The Blog Experiment | Technology Nonsense and Internet Tripe

If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Washington (State) Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is facing a formal legal challenge in the form of a complaint filed by local Republicans, alleging the use of public funds to launch spying and censorship against political opponents (but mostly, it would seem, those opposed to Hobbs himself.) We obtained a copy of the complaint for you here. The election period surveillance, introduced through what is known as a sole source contract, was awarded for at least $147,600 and the company was able to put its tools in motion even before the contract was approved. The Washington State Republican Party (WSRP) on Thursday announced that it, in cooperation with a Long Law office attorney, had submitted its complaint to the Washington State Ethics Board. Hobbs is accused of spending public money to bankroll the AI company whose “specialty” is voter surveillance via methods like “fact-checking” and subsequent suppression of information unfavorable to the state secretary and his political camp. The company, called Logically, is registered offshore. The complaint makes a note of the fact that as secretary of state, regardless of political affiliation, Hobbs has a duty to act in an unbiased and fair manner when it comes to elections. The state Republicans, however, allege that she violated these (state and federal) constitutional requirements and his oath of office. One of the provisions that Hobbs is accused of ignoring is the obligation stemming from the…Arizona State GOP Submits Official Ethics Complaint Against WA Secretary of State Steve Hobbs for Alleged Misuse of Public Money in Monitoring and Suppressing Criticism

If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. An unexpected notification released by Sony has raised eyebrows and sparked debates over digital ownership rights. The tech giant disclosed plans to erase hundreds of TV shows from Discovery, purchased via the PlayStation Store, from all PlayStation platforms. The sudden move has left many anticipating the shape of an increasingly digital world. Following licensing arrangements with content providers, Sony announced, “As of 31 December 2023, you will no longer be able to watch any of your previously purchased Discovery content and the content will be removed from your video library.” Alongside this sudden proclamation, a comprehensive list of Discovery shows due for removal was also shared – a list that was notably long. Related: Amazon sued for misleading you into believing you own a copy of the digital movies you purchase The exact reasons behind this controversial move remain unclear. Sony’s prior agreement with Discovery, blurring out after Discovery merged with Warner Bros last year, might offer an explanation. As uncertainty looms, the affected PlayStation users face the undesired news of losing out on their already-purchased digital content. This isn’t unfamiliar territory for Sony, the latest development is just another episode in a series of content removal from the PS Store and users’ purchase libraries. The post Playstation To Remove Access To Hundreds of Shows – Even if Customers Already Paid For Them appeared first on Reclaim The Net.Playstation To Remove Access To Hundreds of Shows – Even if Customers Already Paid For Them

If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. In recent years, a growing number of people have been handing their DNA over to tech companies for the apparent benefits of finding out information about their ancestry and more about their health. However, as with digital IDs, when such entities get access to your most intimate data, it becomes the target of hackers and cyberattacks. A considerable number of user ancestry files were exposed during a recent cyberattack on genetic testing giant, 23andMe. As per an official filing released on Friday, cybercriminals infiltrated around 14,000 user accounts – a figure that equates to approximately 0.1% of the company’s global customer base of over 14 million. The hackers leveraged a common cyberattack technique known as “credential stuffing.” This involved exploiting leaked account passwords to gain unauthorized access. However, the attack didn’t end with the initial victims. 23andMe incorporates a feature whereby users can opt to share selected information with other users. Consequently, the breach also extended to individuals linked through this feature. What amplifies the gravity of the data breach is the nature of the exposed information — mainly personal user ancestry details, and in some cases, health-related genetic information. The exact number of affected ‘other users’ or the precise extent of accessed files remains unclear as the company has yet to release specific figures. Tech news outlet TechCrunch undertook an analysis of the exposed datasets, comparing them against publicly accessible genealogy databases. The…DNA Company 23andMe Reports Unauthorized Access to Numerous User Ancestry Files

