Dallas Morning News: Dallas deputy streamed traffic stop to TikTok, revealed man’s personal info, lawsuit says. “A Tarrant County man is suing Dallas County and a sheriff’s deputy after he says his personal information was revealed to more than 100 people after the deputy livestreamed a traffic stop through TikTok.”
NBC News: 3,000 Asians in Texas had their driver’s licenses sent to a criminal group. They want answers.. “Asian Americans in Texas are angered after officials revealed this week that thousands of Asians statewide may be impacted by identity theft orchestrated through a website that involved using personal information to answer security questions.”
KERA: Getting public records is getting harder in Texas. Collin County is no exception. “After reports that Collin County Constable Joe Wright’s name had appeared on a membership list for an antigovernment extremist group, KERA government accountability reporter Caroline Love wanted to find out more about him. She obtained records from the Collin County Sheriff’s Office — where Wright had once worked — only after a lengthy open records battle. We asked her to find out if her experiences are symptomatic of a bigger problem.”
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: THECB releases free college and career planning tool for families. “Tomorrow Ready Texas includes step-by-step action plans for families with teens in 8th through 12th grade. Families can customize these plans to match their child’s specific interests and goals, and stay on track with deadlines, milestones, and career goals. The free resource also includes specific information for families of students with disabilities.”
Odessa American: Texas Film Commission announces new interactive exhibit. “The Texas Film Commission and the Texas Archive of the Moving Image announced Thursday the launch of a new interactive exhibit ‘Meet Me in San Antonio: HemisFair ’68 on Film.’… HemisFair ’68 was a sixth-month event celebrating the ethnic groups of the western hemisphere as well as San Antonio’s 250th birthday.”
San Antonio Express-News: Police accountability advocacy group launches online database of officer firings. “ACT 4 SA on Thursday announced its launch of the website… which contains information regarding San Antonio police misconduct from 2010 to 2022. The website features a dashboard that illustrates the suspensions in various forms, including pie charts and bar graphs, and offers perspective on trends identified amid the data.”
KHOU: Katy ISD students will no longer have access to Twitter via the district’s Wi-Fi. “Starting Friday at 5 p.m., Katy ISD students will no longer have access to Twitter via the district’s Wi-Fi. This change comes after issues were brought to the district’s attention about students being able to access inappropriate websites through Twitter via the district’s ‘BeTheLegacy’ Wi-Fi, Katy ISD said.”
KXAN: Texas bill would ban social media for those under 18. “If passed, any Texan under the age of 18 would not be authorized to hold a social media account. Further, social media companies would have to verify the age of the account holder, which would require the account holder to prove their age with their driver’s license. The bill doesn’t specify if an account holder can use an alternate form of I.D. if they don’t have a driver’s license.”
KXAN: Texas Vet Board still struggling to fix database problems, legislative review finds. “Months after a KXAN investigation into problems at the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, a new legislative report reveals the agency is still struggling to manage its data on animal doctors in the state. The report found TBVME failed to implement previous recommendations by the Sunset Advisory Commission — a group of lawmakers and members of the public that evaluates the function and performance of state agencies. Sunset has reviewed this agency three times over the last six years.”
Bleeping Computer: Google sued over biometric data collection without consent. “Texas attorney general Ken Paxton has sued Google for allegedly collecting and using biometric data belonging to millions of Texans without proper consent. The Texas AG says that Google allegedly used products and services like Google Photos, Google Assistant, and Nest Hub Max to collect a vast array of biometric identifiers, including voiceprints and records of face geometry since 2015.”
Texas Public Radio: San Antonio Philharmonic makes deal to save Symphony archives, recordings and instruments . “The San Antonio Philharmonic announced on Tuesday that it made a deal to secure the assets of the San Antonio Symphony…. When the San Antonio Symphony filed for bankruptcy last June, all the symphony’s assets were seized so that they wouldn’t disappear.”
Reuters: US appeals court rejects big tech’s right to regulate online speech. “A US appeals court on Friday upheld a Texas law that bars large social media companies from banning or censoring users based on “viewpoint,” a setback for technology industry groups that say the measure would turn platforms into bastions of dangerous content.”
KSAT: Website aims to make pollution permit information more accessible in Houston. “The new website, called AirMail and launched Tuesday, automatically assembles data from across [Texas Commission on Environmental Quality]’s labyrinthine website so that ordinary people and community groups can easily see where polluting projects are planned, file official comments and request public hearings.”
CNET: Google Must Face Most of Texas’ Antitrust Lawsuit on Ads. “Google will have to face the bulk of a multistate antitrust lawsuit that accuses the tech giant of reaching an illegal deal with online ad rival Facebook.”
KXAN: Audit: TX gang database flawed, thousands of records miss validation. “The State Auditor’s Office conducted the probe and released its findings in August. The audit identified more than 5,000 records that were uploaded without the required information and over 1,000 that weren’t validated within the last five years – a federal requirement. The audit pulls the curtain back on flaws in a database that law enforcement officials consider critical to tackling gang violence – an issue state leaders have devoted millions of dollars to address.”
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