Tag Archives: Politics & Government

YouTube terminates five right-wing channels linked to the DOJ’s Russia indictments

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YouTube confirmed its termination of five right-wing political channels believed to be connected to the Department of Justice’s Russia-linked US media indictments this week. The platform pulled the channel of Tenet Media, which CNN reported to be the unnamed company implicated in the indictment. The DOJ accused Russian operatives of paying the media organization to spread disinformation designed to influence the 2024 US elections.

A YouTube spokesperson confirmed the takedown and provided a statement to Engadget. “Following an indictment from the US Department of Justice and after careful review, we are terminating the Tenet Media channel and four channels operated by its owner Lauren Chen as part of our ongoing efforts to combat coordinated influence operations,” the company statement reads.

According to YouTube, the investigation into the situation is ongoing, and the company will evaluate whether further actions are warranted as new information emerges. The company says it terminated over 4,000 YouTube channels in Q2 2024 as part of investigations into Russia-linked influence operations. YouTube works with Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) to identify bad actors and deplatform their channels and accounts accordingly.

On Wednesday, the DOJ indicted two employees of RT (formerly Russia Today), a Kremlin-backed media outlet. They were accused of illegally funding a Tennessee-backed media organization, now all but officially confirmed as Tenet Media. DOJ prosecutors allege in the indictment that the media company’s founders knew their funding came from the Russian government. Tenet Media is owned by Chen and her husband, Liam Donovan.

The Washington Post reports that YouTube was Tenet’s preferred platform for spreading propaganda videos aimed at US conservatives and featuring popular right-wing pundits. Those working with the organization included Benny Johnson, Tim Pool and Dave Rubin. The channels have even featured appearances from former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and RNC Chair Lara Trump. Pool and Rubin have reportedly denied knowledge that the Russian government was behind Tenet’s funding.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/youtube-terminates-five-right-wing-channels-linked-to-the-dojs-russia-indictments-175432238.html?src=rss

YouTube terminates five right-wing channels linked to the DOJ’s Russia indictments

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YouTube confirmed its termination of five right-wing political channels believed to be connected to the Department of Justice’s Russia-linked US media indictments this week. The platform pulled the channel of Tenet Media, which CNN reported to be the unnamed company implicated in the indictment. The DOJ accused Russian operatives of paying the media organization to spread disinformation designed to influence the 2024 US elections.

A YouTube spokesperson confirmed the takedown and provided a statement to Engadget. “Following an indictment from the US Department of Justice and after careful review, we are terminating the Tenet Media channel and four channels operated by its owner Lauren Chen as part of our ongoing efforts to combat coordinated influence operations,” the company statement reads.

According to YouTube, the investigation into the situation is ongoing, and the company will evaluate whether further actions are warranted as new information emerges. The company says it terminated over 4,000 YouTube channels in Q2 2024 as part of investigations into Russia-linked influence operations. YouTube works with Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) to identify bad actors and deplatform their channels and accounts accordingly.

On Wednesday, the DOJ indicted two employees of RT (formerly Russia Today), a Kremlin-backed media outlet. They were accused of illegally funding a Tennessee-backed media organization, now all but officially confirmed as Tenet Media. DOJ prosecutors allege in the indictment that the media company’s founders knew their funding came from the Russian government. Tenet Media is owned by Chen and her husband, Liam Donovan.

The Washington Post reports that YouTube was Tenet’s preferred platform for spreading propaganda videos aimed at US conservatives and featuring popular right-wing pundits. Those working with the organization included Benny Johnson, Tim Pool and Dave Rubin. The channels have even featured appearances from former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and RNC Chair Lara Trump. Pool and Rubin have reportedly denied knowledge that the Russian government was behind Tenet’s funding.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/youtube-terminates-five-right-wing-channels-linked-to-the-dojs-russia-indictments-175432238.html?src=rss

The US, UK, EU and other major nations have signed a landmark global AI treaty

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The United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and several other countries have signed an AI safety treaty laid out by the Council of Europe (COE), an international standards and human rights organization. This landmark treaty, known as the Framework Convention on artificial intelligence and human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, opened for signature in Vilnius, Lithuania. It is the first legally binding international agreement aimed at ensuring that AI systems align with democratic values.

The treaty focuses on three main areas: protecting human rights (including privacy and preventing discrimination), safeguarding democracy, and upholding the rule of law. It also provides a legal framework covering the entire lifecycle of AI systems, promoting innovation, and managing potential risks.

Besides the US, UK and the EU, the treaty’s other signatories include Andorra, Georgia, Iceland, Norway, Moldova, San Marino, and Israel. Notably absent are many major countries from Asia and the Middle East, and Russia, but any country will be eligible to join it in the future as long as they commit to comply with its provisions, according to a statement from the Council of Europe.