If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The EU’s next legislative goal post that opponents see as part of a big push to strip citizens of their privacy, has now reached medical histories and associated data. Interconnecting – in effect, centralizing (and making remotely accessible) – that data is the key premise of what has now emerged as European Health Data Space (EHDS). The upcoming bill has been backed by the European Parliament (EP), its Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), and Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). EP member (MEP) and lawyer Patrick Breyer, a long-time critic of this type of policy, explains that EHDS – which he voted against – would “bring together information on all medical treatments received by citizens.” Doctors will have to submit summaries of treatments they provide to “the new data space” – with the initial proposal not containing provisions that would allow for objections or exceptions. And while access can be restricted if a patient so wishes – the actual creation of the database can’t be prevented. And let’s just reiterate that this might concern some of the most sensitive personal medical information: “mental disorders, sexual diseases and disorders such as impotence or infertility, HIV or drug abuse therapies,” writes Breyer. “The EU’s plan to collect and interconnect records on all medical therapies entails irresponsible risks of data theft, hacking or loss. Even the most delicate therapies can…EU Committees Vote in Favor of Mandatory Interconnected Digital Patient Health Records for All Citizens

If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. In a judgment that raises serious concerns about free speech, a UK court ruling has extended the boundaries of hate speech laws, potentially criminalizing implied meanings in private communications. This case, involving former London Police officer Michael Chadwell, illustrates the problematic nature of Britain’s stringent hate speech regulations. Chadwell, who retired in 2015, was convicted for sharing a meme in a private WhatsApp group. The image featured multi-colored parrots and children of diverse ethnic backgrounds, accompanied by a caption questioning why diversity is celebrated in species but not in humanity. A Facebook comment below it read: “Because I’ve never had a bike stolen out of my front yard by a parrot.” Despite the absence of any direct racial slurs or specific ethnic references, Chadwell faces a potential six-month prison sentence under the Communications Act 2003 for what the court deemed a “grossly offensive” implication. District Judge Tan Ikram ruled that the post suggested “black people steal,” dismissing Chadwell’s defense that the meme was a harmless joke akin to Monty Python, a British surreal comedy group known for their groundbreaking sketch comedy show “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” which aired in the 1960s and 1970s and movies. The conviction was based on the implication, not the meme’s explicit content. This ruling by Judge Ikram introduces a troubling standard in legal interpretation. By inferring a grossly offensive meaning from a meme and considering this sufficient for a…Former UK Police Officer Convicted for “Implication” in “Offensive” Social Media Message Raises Major Free Speech Concerns

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Walmart decided to stop advertising on Elon Musk’s X, joining a slew of other major companies that have fled the social media platform in recent weeks.”We aren’t advertising on X as we’ve found other platforms to better reach our customers,” a Walmart spokesperson told Reuters, which first reported on the retail chain’s decision to suspend ad campaigns on the website formerly known as Twitter.Musk’s profane response to fleeing advertisersWalmart’s decision to stop advertising comes after Musk, X’s owner, told boycotting advertisers to “go fuck yourself” while being interviewed at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit.X’s most recent advertiser problems began in mid-November after Musk endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory posted by another user on the platform.”You have said the actual truth,” Musk replied to a user who shared the conspiracy known as the Great Replacement Theory, which claims that Jewish organizations are trying to replace white people in the U.S. and European nations with immigrants from minority groups. Musk later went on to further discuss how groups like the ADL refuse to “criticize the minority groups who are their primary threat.”A Media Matters report published the next day also added to X’s issues as it found numerous brands’ advertisements on pro-Nazi content.Shortly after Musk’s comments and the report, advertisers started to drop the platform.Walmart is a blip among a long list of X departuresIBM was the first to pull its ads. Companies like Apple, Disney, Sony, Warner Bros., Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Paramount…Walmart joins the X / Twitter ad boycott — this one will sting

Rachel Lau and Kennedy Patlan work with leading public interest foundations and nonprofits on technology policy issues at Freedman Consulting, LLC. Hunter Maskin, a Freedman Consulting Phillip Bevington policy & research intern, also contributed to this article. The 7th Senate “AI Insight Forum,” November 29, 2023. Source November saw another slew of tech policy developments in the US. Artificial intelligence (AI), in particular, dominated the headlines: After President Biden signed a historic executive order on AI in late October, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) started the month by releasing draft guidance to help federal agencies implement new governance structures and advance AI innovation.  The US co-led the joint release of a non-binding international agreement among 18 countries that aims to keep AI safe throughout development and deployment cycles.  President Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss numerous issues, including the dangers posed by the use of AI in military operations.  Following the release of the AI executive order, federal agencies launched hiring initiatives to identify chief AI officers, with a projected 400+ officials needed to fill all posts.  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) held three additional AI Insights Forums, which covered a range of topics including election, privacy, transparency, and intellectual property issues. (Learn more about each forum using the Tech Policy Press AI ‘Insight Forum’ Tracker.)  At the state level, the California Privacy Protection Agency released draft regulations for businesses using AI, including a host of consumer protections.  OpenAI suddenly dismissed CEO Sam Altman,…November 2023 US Tech Policy Roundup

