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Major brands pull ads from Twitch over allegations of antisemitic contentNASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler brought a new putting grip to the Hero World Challenge and felt enough improvement to be satisfied with the result, a 5-under 67 that left him three shots behind Cameron Young on Thursday. Young was playing for the first time since the BMW Championship more than three months ago and found great success on and around the greens of Albany Golf Club, chipping beautifully and holing four birdie putts from 15 feet or longer for his 64. He led by two shots over Justin Thomas in his first competition since his daughter was born a few weeks ago. Thomas ran off four straight birdies late in his round and was a fraction of an inch away with a fifth. The big surprise was Scheffler, the No. 1 player in golf who looked as good as he has all year in compiling eight victories, including an Olympic gold medal. His iron play has no equal. His putting at times has kept him from winning more or winning bigger. He decided to try to a “saw” putting grip from about 20 feet or closer — the putter rests between his right thumb and his fingers, with his left index finger pointed down the shaft. “I’m always looking for ways to improve,” Scheffler said. Scheffler last year began working with renowned putting instructor Phil Kenyon, and he says Kenyon mentioned the alternative putting grip back then. “But it was really our first time working together and it’s something that’s different than what I’ve done in the past,” Scheffler said. “This year I had thought about it from time to time, and it was something that we had just said let’s table that for the end of the season, take a look at it. “Figured this is a good week to try stuff.” He opened with a wedge to 2 feet and he missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-5 third. But he holed a birdie from about the same distance at the next par 5, No. 6, and holed a sliding 6-footer on the ninth to save par. His longest putt was his last hole, from 12 feet for a closing birdie. “I really enjoyed the way it felt,” he said. “I felt like I’m seeing some improvements in my stroke.” Story continues below video Young, regarded as the best active player without a PGA Tour victory, is treating this holiday tournament as the start of a new season. He worked on getting stronger and got back to the basics in his powerful golf swing. And on this day, he was dialed in with his short game. He only struggled to save par twice and kept piling up birdies in his bogey-free round on an ideal day in the Bahamas. “The wind wasn’t blowing much so it was relatively stress-free,” Young said. Patrick Cantlay, along with Scheffler playing for the first time since the Presidents Cup, also was at 67 with Ludvig Aberg, Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala. Thomas also took this occasion to do a little experimenting against a 20-man field. He has using a 46-inch driver at home — a little more than an inch longer than his regular driver — in a bid to gain more speed. On a day with little wind, on a golf course with some room off the tee, he decided to put it in play. “Just with it being a little bit longer, I just kind of have to get the club out in front of me and get on top of it a little bit more,” Thomas said. “I drove the hell out of it on the back, so that was nice to try something different and have it go a little bit better on the back.” Thomas said the longer driver gives him 2 or 3 mph in ball speed and 10 extra yards in the air. “It’s very specific for courses, but gave it a try,” he said. Conditions were easy enough that only four players in field failed to break par, with Jason Day bringing up the rear with a 75. AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Scottie Scheffler brought a new putting grip to the Hero World Challenge and felt enough improvement to be satisfied with the result, a 5-under 67 that left him three shots behind Cameron Young on Thursday. Young was playing for the first time since the BMW Championship more than three months ago and found great success on and around the greens of Albany Golf Club, chipping beautifully and holing four birdie putts from 15 feet or longer for his 64. He led by two shots over Justin Thomas in his first competition since his daughter was born a few weeks ago. Thomas ran off four straight birdies late in his round and was a fraction of an inch away with a fifth. The big surprise was Scheffler, the No. 1 player in golf who looked as good as he has all year in compiling eight victories, including an Olympic gold medal. His iron play has no equal. His putting at times has kept him from winning more or winning bigger. He decided to try to a “saw” putting grip from about 20 feet or closer — the putter rests between his right thumb and his fingers, with his left index finger pointed down the shaft. “I’m always looking for ways to improve,” Scheffler said. Scheffler last year began working with renowned putting instructor Phil Kenyon, and he says Kenyon mentioned the alternative putting grip back then. “But it was really our first time working together and it’s something that’s different than what I’ve done in the past,” Scheffler said. “This year I had thought about it from time to time, and it was something that we had