AI Toys for Kids Talk About Sex, Drugs, and Chinese Propaganda

allegedly two people It appears that people associated with China’s notorious Salt Typhoon espionage hacking group previously received training through Cisco’s flagship, long-running networking academy. Meanwhile, warnings are increasingly coming from United States lawmakers in Congress that safeguards on expanded US wiretap powers are failing, allowing US intelligence agencies to access more data on Americans without substantial barriers.

If you’re having trouble keeping track of all the news and data coming out about notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, WIRED published a guide this week to who is releasing the Epstein documents and what they contain, as well as which documents may be coming to light soon.

Doxxers are succeeding at tricking big tech companies into sharing their users’ sensitive, private data by impersonating law enforcement with fake email addresses and fake documents. And Do Kwon, the South Korean cryptocurrency mogul who founded Terraform Labs, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the Southern District of New York on Thursday for lying about “experimental” crypto coins that resulted in a $40 billion loss.

But wait, there’s more! Each week, we round up security and privacy news that we haven’t covered in depth ourselves. Click on titles to read full stories. And stay safe there.

There is no doubt that toy manufacturers are incorporating large language models and generative AI into engaging objects designed for children. The idea is that kids can interact with their toys, and they will actually talk back—but things aren’t that simple. This week, researchers at NBC News and the Public Interest Research Group revealed new findings showing many AI-infused toys — including popular toys sold to Americans this holiday season — will talk about sexually explicit topics, drugs and Chinese state propaganda.

Five of the toys tested, including a talking sunflower and a smart rabbit, gave shocking answers when asked about sensitive topics, indicating a lack of safety guardrails or that their systems could be easily bypassed. A toy provided answers on how to light a match and sharpen a knife. Meanwhile, Smart Bunny said the “Leather Flogger” is ideal for use during “impact play.” Another toy, when asked why Chinese President Xi Jinping looked like Winnie the Pooh, said, “Your statement is extremely inappropriate and insulting. Such malicious comments are unacceptable.” In 2018, the Chinese government banned Winnie the Pooh after people compared Xi to a fat cartoon bear.

The number of people traveling to the United States has declined this year, while those doing so have faced record amounts of phone searches at the border. Now, a new surveillance proposal from U.S. Customs and Border Protection could require tourists to submit up to five years of their social media history to enter the country. A proposal on the Federal Register says people traveling on the ESTA visa waiver program – which includes many closely allied countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and dozens of other countries – should require social media data to be a “mandatory part of the application process.” The proposal also suggests collecting several other sensitive data, including personal and workplace information of the last 10 years, biometrics information and names and addresses of family members.

Park Dae-joon, CEO of South Korean online retailer Coupang Corp, resigned from his role this week after a data breach exposed the data of nearly 34 million customers. In a statement, the park said it was “deeply sorry for disappointing” members of the public. “I have a deep sense of responsibility for this pandemic and the subsequent recovery process and have decided to resign from all positions,” he said in a statement. Following the leak, police had earlier raided the offices of the firm. While it is still relatively rare for CEOs to face direct accountability for security or data breaches at their businesses, Park’s departure is not the only case in South Korea. Following the hack incidents, the country’s two telecom companies, SK Telecom and KT Corp, are also in the process of replacing their chief executive officers. South Korea’s three major telecommunications companies have reported data breaches in recent months, leading to fears of huge financial losses.

An Atlanta man, Samuel Tunick, was arrested and charged with deleting data from a Google Pixel smartphone before a U.S. Customs and Border Protection search. 404 Media reported on the situation using court documents and social media posts about the arrest of Tunick, who describes himself as a local activist on social media. Details about the motivation for the search are still unclear, but the situation is notable because it is unusual in the US to bring charges related to a simple activity like wiping or modifying a personal device.