JPMorgan Chase has informed staff members moving into its new Manhattan headquarters they will be required to submit their biometric data to enter the building. The policy, to make biometric enrollment mandatory, is a first among major U.S. banks. It has raised concerns over privacy, consent, and the expanding use of surveillance in the workplace, Biometric Update noted. JPMorgan requiring biometric data for staff access to new headquarters https://t.co/OXFmGkcNSq — Financial Times (@FT) October 10, 2025 Biometric Update has more: Internal communications reviewed by the Financial Times and The Guardian confirm that JPMorgan employees assigned to the new building have been told they must enroll their fingerprints or undergo an eye scan to access the premises. Earlier drafts of the plan described the system as voluntary, but reports say that language has quietly disappeared. A company spokesperson declined to clarify how data will be stored or how long it will be retained, citing security concerns. Some staff reportedly may retain the option of using a badge instead, though the criteria for exemption remain undisclosed. The biometric access requirement is being rolled out alongside a Work at JPMC smartphone app that doubles as a digital ID badge and internal service platform, allowing staff to order meals, navigate the building, or register visitors. The bank’s new headquarters, a $3 billion, 60-story tower, will eventually house about 10,000 employees once it’s fully occupied. JP Morgan’s biometric mandate signals new era of workplace surveillance in finance#accesscontrol #biometrics #dataprivacy #digitalID https://t.co/Y2s0sMHi4S — Biometric Update (@BiometricUpdate) October 10, 2025 The Guardian shared further info: Biometric enrolment is understood to remain voluntary at other JP Morgan offices, including London, where voluntary hand biometrics have been introduced at its Bank Street office. This process involves an employee’s hand print being encrypted so the company does not have access to the data. This system operates in a similar fashion to Apple’s Face ID option on iPhones, where the Silicon Valley company cannot access customers’ facial data. Alongside the introduction of palm and eye scanners, the company has also launched the “Work at JPMC” mobile app, which works as a digital badge and hub for employee services. The app allows staff to manage guest registration, navigate indoor maps of the building and pre-order meals from the building’s 19 on-site dining vendors.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation that requires social media companies to provide users with a straightforward method to delete their accounts and remove their personal data. “Governor Newsom signed AB 656, which requires social media companies to make it clear and easy for a user to delete their account – and requires that deletion also trigger full deletion of the user’s personal data,” Newsom’s office stated in a press release. “This law builds on the administration’s prior work to protect consumers and their privacy,” it added. The legislation is the first-of-its-kind in the country and other states are expected to follow. “Your data should be just that — YOURS,” Newsom said. Your data should be just that — YOURS. https://t.co/JFEKYkrRlX — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 10, 2025 More from KTLA: Assembly Bill 656, authored by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D – Chatsworth ), is a bipartisan bill that strengthens consumer protections in California by establishing a simple, straightforward process for deleting social media accounts. This bill builds on CFC and Assemblymember Schiavo’s “click-to-cancel” law, AB 2863 (2024), which protects consumers from unwanted subscriptions by making cancellations easier, saving them both time and money. “We’d like to thank Governor Newsom for signing this bill and Assemblymember Schiavo for her dedication and hard work to protect consumers,” said CFC Executive Director Robert Herrell. “Consumers shouldn’t feel trapped and forced to navigate a Kafkaesque nightmare to delete unwanted social media accounts. It should be a simple process for consumers to delete their accounts and take their data with them. This is simple common sense and now California has some of the most comprehensive laws in the nation on this issue. From paid subscriptions to free accounts, consumers deserve easy control, and AB 656 helps us make that a reality.” Assemblymember Schiavo stated, “As the mother of a teen, I worry about the toll that social media takes on our children’s mental health. And unfortunately, these platforms are designed to maintain engagement, which deepens addiction. With AB 656 becoming law, California is giving our kids and anyone experiencing the mental health challenges related to social media a clear and easy way to delete their account and personal information from the platform.” Currently, deleting an account one no longer wants, even accounts that were free to sign up for where no regular payment is required, is far too complex and burdensome. Many consumers find that even after you press the “delete account” button, their account is not deleted and could take up to 90 days for a full deletion. In some cases, this button is also buried deep within the accounts settings, taking users as much as 20 steps to request the deletion of their accounts and consumers have to resort to looking up tutorials online to navigate the process. “It shouldn’t be hard to delete social media accounts, and it shouldn’t be even harder to take back control of personal data. With these bills, social media users can be assured that when they delete their accounts, they do not leave their data behind,” Newsom said. California passed a law requiring social media companies to delete your personal data when you deactivate your account. pic.twitter.com/1aozj07g2e — Pirat_Nation (@Pirat_Nation) October 9, 2025 ConsumerAffairs noted: These laws build on the Governor’s prior work to protect consumers and their privacy. That includes last year’s Click to Cancel bill, AB 2863 by Assemblymember Schiavo, that made it easier to cancel subscriptions, and 2023’s SB 362 by Senator Josh Becker, the DELETE Act, which, beginning in August 2026, will allow Californians to delete all of their data held by data brokers through a single interface. A previous measure gave Californians the right to send opt-out signals, but major browsers have not had to make opt-outs simple to use. The bill signed Wednesday would require them to set up an easy-to-find mechanism that lets Californians opt-out with the push of a button, instead of having to do so repeatedly when visiting individual websites. It’s the first law of its kind in the country. “These signals are going to be available to millions more people and it’s going to be much easier for them to opt out,” said Matt Schwartz, a policy analyst at Consumer Reports, in published remarks.