just said let’s table that for the end of the season, take a look at it. “Figured this is a good week to try stuff.” He opened with a wedge to 2 feet and he missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-5 third. But he holed a birdie from about the same distance at the next par 5, No. 6, and holed a sliding 6-footer on the ninth to save par. His longest putt was his last hole, from 12 feet for a closing birdie. “I really enjoyed the way it felt,” he said. “I felt like I’m seeing some improvements in my stroke.” Young, regarded as the best active player without a PGA Tour victory, is treating this holiday tournament as the start of a new season. He worked on getting stronger and got back to the basics in his powerful golf swing. And on this day, he was dialed in with his short game. He only struggled to save par twice and kept piling up birdies in his bogey-free round on an ideal day in the Bahamas. “The wind wasn’t blowing much so it was relatively stress-free,” Young said. Patrick Cantlay, along with Scheffler playing for the first time since the Presidents Cup, also was at 67 with Ludvig Aberg, Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala. Thomas also took this occasion to do a little experimenting against a 20-man field. He has using a 46-inch driver at home — a little more than an inch longer than his regular driver — in a bid to gain more speed. On a day with little wind, on a golf course with some room off the tee, he decided to put it in play. “Just with it being a little bit longer, I just kind of have to get the club out in front of me and get on top of it a little bit more,” Thomas said. “I drove the hell out of it on the back, so that was nice to try something different and have it go a little bit better on the back.” Thomas said the longer driver gives him 2 or 3 mph in ball speed and 10 extra yards in the air. “It’s very specific for courses, but gave it a try,” he said. Conditions were easy enough that only four players in field failed to break par, with Jason Day bringing up the rear with a 75. AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golfHusband charged with murdering wife after incriminating Google searches revealed sinister plot By ISHITA SRIVASTAVA FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 21:28 GMT, 3 December 2024 | Updated: 21:53 GMT, 3 December 2024 e-mail View comments A Virginia husband has been charged with murder months after his wife disappeared and a shocking amount of blood was found inside their home. Naresh Bhatt, 37, has also been accused of physically defiling a dead body and the concealment of a body four months since wife Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, a pediatric nurse, was last seen. Mamta, who vanished on July 28 and even missed her daughter's first birthday, is currently presumed dead and her body has not yet been found. Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo noted in a December 3 press conference: 'From the beginning, we believed that she was murdered'. He also told the public that they have found 'a lot of evidence' against the accused in the case. 'I know the crime scene was a big one. The forensic unit at Prince William County said it was one of the worst crime scenes they've seen,' he said. Investigators had conducted their first property search when Naresh was home with the couple's baby and discovered blood in the bedroom as well as the bathroom, Lugo said. He added that evidence shows that Naresh had allegedly cut up his wife's body, which prompted the defiling charge. Furthermore, the Chief clarified that one of the reasons for the new murder charge was due to their success in being able to match Mamta's DNA to the pools of blood found at the couple's home. Naresh Bhatt, 37, has been charged with murder months after his wife disappeared and a shocking amount of blood was found inside their home Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, a pediatric nurse, who vanished July 28 and even missed her daughter's first birthday, is currently presumed dead and her body has not yet been found 'I feel we have a strong case for not having the body,' Lugo said. Holly Wirth, a former hospital co-worker of Mamta and spokesperson for her family, said the family feels 'a sense of relief' that a charge has finally come. 'Their goal has been two things: justice for Mamta and securing a future for her baby. And that's what guides their steps every day. This is not a celebration. We're not here happy,' Wirth said at the latest news conference. Incriminating evidence linking Naresh to the case was also found in late August - weeks after his arrest. According to prosecutors, the accused had searched for 'how long does it take to get married when spouse die' and 'what happen to debt died spouse' in April. He used his work computer to make the searches, and the US Secret Service, to whom he has ties and a security clearance, gave police the search history. Prosecutors also revealed Naresh sold his Tesla days before his arrest on August 22, but police managed to track it down at a local dealership and are searching the car's computer. Naresh also tried to sell the family home, and police found he had packed up their possessions when they arrived, including passports for him and his daughter. Investigators had conducted their first property search when Naresh was home