German Court Rains on LinkedIn’s Parade ‘Do Not Track’ Saga Continues!

German court rules in LinkedIn case The ongoing 'Do Not Track' saga continues

For those who need a reminder, the concept of “Do Not Track” (DNT) is like waving a flag in front of online services, screaming, “Hey, don’t you dare track my every move!” It’s a browser setting that was proposed ages ago to give users the power to tell tech companies to back off. But, despite the best efforts of security experts, online services mostly ignored users’ pleas and went about their merry tracking ways. DNT became as obsolete as a pair of bell-bottom jeans.

But surprise! Just when we thought DNT was pushing up daisies, a German regional court in the blustery city of Berlin ruled that it actually holds legal force under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The court case involves LinkedIn, which has been telling its users that it doesn’t give a hoot about their DNT signals because, well, DNT isn’t standardized. However, German consumer advocates argued that LinkedIn’s dismissal of DNT was misleading and violated consumer rights outlined in the GDPR. And guess what? The court agreed!

According to Rosemarie Rodden, a legal officer at the Federation of German Consumer Organizations, activating the DNT function on your browser sends a loud and clear message: “Stay out of my business, you creepy advertisers!” She slapped LinkedIn on the wrist for breaking competition law by misleading consumers. Cue the mic drop.

Now, before you pop open the champagne to celebrate the triumphant return of DNT, here’s the twist. The Berlin court didn’t actually force LinkedIn to respect people’s DNT signals. It simply confirmed that DNT is a legitimate way for people to exercise their rights and ordered LinkedIn not to suggest otherwise. Well, at least it’s something. LinkedIn, being the feisty Microsoft-owned company that it is, plans to appeal the ruling. The battle is far from over, my friends.

Now, let’s switch gears to a fascinating new partnership between Microsoft and Siemens. These two colossal forces have joined hands to bring generative AI into the world of industrial processes. Picture this: an industrious little assistant called the Siemens Industrial Copilot, armed with powerful AI, speeding up the process of writing and testing automation code while simultaneously boosting Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI cloud service. It’s like having a genius apprentice who assists maintenance staff with repairs and keeps the industrial wheels turning.

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In fact, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella signaled that this partnership is just the beginning of a grand plan to revolutionize the entire industrial sector. It’s like Batman unveiling his Batmobile, except, instead of fighting crime, they’re fighting stagnation and inefficiency.

Ah, what a whirlwind of news! Before we part ways, let’s take a look at some other noteworthy headlines:

• The SEC cracked its whip and announced a fraud suit against SolarWinds and its former security VP, Tim Brown. These two allegedly played fast and loose with security vulnerabilities, leading to the hacking of government agencies and companies. Remember folks, honesty is the best policy, especially when trillions of dollars are at stake.

• Our beloved smoothie store in San Francisco, which was supposedly AI-generated, turned out to be a disaster. The owners tried their best to conjure up fruity concoctions, but the result was pure chaos—unrecognizable blobs masquerading as fruits, cups with gibberish characters, and lumpy smoothie-ish mixtures. Let’s just say they weren’t exactly winning the James Beard Award for culinary excellence.

Now, I know you might be itching to share your thoughts or suggestions about these stories. Don’t hold back! Drop me a line and let’s keep the conversation lively and entertaining.

Stay informed, stay entertained. Until next time.

David Meyer

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NEWSWORTHY

“Today’s enforcement action not only charges SolarWinds and Brown for misleading the investing public and failing to protect the company’s ‘crown jewel’ assets, but also underscores our message to issuers: implement strong controls calibrated to your risk environments and level with investors about known concerns.”
—SEC enforcement chief Gurbir Grewal, announcing a fraud suit against SolarWinds and its former security VP Tim Brown, over “misstatements, omissions, and schemes” related to security vulnerabilities that resulted in the hacking of government agencies and companies.

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BEFORE YOU GO

Not so smooth. An AI-generated smoothie store in downtown San Francisco has left everyone scratching their heads. It appeared out of thin air, promising fruity goodness. However, the reality was far from appetizing. The fruits in the store window resembled unidentifiable blobs, and the cups were filled with lumpy, ambiguous smoothie-ish mixtures. It’s safe to say this AI experiment left customers feeling bewildered and grateful for their three too-long fingers.