The rapidly evolving technology of Artificial Intelligence and the lack of government oversight over its development and implementation is drawing heightened concerns, including from the Biden administration which is taking the risk of machines being one day able to turn against humanity seriously. But they could be shooting themselves in the foot by tabbing Vice President Kamala Harris as the new AI czar.
Kamala Harris tapped as Artificial Intelligence czar and the jokes write themselves
Tag: Big Tech
The Kids Online Safety Act is Still A Huge Danger to Our Rights Online
Congress has resurrected the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill that would increase surveillance and restrict access to information in the name of protecting children online. KOSA was introduced in 2022 but failed to gain traction, and today its authors, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), have reintroduced it with slight modifications. Though some of these changes were made in response to over 100 civil society organizations and LGBTQ+ rights groups’ criticisms of the bill, its latest version is still troubling. Today’s version of KOSA would still require surveillance of anyone sixteen and under. It would put the tools of censorship in the hands of state attorneys general, and would greatly endanger the rights, and safety, of young people online. And KOSA’s burdens will affect adults, too, who will likely face hurdles to accessing legal content online as a result of the bill.
The Kids Online Safety Act is Still A Huge Danger to Our Rights Online
The new controversy on the left: Is it okay to say Tucker Carlson had some good ideas?
The American Prospect ran an article praising Carlson. The backlash came quickly.
The new controversy on the left: Is it okay to say Tucker Carlson had some good ideas?
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Senator Brian Schatz Joins The Moral Panic With Unconstitutional Age Verification Bill
Senator Brian Schatz is one of the more thoughtful Senators we have, and he and his staff have actually spent time talking to lots of experts in trying to craft bills regarding the internet. Unfortunately, it still seems like he still falls under the seductive sway of this or that moral panic, so when the bills actually come out, they’re perhaps more thoughtfully done than the moral panic bills of his colleagues, but they’re still destructive.
Senator Brian Schatz Joins The Moral Panic With Unconstitutional Age Verification Bill
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Bipartisan Senate bill would ban social media algorithms for minors
Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Murphy (D-Conn), Katie Britt (R-Ala) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark) introduced the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act on Wednesday. The bill would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media sites, and would require parental consent and age verification for users under 18.
Twitter “no longer exists” as a company, merges into Musk’s X Corp
Company name change may be Musk’s next step to launch X, the “everything app.”
Twitter “no longer exists” as a company, merges into Musk’s X Corp
Bill to Ban Tik Tok Would Give Government Sweeping Powers to Crackdown on Tech
Bill to Ban Tik Tok Would Give Government Sweeping Powers to Crackdown on Tech
A person who violates the act could be fined up to $1 million or punished with up to 20 years in prison. The broad and vague definitions in the legislation caused many to wonder if people could be handed such harsh punishments for using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to get around future government censorship that could come as a result of the bill.
A spokesperson for Warner insisted that the legislation wasn’t designed to target individual users and pointed to the language that says someone “must be engaged in ‘sabotage or subversion’ of American communications technology products and services, creating ‘catastrophic effects’ on US critical infrastructure, or ‘interfering in, or altering the result’ of a federal election, in order to be eligible for any kind of criminal penalty.”
But the bill will give the Commerce Secretary the authority to deem what is considered “sabotage or subversion” or any of the other threats listed above. The legislation has grave implications for civil liberties and could be used against any individuals or tech and media companies the Biden administration, or any future administration would want to target.
Previously:
Tik-Tok bills could dangerously expand national security state
Tik-Tok bills could dangerously expand national security state 😳
Congressional proposals to address Chinese ownership of the popular app go well beyond the hearing soundbites. Let’s explore.
Tik-Tok bills could dangerously expand national security state
US And EU Nations Request The Most User Data From Tech Companies, Obtain It More Than Two-Thirds Of The Time
from the may-as-well-just-be-government-contractors dept
Most tech companies handling data requests from governments now publish transparency reports. As everything moves towards always-online status (including, you know, your fridge), social media platforms and other online services have become the favored targets of government data requests. It just makes sense to look there first rather than out there in the real world, where people (and their communications) are that much more difficult to locate.
US And EU Nations Request The Most User Data From Tech Companies, Obtain It More Than Two-Thirds Of The Time
Taxpayers ARE on hook for bank bailout – and could even fund bankers’ bonuses
As regulators rush through emergency measures to prevent further chaos following the disastrous collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, there’s a point they’re very keen to emphasize: this is not a bailout.
Taxpayers ARE on hook for bank bailout – and could even fund bankers’ bonuses
Related:
Joe Biden stuck around just long enough to lie about who’s on the hook for SVB bailout
The Color of Foreign Influence
There is a distressing and familiar sight in the nation-state of Georgia. Young protestors have taken over a central area and are chanting anti-Russia slogans, often obscene and in English, as they wave Ukraine and EU flags and clash with the police.
The Color of Foreign Influence
Related:
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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