with the couple's baby and discovered blood in the bedroom as well as the bathroom Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo clarified that one of the reasons for the new murder charge was due to their success in being able to match Mamta's DNA to the pools of blood found at the couple's home According to prosecutors, the accused had searched for 'how long does it take to get married when spouse die' and 'what happen to debt died spouse' in April Police used blue light to find bloodstains all over the couple's bedroom and bathroom that had been cleaned and discovered evidence suggesting that a body was dragged through the house. Prince William County prosecutors noted that Mamta's last video call with her mother was on July 29, according to WTOP . The next day, the accused allegedly dropped off their child at a babysitter's house early in the morning and moments later, he was seen dumping multiple trash bags into a dumpster at the caretaker's apartment complex. Senior assistant commonwealth's attorney Sarah Sami also previously revealed that Naresh had reportedly bought a set of knives from Home Depot and Walmart the same morning and a '40-pack of extra strong black trash bags' later in the evening. On July 31 at around 1.30am, Naresh was seen in Falls Church retrieving bags from his Tesla and putting them into a trash compactor on video. Prosecutors noted in court that while his Tesla tracks him to the location, his phone was inactive and not with him at the time. Later that morning, over 150 gallons of water were also used up at the property - a significant increase from its typical three to four gallons usage. While defense lawyers claimed in court the blood found in the house was from a nosebleed, prosecutors argued that the amount discovered instead indicated that the victim had suffered injuries that were not survivable. Bhatt's shock arrest comes days after he made an emotional TV appeal for his wife's safe return While defense lawyers claimed in court the blood found in the house was from a nosebleed, prosecutors argued that the amount discovered instead indicated that the victim had suffered injuries that were not survivable During a welfare check made by the police on August 2, Naresh told them he last saw his wife on July 31 and didn't want to report her missing because she was with family in Texas . However, Mamta, who is of Nepalese descent, has no family in the US, according to prosecutors and friends. Naresh finally reported her missing three days later and made a tearful public appeal for her to come home. But police believe he lied about the timeline and Mamta was already dead by July 31. Furthermore, prosecutors told the court that Mamta had accused Naresh of domestic violence before she went missing. She claimed to Manassas Park Police that Naresh destroyed her phone and refused to hand over her passport and other important documents. Naresh claimed she destroyed her own phone, but prosecutors said it continued receiving messages and and calls until August 1, when it died. The court heard friends told police they saw bruises on her body and offered to help her get out of the allegedly abusive marriage. Officers search the contents of the home and are in the back of he house Social media posts reveal Mamta had pleaded for help from other mothers in the area She asked one of the women in the post that she doesn't have money as he withdrew it all from a joint account In February, Mamta posted in the Facebook group 'Separated, Divorced, Single Moms of Virginia, Maryland and DC' that she has a six-month-old baby and in the process of a separation. 'I work 2 days a week and my husband is not helping to take care of baby. He is saying, that if I leave baby with him he will send child to custody. Is it possible? I need help for child care,' she said. 'I need help from social worker and need some advice.' Robin Kuppusamy, the missing mom's friend, shared in a post on August 12 expressing her concerns for her friend. 'Multiple women and myself have been talking to her on our separation divorce group on Facebook to find her help since she was leaving her spouse until she dropped off the radar,' Kuppusamy wrote. She added, 'she would have never left her daughter behind.' Mamta also shared that her and her husband were still living together but that she no longer has any money. She wrote, in part, 'I don't have money now too he withdraw all money from joint account' Naresh is now scheduled to appear in Prince William Circuit Court on December 4 to be formally charged after a Nepalese interpreter was not available today morning. Share or comment on this article: Husband charged with murdering wife after incriminating Google searches revealed sinister plot e-mail Add comment
