Ethereum Foundation launches zkAPI for private AI payments on mainnet

Ethereum Foundation launches zkAPI for anonymous AI model payments

The Ethereum Foundation launched zkAPI on Thursday, a system letting users pay for AI models and metered APIs without revealing identity. Built with the Open Anonymity Project, it is live on Ethereum mainnet. Users deposit ETH or USDC into a vault contract, which records the balance as a private note. Device software generates zero-knowledge proofs showing a request is backed by a funded note without revealing which deposit. A zkAPI server verifies the proof and issues a temporary API key with a spending cap. A nullifier serial number is published per payment; double-spending produces a duplicate nullifier. The client exposes standard OpenAI and Ollama APIs locally, so existing apps work by pointing to localhost. zkAPI does not provide network anonymity, and the GitHub repository describes the protocol as experimental.

Ethereum Foundation launches zkAPI to let users pay for AI models without revealing identity →

Delhi to deploy 2,500 AI cameras amid privacy concerns

Digital rights experts and privacy advocates have raised concerns about a government plan to install 2,500 AI-enabled cameras in Delhi, warning it could become an unchecked surveillance apparatus without a data protection framework. The ₹1,789.52 crore project is part of an Intelligent Traffic Management System cleared by the Union cabinet on Wednesday. The cameras will detect riders without helmets, mobile phone use while driving, wrong-way driving, illegal parking and vehicles on a police hot list, feeding a central command centre and police control room live. Apar Gupta of the Internet Freedom Foundation criticised the absence of rules on what data is stored, for how long and who gets access. Mishi Choudhary of SFLC.in said the privacy and data governance framework should be published before deployment. The project is due to start within eight months.

Delhi roads to get 2,500 AI cameras; privacy advocates concerned about ‘surveillance infra’ →

Australia weighs privacy reforms and digital duty of care for chatbots

A YouGov survey found 15% of Australian adults have shared personal thoughts or feelings with a chatbot, and 11% disclosed something they had never told anyone else. The Australian eSafety Commissioner reports 54% of children aged 10–17 have used a chatbot for personal or social advice, and one-third for life advice. Australia is considering two sets of law reforms. Proposed privacy reforms would require personal information to be handled fairly and reasonably and introduce a right to erasure, requiring large digital platforms to destroy personal information at an individual’s request. The proposed digital duty of care, an amendment to the Online Safety Act, would require online services to assess and manage foreseeable risks arising from their design and operation. Specific measures are needed to make the requirements effective.

Australia’s proposed laws could help regulate privacy risks from chatbots – if we get the details right →

Most users never revisit privacy settings as defaults favor data collection

Most people set privacy settings once during device setup and never revisit them, while operating systems change, apps add permissions, and ad networks find new ways to follow behavior across apps. Defaults favor data collection: location history, cross-app advertising identifiers, microphone access and third-party data sharing stay active until turned off. Location records have been bought and resold through data broker marketplaces, and U.S. law enforcement has used geofence warrants to request phone location data from Google. Photos can carry embedded GPS coordinates, and smart speaker recordings stay on company servers unless auto-delete is enabled. Apps unused for years can retain standing access to Google or Microsoft accounts through unrevoked sign-in connections. Turning off collection stops future data but leaves stored history in place, which must be deleted separately.

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Norwell police to discontinue Flock Safety cameras

Norwell police plan to discontinue use of Flock Safety cameras, according to the source title. The scraped source contains only cookie-consent boilerplate and no article content, so no details on timing, rationale, contract terms, or official statements are available. The sole verifiable fact is the department’s plan to stop using the cameras.

Norwell police to discontinue use of Flock Safety cameras →