Tag Archives: government

Majority of Attorneys General support a warning label for social media platforms

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US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an op-ed in June calling for social media to come with a warning label about its negative health impacts, similar to the warnings placed on cigarettes and tobacco products. Now, 42 attorneys general have drafted an open letter to Congress to signal their support for Murthy's plan.

"This ubiquitous problem requires federal action—and a surgeon general’s warning on social media platforms, though not sufficient to address the full scope of the problem, would be one consequential step toward mitigating the risk of harm to youth," the group's letter reads. "A warning would not only highlight the inherent risks that social media platforms presently pose for young people, but also complement other efforts to spur attention, research, and investment into the oversight of social media platforms."

Almost every state's AG signed the letter; the only holdouts are Alaska, Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas and West Virginia. Attorneys general from American Samoa, District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands also signed.

The attorneys general cited the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, which both recently passed in the Senate, as other important measures for protecting young people's mental health. The measures took multiple tries to get to a floor vote in the Senate, and it's unclear whether they have the support to pass in the House of Representatives.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/majority-of-attorneys-general-support-a-warning-label-for-social-media-platforms-184138728.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

Elon Musk’s Starlink will comply with the Brazil X ban after all

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Update, September 3, 5:15PM ET: Starlink has reversed course on its decision to not comply with Brazil’s block of X. In a statement posted to X, the company said:

“To our customers in Brazil (who may not be able to read this as a result of X being blocked by @alexandre):

The Starlink team is doing everything possible to keep you connected.

Following last week’s order from @alexandre that froze Starlink’s finances and prevents Starlink from conducting financial transactions in Brazil, we immediately initiated legal proceedings in the Brazilian Supreme Court explaining the gross illegality of this order and asking the Court to unfreeze our assets. Regardless of the illegal treatment of Starlink in freezing of our assets, we are complying with the order to block access to X in Brazil.

We continue to pursue all legal avenues, as are others who agree that @alexandre’s recent orders violate the Brazilian constitution.”

The original story, "Starlink is refusing to comply with Brazil's X ban," as published on September 2, continues below unedited.

After the country’s Supreme Court ordered internet service providers to block access to X, the platform was largely unavailable in the country by Sunday night. The only ways to access X since then have been through VPNs (for those willing to risk huge fines) and Starlink, the satellite internet service that’s also run by X owner Elon Musk.

The president of Brazil’s telecom agency, Anatel, said that Starlink refused to comply with the court order until officials released its frozen assets, The New York Times reports. Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court justice who has been on the warpath against X, also blocked the local bank accounts of Starlink, which is a SpaceX subsidiary. Moraes, who has accused X of disseminating hate speech and disinformation, is said to have done so with the aim of collecting $3 million in fines levied against X for ignoring his orders to block certain accounts.

Starlink petitioned the court to unblock its assets but the court dismissed the request. Musk called the Starlink account freeze "illegal," arguing that SpaceX and X are separate entities while claiming he owns 40 percent of the former.

There are around 250,000 Starlink customers in Brazil. The service has proven popular there in rural areas and among Indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Starlink pledged to provide free internet access to its Brazilian customers while its accounts in the country remain blocked.

If Starlink maintains its stance on X, Brazil could revoke the internet service’s license. If it continues to operate after that, officials could seize equipment from 23 ground stations. The gear helps Starlink improve the quality of its satellite connections.

Meanwhile, a majority of a Supreme Court panel upheld the X ban, which Moraes issued after Musk defied several of his orders, at a trial on Monday. X will have the right to appeal the decision. The panel also approved an order by Moraes to fine anyone caught using a VPN to access X in Brazil a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian Real (around $8,900).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/elon-musks-starlink-will-comply-with-the-brazil-x-ban-after-all-181144471.html?src=rss

Brazil bans X for refusing to comply with Supreme Court order

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Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the nation’s internet service providers to block the social media platform X. The New York Times reports that the order stems from owner Elon Musk’s refusal to appoint a legal representative for his case and comply with Moraes’ order to shut down X accounts he deemed as harmful to the democratic process. The order has been published online by Brazilian news site Poder 360.

The justice issued a deadline to telecom companies and tech giants to remove the X from its app stores and platforms. Apple and Google have five days to take down the social media app from its app stores. Brazil’s telecommunication’s agency Anatel has confirmed it has received the order, and ISPs in the country have just 24 hours to comply with the order.

Justice Moraes’ order doesn’t just block the country’s access to X. It also makes it a crime to use the app through a virtual private network (VPN). Anyone caught accessing X with a VPN could face a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian Real (around $8,900).

Justice Moraes also froze the Brazillian bank accounts of SpaceX’s Starlink internet service provider on Thursday to further pressure Musk to comply with the court’s order. SpaceX, like X, is a private company majority owned by Musk, and X has $3 million in unpaid fines related to its case in the country. The day before, Justice Moraes issued a threat to ban the X platform entirely across Brazil if the social media company did not appoint a legal representative in the country. The deadline passed without any change to the court’s docket so the judge followed through on his promise.

