News about privacy

The team behind Zakura, a newer version of the software that runs the Zcash network, proposes giving every ZEC swap made through NEAR Intents its own viewing key. This would stop a refund address posted on NEAR's public chain from exposing a user's wider payment history to a future quantum computer. Spending keys would stay with users, and private information retrieval would let wallets locate refunds without revealing which addresses they are checking. Zakura says compatible wallets could adopt the feature within weeks, ahead of Zcash developers' January target for quantum-resistant payments. No quantum computer capable of recovering these keys has yet been demonstrated.

Chris Thomas, a Pittsburgh business owner, wears Meta glasses, a Fieldy pendant and an Amazon Bee wristband to record and organize his daily life. A bystander at a bar objected because he could not be sure the devices were off, so Thomas now takes them off completely. More always-listening AI devices are emerging, including Amazon's Bee Frontier and Bee Eclipse and Apple's Siri Recap on Apple Watch Series 12, raising concerns about covert recording without bystanders' consent. Unlike earlier smart speakers, some of these products interpret speech without retaining the underlying audio, leaving unresolved whether this could count as unlawful interception. Attorney Colin Zick says broadly worded state laws such as Massachusetts' could apply, and in some states the wearer may face greater legal risk than the manufacturer.