Oregon already secured its spot in the Big Ten championship game, but the top-ranked Ducks have plenty to play for in their regular-season finale. Revenge may be on Oregon's mind when the Ducks host longtime rival Washington on Saturday in Eugene, Ore. Oregon (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) would perhaps be closing in on its second straight College Football Playoff appearance had the Huskies (6-5, 4-4) not dealt the Ducks their only two losses last season. Washington edged Oregon 36-33 in Seattle last October, then slipped past the Ducks 34-31 in the Pac-12 title game to secure a playoff spot for the second time in school history. Both teams joined the Big Ten in August. Third-year Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is 33-5 leading the Ducks. But he remains winless against the Huskies (0-3). Oregon plots to sprint out of its late-season bye after using time to heal injuries, but Lanning doesn't believe the break should stall the flow of an undefeated season. "It's always about what we're able to do on the field. Motivation is overrated," Lanning said. "Our guys have to want to go out there and execute at a really high level. Since the beginning of the season we've talked about playing our best football at the end of November. We're there. This is our opportunity to go play our best football against a good team." The Ducks could have star wide receiver Tez Johnson back from a shoulder injury this week. Johnson has missed the past two games. That would be good news for quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who would regain the team's leader in receptions (64), receiving yards (649) and receiving touchdowns (eight). Washington, under first-year head coach Jedd Fisch, is 63-48-5 all-time against Oregon but is just 1-12-1 when facing the No. 1-ranked team in the country. The Huskies are led on offense by running back Jonah Coleman, who has racked up 1,008 yards and nine scores on the ground this season. Coleman averages 5.8 yards per carry and has 36 runs of at least 10 yards. In the passing game, wide receiver Denzel Boston is tied for the Big Ten lead with nine in touchdown catches and ranks sixth in the conference with 764 receiving yards. Whom Boston will be catching passes from is not yet known, however. Washington has not revealed whether Will Rogers or Demond Williams Jr. will start at quarterback. Rogers has started every game for the Huskies but was benched in favor of Williams two weeks ago after throwing a pair of interceptions in a 31-19 win over UCLA. Fisch said he has a "good idea" of how he will use his quarterbacks on Saturday, and while he wouldn't go as far as to name a starter, he did say Rogers responded well in practices last week. "On the same token, Demond's energy and Demond's confidence showed up. His ability to jump right in and feel really good about leading the group whenever it was his turn... he did a really nice job there as well," Fisch told Seattle Sports. "I think both guys responded well to the week of practice, and now, really, it's important for us that the guy we believe will start the game gets a significant amount of reps in practice week. But as you know, we're not afraid to play two quarterbacks." --Field Level MediaTriple M Sydney has announced two former rugby league stars and a veteran journalist as the three fresh faces to front its breakfast radio line-up in 2025. The network on Thursday confirmed ex-NRL player turned television star Beau Ryan will make his radio hosting debut fronting the new-look morning show. The 39-year-old father-of-two, who previously played for the Wests Tigers and Cronulla Sharks, will be joined by former teammate and recent league retiree Aarons Woods. Triple M news presenter and veteran journalist Natarsha Belling has been elevated to a co-host role to control the show and also to continue delivering the latest headlines. Triple M Breakfast with Beau, Tarsh & Woodsy will kick off on January 20 from 6am. Ryan is not unfamiliar with the media landscape having hosted TV shows such as The Amazing Race and Top Gear Australia, but radio is a completely different ballgame. It is known for its cut-throat nature, with breakfast programs on other networks previously axed if it did not chart well in the ratings or to the liking of executives. Ryan will be up against tough competition in the Sydney market, with the likes of KIISFM's Kyle and Jackie 'O' and WSFM's Jonesy and Amanda dominating FM ratings. However the former NRL star has dipped his toe in the radio waters previously, having his own sports segment on the Kyle and Jackie 'O' Show and Triple M's Rush Hour. Ryan described it as a "full-circle moment" to be co-hosting the show. “I grew up with Triple M. It was always on for every car trip... it got me through the long commute to training at the Wests Tigers and Cronulla Sharks," he said. Woods said it was a "dream come true". "My whole family love Triple M and my nan would always have it on the stereo at home. To work with my ex-teammate Beau Ryan will be awesome," the 33-year-old said. "We know he’s a lunatic and God only knows what he will be coming up with on-air. And then there’s Natarsha Belling, what a legend!” Belling joked anything could happen when the microphones turn on. The announcement comes one week after Southern Cross Austereo, which ones Triple M, axed its morning show host and former league legend Mark Geyer. The 56-year-old was sensationally dropped from the Mick & MG in the Morning show, after co-host Mick Molloy revealed he is moving to Melbourne. A number of Triple M's stars have been let go this year.BERLIN (AP) — Harry Kane scored a hat trick including two penalties for Bayern Munich to beat Augsburg 3-0 in the Bundesliga on Friday. The win stretched Bayern’s lead to eight points ahead of the rest of the 11th round, and Kane took his goals tally to a league-leading 14. The England forward is the fastest player to reach 50 goals in the Bundesliga