The EU has reached a historic regulatory agreement over AI development
Following a marathon 72-hour debate, European Union legislators Friday have reached a historic deal on its expansive AI Act safety development bill, the broadest-ranging and far-reaching of its kind to date, reports The Washington Post. Details of the deal itself were not immediately available. “This legislation will represent a standard,…
US Senator calls for the public release of AT&T ‘Hemisphere’ surveillance records
US Senator Ron Wyden wants the public to know about the details surrounding the long-running Hemisphere phone surveillance program. Wyden has written US Attorney General Merrick Garland a letter (PDF), asking him to release additional information about the project that apparently gives law enforcement agencies access to trillions of domestic…
Basically all of Maine had data stolen by a ransomware gang
The state agencies of Maine had fallen victim to cybercriminals who exploited a vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer tool, making them the latest addition to the growing list of entities affected by the massive hack involving the software. In a notice the government has published about the cybersecurity incident,…
Kamala Harris announces AI Safety Institute to protect American consumers
Just days after President Joe Biden unveiled a sweeping executive order retasking the federal government with regards to AI development, Vice President Kamala Harris announced at the UK AI Safety Summit on Tuesday a half dozen more machine learning initiatives that the administration is undertaking. Among the highlights: the establishment…
Sweeping White House executive order takes aim at AI’s toughest challenges
The Biden Administration unveiled its ambitious next steps in addressing and regulating artificial intelligence development on Monday. Its expansive new executive order (EO) seeks to establish further protections for the public as well as improve best practices for federal agencies and their contractors. “The President several months ago directed his…
US Senate begins collecting evidence on how AI could thwart robocalls
Robocalls are rampant, using AI and other tools to disrupt day-to-day life and scam Americans out of their money through impersonations of family members, phone providers and more. On October 24, the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband heard the latest issue and solution floating around: AI….
The Supreme Court will hear case on government’s contacts with social media companies
As expected, the Supreme Court will weigh in on a controversial case attempting to limit contact between federal officials and social media companies. The case could have sweeping implications for how social media companies make policy and content moderation decisions. The case stems from a lawsuit, brought by the attorneys…
IRS will start piloting its free TurboTax alternative in 2024
It looks like the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) truly was working on a free TurboTax alternative like earlier reports had claimed. The US tax authority has announced that it will start pilot testing its new Direct File program for the 2024 filing season, though it will initially be available for…
The US Senate wants answers over Starlink’s Ukrainian satellite internet denial
The US Senate Armed Services Committee is investigating Elon Musk’s decision to not extend Starlink satellite internet coverage to enable a Ukraine attack on Russian warship near Crimea, Bloomberg has reported. “The committee is aggressively probing this issue from every angle,” said chairman Jack Reed in a statement, adding that…
Apple backs Right to Repair bill in California
Apple officially endorsed Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman’s Right to Repair Bill in California, according to iFixit. Reuters says the tech giant even sent legislators in the state a letter, urging them to pass Senate Bill 244, which requires companies to provide consumers and third-party providers the repair diagnostics and parts…