Starlink expressed its disapproval with the order, vowing to fight the ruling. It even threatened to make its services free to customers to subvert the justice’s order.

The legal fight between Justice Moraes and Musk has been fuming for months. The Supreme Court Judge is also Brazil’s electoral authority and has been monitoring and issuing orders to candidates to steer clear of spreading false information through internet and social media channels.

Brazil’s 2022 presidential election between infamous incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and challenger and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was reportedly filled with attempts to present voters with false information. Justice Moraes was, until recently, president of the nation's Superior Electoral Court, which gave him the power to order takedowns of content that violated previous court orders. The judge issued a similar block of the messaging app Telegram for failing to freeze offending accounts, which was lifted after compliance.

Musk characterized Moraes’ directives to take down or freeze similar misinformation accounts from X as “censorship orders.” Earlier this month, Musk expressed his continued refusal to comply with the court by closing X’s Brazilian office in order “to protect the safety of our staff.” X’s Global Governments Affairs team also promised to publish all of “Judge de Moraes’ illegal demands and all related court filings.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/brazil-bans-x-for-refusing-to-comply-with-supreme-court-order-230247980.html?src=rss

Starlink’s local bank accounts are frozen as X prepares to be shut down in Brazil

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A judge in Brazil has blocked Starlink’s bank accounts in the country amid a deepening dispute with X. The move comes as the same Supreme Court judge has threatened to shut down X in the country, and is a direct response to the ongoing legal battle with the social media company, Reuters reported.

X owner Elon Musk has been feuding with Brazil Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes for months over demands to block certain accounts in the country. The company closed down its operations in Brazil earlier this month as a result of the court orders, which X has characterized as “censorship orders.”

Now, Moraes is apparently attempting to use one of Musk’s other companies, SpaceX-owned Starlink, in an attempt to get X to comply with the court order. “This order is based on an unfounded determination that Starlink should be responsible for the fines levied—unconstitutionally—against X,” Starlink wrote in a statement on X. “It was issued in secret and without affording Starlink any of the due process of law guaranteed by the Constitution of Brazil. We intend to address the matter legally.”

Moraes has also threatened to shut down X in the country entirely. On Wednesday, the judge said X would be shut down in Brazil if they didn’t appoint a legal representative in the country. X said in an update Thursday, shortly after that deadline had passed, that it “soon” expects Moraes to order the shutdown.

“We are absolutely not insisting that other countries have the same free speech laws as the United States,” the company wrote in a statement published in English and Portuguese. “The fundamental issue at stake here is that Judge de Moraes demands we break Brazil’s own laws. We simply won’t do that.” The company said it planned to publish Moraes' "illegal demands and all related court filings" in the coming days. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/starlinks-local-bank-accounts-are-frozen-as-x-prepares-to-be-shut-down-in-brazil-234046493.html?src=rss

FCC fines telecoms operator $1 million for transmitting Biden deepfake

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In January, calls using an AI-generated voice imitating President Biden instructed voters not to take part in the New Hampshire Primary. Now, as the 2024 election nears, the Federal Communications Commission is sending a message by further cracking down on those responsible for the Biden deepfake. Lingo Telecom, which transmitted the fraudulent calls, will pay the FCC a $1 million civil penalty and must demonstrate and implement a compliance plan. 

In response to the settlement, The Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal stated, "..the potential combination of the misuse of generative AI voice-cloning technology and caller ID spoofing over the U.S. communications network presents a significant threat. This settlement sends a strong message that communications service providers are the first line of defense against these threats and will be held accountable to ensure they do their part to protect the American public."

This step follows the FCC's proposed $6 million fine for Steven Kramer, the political consultant who directed the calls. The FCC alleges he also violated the Truth in Caller ID Act by spoofing a local politician's phone number. The enforcement action in Kramer's case is still pending. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fcc-fines-telecoms-operator-1-million-for-transmitting-biden-deepfake-120010234.html?src=rss

Texas judge blocks the FTC from enforcing its ban on noncompete agreements

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The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) efforts to ban noncompete agreements has been blocked by a federal judge in Texas. According to The Washington Post, US District Judge Ada Brown has determined that the agency doesn't have the authority to enforce the rule, which was supposed to take effect on September 4. She reportedly wrote in her decision that the FTC only looked at "inconsistent and flawed empirical evidence" and didn't consider evidence in support of noncompetes. "The role of an administrative agency is to do as told by Congress, not to do what the agency thinks it should do," she added. 

FTC Chair Lina M. Khan explained that "noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism" when the agency voted 3-2 in favor of the ban. Noncompete agreements are widely used in the tech industry, and preventing companies from adding them to contracts would mean that workers will be able to freely move to a new job or start a business in the same field. The two Republican commissioners in the FTC, Melissa Holyoak and Andrew Ferguson, voted against the ban and also said that the agency "overstepped the boundaries of its power."