in what was his 43rd game. However, coach Vincent Kompany should be concerned by his team’s ongoing difficulty of scoring in matches it dominates. Bayern previously defeated St. Pauli and Benfica only 1-0. Kompany’s team had to wait until stoppage time before Kane sealed the result with his second penalty. Two minutes later, Kane scored with a header after controlling Leon Goretzka's cross with his first touch for a flattering scoreline. “We had to be patient,” Kane said. “And at halftime that’s what we said, to keep doing what we’re doing. We had a few chances in the first half and we just had to be a bit more clinical and obviously, thankfully, we got the penalty to kind of open the game up.” Mads Pedersen was penalized for handball following a VAR review and Kane duly broke the deadlock in the 63rd. Bayern continued as before with 80% possession, but had to wait for Keven Schlotterbeck to be penalized through VAR for a foul on Kane. Kane sealed the result in the third minute of stoppage time and there was still time for him to grab another. It’s Bayern’s seventh consecutive win without conceding a goal since it conceded four at Barcelona (4-1) on Oct. 23 in the Champions League. “You can see now that we have a solid defense and that's the basis, also in games like today's,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. “When it's a game of patience, then it's important for us to know that sometimes one goal will have to do. Like today we added two more before the finish, but in the end you only need to score one more than the opponent.” Bayern next hosts Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, then Borussia Dortmund away in the Bundesliga next weekend, before defending champion Bayer Leverkusen visits in the third round of the German Cup. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer Ciarán Fahey, The Associated Press
The Calgary Board of Education said overall attendance rates are up across the board, which the district said is a key predictor of learning excellence. According to the CBE’s Annual Education Results Report (AERR), students were absent 11.7 per cent of the time in the 2023-2024 school year. This is 0.7 percentage points lower than the 2022-2023 school year, which saw 12.4 per cent absenteeism. Students who are English As Additional Language Learners (EALs) were absent around 11.4 per cent of the time in the 2023-2024 school year, while those with special education needs were absent 15.6 per cent of the time. Mike Nelson, a superintendent of school improvement, said the overall improvement in attendance rates indicates that current processes for addressing student absenteeism are providing positive outcomes. According to the AERR, the CBE’s Attendance Team supported 174 schools with 658 students experiencing attendance concerns, the report said. Less than 10 per cent of students who were consulted needed additional intervention through the Provincial Attendance Board. Nelson also said that the improvement is a key indicator of learning excellence at the CBE. According to the National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S. students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels compared with peers who chronically miss school. Kindergartners who constantly miss school were associated with greater absenteeism in subsequent years and lower achievement in reading math and general knowledge. Children with higher levels of absenteeism throughout their childhood also have higher high school dropout rates. A 2023 study published in Frontiers In Education also suggests that chronic absenteeism is associated with deficits in academic and social-emotional functioning and the effects can last several years. “We, of course, will continue monitoring attendance data and collaboration with students, parents, community partners, and this will help build to the success,” he told trustees at a Nov. 26 board meeting. However, Grade 10 to 12 students continued to see the highest rates of absenteeism. More than six per cent of these students were missing more than half of their high school classes, and many were absent for reasons that aren’t clear because the school didn’t receive contact from legal guardians. Grades 1 to 3 and Grades 4 to 6 students tend to miss less school than Grade 7 to 9 and Grade 10 to 12 students, the report added. Jennifer Turner, another superintendent of school improvement, said the district will continue to work with parents to drive home the importance of regular school attendance. “We know that we do have robust processes in our schools. They may work with our Attendance Team, but [mostly] through our assistant principals, guidance counselors and teachers,” she said. “If a student misses a certain number of days, [Attendance Team members] either connect with that independent student or their parent and if it continues, they use guidance counselors to try to leverage those relationships to improve attendance.” Turner also noted that students with identified special education needs are often absent from school due to medical appointments, treatment and therapy outside of the school environment. Staff are working with families to better understand the reason for the absence and the duration of the absence, as well as making plans to ensure that the student can keep up with school work during their absence. “We