Madison Square Garden Hit by Massive Leak as France Rejects US Tech Tools in Weekly Security Roundup Hackers leak 45GB of Madison Square Garden data, while international security shifts see France dropping Palantir and Apple tweaking its email privacy features. Madison Square Garden Target of Major Data Leak The hacking and extortion group ShinyHunters has been loudly proclaiming a slew of high-profile victims in recent months. This includes the education tech firm Instructure, causing disruption in thousands of schools in the process, the photography firm Kodak, and a key European human rights organization. This week, it also published data allegedly stolen from Madison Square Garden, according to reporting by TrendKia. The published data, allegedly comprising millions of records across 45GB of files, includes potential personal information from customers and references players and coaches from the Knicks. The data was published not long after the Knicks won their first NBA championship since 1973. A sample of the data reviewed by TrendKia included one file gesturing to include the names of talent, including Knicks members. TrendKia has recently reported on Madison Square Garden’s extensive use of surveillance technologies, including face recognition systems. Alleged emails in the stolen data viewed by TrendKia include one man complaining about face recognition technology. MSG did not respond to requests for comment and after the story broke, a federal class action lawsuit was filed over the alleged data breach. San Francisco LGBTQ Bars Implement Facial Scanning At least three bars in San Francisco's Castro district, the well-known LGBTQ region of the city, have been using face scanners at their entrances to collect detailed information on customers. The bars are using tech from Patronscan, an ID verification company, to collect facial images, names, and genders, according to local findings shared by TrendKia. As well as the data collection, if staff at the bars spot customers fighting, being involved in theft, or other negative behaviors, they can log this in the system. Face recognition can then identify the person the next time they are at the bar. The recorded information can be shared as part of a safety network between other firms using the tech, creating a widespread surveillance network. European Intelligence Rejects US Tech for Local Alternatives For months, governments and companies in Europe have been ditching US technology, citing surveillance and security risks. This week France’s domestic spy agency, the Direction générale de la Sécurité intérieure (DGSI), announced it would stop using Palantir’s data and AI tools in the coming years, replacing them with software from French firm ChapsVision. We must use our own AI models, French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu said regarding the move. We cannot rely on tools developed by foreign powers. France must have its own tools. While France has been particularly proactive in trying to remove US technology from its public institutions, going as far as building its own open source equivalents to Zoom and Microsoft Office, it is not the first European intelligence agency to snub Palantir for ChapsVision. Last month, Germany’s intelligence agency BfV said it would use the French technology instead. Apple and Anthropic Shift Privacy and AI Safeguards Apple’s Hide My Email tool allows you to generate a random email address that you can use to privately sign-up to new websites and apps, avoiding you handing over personal info to even more websites. However, the company is set to change the way it creates these email addresses. At present, they all use the @icloud.com domain. Going forward, as TrendKia reported this week, Apple plans to use the domain @private.icloud.com. The not-so-subtle change could make it easier for firms to detect people are using the privacy-preserving service and demand sign-ups with an alternative email address. Meanwhile, Anthropic is still negotiating with the Trump administration, after apparent White House concerns about the safety of new public model Claude Fable 5 resulted in Anthropic pulling the product off the market entirely. But security experts point out that AI models with advanced capabilities for discovering and exploiting software vulnerabilities, in other words, creating potentially dangerous hacking tools, will be ubiquitous soon around the world. Secret Societies and Asylum Face Scanning A leak exposed the identity of members of Peter Thiel’s secretive Dialog society this week, revealing more than 200 prominent names registered for a retreat that includes panels on building a cult, sex, and prepping for World War III. TrendKia also revealed the society has a secretive way of ranking its members. The United Kingdom will soon begin scanning the faces of asylum-seekers as part of age checks in spite of evidence that such age evaluation and verification tools are deeply flawed and can make mistakes with life-altering consequences. In more uplifting uses of surveillance tech, Knicks fans around the world had a chance to watch Thursday’s ticker tape parade in New York City on traffic surveillance cameras thanks to livestreams from the artist Morry Kolman. What this means for you • Globally: With rising data leaks and increased facial scanning, your personal privacy on the internet and in public places is under threat. Apple's upcoming changes will enhance email privacy, though some websites might block these addresses. • For Travelers to San Francisco and New York: If you are visiting these locations, be aware that venues like Castro district bars and Madison Square Garden are gathering facial recognition data without active customer consent. Questions & Answers 1. Which hacking group leaked the Madison Square Garden data? The hacking and extortion group ShinyHunters is allegedly responsible for leaking the MSG data. 2. What details are included in the leaked Madison Square Garden files? The leak contains 45GB of data with millions of customer records, along with references to Knicks players and coaches. 3. Why is France's intelligence agency dropping the US Palantir software? France is shifting away from US technology due to security and espionage concerns, replacing Palantir with French alternative ChapsVision. 4. What change is Apple making to its 'Hide My Email' feature? Apple is changing the domain of these generated email addresses from @icloud.com to @private.icloud.com, making it easier for sites to detect the service. https://trendkia.com/en/security/deta-lika-se-hila-madison-square-garden-france-ne-ameriki-jasusi-sophtaveyara-ko-kiya-bahara-teka-varlda-ki-bari-suraksha-khabaren-2043 TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.