Google to block election ads after polls close to combat misinformation
Google announced it will block all election advertisements after the last polls close on Election Day. The plan is an effort to prevent voting misinformation.
The company did this for the 2020 election and said it will continue the policy to limit the potential for confusion since votes will likely continue to be counted after Nov. 5.
During the pause, Google will still run public information campaign ads created by state or federal government agencies. In 2020, Google lifted the post-election ban in December ahead of a runoff election in Georgia.
That’s expected to be the case again this election. The policy reflects an ongoing trend in digital platforms taking proactive measures to address concerns about the impact political ads can have on the voting process.
Other companies, including Meta, plan to block political and social ads during the last week of voting. Google implemented the same ad blocking policy after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021 and removed the block in February.
14 state AGs file lawsuits targeting TikTok’s addictive features
Attorneys general from 14 states and Washington, D.C., filed lawsuits Tuesday, Oct. 8, against TikTok, accusing the social media platform of harming young users’ mental health and violating consumer protection laws. The lawsuits allege that TikTok’s design encourages compulsive use through addictive features, such as autoplay and push notifications, which authorities argue have negatively impacted children’s well-being.
The legal filings claim that TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has misled the public about its safety for minors, exposing children to mental and physical risks.
The lawsuits also allege that TikTok violated federal laws, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), by collecting personal data from users under the age of 13 without parental consent.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, D, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, D, are leading the legal effort.
In a statement, James said, “TikTok claims their platform is safe for young people, but that is far from true.”
Bonta emphasized that TikTok knowingly designed its app to foster excessive use among children.
TikTok has not publicly commented on the lawsuits but has previously stated that it prioritizes user safety, particularly for minors.
The company is also facing separate legal challenges at the federal level, including a case regarding a potential nationwide ban due to national security concerns over its Chinese ownership.
The lawsuits are part of a broader push by state officials to hold social media companies accountable for their role in the youth mental health crisis.
The legal effort mirrors previous actions taken against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, in which states sought to address similar issues related to the impact of social media on children’s mental health.
In addition to mental health concerns, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s, D, lawsuit accuses TikTok of operating an unlicensed payment system that targets children, allowing them to solicit money for performing inappropriate acts.
The suit claims that TikTok’s money transmission system exploits young users by using childlike animations and games to encourage financial transactions.
The states involved in the lawsuits include California, New York, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, D.C.
AI tools consume up to 4 times more water than estimated
A new report shows that artificial intelligence tools, including ChatGPT, are using up to four times more water than previously believed. This discovery raises concerns about the sustainability of data centers as AI continues to expand.
Researchers from the University of California, Riverside found that processing 10 to 50 queries on AI chatbots can consume up to 2 liters of water, far exceeding the earlier estimate of half a liter. The increase is attributed to the intense cooling needs of data centers, where the servers generate significant heat.
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According to Microsoft, the energy and water demands of AI models are much higher than anticipated. Between 2023 and 2024, Google, Microsoft, and Meta have reported water usage increases of 17%, 22.5%, and 17% respectively, further highlighting the growing environmental footprint of AI.
This is not just a U.S. issue. In the U.K., planned data centers are expected to consume as much water as a city the size of Liverpool. Meanwhile, in Ireland, data centers now account for 21% of the country’s electricity consumption.
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently presented a proposal to the White House to build at least five massive data centers, with plans for unprecedented energy expansions. However, critics argue that the energy production process for AI remains inefficient, with 60% of resources wasted.
While tech companies pledge to offset their water usage by 2030, critics warn that these efforts may not sufficiently address water scarcity in regions where AI data centers are located.
Modified Meta glasses reveal dangerous potential for doxxing
Two Harvard students have demonstrated how Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses can be modified to dox individuals in public by using facial recognition software. Their project, designed to raise awareness about privacy risks, has sparked concerns over the growing potential for wearable technology to invade personal privacy.
AnhPhu Nguyen and Caine Ardayfio, both students at Harvard University, created a tool called “I-XRAY,” which integrates facial recognition software PimEyes with Meta’s smart glasses to publicly identify individuals.
