Author: Frank Salvato

The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) disclosed that it inadvertently left sensitive personal and health-related data for more than 700,000 state residents publicly accessible on the internet due to misconfigured privacy settings on internal mapping tools used for resource planning from as early as April 2021 until it was discovered and fixed in September 2025, a lapse spanning over four years; the exposed information affected roughly 672,616 Medicaid and Medicare Savings Program recipients (including addresses, case numbers, and demographic details though not names) and 32,401 customers of the Division of Rehabilitation Services whose names, addresses, case status, and other…

Ford Motor Company announced at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show a new AI-powered assistant set to debut in its smartphone app in early 2026 and expand into vehicles by 2027 alongside a next-generation BlueCruise advanced driver-assistance system that’s cheaper to build and aimed at bringing hands-free, eyes-off driving (Level 3 autonomy) to a broader market by 2028. The AI assistant, backed by Google Cloud and leveraging off-the-shelf large language models with vehicle-specific data access, will help drivers with tasks ranging from practical load-planning to real-time vehicle queries, while the BlueCruise and underlying “vehicle brain” architecture seek to democratize safety and…

Google is launching major artificial intelligence upgrades to Gmail that aim to turn the decades-old email service into a proactive personal assistant by introducing a personalized “AI Inbox” view that highlights suggested to-dos and key topics drawn from users’ messages, expands AI-powered search and natural language query tools, and adds features like AI-generated summaries and enhanced writing aids; these tools, built on Google’s Gemini AI technology, will be available to some users initially and include both free capabilities and premium options that can sift through email content, answer conversational questions and prioritize important information, redefining how people interact with their…

Disney announced at CES 2026 that its Disney+ streaming service will add short-form, vertical video content in the U.S. later this year to drive daily engagement and appeal to mobile-first consumers who favor quick clips over long movies and series; the new format could include original short clips, repurposed social content, and snippets from existing TV shows and movies, integrated in a feed designed to feel native rather than tacked-on, with executives emphasizing the goal of making Disney+ a daily destination rather than just a long-viewing platform as competitors like Netflix have also experimented with vertical video feeds. Sources: www.techcrunch.com/2026/01/08/disney-is-launching-short-form-videos-this-year/www.deadline.com/2026/01/disney-plus-vertical-videos-ces-1236665836/…

Google co-founder Larry Page is actively loosening business ties with California by relocating several corporate entities — including his family office and ventures in aviation and research — to Delaware and other states, as a proposed one-time 5 % wealth tax on billionaires moves toward California’s 2026 ballot; Page has reportedly already left the state, and other tech billionaires like Sergey Brin have taken similar steps, underscoring growing concern that punitive state tax policy could drive wealthy capital and talent out of the Golden State. Sources: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/07/larry-page-loosens-business-ties-to-ca-amid-states-proposed-wealth-tax-report/ https://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-leave-california-wealth-billionaire-tax-koop-google-2026-1 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/08/billionaire-tax-california Key Takeaways • Pressure from a proposed 5 % one-time wealth…

Iran’s theocratic regime has effectively shut down internet access nationwide as widespread protests over a deepening economic crisis and soaring inflation enter their twelfth consecutive day, leaving the country largely cut off from the outside world. Independent monitoring groups such as NetBlocks and Cloudflare reported a dramatic collapse in connectivity beginning on the evening of January 8, 2026, with traffic data showing a near-total blackout across fixed-line and mobile networks. The blackout coincides with mass demonstrations sparked by the collapse of the Iranian rial and steep price surges for essential goods, which have expanded into broader anti-regime unrest and calls…

A major new global survey from Thoughtworks finds that 77 percent of organizations worldwide are now prioritizing AI as a growth driver — not merely a tool for efficiency or cost savings — with large enterprises showing an even stronger shift (92 percent) toward innovation and revenue opportunities from AI deployments. According to the report, roughly 27 percent of surveyed executives expect up to 10 percent more revenue within the next year due to AI, while nearly half anticipate 15 percent or more growth over the coming decade; agentic AI is emerging as a strategic priority in shaping this transition…

Organizations worldwide are reporting a dramatic increase in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI)-related data policy violations, with recent research from Netskope Threat Labs showing that the average organization now logs roughly 223 such incidents each month, more than double year-over-year as AI tools infiltrate business workflows without adequate oversight; this surge is driven in large part by “shadow AI,” where employees use unsanctioned personal AI tools that bypass corporate governance and expose sensitive information—despite growing efforts to block high-risk applications and tighten controls, nearly half of users still rely on unmanaged AI accounts, amplifying risks to regulated data, source code, and…

A new phishing campaign is slipping past traditional email defenses by making malicious emails look like they originated from inside the victim’s own organization, authorities warn. Attackers are taking advantage of misconfigured email systems, weak authentication policies, and complex mail routing to spoof company domains so convincingly that even technically savvy employees can be fooled; these spoofed internal-looking lures often include HR notices, document share prompts, and voicemail alerts designed to trick users into revealing login credentials, which are then used in further fraud or business-email-compromise schemes. Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence team and independent cybersecurity outlets report that this vector has…

The Federal Communications Commission’s voluntary Cyber Trust Mark program, intended to certify the cybersecurity of Internet of Things (IoT) devices sold in the U.S., has hit a major roadblock as UL Solutions, the Illinois-based company chosen to serve as the program’s Lead Administrator, officially withdrew from its role. UL submitted its letter of withdrawal on December 19, 2025, after facing an internal national security investigation launched by the FCC last year into its global operations and alleged ties to China — including partnerships and technology testing facilities within Chinese borders — raising concerns about potential foreign influence and data security…