You are here

Topic: Politics

Minor edits like image resizing and color correction would be exempt from the new rule. News 

Google to Make Political Ads Clearly Show AI-Generated Content

Adriana Marais, , , , ,

Google has revealed its plans to combat disinformation in the upcoming 2024 Presidential election by mandating political advertisers to clearly disclose any AI-altered or -generated elements in their ads. This move aims to address concerns about the spread of manipulated media and will be implemented in November, following the guidelines of Google’s existing Manipulated Media Policy. “As the prevalence of tools that generate synthetic content increases, we are expanding our policies a step further to require advertisers to disclose when their election ads contain material that has been digitally altered…

Read More
The former president was booked at the Fulton County jail in Georgia. News 

Trump Posts Mug Shot After Being Reinstated on X

Jim Hendler, , , ,

After being banned from Twitter following the Capitol riot on January 6th, 2021, former President Donald Trump has made a return to the platform, now known as X, over two years later. On August 24th, 2023, Trump posted his first tweet since his account was reinstated on November 19th, 2022. His initial message consisted of an image displaying his mug shot taken during his booking at Georgia’s Fulton County jail. The charges against him relate to allegations of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential elections. The image…

Read More
The system has already flagged 19 titles for removal. News 

Iowa School District Utilizing Artificial Intelligence to Censor Books

Febin Mathew,

The dark side of AI has quickly emerged, as it is now being misused for confidence scams and spam content. Adding to this list is the recent case of censorship, where the school board of Mason City, Iowa is reported to have started using AI technology to create lists of books that could potentially be banned from the district’s libraries for the upcoming 2023/24 school year, according to the Globe Gazette. In May, the Republican-controlled state legislature passed and Governor Kim Reynolds later signed Senate Bill 496 (SF 496), which…

Read More
The NSA discovered the breach in late 2020. News 

China Allegedly Gained Access to Japanese Networks for an Extended Period of Time

Febin Mathew, , ,

According to a recent report by the Washington Post, it appears that Japan’s decision to expand its military cyber defense unit last year may have been prompted by the discovery of Chinese hackers having extensive and long-lasting access to Japanese defense networks. The breach was initially detected by the National Security Agency in late 2020, leading to the visit of NSA Chief and Commander of US Cyber Command General Paul Nakasone, accompanied by White House deputy national security advisor Matthew Pottinger, to Japan in order to inform officials about the…

Read More
Federal judges ruled for the preliminary injunction to be put aside "until further orders of the court." News 

Appeals court halts ruling that prevents Biden administration from communicating with social media platforms

Sanjay Patil, , ,

For the time being, officials from the Biden administration have the freedom to engage in communication with social media companies. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has temporarily halted Judge Terry A. Doughty’s ruling, which restricts most federal officials from discussing content matters with companies like Meta. As per The New York Times, a three-judge panel has decided to set aside Doughty’s preliminary injunction “until further orders of the court.” If you recall, the Attorney Generals of Louisiana and Missouri filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden and other top…

Read More
The Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework gives Europeans a way to file a complaint about what US firms do with their data. News 

US Tech Companies Allowed to Keep European User Data on US Servers Under New Agreement

Adarsh V.K, , , ,

The European Union has approved a plan that will enable US tech giants to store data about European users in the US, following a court decision in 2020 that posed a threat to transatlantic e-commerce. The Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework, announced on Monday by the European Commission, allows Europeans to engage with a US court if they believe their data privacy rights have been violated by a US tech platform. President Joe Biden established the Data Protection Review Court through an executive order last year, which has the authority to…

Read More
Meta, TikTok and others say the state is violating free speech rights. News 

Tech Companies Challenge Arkansas Law Requiring Age Verification for Social Media Use

Febin Mathew, ,

Arkansas’ law mandating age verification on social media platforms has faced opposition from the technology industry. NetChoice, a tech trade group representing major companies like Google, Meta, and TikTok, has filed a lawsuit against the state, claiming that the Social Media Safety Act violates the US Constitution. According to NetChoice, the law infringes upon individuals’ First Amendment rights by compelling them to disclose private information in order to use social networks. Additionally, the group argues that the legislation undermines families’ autonomy by usurping their decision-making authority. The alliance also believes…

Read More
A report suggested algorithms were helping to bring together networks of pedophiles. News 

Senators question Meta’s approach to tackling CSAM on Instagram

Jim Hendler, ,

According to The Wall Street Journal, a bipartisan group of senators has reportedly requested Meta to clarify the reasons behind Instagram’s purported inability to prevent the dissemination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) among pedophile networks on the platform. The lawmakers from the Senate Judiciary Committee are also seeking an explanation regarding the role of Instagram’s algorithms in connecting users interested in sharing such content. In a letter to the company, 10 senators, including committee chairman Dick Durbin and Republican member Lindsey Graham, said they are “gravely concerned that Instagram’s…

Read More
The search firm is joining Meta in reacting to Bill C-18. News 

Google to Comply with Canadian Legislation by Removing News Links

Adriana Marais, , ,

In response to Canada’s recently implemented Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act, Google has joined Meta in removing news content. The new law mandates that tech companies must engage in negotiations with publishers to provide compensation for linked material. As a result, Google has announced its decision to remove links to Canadian news stories from its search, News, and Discover services within the country. Additionally, Google will cease operating its News Showcase in Canada once Bill C-18 becomes effective in six months. Cris Turner, Google’s vice-president of…

Read More
Officials are worried sensitive data might leak. AI 

Congress Reportedly Restricting Staff from Utilizing AI Models Such as ChatGPT

Febin Mathew, , ,

According to Axios, the utilization of ChatGPT and comparable generative AI tools is subject to stringent restrictions in Congress. A memo from Catherine Szpindor, the administrative head of the House of Representatives, obtained by the news outlet, outlines specific circumstances under which ChatGPT and other large language AI models may be employed in congressional offices. Staff members are only permitted to use the paid ChatGPT Plus service, which has more stringent privacy controls, for “research and evaluation” purposes, and not as a routine part of their work. Home offices are…