By simply looking at a person, the glasses can retrieve personal details such as names, addresses, and phone numbers from online databases.
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The project shows how easily such technology could be used for malicious purposes, such as stalking or harassment, underscoring the urgent need for privacy regulations.
Their experiment, which included a test in a crowded subway station, illustrated the potential misuse of facial recognition tools paired with inconspicuous smart glasses.
The students, who have no plans to release their code, stress that this is a wake-up call for lawmakers to take action before such technology is widely abused.
Nguyen and Ardayfio’s findings add to the ongoing debate over the balance between technological advancements and privacy, as wearable devices gain popularity but also pose significant risks.
Mark Zuckerberg reportedly now identifies as libertarian
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly shifted his political views towards libertarianism, according to a New York Times report. the Times claims those closest to Zuckerberg say his political views now align more closely with “classical liberalism,” combining fiscal conservatism with social liberalism.
This ideological shift has apparently led to internal policy changes at Meta, including restrictions on workplace discussions about contentious topics like abortion and racial justice movements.
In August, Zuckerberg confirmed that the Biden-Harris administration had pressured Facebook to censor content, and he expressed regret for complying with these requests.
Zuckerberg is also allegedly attempting to smooth over a relationship with former President Donald Trump.
In 2021, Facebook had banned Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. This year, the New York Times claims Zuckerberg talked to Trump twice on the phone over the summer, including shortly after Trump’s narrow escape from an assassination attempt in July.
The Meta CEO has also apparently hired prominent Republican strategist Brian Baker to improve his status with conservative media and GOP lawmakers.
Zuckerberg’s shift reflects a broader trend in Silicon Valley, with many tech executives who previously supported Democrats now aligning with more conservative politicians.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also evolved from political neutrality to vocal support for Trump.
Iranian hackers sent stolen Trump campaign info to Biden campaign staffers: FBI
Both parties are responding after the FBI said Iranian hackers sent stolen information from the Trump campaign to members of President Biden’s campaign. And a second round of explosions in Lebanon — this time involving walkie-talkies — leaves at least 20 dead. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024.
FBI: Iranian hackers sent stolen Trump campaign info to Biden campaign staffers
Iranian hackers stole information from former President Donald Trump’s campaign over the summer and sent it to people affiliated with then-Democratic candidate President Joe Biden’s campaign. That’s according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
The statement said there is no indication Biden’s campaign ever replied to the emails.
A spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign said a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails but were not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign. Her campaign also said it condemns any effort by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections.
During a rally in Uniondale, New York Wednesday night, Sept. 18, former President Trump addressed the hack.
“Iran hacked into my campaign,” he told his supporters. “I don’t know what the hell they found. I’d like to find out, couldn’t have been too exciting, but they gave it to the Biden campaign. I can’t believe it. Oh yes, I can. But this is really foreign election interference. This is real election interference.”
U.S. officials said this was just one of several attempts by Iran to “undermine the confidence of our electoral process.” Earlier this year, it was reported that Iranian-backed hackers stole Trump campaign documents and shared them with news agencies including Politico, The New York Times, and the Washington Post.
The Iranian government has denied the allegations of meddling in the U.S. elections.
It’s not only Iran as Microsoft said this week that Russia has targeted Vice President Harris’ campaign by spreading conspiracy theories online.
Executives from tech companies including Meta, Microsoft, and Alphabet testified in a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Wednesday on foreign threats to U.S. elections.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said while the presidential race is between Trump and Harris, it has become an election of “Iran versus Trump and Russia versus Harris.”
Second wave of explosions hit Lebanon; Israel declares ‘new era’ of war
Like the pager explosions on Tuesday, Sept. 17, that left a dozen people dead and thousands hurt, the walkie-talkie explosions are believed to have been orchestrated by Israel, according to the United States and other countries briefed on the incident.
Israel has not commented but the country’s military leader did say a “new era” of war is beginning and said its “center of gravity is moving north,” potentially a reference to Israel’s border with Lebanon.