The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is funding the lab creation of deadly, genetically engineered bird-flu viruses—while its director, Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger, is named as an inventor on a U.S. government [...] The post NIAID Director Holds Patent for Bird Flu Jab As His Agency Creates ‘World’s Deadliest Bird Flu Viruses’ appeared first on The People's Voice.

One shouldn’t be surprised that a Cat Steven’s autobiography would be a supremely honest and humble account as Cat On The Road To Findout most surely is. From his childhood growing up in England, and how his Greek background specifically   influenced his life and music, to his first stab at stardom, where a young Steven Demetre Georgiou made quite the splash on the pop world. Then, his downturn in the music business for a nearly two years, followed by what he calls his “resurgence” with what are considered classic Cat Steven hits. Cat On The Road To Findout is a twisty turning tale of a man who was as much is in search of hits as much as spiritual transcendence from an early age. I love the tales of the singer’s teenage years running around London, his career in music dovetailing with his drawing, all the characters who come in an out as he renames himself “Cat,” taking him into the midst of early 70s songwriting giants. And himself a giant coming into his own. He explores how he dealt with fame, and what it all meant then and continues to mean now in his personal journey to a better understanding of the world — something he seemed to always be searching for. I was on hand at the Barclays Center in 2014 when he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and taken with his humorous acceptance speech and the easy way he delivered some of those aforementioned classics. This autobiography just reiterates how humble and self-aware this music giant is. Along with the book is a companion music release called On The Road To Findout: Greatest Hits. There’s 47 songs highlighting the long career of this unique musical storyteller. This includes classics like “The Wind,” “Peace Train,” “Where Do The Children Play?” and “Wild World,” newly remastered from Cat Steven’s debut Matthew & Son through 2023’s King Of A Land. This music collection also features a 24-page lyric booklet and more never-before-seen reflections from the man himself. All this presents quite the definitive deep dive, the first-ever of its kind. The kind of collection of words and music very few artists ever afford us. Coming away from it, one can’t but feel that it might indeed be a “wild world.”  Having Cat Stevens / Yusuf in it, makes it a little easier to take. ~ Ralph Greco, Jr. Purchase Cat On The Road To Findout & Greatest Hits

Including the murderer of a 12-year-old boy. The post These Are Some of the Victims of the Terrorists Being Freed appeared first on Frontpage Mag.

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton might be charged or indicted next week according to MSNBC News. He is accused of mishandling confidential documents. This follows a raid on his home this past summer. MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace said they had two unnamed sources who informed them that he will be the subject of a complaint […] The post John Bolton Could Be Charged or Indicted Early Next Week appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.