are not aware of any legal concerns as a result of [the absence] not being identified, although school staff do take a consistent relational approach with those families to ensure that we are understanding and finding ways to pull them back prior to moving forward through the more formalized attendance process,” she added.I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! star Oti Mabuse , 34, opened up about being smeared by trolls over her appearance in a fireside chat on Thursday. The Strictly Come Dancing legend was talking to her jungle campmates about fame, when she asked Love Island star Maura Higgins , 34, if she ever had rumours spread about her that weren’t true. Maura revealed that she often heard rumours that she was promiscuous, and Oti responded by sharing hurtful comments she saw about herself. “I get so many comments about my body,” Oti said, with Maura agreeing, “I get that I’m fat! And then I get that I’m underweight. It’s just either underweight or fat. It’s never, ‘Oh she looks good.’” Oti continued: “I always get she’s loud, she’s screeching, why is she always on my TV screen?” The star then opened up about her relationship with Maura, and how they bonded over sharing difficult conversations. “We have so many open and uncensored conversations about what we think about ourselves and our bodies,” Oti said, adding, “She understands me and she understand how hard it is, to get up and wake up in a world where you feel like people don’t love you and still fight, and I know I fight everyday because I know my daughter is watching and I do it for, I don’t want her to be fighting generational traumas the way I am.” The pro dancer then admitted that she used to be underweight, and that her “weight gain” was actually the result of taking on a healthier lifestyle. She added that she “struggled” with the callous comments, but was living a more sustainable life. “I used to find it difficult because my weight gain wasn’t actually my fault, it was me getting over a weight problem,” she explained. “It was me actually not starving myself, not being on laxatives, not smoking, being a vegan. It was actually me being healthy for the first time and I really struggled being like why are people calling me fat? Actually, this is the healthiest I’ve ever been. “I was underweight, I didn’t get my period for months. I didn’t eat, we would dance all day, we would drink but we wouldn’t eat. My ribs were sticking out. And back in those days it was like, ‘Oh, she's amazing, she’s got a nice body’ but I was like, ‘No, but this is me being healthy.’” Maura was quick to back her friend up, and gushed: “And you’re beautiful! And you’re sexy, you’ve got the best *ss I’ve ever seen. Let me tell you!” Alongside gaining love and friendship from Maura, Oti also has plenty of support from outside the jungle. The star is a fan favourite, with many fans saying that they’d like her to win the gruelling competition. "Can't believe people send abuse to Oti Mabuse over social media. She comes across as such a lovely woman on TV, & doesn't deserve to have awful comments directed towards her. I hope when she comes out, she sees all of the nice things we are all saying about her on here. #ImACeleb,” one viewer wrote on Twitter after seeing Oti open up in one of her famous fireside talks. * Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .By Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times (TNS) Every day millions of people share more intimate information with their accessories than they do with their spouse. Wearable technology — smartwatches, smart rings, fitness trackers and the like — monitors body-centric data such as your heart rate, steps taken and calories burned, and may record where you go along the way. Like Santa Claus, it knows when you are sleeping (and how well), it knows when you’re awake, it knows when you’ve been idle or exercising, and it keeps track of all of it. People are also sharing sensitive health information on health and wellness apps , including online mental health and counseling programs. Some women use period tracker apps to map out their monthly cycle. These devices and services have excited consumers hoping for better insight into their health and lifestyle choices. But the lack of oversight into how body-centric data are used and shared with third parties has prompted concerns from privacy experts, who warn that the data could be sold or lost through data breaches, then used to raise insurance premiums, discriminate surreptitiously against applicants for jobs or housing, and even perform surveillance. The use of wearable technology and medical apps surged in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, but research released by Mozilla on Wednesday indicates that current laws offer little protection for consumers who are often unaware just how much of their health data are being collected and shared by companies. “I’ve been studying the intersections of emerging technologies, data-driven technologies, AI and human rights and social justice for the past 15 years, and since the pandemic I’ve noticed the industry has become hyper-focused on our bodies,” said Mozilla Foundation technology fellow Júlia Keserű, who conducted the research. “That permeates into all kinds of areas of our lives and all kinds of domains within the tech industry.” The report “From Skin