The attacks, which are believed to have been targeting Hezbollah, have left dozens of fighters and civilians dead.
Israel, a key ally to the U.S., did warn Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday it was going to carry out an operation in Lebanon, but multiple sources familiar with the matter said details were not given.
Teamsters union not endorsing a 2024 presidential candidate
The Teamsters have opted not to endorse former President Trump or Vice President Harris in the 2024 presidential election. It’s the first time in decades the union has chosen not to endorse any candidate.
The decision came just two days after union leaders met with Harris and months after meeting with Trump.
While opting not to endorse anyone, the Teamsters did release data from internal surveys showing most of its members support Trump (59%) over Harris (34%).
House GOP fails to pass Johnson’s stopgap funding bill
Three Democrats crossed the aisle to vote in favor of the stopgap bill, but 14 Republicans voted against it, ultimately causing it to fail. Johnson said afterward he’d draft a new bill to keep the government funded past Oct. 1.
Body found during search for Kentucky highway shooter
Authorities had been searching for 32-year-old Joseph Couch since Sept. 7, when police say Couch shot and injured five people on Interstate 75.
On Wednesday afternoon, the remains were found by two state troopers alongside two civilians who said they were trying to help find the suspect. The troopers were drawn to the site after noticing vultures circling above and a strong odor in the search area.
Authorities said a weapon was discovered alongside the body believed to be Couch. The remains have been sent to the coroner’s office for positive identification.
Lionsgate announces deal with AI company Runway to ‘augment’ films
Artificial intelligence is coming to a theater near you. Lionsgate — the studio behind film franchises like “John Wick” and “The Hunger Games” has announced a deal with AI research company Runway, whose backers include Google and chipmaker NVIDIA.
The deal involves Runway’s creation and training of a new AI model that Lionsgate’s filmmakers can use to “augment their work.” Lionsgate said it expects to save “millions and millions of dollars” using Runway’s technology.
Lionsgate Vice Chair Michael Burns said AI is seen as a great tool for “enhancing and supplementing” the studio’s current operations. Burns told The Wall Street Journal, “We do a lot of action movies, so we blow a lot of things up and that is one of the things Runway does.”
Instagram rolling out ‘teen account’ settings, parental supervision updates
Meta announced on Tuesday, Sept. 17, Instagram will be rolling out “teen account” settings to help users under the age of 18 stay safe while on the social media app. The company will automatically switch accounts for users under 18 to private and place them under the strictest messaging settings. This means only people the teens are connected to on Instagram can slide into their DMs.
There will be limits on who can tag teens in photos or comments. Teens will also be automatically placed into the app’s most restrictive consent setting. It limits the type of sensitive material teens see in their Reels and Explore pages, content like people fighting or posts promoting cosmetic procedures.
Instagram will also alert teens when they have been scrolling for too long. The app will send them a notification to take a break after using it for 60 minutes each day. Other features will see sleep mode activate between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., which mutes notifications and sends auto-replies to direct messages.
Users under the age of 16 will need a parent’s permission to change these “teen account” settings.
Speaking of parents, Meta is adding updates to its supervision feature including allowing parents to see who their teen messages in a week, set a daily total time limit, block use for specific time periods and see what topics their teen is looking at.
“We developed Teen Accounts with parents and teens in mind,” Meta said in a statement. “The new Teen Account protections are designed to address parents’ biggest concerns, including who their teens are talking to online, the content they’re seeing and whether their time is being well spent.”
All these updates come as Meta and social media continue to be scrutinized over their impact on teens and kids.
“No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered,” Zuckerberg said at the hearing.
This year, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory about the effects of social media on youth mental health and wrote an op-ed saying social media needs a surgeon general’s warning label.
In the meantime, the changes to Instagram will roll out to new users starting Tuesday and existing teen users should see their account switch within the next 60 days.
Suspect in Trump apparent assassination attempt went undetected for 12 hours
New details emerge on the suspect in the second apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, including how long he went undetected near the former president’s golf club. And Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been arrested on federal charges. We have the latest on what’s ahead for the hip hop mogul. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.
