Tout juste le deal créant la coentreprise TikTok USDS scellé, l’entreprise a changé sa politique de confidentialité pour ses utilisateurs américains le même jour.

Ainsi, comme le note Wired, TikTok se permet d’utiliser des informations plus précises sur la géolocalisation de ses utilisateurs aux États-Unis. La nouvelle politique s’appuie sur les données de géolocalisation dérivées du GPS, si les utilisateurs ont autorisé le partage de ces informations à l’application dans le système d’exploitation de leur smartphone.

L’entreprise en profite aussi pour s’autoriser à stocker toute information concernant l’usage d’IA générative par ses utilisateurs. « Nous recueillons automatiquement certaines informations vous concernant lorsque vous utilisez les Services, notamment… les métadonnées qui sont automatiquement téléchargées en relation avec votre contenu utilisateur, vos messages ou vos interactions avec l’IA, telles que la manière, le moment, le lieu et l’auteur de la création du contenu utilisateur ou de l’envoi du message ou du prompt », explique TikTok à ses utilisateurs américains.

Un autre changement qui pourrait passer plus inaperçu est celui sur l’utilisation des données pour de la publicité ciblée. Elle se permet de l’étendre à des publicités de son réseau publicitaire « ailleurs en ligne, en fonction de vos paramètres publicitaires ».

Dans ces nouvelles politiques de confidentialité, TikTok se permet de rappeler que :

« Les informations que vous fournissez peuvent inclure des informations personnelles sensibles, telles que définies par les lois applicables en matière de confidentialité, telles que les informations provenant d’utilisateurs n’ayant pas atteint l’âge minimum requis, les informations que vous divulguez dans vos réponses à des sondages ou dans votre contenu utilisateur concernant votre origine raciale ou ethnique, votre origine nationale, vos croyances religieuses, votre état de santé mentale ou physique, votre vie sexuelle ou votre orientation sexuelle, votre statut de transgenre ou non binaire, votre citoyenneté ou votre statut d’immigrant, ou vos informations financières. Par exemple, nous pouvons traiter vos informations financières afin de vous fournir les biens ou services que vous nous demandez, ou votre numéro de permis de conduire afin de vérifier votre identité. Nous pouvons également collecter des données de localisation précises, en fonction de vos paramètres et comme expliqué ci-dessous. Nous traitons ces informations personnelles sensibles conformément à la loi applicable, par exemple à des fins autorisées en vertu de la loi californienne sur la protection de la vie privée des consommateurs (California Consumer Privacy Act) ».

Ce passage a attiré fortement l’attention de certains utilisateurs, comme Angelita Morillo, une élue de la ville de Portland ou le sénateur du Connecticut, Chris Murphy. Ce qui se comprend vu la situation politique aux États-Unis, la place qu’a prise le CEO d’Oracle Larry Ellison auprès de Trump et la position importante de son entreprise dans la nouvelle coentreprise TikTok USDS.

Mais, comme l’explique TechCrunch, ce passage n’est pas nouveau et est surtout là pour que TikTok soit en conformité avec la loi californienne qui oblige les plateformes à préciser les types d’informations sensibles qui peuvent être collectées.

The producers who helped define the sound of pop music in the 90s and 00s are in dispute over earnings from their final album as NERD

Chad Hugo is suing Pharrell Williams, his production partner in the Neptunes, over claims that Williams owes Hugo up to $1m from their final album as NERD, 2017’s No One Ever Really Dies.

The Neptunes defined the sound of pop music in the late 90s and early 00s, producing for artists including Kelis, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Clipse and Justin Timberlake. As NERD, they released five albums.

Ukrainian president’s remarks come as Russia praises trilateral talks but warns against expectations of ‘significant results’

And since we’re on the subject of the German army, it’s worth listening to this podcast with our Berlin correspondent Kate Connolly on the vast military expansion under way in Germany and the geopolitical landscape that prompted it.

Speaking to Annie Kelly, Kate discusses the current rearmament and recruitment campaigns, the political and economic pitfalls the German government faces, and the wider question of national identity that Germany is grappling with.

“Not so long ago, to be a German soldier dressed in German uniform was quite a difficult role to embody. I mean, you could be going down the street and you could be spat on, or you could have names called at you.

“I’ve recently seen people get into conversation with soldiers, which I hadn’t seen in the past, [and] more recently, somebody going up to a soldier and actually getting him into conversation about his role, and at the end of the conversation, thanking him.”

PM says holding a mayoral election in Manchester would divert resources from local council, Scottish and Welsh campaigns for Labour

According to Sam Coates at Sky News, Labour might decide to hold the Gorton and Denton byelection as early as late February. The party that previously held the seat gets to move the writ for a byelection and governing parties facing a difficult byelection sometimes go for a quick contest so that challenger parties, which might not be well organised in the seat and short of voter data, don’t have time to bed in and build up momentum.