Nicol Turner Lee is a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution. She has created a new AI Equity Lab at Brookings to interrogate civil and human rights compliance within emerging models. She is also a Public Voices Fellow which is funded by the MacArthur Foundation.   OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testifies before a Senate subcommittee on May 16, 2023. The firing and subsequent reinstatement of Sam Altman as OpenAI’s leader turned out to be not so bad for the organization, or for him. Altman returned as CEO, with a new Board. Despite his very public firing, Altman also secured the ongoing trust of OpenAI’s largest investor, Microsoft, which just joined the Board as a non-voting member. While much of the commentary on the drama at OpenAI has focused on tensions in its governance structure, few have acknowledged that OpenAI’s more-than-generous funding by venture capitalists (VCs) likely buffered the consequences for Altman and his team and made it possible for him to emerge unscathed in the end. The situation reveals the double standards in VC funding that exist for diverse tech founders, especially people of color and women, who face scrutiny at all stages of capital development and would not have survived a public termination. Reading between the lines, the OpenAI saga substantiates the ongoing claims that VCs still maintain steady confidence in founders that represent the status quo, who are usually white and male, and are slow to fund and perhaps save…What the OpenAI Saga Reveals About Double Standards for Diverse Founders

If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has initiated legal action against Pfizer, claiming the pharmaceutical giant made deceptive statements about the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine and pushed for online censorship of criticism. Paxton’s suit, filed on Thursday, accuses Pfizer of engaging in misleading marketing practices under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The suit contends that Pfizer exaggerated the ability of its vaccine to put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and asserts that the company’s claims of 95 percent effectiveness were not entirely straightforward. We obtained a copy of the petition for you here. Paxton’s lawsuit takes issue with the way Pfizer presented the results of its vaccine’s efficacy. More than 366 million doses of this vaccine were used in the US and efficacy analysis showed a 95 percent “effectiveness” rate 28 days following the initial dose. However, Paxton argues these results were attained through methods that were more technical and less genuine. Asserting the rights of Texans, Paxton’s statement emphasized seeking justice for those who felt compelled to use what he described as a “defective product,” which was marketed through falsehoods. Paxton sharply criticized the Biden Administration for exploiting the pandemic to impose what he considers illegal health mandates, enriching pharmaceutical companies in the process. He pledged to utilize every available tool to defend citizens who were misled and adversely affected by Pfizer’s conduct. The lawsuit enumerates five alleged infractions of the…Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Files Lawsuit Against Pfizer, Alleging It Conspired To Censor Vaccine Criticism

If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The Department of Justice may have extensively gathered data from individuals who interacted with former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account. This data collection includes actions such as liking, following, or retweeting Trump’s posts that occurred in the period leading up to January 6. Special Counsel Jack Smith, overseeing the investigation into Trump’s potential interference in the 2020 presidential election and the Capitol events, issued a search warrant against the social media company X, previously known as Twitter. This action was part of his broader inquiry into these matters. Media entities, after filing a lawsuit for access, unveiled that the warrant, released on Monday, authorized the collection of substantial user data from those engaging with Trump’s Twitter account from October 2020 to January 2021. The warrant specified the acquisition of information from the Connect or Notifications tab of the account, including lists of users who favorited or retweeted Trump’s tweets, as well as all tweets mentioning or replying to the account. The 14-page warrant, with significant portions redacted, sparked an outcry among many citizens, who criticized it as a gross invasion of privacy and a threat to free speech rights, likening it to an Orwellian scenario. We obtained a copy of the warrant for you here. The warrant’s scope extended beyond mere user interactions. It also aimed to obtain Trump’s personal search history on X, including drafts, blocks, mutes, and direct messages. It demanded details…Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith’s Overreaching Warrant Seeks Data on People Who Liked, Retweeted Trump Tweets