Suspect in apparent assassination attempt went undetected for 12 hours
Authorities said the suspect in this past weekend’s apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump went undetected near Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida for 12 hours before being noticed by a Secret Service agent. The suspect was caught pointing a rifle through the bushes.
The agent fired at the suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, who fled the scene only to be taken into custody a short time later. A local sheriff’s office released body camera video showing his arrest.
Routh was charged Monday, Sept. 16, with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He did not enter a plea during an appearance in a federal courtroom.
In a Monday afternoon press conference, Secret Service Acting Director Ron Rowe, Jr. said Routh did not fire any shots at the agent and never had Trump in his line of sight.
Rowe and the FBI agent in charge, Jeffrey Veltri, said so far, there is no evidence showing the suspect knew Trump would be golfing that day. Veltri went into detail about the suspect’s criminal past.
“In 2002, as the United States attorney mentioned, the subject was charged and convicted in North Carolina for possession of a weapon of mass destruction,” Veltri said. “Law enforcement checks also revealed that from 1997 to 2010, the subject had numerous felony charges for stolen goods. I can also share with you that he was the subject of a previously closed 2019 tip to the FBI where it was alleged he was a felon in possession of a firearm.”
Veltri said the FBI passed along that information to authorities in Hawaii, where Routh lived. Rowe told reporters Trump’s plans to play golf on Sunday were “off-the-record” – meaning it was not part of the former president’s official schedule.
As new questions emerge about the Secret Service’s effectiveness following the second assassination attempt in just over two months, Rowe defended his agents, saying they were “rising for this moment.”
“Yesterday afternoon, this country was reminded of the heightened and dynamic threat environment that the United States Secret Service and its protectees face on a daily basis,” Rowe said. “Immediately following the assassination attempt of former President Donald J. Trump on July 13th, the Secret Service moved to increase assets to an already enhanced security posture for the former president.”
Rowe said the “highest levels of protection” were in place for the former president – as directed by President Joe Biden – including “counter-sniper team elements.”
Speaking to reporters on his way to an event in Philadelphia Monday, Biden said the Secret Service “needs more help.” A White House official said President Biden spoke to Trump on the phone Monday, conveying his relief that the former president was safe.
During an appearance on the social media site X Monday night, Trump spoke about hearing the gunshots fired by the Secret Service. He said the agent did a “fantastic job” and joked that he “would have liked to have sank that last putt.”
Routh’s next court appearance is set for Sept. 23 for a pre-detention hearing. His arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 30. Routh remains in custody as authorities continue their investigation.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs arrested on federal charges in New York
Hip hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was arrested on federal charges on Monday night. Sources close to the matter tell media outlets Diddy was not expecting the arrest.
Homeland Security took him into custody at the Park Hyatt Hotel on 57th Street in Manhattan.
It’s not yet clear what federal charges he’s facing. The indictment is expected to be unsealed Tuesday, Sept. 17, at his arraignment.
Combs is facing multiple sexual assault lawsuits and has been the subject of a federal human trafficking probe in the last year, which is why Homeland Security is involved. His lawyers said he has been cooperating with investigators.
Former lead engineer felt pressure to get ‘Titan’ ready
Tuesday is day two of the Coast Guard’s hearing into the Titan submersible implosion that killed all five people on board.
Monday, we learned one of the last messages sent from the doomed vessel, indicated there were no concerns. It read “all good here.” That text message was shown during a recreation of the submersible’s trip to the Titanic wreckage at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in June 2023.
It came not long before the watercraft imploded, leaving all five people on board dead, including Stockton Rush — the co-founder of OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan.
The lead engineer for the vessel testified at Monday’s hearing saying he felt pressured by Rush to get it ready for the trip.
Former OceanGate Engineering Director Tony Nissen testified he stopped the submersible from going to the Titanic in 2019, telling Rush it was “not working like we thought it would.” Nissen was fired that year.