“We must ensure that the rise of AI upholds our standards, rather than undermining them,” said COE secretary general Marija Pejčinović Burić in the statement. “The Framework Convention is designed to ensure just that. It is a strong and balanced text - the result of the open and inclusive approach by which it was drafted and which ensured that it benefits from multiple and expert perspectives.

The treaty will enter into force three months after five signatories, including at least three Council of Europe member states, ratify it. The COE’s treaty joins other recent efforts to regulate AI including the UK's AI Safety Summit, the G7-led Hiroshima AI Process, and the UN's AI resolution.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-us-uk-eu-and-other-major-nations-have-signed-a-landmark-global-ai-treaty-232119489.html?src=rss

Even the NSA now has a podcast

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Well, it's official: everyone has a podcast. Today, the NSA launched No Such Podcast, a nod to the entity's nickname, No Such Agency, back when its mere existence was classified. The NSA bills the podcast as bringing "people to the table from across the agency to discuss our role as a combat support agency, our foreign signals intelligence and cybersecurity missions, and so much more. NSA is known as home to the world's greatest codemakers and codebreakers — their stories are now being decoded."

However, the podcast is far from Edward Snowden-level sharing. The NSA's chief of strategic communications, Sara Siegle, is quick to add that some of the agency's work is too sensitive to discuss. This podcast will be a platform to tell "more" stories while sharing expertise and highlighting government officials.

No Such Podcast is available on YouTube and wherever you regularly get your podcasts. The NSA published two episodes on launch day, with the first focusing on cybersecurity and the other detailing the agency's role in finding Osama Bin Laden. The NSA will release six more episodes weekly through mid-October.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/even-the-nsa-now-has-a-podcast-140028493.html?src=rss

Meta’s Oversight Board separates death threats and ‘aspirational statements’ in Venezuela

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Meta’s Oversight Board has weighed in on the company’s content moderation policies in Venezuela amid violent crackdowns and widespread protests following the country’s disputed presidential election. In its decision, the board said that Facebook users posting about the state-supported armed groups known as “colectivos” should have more leeway in making statements like “kill those damn colectivos.”

The company asked the Oversight Board for guidance on the issue last month, noting that its moderators had seen an “influx” of “anti-colectivos content” in the wake of the election. Meta specifically asked for the board’s input on two posts: an Instagram post with the words “Go to hell! I hope they kill you all!” that Meta says was directed at the colectivos, and a Facebook post criticizing Venezuela’s security forces that said “kill those damn colectivos.”

The Oversight Board said that neither post violated Meta’s rules around calls for violence and that both should be interpreted as “aspirational statements” from citizens of a country where state-supported violence has threatened free expression. “The targets of aspirational violence are state-backed forces that have contributed to the longstanding repression of civic space and other human rights violations in Venezuela, including in the present post-election crisis,” the board wrote in its decision. “By contrast, the civilian population has largely been the target of human rights abuses.”

The Oversight Board also criticized Meta’s practice of making political content less visible across its services. “The Board is also deeply concerned that in the context of Venezuela, the company’s policy to reduce the distribution of political content could undermine the ability of users expressing political dissent and raising awareness about the situation in Venezuela to reach the widest possible audience.” It recommended that Meta adapt its policies “to ensure that political content, especially around elections and post-electoral protests, is eligible for the same reach as non-political content” during times of crisis.

The case isn’t the first time the board has waded into the debate surrounding the role of political content on Meta’s apps. Earlier this year, the board accepted its first case related to a post on Threads, which is also expected to weigh in on Meta’s controversial decision to limit recommendations of political posts on the service. The board has yet to publish its decision in the case.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/metas-oversight-board-separates-death-threats-and-aspirational-statements-in-venezuela-100050434.html?src=rss

US charges Russian state media employees over a social media influence scheme

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The Department of justice (DOJ) has indicted two employees of the Russian state-owned broadcaster RT over an alleged pro-Russia influence scheme on social media platforms. Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva have been accused of being involved in a plan to pay an unnamed Tennessee company almost $10 million to spread nearly 2,000 videos (most of which included disinformation and/or pro-Russia propaganda) in English across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and X. The DOJ says the videos had been viewed more than 16 million times on YouTube alone.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a press conference that, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, "RT’s editor-in-chief said the company had built an 'entire empire of covert projects' designed to shape public opinion in 'Western audiences.'" As part of that goal, RT and employees (including the two defendants) "implemented a nearly $10 million scheme to fund and direct a Tennessee-based company to publish and disseminate content deemed favorable to the Russian government."

"To implement this scheme, the defendants directed the company to contract with US-based social media influencers to share this content and their platforms. The subject matter and content of many of the videos published by the company were often consistent with Russia's interest in amplifying US domestic divisions in order to weaken US opposition to core Russian interests, particularly its ongoing war in Ukraine," Garland said.

