*By Britt Terrell*
Facebook may have a very different understanding of its users' privacy concerns than the millions of people whose personal information was shared with dozens of device makers as part of the social media company's efforts to spread its network.
"I think a lot of people have entered into agreements with Facebook without fully understanding the complete context of how this data can be used," said Damon Beres, executive editor at Mashable. "Facebook may say that someone signed their data rights away 10 years ago, but I don't think that anyone had the level of awareness about these privacy concerns that we have now."
[The New York Times reported](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/06/03/technology/facebook-device-partners-users-friends-data.html) that Facebook shared users' personal data ー and the data of those users' friends ー with dozens of device makers over the last decade. The revelation that Facebook had for years shared this information raised new privacy concerns as the company was facing greater scrutiny stemming from the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
"I think it goes to show that Facebook has permeated a lot of how we use our devices without us really thinking about it," Beres said Monday in an interview with Cheddar. "So, these problems kind of keep springing up as people have more awareness of data privacy concerns."
In response to The Times's report, Facebook's vice president of product partnerships wrote [a blog post](https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/06/why-we-disagree-with-the-nyt/) that said the revelations in the latest article are different from "past concerns about the controls over Facebook information shared with third-party app developers." That's what happened with Cambridge Analytica, a political research firm that gained access to the private data of 87 million Facebook users via a third-party app.
There were no apps a decade ago when Facebook was trying to get its network into the hands of mobile users, according to Ime Archibong, the Facebook VP, so the company relied on partnerships with device makers, including Amazon, Apple, Blackberry, HTC, Microsoft, and Samsung.
"All these partnerships were built on a common interest — the desire for people to be able to use Facebook whatever their device or operating system," Archibong wrote.
Beres said that Facebook's users may not have shared those same interests, or had the same understanding as Facebook as to how their data would be used.
"Facebook's natural defense is to be very literal, but I think we need to talk more about ethics and how people can actually naturally expect how their information is being used on these services," Beres said.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/facebooks-privacy-problems-continue).
Spain's government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros or $75 million for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals. The consumer rights ministry announced the fine on Monday. The ministry stated that many listings lacked proper license numbers or included incorrect information. The move is part of Spain's ongoing efforts to regulate short-term rental companies amid a housing affordability crisis especially in popular urban areas. The ministry ordered Airbnb in May to remove around 65,000 listings for similar violations. The government's consumer rights minister emphasized the impact on families struggling with housing. Airbnb said it plans to challenge the fine in court.
The Islamic State group and other militant organizations are experimenting with artificial intelligence as a tool to boost recruitment and refine their operations. National security experts say that just as businesses, governments and individuals have embraced AI, extremist groups also will look to harness the power of AI. That means aiming to improve their cyberattacks, breaking into sensitive networks and creating deepfakes that spread confusion and fear. Leaders in Washington have responded with calls to investigate how militant groups are using AI and seek ways to encourage tech companies to share more about how their products are being potentially misused.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
Waymo's self-driving taxis have been in the spotlight for both negative and positive reasons. This week, the automated ride-hailing taxis went viral after a San Francisco woman gave birth inside a Waymo taxi while on her way to the hospital. A Waymo spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed the unusual delivery. It said the company's rider support team detected unusual activity inside the vehicle and alerted 911. The taxi arrived safely at the hospital before emergency services. Waymo's popularity is growing despite heightened scrutiny following an illegal U-turn and the death of a San Francisco cat. The company, owned by Alphabet, says it is proud to serve riders of all ages.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
