consent

A jury has found Facebook liable for deceiving users in the long-running Cambridge Analytica case, stemming from the scandal in which data from millions of people's profiles was harvested without proper consent and used for political targeting. The verdict is a major setback for Meta, which has fought the claims for years, and could open the door to substantial damages for affected users.

A case involving Cornell University has prompted a wider parenting conversation about when and how children should be taught about consent. Commentators and parents are debating at what age lessons on bodily autonomy and boundaries should begin, and what form they should take at home and in schools.

An ethicist argues that clinicians do not need consent before carrying out apnea testing to determine brain death, according to a Medscape report. The claim touches a long-running controversy in medicine and bioethics, since apnea testing is an invasive procedure performed on patients who may still legally be alive, and families in several high-profile cases have objected to it.

A Swedish ball-bearing manufacturer has brought film legend Greta Garbo back to the screen using artificial intelligence developed in the United States and China. The ad, reported by Reuters, resurrects the famously private star decades after her death, drawing attention to both the technical feat and the ethics of digitally recreating iconic figures for commercial purposes.

A Northeastern University project examines how modern connected cars, functioning like smartphones on wheels, collect data on drivers and passengers. The work looks at which companies and systems have access to in-car microphones, sensors and telemetry, raising questions about consent and surveillance. Commenters online are debating how much privacy drivers actually give up in newer vehicles.

A report says children in the United States could soon be given a so-called 'Trump account' even if their parents never signed them up. The claim, reported by Fast Company, raises questions about how such accounts would be created, who would control them, and what personal data of minors might be involved without parental consent.

A Japanese court has ruled that a person's voice is legally protected, in a case involving TikTok and artificial intelligence. The decision recognises the human voice as an attribute entitled to protection from unauthorised AI replication, a significant precedent for voice actors and the wider entertainment industry as generative AI tools increasingly mimic performers without consent.

A New York Times report examines how parents across the United States are using the rape allegations at Cornell University as a starting point for difficult conversations with their sons about consent, accountability and campus conduct. The case has prompted broader discussion among families about how young men should understand sexual assault allegations and their responsibilities.

California's governor has vetoed a bill that would have banned the use of smart glasses, nicknamed 'pervert glasses', to secretly record people. The legislation had targeted wearable devices with hidden cameras that allow users to film others without their knowledge or consent. The veto means no such statewide ban currently exists, and the decision is drawing attention from privacy advocates and tech policy watchers.

A Japanese court has ruled that human voices deserve legal protection, in a decision being described as a landmark for the AI era. The ruling could restrict AI systems that clone or imitate people's voices without consent. Observers say it may set a precedent for how voice rights are handled worldwide as voice synthesis technology spreads.

A new essay published on The New Critic, titled 'Safe at SlutCon', is drawing attention on technology and culture forums. The piece explores the event known as SlutCon and questions of safety within its community. Readers are sharing and debating the article's arguments about consent, community norms and conference culture.

Anthropic has made a submission to Australian authorities seeking regulatory approval to use copyrighted material for AI training, reportedly under an opt-out scheme involving broadcasters such as the ABC and SBS. The move puts the company at the centre of Australia's ongoing copyright review, where creators and publishers are pressing for consent and compensation while AI developers argue that broad access to text and other works is essential for building models.

Theatre company Stakes & Embers is drawing attention with its piece 'Aye Caesar', which opens by probing themes of consent in deliberately unsettling ways before shifting into more intimate, personal territory. Early commentary highlights the show's uncomfortable framing of permission and its later emotional turn, marking it as one of the more talked-about small-scale theatre works in circulation right now.

A new report highlights the first people whose faces were used to build and test facial recognition technology, describing them as the 'Adams and Eves' of the field. The story revisits how early test subjects and standardized face databases became the foundation for systems now widely used in policing, security and consumer devices, raising fresh questions about consent and the origins of the technology.