The Tennessee company didn't inform the influencers or their millions of followers of its links to the Russian government, Garland added. It instead claimed to be sponsored by a fictitious "private investor," according to the DOJ. 

Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva have been charged with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Both are at large. However, the charges do not signal the end of the case. Galand pointed out the investigation is ongoing.

The DOJ unsealed the indictment amid a broader push by the government to clamp down on Russian propaganda and disinformation ahead of November's general election. In a separate action, the DOJ seized 32 websites "that the Russian government and the Russian-sponsored actors have used to engage in a covert campaign to interfere and influence the outcome of our country's elections," Garland said.

The campaign, which Russia is said to have called "Doppelganger," included the creation of websites that "were designed to appear to American readers as if they were major US news sites, like The Washington Post or Fox News, but, in fact, they were fake sites," Garland said. "They were filled with Russian government propaganda that had been created by the Kremlin to reduce international support for Ukraine, bolster pro-Russian policies and interests and influence voters in the United States and in other countries."

Meanwhile, the Treasury and State departments announced parallel actions. The Treasury Department sanctioned ANO Dialog, a Russian nonprofit that's said to help orchestrate the Doppleganger campaign, along with RT editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan and other RT employees.

The State Department sanctioned RT and four other state-funded publishers. It is also offering a $10 million reward for information regarding to foreign interference over an American election.

After this story was originally published, CNN reported that the unnamed company that the Russian operatives were paying to spread disinformation was Tennessee-based Tenet Media, a company known for employing far-right commentators including Tim Pool and Benny Johnson, who have millions of subscribers on YouTube. As of now, there's no official confirmation from the government to verify CNN's report.

Update, September 5 2024, 10:05AM ET: this story has been updated to include CNN's report on Tenet Media being involved in the investigation.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/us-charges-russian-state-media-employees-over-a-social-media-influence-scheme-200028302.html?src=rss

Meta’s Oversight Board says phrase ‘From the River to the Sea’ should not be banned

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A new ruling from Meta’s Oversight Board regarding the use of the phrase “From the River to the Sea” found that it does not violate the platforms’ policies on hate speech, violence and incitement or dangerous organizations and individuals. The board also said in its ruling that the three flagged cases that used the phrase highlight the need for greater access to Facebook’s Content Library for qualified researchers, civil society groups and journalists who previously had access to CrowdTangle.

The ruling looked at three pieces of Facebook content containing the phrase “From the River to the Sea,” a phrase considered by many to be pro-Palestinian that refers to the stretch of land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. The rallying cry is a politically charged one with different interpretations and meanings. Critics of the phrase like the Anti-Defamation League call it an “anti-semitic slogan commonly featured in anti-Israel campaigns.” Others like US Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who the House censured last year for using the phrase in statements about the Israel-Gaza war, called it “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction or hate,” according to the New York Times.

The Oversight Board ruled that the phrase itself is not a “standalone phrase” calling for violence against a group of people, the exclusion of a particular group of people or a blanket stance of support for Hamas. The board also said it’s “vital” that Meta’s platforms assess the context surrounding the use of the phrase while assessing content from its users.

“Because the phrase does not have a single meaning, a blanket ban on content that includes the phrase, a default rule towards removal of such content, or even using it as a signal to trigger enforcement or review, would hinder protected political speech in unacceptable ways,” the ruling reads.

The board also raised concerns about Meta’s decision to shut down the CrowdTangle data analysis tool in August in its research on content and called for greater transparency regarding the new system. CrowdTangle was a free research tool used by news outlets, researchers and other groups to learn about the dissemination of information on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Meta replaced the tool with the Meta Content Library, a much more tightly controlled data examination system with stricter access rules. The Content Library restricts access to those who work with “a qualified academic institution or a qualified research institution” committed to “a not-for-profit endeavor,” according to Facebook’s guidelines.

The Oversight Board recommended that Meta onboard qualified researchers, groups and journalists within three weeks of submitting an application. The board also recommended that Meta “ensure its Content Library is a suitable replacement for CrowdTangle,” according to the ruling.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/metas-oversight-board-says-phrase-from-the-river-to-the-sea-should-not-be-banned-174506090.html?src=rss

Google is rolling out more election-related safeguards in YouTube, search and AI

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As the US speeds toward one of the most consequential elections in its 248-year history, Google is rolling out safeguards to ensure users get reliable information. In addition to the measures it announced late last year, the company said on Friday that it’s adding election-related guardrails to YouTube, Search, Google Play and AI products.

YouTube will add information panels above the search results for at least some federal election candidates. The modules, likely similar to those you see when searching the web for prominent figures, will include the candidates’ basic details like their political party and a link to Google Search for more info. The company says the panels may also include a link to the person’s official website (or other channel). As Election Day (November 5) approaches, YouTube’s homepage will also show reminders on where and how to vote.

