Philip Lane, chief economist of the European Central Bank, recently expressed urgency for the need to develop a digital euro—also known as a central bank digital currency (CBDC)—to compete against stablecoins such as Tether and electronic payment systems developed by U.S. tech firms, such as Google Pay and Apple Pay. Not content with eliminating cash, now the goal of central banks is to eliminate any competing electronic payment system.

The demise of 23andMe illustrates the vulnerable state of Americans' health data, as med tech companies vacuum up more personal information with little regulatory oversight.

Why it matters: Fitness trackers, wellness apps, genetic tests and other direct-to-consumer tools that capture personal health information aren't subject to federal health data privacy laws. That could open the door to fraud or discrimination.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is preparing to bring a bill that would reauthorize section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for 2 years instead of 5 years to the House floor on Friday as well as allow a vote on legislation related to Fourth Amendment right to privacy.

The House Rules Committee on Thursday night voted 8-4 to adopt the rule for legislation that would renew section 702 and advance a group of proposed amendments including a warrant requirement.

The U.S. is tracking a high-altitude balloon flying over the Western part of the country, U.S. officials told CBS News. Military aircraft have spotted the balloon and determined it is not a threat, but its origin and purpose are still unknown, the officials said.

Sources familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the balloon was drifting east in the jetstream on Friday. Earlier in the day, one official said the balloon was over Colorado. Its presence prompted enough concern that the military sent aircraft to investigate.

One of the largest data breaches to date could compromise billions of accounts worldwide, prompting concerns of widespread cybercrime.

Dubbed the “Mother of All Breaches,” the massive leak revealed 26 billion records — including popular sites like LinkedIn, Snapchat, Venmo, Adobe and X, formerly Twitter — in what experts are calling the biggest leak in history.

Foreign governments are surveilling people through push notifications on Apple and Google devices, according to a letter sent to the Department of Justice by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Wednesday.

The Fourth Amendment secures our right to be secure against unreasonable searches, right?

Not anymore, explains Naomi Brockwell on her popular YouTube channel.

In my new video, she explains how tech companies spy on us and then sell our information to the government.

But some of us actually find that tech companies prying can be a good thing.

Neil Chilson of the Charles Koch Institute says, "It's not only good for the companies; it's good for the user because it makes for a much more seamless experience."

Hackers have been able to gain access to personal information from about 6.9 million users of genetic testing company 23andMe, using customers' old passwords.

In some cases this included family trees, birth years and geographic locations, the company said.

After weeks of speculation the firm has put a number on the breach, with more than half of its customers affected.

The stolen data does not include DNA records.

Notorious video chat site Omegle — which was launched to link like-minded strangers but morphed into a cesspool for child predators — was shut down Thursday.

Founded in 2009 by a then 18-year-old Leif K-Brooks, the site has faced multiple allegations over the years of being a breeding ground for child pornography and sexual abuse of minors.

The decision to pull the plug comes a week after Omegle settled a $22 million lawsuit filed by the parents of an 11-year-old girl who was randomly matched with a since-convicted Canadian pedophile, according to the CBC.

If war is the health of the state, as Randolph Bourne had it, then scaring the hell out of people is the health of the security state. Nothing scares people more than threats to wee ones, which is why "think of the children" is the go-to marketing hook for control-freak policies. And if children are involved in authoritarian schemes, you know that implicates public schools, which are the focus of a new report on surveillance and kids by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Surveillance Inside the Schoolhouse