OceanGate’s co-founder, former operations director, and former scientific director are also supposed to testify in the hearing, which is expected to last about two weeks.
Meta bans Russian state media over ‘foreign interference activity’
Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta has banned Russian state media broadcaster RT, along with several other Kremlin-controlled outlets. Meta accuses them of using deceptive tactics to covertly influence operations online.
Before it was banned on Monday, RT had 7.2 followers on Facebook and one million on Instagram.
Meta’s move comes days after the Justice Department announced charges against two RT employees for funneling nearly $10 million into a U.S. company to create and promote content aligning with Russian interests.
Amazon ending remote work starting next year
Almost five years after the COVID-19 pandemic swept and ravaged the nation, as well as the world, and led to many people working from their homes, Amazon is ending remote work. Starting next year, corporate employees will be required to be back in the office five days a week.
This is the latest update to Amazon’s rules regarding remote work. Last year, the company changed its policy to mandate employees come back to the office at least three days a week.
Amazon has supposedly been marred by an inability to get things done with lots of meetings and layers of approval. CEO Andy Jassy called out that culture in a note to workers saying there are “pre-meetings for the pre-meetings for the decision meetings, a longer line of managers feeling like they need to review a topic before it moves forward.”
Jordan Chiles files appeal after being stripped of bronze medal
Chiles’ first individual Olympic medal was rescinded after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that her coach filed an inquiry during the floor exercises, which propelled Chiles to third place. But it was a few seconds too late.
Chiles has now appealed her case to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland.
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee supports Chiles and said they are determined to see she gets the recognition she deserves.
Social media companies team up to address self-harm content
Meta, Snap, and TikTok have come together to start a new program to stop content featuring suicide or self-harm from spreading across social media platforms. The program, called Thrive, was created along with the Mental Health Coalition, a group of organizations that work to destigmatize those issues.
Through Thrive, Meta, Snap, and TikTok will be able to share what the companies call “signals” with each other about content concerning suicide or self-harm. If the content appears on multiple apps, similar actions and investigations can then be launched.
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said Thrive will serve as a database all social media companies can access.
The company says when content featuring suicide or self-harm is discovered, it will be removed and flagged in the Thrive database so other social media companies can act. Meta also made it clear the program will target content not users.
Social media has increasingly been linked to a spike in depression and suicidal behavior in kids and teens, and companies like Meta, Snap, and TikTok have been widely criticized for not doing more to moderate content on their platforms. All three companies have been sued by parents and communities who say the social media platforms led to suicide deaths.
Australia weighs privacy law overhaul amid Meta photo scraping dispute
Australia is weighing how to best regulate artificial intelligence with lawmakers considering an overhaul of privacy laws following the revelations about Meta’s data collection practices. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, admitted to using public data from millions of Australian users without permission to train its AI models.
The admission includes nearly two decades’ worth of posts, photos, and status updates. During an Australian Senate inquiry, Meta’s Global Privacy Director Melinda Claybaugh confirmed the tech company’s extensive data harvesting practices and defended using “public data” from its platforms.
Labor Sen. Tony Sheldon voiced concerns over this practice, questioning Claybaugh on if the company had used posts dating back to 2007. She answered “we have not done that,” but the answer was quickly questioned by Greens Sen. David Shoebridge.
Shoebridge stated that unless posts were set to “private” since 2007, they have been scraped. Claybaugh answered that the statement was correct.
The ethics of using data from as far back as 2007 for AI training without explicit user consent was also questioned at the inquiry, especially when it comes to users who are underaged.
Meta claims it excluded data from users under the age of 18 and those who marked their posts as “private” but admitted it does not offer an opt-out option like it does for users in the EU.
The company also did not directly address whether images of children shared by adult accounts are included in its data scraping.
A recent investigation by Human Rights Watch revealed that hundreds of photos of Australian children, some as young as three years old, were included in a widely used AI training dataset.
This discovery has amplified calls in Australia for stronger legal protections to safeguard children’s data from potential misuse in AI technology.