Google Search will include aggregated voter registration resources from state election offices for all users. Google is sourcing that data through a partnership with Democracy Works, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works with various companies and organizations “to help voters whenever and wherever they need it.”

Meanwhile, the Google Play Store will add a new badge that indicates an app is from an official government agency. The company outlines its requirements for apps that “communicate government information” in a developer help document. Approved applications that have submitted the required forms are eligible for the “official endorsement signified by a clear visual treatment on the Play Store.”

As for generative AI, which can be prone to hallucinations that would make Jerry Garcia blush, Google is expanding its election-related restrictions, which were announced late last year. They’ll include disclosures for ads created or generated using AI, content labels for generated content and embedded SynthID digital watermarking for AI-made text, audio, images and video. Initially described as being for Gemini (apps and on the web), the election guardrails will apply to Search AI Overviews, YouTube AI-generated summaries for Live Chat, Gems (custom chatbots with user-created instructions) and Gemini image generation.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-is-rolling-out-more-election-related-safeguards-in-youtube-search-and-ai-190422568.html?src=rss

X labeled an unflattering NPR story about Donald Trump as ‘unsafe’

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X briefly discouraged users from viewing a link to an NPR story about Donald Trump's recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery, raising questions about whether the Elon Musk-owned platform is putting its thumb on the scale for the former president.

On Thursday, NPR reporter Stephen Fowler posted a link to a story in which he quoted an Army official who said that an employee at Arlington National Cemetery was “abruptly pushed aside” during an event attended by Trump and members of his campaign earlier this week. The outlet had previously reported that there was a “physical altercation” at the event with campaign staff over federal laws barring campaign activities at the cemetery.

Some users on X who attempted to click a link to the story were greeted with a warning message saying that X deemed that “this link may be unsafe.” It stated that it could be malicious, violent, spammy or otherwise violate the platform’s rules, but didn't explain why the link was flagged. Fowler posted a thread on X, each tweet of which contained a link to his story — the warning appeared to affect the first two instances of the link but not others, for reasons unknown. It’s highly unusual for such a warning to appear before a link to a mainstream website. Other links to NPR, as well as other coverage of Trump’s visit to Arlington, don’t appear to have such a label.

In a statement to an NPR reporter, an X spokesperson claimed the warning appeared due to a "false positive" and that it had been corrected. The company didn't explain further.

Notably, Musk has been a vocal supporter of Trump this election, and recently held a lengthy live streamed conversation with him on X. Musk has also publicly feuded with NPR in the past, adding a “state affiliated media” label to its account for several months last year. NPR hasn’t posted from its main account on X since the label was added last April.

Update August 29, 2024, 2:35 PM ET: This story was updated to add additional details from an X spokesperson and to indicate that the link is no longer labeled as "unsafe."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-labeling-an-unflattering-npr-story-about-donald-trump-as-unsafe-163732236.html?src=rss

X’s Grok chatbot now directs election queries to Vote.gov

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Misinformation is all over the internet, including the — at times — chaos that is X (formerly Twitter). AI bots have a habit of adding to it. Now, with barely two months left until the presidential election, an update to Grok, X's premium chatbot, could curb some of it (after being called out for said election misinformation). Grok will now direct anyone with an election-related query to Vote.org, a non-partisan website operated through a partnership between the US government, the US Election Assistance Commission and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The catalyst for change came on July 21, only hours after President Biden announced his decision not to seek reelection, when Grok falsely posted that the ballot deadline had passed in nine states, implying officials couldn't change the democratic candidate. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon had staff attempt to contact X about the error, to which they received the response, "Busy now, please check back later." Grok continued to share the response for ten days. 

Secretary Simon joined the Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Washington Secretaries of State — all states wrongly named by Grok — in writing an open letter to X and xAI CEO Elon Musk calling for Grok to direct any election queries to CanIVote.org, another non-partisan resource. They claimed Grok's response, though only available to X Premium and Premium+ subscribers, reached "millions of people" due to screenshots and shares. 

The letter also shamed Grok and xAI a bit further, explaining how its competitor, OpenAI, had teamed up with the National Association of Secretaries of State to provide accurate, up-to-date election information. It also mentioned that OpenAI's bot, ChatGPT, was already programmed to direct users to CanIVote.org if it received questions about the US election.

The update is a start. The bot has also created misleading images of the top party candidates. "We appreciate X's action to improve their platform and hope they continue to make improvements that will ensure their users have access to accurate information from trusted sources in this critical election year," the Secretaries of State said in response to the update. "Elections are a team effort, and we need and welcome any partners who are committed to ensuring free, fair, secure, and accurate elections." 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/xs-grok-chatbot-now-directs-election-queries-to-votegov-114516549.html?src=rss