available for Android 12 and later, the anti-scam feature is baked into Google Dialer, which sends a silent “confirmation signal” to ensure whoever’s calling you is who they appear to be.

When Safety Impacts Liberty: Congressional Hearing Reveals Deep Concerns About Federal Surveillance Practices

10 April 2025 at 23:37
by Anthony Kimery | Biometric Update America’s surveillance architecture has grown from an opaque counterterrorism framework into a complex and far-reaching system with deep implications for civil liberties. The federal government’s expanding use of facial recognition, AI, and data aggregation tools has prompted urgent concerns among civil rights advocates, legal scholars, technologists, and lawmakers. And their message is clear: without stronger oversight, warrant requirements and transparency, the very technologies deployed in the name of safety may become the greatest threat to Americans’ freedoms. Last year, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights detailed in a 194-page report how federal agencies are […]
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