Keir Starmer has defended the decision not to allow Andy Burnham to stand to be Labour’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection. Starmer was on the 10-strong panel that took the near-unanimous decision to block Burnham yesterday, and, speaking to broadcasters today, he set out the same argument used by Douglas Alexander earlier. (See 8.51am.) Starmer said:

We have really important elections already across England for local councils, very important elections in Wales for the government there and very important elections in Scotland for the Scottish government that will affect millions of people. And we’re out campaigning on the cost of living and they’re very important elections.

We need all of our focus on those elections.

Suit seeks to reduce the number of agents back to levels before ICE launched its so-called ‘Operation Metro Surge’ last month

A growing number of Republicans are pressing for a deeper investigation into federal immigration tactics in Minnesota after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti – a sign that the Trump administration’s accounting of events may face bipartisan scrutiny.

The Republican chairman of the House homeland security committee, Andrew Garbarino, has sought testimony from leaders at ICE, Customs and Border Protection and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying “my top priority remains keeping Americans safe”, the Associated Press is reporting.

Warnings issued across 26 US states, while Portugal braces for heavy rain as Storm Joseph rolls in

The US is enduring another bout of severe winter weather, as a succession of powerful weather systems brings heavy snow, freezing rain and extreme cold temperatures to much of the country.

Twenty-six states, from Texas to Massachusetts, were under storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service over the weekend, with many alerts remaining in place this week.

L'acteur français Michel Barbey est décédé ce samedi 24 janvier à l'âge de 98 ans. Comédien de cinéma, de télévision et de théâtre, il a collaboré avec de grands réalisateurs et acteurs du paysage audiovisuel français, et s'est également fait connaître pour sa carrière dans le dou…

Article original publié sur AlloCiné

From capturing Maduro to proposing a take over of Greenland – people respond to the president’s rhetoric

As Donald Trump continues to call for the US to take control of Greenland, not long after the US captured the deposed president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, we asked people in the US what they thought about Trump’s foreign intervention and rhetoric. Here are some of their responses.

After the failure of his police career, Jack came to live with us, caring for the whole family indiscriminately. When I was sickest, and felt unlovable, he reminded me I was loved

Jack, the cocker spaniel, was sacked by the police. His career as a detection dog was an utter failure – he was more interested in people than cannabis and made some embarrassing mistakes, including begging for treats from potential offenders rather than alerting officers about drugs.

A colleague told me about a police dog that needed a home and so Jack arrived – via police van – at our house. He was lithe, glossy black and animated. He ricocheted around the house, knocking over children and pot plants. He chased rabbits and pheasants over the fields. He ate off the children’s plates and collected shoes. He loved us all indiscriminately and liked to have us where he could see us. If anyone left the room, he’d sigh deeply and follow, remaining close until the pack was back together.

The latest in our series of writers picking their go-to comfort films is a tribute to Amy Adams and what might be her greatest performance

Much is often made of Amy Adams’ “always the bridesmaid” Oscar record, as she’s yet to claim a win from six nominations. While this is egregious for an actor of her calibre, the bigger snub is that she wasn’t even nominated for her best performance yet. Enchanted’s Giselle introduced Adams to a mainstream audience and was possibly considered too frivolous for Academy tastes, but her pitch-perfect take on a real-life Disney princess is a masterclass in full-bore commitment, and the gravitational force around which this winningly charming Disney film revolves.

I was instantly won over by Enchanted on its 2007 release, but having since revisited it many times (including with my own kids), I’m convinced it’s close to a platonic ideal of family-friendly feelgood viewing, and there’s been nothing in this vein that’s come close to matching it since (including, sadly, 2022 Disney+ sequel Disenchanted). It’s also so much better than the Disney’s many official live-action remakes.

Words of stern moral advice to a besotted young man are delivered with a brisk and even sunny touch

Song

Why, Damon, why, why, why so pressing?
The Heart you beg’s not worth possessing:
Each Look, each Word, each Smile’s affected,
And inward Charms are quite neglected:
Then scorn her, scorn her, foolish Swain,
And sigh no more, no more in vain.

John Arnison lives with anxiety and ADHD and finds busy cities unsettling, but loves taking pictures of nature at night

When he first ventured out into the darkness of the Yorkshire Dales 25 years ago, John Arnison’s only goal was to find a photographic style that people would immediately know was his.

Driving for nearly 40 miles from his home in Leeds to Malham, North Yorkshire in the dead of night, John didn’t realise that he was starting a project that would continue for another quarter of a century, and shape the rest of his life.