Read More
The president is set to reveal how the funding will be allocated. News 

Biden Administration’s $42 Billion Broadband Initiative Launches

Jim Hendler, ,

Today, President Joe Biden is set to reveal the distribution plan for $42 billion in funding aimed at enhancing broadband internet access. The investment, which was made possible by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, seeks to provide high-speed internet access to all Americans by 2030. Last year, the White House announced an initiative to allocate at least $100 million to participating states through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. The rest of the funding was on hold until the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) produced a more detailed coverage…

Read More
The independent reviewer called for Meta to 'develop a framework for evaluating its election integrity efforts.' News 

Meta criticized by Oversight Board for not removing Brazilian pro-insurrection video

Jim Hendler, , ,

Meta’s Oversight Board has made a fresh ruling that emphasizes Facebook’s ongoing involvement in promoting hazardous election discourse. The Board has overturned Meta’s previous verdict to keep a video, which urged insurrectionist activities in Brazil after the inauguration of its new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, public on the platform. Lula took office on Jan. 1, and two days later a user posted a video of the prominent Brazilian general — and a supporter of former president Jair Bolsonaro — telling people to “go to the streets” and “go…

Read More
Officials couldn't force reporters to turn over data that might reveal sources. News 

Legislation Proposed to Shield Journalists from Government Surveillance of Their Data

Adriana Marais,

Legislation known as the PRESS Act (Protect Reporters from Exploitive State Spying) has been reintroduced by bipartisan House and Senate groups in the US. This legislation aims to provide news gatherers with protection against government efforts to scrutinize their data. The proposed law would restrict the government’s power to force data disclosures that could reveal the sources of journalists. The Senate bill would expand disclosure exemptions and standards to encompass email, phone records, and other information held by third parties. The PRESS Act would also require the federal government to…

Read More
Jack Texeira now faces up to 60 years in prison. News 

Air National Guardsman indicted for allegedly leaking classified documents

Sanjay Patil, ,

Jack Texeira, an Air National Guard member who was taken into custody in April for disseminating documents containing sensitive US intelligence information, has been charged with six counts of deliberately withholding and transmitting classified national defense data. The federal grand jury indicted Texeira, and he could potentially be sentenced to 60 years in prison. The 10-page indictment reportedly contained a condensed version of the national secrets that Texeira purportedly obtained from the Cape Cod air base and shared with others on Discord. Texeira was arrested by the Justice Department in…

Read More
OpenAI and others couldn't use Section 230 to protect themselves. AI 

Legislation proposed in Senate would make AI firms responsible for damaging material

Febin Mathew, ,

Lawmakers believe they have found a solution to make companies responsible for problematic generative AI by revoking their legal immunity. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley have proposed the No Section 230 Immunity for AI Act, which would prohibit firms like OpenAI and Google from utilizing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to evade accountability for harmful content and legal action. This means that if an individual creates a deepfake image or audio clip to defame someone, the tool developer could be held liable in addition to the user.…

Read More
It shows how candidates could use AI as a tool to attack each other at next year's presidential elections. AI 

DeSantis Campaign Utilizes AI-Generated Images to Criticize Trump

Jim Hendler, ,

The 2024 US Presidential election is becoming more intense, with candidates and their followers now having access to artificial intelligence tools that can create lifelike images and voices. According to Semafor, the DeSantis War Room has released images depicting Donald Trump hugging Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has become a divisive figure among conservatives due to his handling of the COVID-19 crisis. The video clip contrasts Trump’s portrayal as a reality TV personality firing individuals on The Apprentice with his supposed decision not to dismiss the doctor in real life. Although…

Read More
The country's cybersecurity council warned of "high risk" to local networks from non-Western suppliers. News 

Portugal is considering the ban of Huawei from its national 5G networks

Adarsh V.K, , , , ,

Portugal could become the latest country to ban Huawei and other Chinese companies from building 5G networks. As reported by Bloomberg, the Portuguese government recommended this week that domestic operators be banned from acquiring 5G equipment from outside the European Union or from countries that are not part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Operation and Development (OCED). In a statement released Thursday by Portugal’s Supreme Cyber Security Council, the government said companies outside those jurisdictions pose a “significant risk” to…

Read More
This would follow a preliminary deal reached on Thursday on the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act News 

The EU’s tech czar sees a political agreement on a law on artificial intelligence this year

Febin Mathew, , , ,

European Union technology regulation chief Margrethe Vestager said on Sunday that the bloc is likely to reach a political agreement this year that will pave the way for the world’s first major legislation on artificial intelligence. This would follow a preliminary agreement on the EU’s artificial intelligence law on Thursday. In an interview with Reuters at a meeting of the Group of Seven Digital Ministers in Takasaki, Japan, Vestager proposed legislative measures for the use of AI tools, such as “labeling obligations for AI-generated images.” “There was no reason to…

Read More
YouTube stressed the need to balance the chance for voters to hear equally from major national candidates News 

YouTube will reinstate Donald Trump’s account before the 2024 presidential election

Febin Mathew, ,

YouTube has announced that former US President Donald Trump’s YouTube channel has been restored. The account was restricted as a result of the January 2021 attack on the Capitol. This decision follows the example of platforms like Twitter and Facebook. In its statement, YouTube emphasized the need to balance the opportunities for voters to hear equally about the biggest national candidates during the election. “As of today, the Donald J. Trump channel is no longer restricted and can upload new content. We carefully assessed the continued risk of real violence…

Read More