The US and China might finally have a TikTok deal
The US and China might finally have a TikTok deal The US and China have reached a “framework” deal to divest TikTok from its Chinese parent company, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters during trade talks in Madrid on Monday. As noted by Reuters, Bessent confirmed that “the framework is for a switch to a […]
Discord is distancing itself from the Charlie Kirk shooting suspect
Discord is distancing itself from the Charlie Kirk shooting suspect Discord denies that the suspect accused of killing Charlie Kirk used the messaging platform to discuss his crime, following the service getting mentioned by law enforcement in a press conference — and after accusations that it helped radicalize the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson. In a statement […]
Internet detectives are misusing AI to find Charlie Kirk’s alleged shooter
Internet detectives are misusing AI to find Charlie Kirk's alleged shooter Earlier today, the FBI shared two blurry photos on X of a person of interest in the shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Numerous users replied with AI-upscaled, “enhanced” versions of the pictures almost immediately, turning the pixelated surveillance shots into sharp, high-resolution images. […]
Even killings are content
Even killings are content Minutes after news that right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk had been shot at a planned campus event at Utah Valley University, the wheels of social media engagement farming and clout chasing had already begun to grind to life. Kirk, despite being in his 30s, was a mainstay on college campuses around the […]
Meta curbed research about VR safety risks to kids, whistleblowers say
Meta curbed research about VR safety risks to kids, whistleblowers say A new group of whistleblowers are coming forward to allege that Meta is restricting research into how its virtual reality offerings could negatively impact kids and teens, The Washington Post reports. Four current and former Meta staffers allege that after an earlier whistleblower, Frances […]
Google fined $3.5 billion by EU for ad tech abuse
Google fined $3.5 billion by EU for ad tech abuse The European Commission has waged a €2.95 billion (~$3.5 billion) fine against Google for “abusing its dominant position” in advertising technology. In its announcement, the Commission claims that Google’s alleged anticompetitive practices have increased costs for advertisers and publishers, potentially raising prices for consumers as […]
Tech companies pledge to ready Americans for an AI-dominated world
Tech companies pledge to ready Americans for an AI-dominated world Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are among the companies committing to help prepare Americans for a world dominated by AI technology at a White House event on AI education Thursday. First Lady Melania Trump hosted a meeting of the White House’s AI education task force where […]
The tech antitrust renaissance may already be over
The tech antitrust renaissance may already be over Around six years ago, a new rallying cry rippled through Washington: “Break Up Big Tech.” It was a slogan emblazoned on campaign posters, uttered at congressional hearings, and beginning, it seemed, to echo through the halls of the nation’s antitrust enforcers. Momentum in the legislatures eventually petered […]
How the Democrats keep copying the MAGA influencer playbook (and failing)
How the Democrats keep copying the MAGA influencer playbook (and failing) Hello and welcome to Regulator. Today, I will attempt to regulate my own apoplexy. Recently, Wired published an article revealing the existence of a secret Democrat influencer incubator that trained liberal and progressive content creators to push coordinated messaging across their shared social media […]
Google is having ‘productive discussions’ with Trump lawyers about his deplatforming suit
Google is having 'productive discussions' with Trump lawyers about his deplatforming suit Google is having ‘productive discussions’ with Trump lawyers about his deplatforming suit Critics of Big Tech and President Donald Trump are on high alert as Google and President Donald Trump’s legal teams are engaged in what look like potential settlement discussions. Lawyers for […]