to Screen: Bodily Integrity in the Digital Age” recommends that existing data protection laws be clarified to encompass all forms of bodily data. It also calls for expanding national health privacy laws to cover health-related information collected from health apps and fitness trackers and making it easier for users to opt out of body-centric data collections. Researchers have been raising alarms about health data privacy for years. Data collected by companies are often sold to data brokers or groups that buy, sell and trade data from the internet to create detailed consumer profiles. Body-centric data can include information such as the fingerprints used to unlock phones, face scans from facial recognition technology, and data from fitness and fertility trackers, mental health apps and digital medical records. One of the key reasons health information has value to companies — even when the person’s name is not associated with it — is that advertisers can use the data to send targeted ads to groups of people based on certain details they share. The information contained in these consumer profiles is becoming so detailed, however, that when paired with other data sets that include location information, it could be possible to target specific individuals, Keserű said. Location data can “expose sophisticated insights about people’s health status, through their visits to places like hospitals or abortions clinics,” Mozilla’s report said, adding that “companies like Google have been reported to keep such data even after promising to delete it.” A 2023 report by Duke University revealed that data brokers were selling sensitive data on individuals’ mental health conditions on the open market. While many brokers deleted personal identifiers, some provided names and addresses of individuals seeking mental health assistance, according to the report. In two public surveys conducted as part of the research, Keserű said, participants were outraged and felt exploited in scenarios where their health data were sold for a profit without their knowledge. “We need a new approach to our digital interactions that recognizes the fundamental rights of individuals to safeguard their bodily data, an issue that speaks directly to human autonomy and dignity,” Keserű said. “As technology continues to advance, it is critical that our laws and practices evolve to meet the unique challenges of this era.” Consumers often take part in these technologies without fully understanding the implications. Last month, Elon Musk suggested on X that users submit X-rays, PET scans, MRIs and other medical images to Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence chatbot, to seek diagnoses. The issue alarmed privacy experts, but many X users heeded Musk’s call and submitted health information to the chatbot. While X’s privacy policy says that the company will not sell user data to third parties, it does share some information with certain business partners. Gaps in existing laws have allowed the widespread sharing of biometric and other body-related data. Health information provided to hospitals, doctor’s offices and medical insurance companies is protected from disclosure under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act , known as HIPAA, which established federal standards protecting such information from release without the patient’s consent. But health data collected by many wearable devices and health and wellness apps don’t fall under HIPAA’s umbrella, said Suzanne Bernstein, counsel at Electronic Privacy Information Center. “In the U.S. because we don’t have a comprehensive federal privacy law ... it falls to the state level,” she said. But not every state has weighed in on the issue. Washington, Nevada and Connecticut all recently passed laws to provide safeguards for consumer health data. Washington, D.C., in July introduced legislation that aimed to require tech companies to adhere to strengthened privacy provisions regarding the collection, sharing, use or sale of consumer health data. In California, the California Privacy Rights Act regulates how businesses can use certain types of sensitive information, including biometric information, and requires them to offer consumers the ability to opt out of disclosure of sensitive personal information. “This information being sold or shared with data brokers and other entities hypercharge the online profiling that we’re so used to at this point, and the more sensitive the data, the more sophisticated the profiling can be,” Bernstein said. “A lot of the sharing or selling with third parties is outside the scope of what a consumer would reasonably expect.” Health information has become a prime target for hackers seeking to extort healthcare agencies and individuals after accessing sensitive patient data. Health-related cybersecurity breaches and ransom attacks increased more than 4,000% between 2009 and 2023, targeting the booming market of body-centric data, which is expected to exceed $500 billion by 2030, according to the report. “Nonconsensual data sharing is a big issue,” Keserű said. “Even if it’s biometric data or health data, a lot of the companies are just sharing that data without you knowing, and that is causing a lot of anxiety and questions.” ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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