In July, Brown temporarily blocked the rule's enforcement to assess the lawsuit filed by Dallas tax services firm Ryan LLC mere hours after the FTC announced the ban. The US Chamber of Commerce and other groups of American businesses eventually joined the tax firm in challenging the new rule on noncompete clauses. 

"We are disappointed by Judge Brown's decision and will keep fighting to stop noncompetes that restrict the economic liberty of hardworking Americans, hamper economic growth, limit innovation, and depress wages," FTC spokesperson Victoria Graham told The Post. "We are seriously considering a potential appeal, and today's decision does not prevent the FTC from addressing noncompetes through case-by-case enforcement actions."

A federal judge in Florida also blocked the rule last week, though only for the lawsuit's plaintiffs. Meanwhile, another judge in Pennsylvania ruled last month that the agency has the authority to enforce the ban in a separate case filed by a tree-care company in the state. All three cases could still be appealed and could even make their way to the Supreme Court. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/texas-judge-blocks-the-ftc-from-enforcing-its-ban-on-noncompete-agreements-133059676.html?src=rss

X is closing its operations in Brazil immediately, but its service will remain live for users

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X says it's ending business operations in Brazil effective immediately, but the service will remain available to users in the country. The company says Alexandre de Moraes, the president of the Superior Electoral Court and a justice of the Supreme Federal Court, threatened one of X's legal representatives with arrest if it did not "comply with his censorship orders." 

According to Reuters, de Moreas demanded that X remove certain content from its platform. Rather than comply, X has opted to end its local operations "to protect the safety of our staff." 

According to X, de Moraes made the threat in a "secret order," which it shared publicly. X owner Elon Musk claimed that the demand "would require us to break (in secret) Brazilian, Argentinian, American and international law." He added that, "The decision to close the 𝕏 office in Brazil was difficult, but, if we had agreed to @alexandre’s (illegal) secret censorship and private information handover demands, there was no way we could explain our actions without being ashamed."

"Despite our numerous appeals to the Supreme Court not being heard, the Brazilian public not being informed about these orders and our Brazilian staff having no responsibility or control over whether content is blocked on our platform, Moraes has chosen to threaten our staff in Brazil rather than respect the law or due process," X said in a statement on its Global Government Affairs account. "[de Moraes'] actions are incompatible with democratic government. The people of Brazil have a choice to make — democracy, or Alexandre de Moraes."

Musk has been railing against de Moraes for months. In April, he said he would defy orders from the legislator to block certain accounts in Brazil, claiming that they were unconstitutional. In response, de Moraes opened an obstruction of justice inquiry against Musk. X said later in April it would comply with every order issued by Brazil's top courts.

That same month, the House Judiciary Committee released an interim staff report claiming that the Brazilian government was trying to force X (and other social media platforms) to censor more than 300 accounts. It said that the accounts included those belonging to former Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro, a member of the country's federal senate and a journalist.

X does not have a public relations team that can be reached for comment.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-closing-its-operations-in-brazil-immediately-but-its-service-will-remain-live-for-users-165224020.html?src=rss

California state IDs can now be stored in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet

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California is the latest state to make its driver's licenses mobile. Today, Governor Gavin Newsom's office announced that both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet will be adding support for California driver's licenses and state IDs. The release clarified that residents still need to carry a physical copy of their identification, but that the mobile option would make age verification faster during air travel and at participating businesses.

“We’re partnering with two iconic California companies – Apple and Google – to provide convenient, private and secure driver’s licenses and ID cards directly on people’s phones," Newsom said. "This is a big step in our efforts to better serve all Californians, meeting people where they’re at and with technology people use every day.”

The addition of licenses to these tech companies' wallet apps is part of a bigger program by California's Department of Motor Vehicles. The mobile Drivers License (mDL) pilot introduced a proprietary wallet app from the state agency that gave California residents the same capabilities to upload their driver's licenses to their smartphones. More than 500,000 residents have done so to date in the mDL program.

Arizona was the first state to bring driver's licenses to Apple Wallet in 2022, although both iOS and Android were exploring the technology years before. Maryland, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and Ohio have also adopted support for mobile identification. And any news about identification is a good reminder that Real ID laws, which require more documentation to board a plane or enter some government facilities, are slated to take effect in 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/california-state-ids-can-now-be-stored-in-apple-wallet-and-google-wallet-200021839.html?src=rss

US Homeland Security will reportedly collect face scans of migrant kids

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Update, August 15, 5:50PM ET: The US Department of Homeland Security has issued a statement disputing some of MIT Technology Review's reporting. We've updated our post below with its statement and more details. 

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is looking to improve its facial recognition algorithms, is reportedly planning to use the facial data of migrant children entering the country for training. According to MIT Technology Review, the agency intends to collect and analyze facial captures of kids younger than 14. John Boyd, the assistant director of Homeland Security's Office of Biometric Identity Management who's involved in the development of biometric services for the government, told the publication that the collection will include children "down to the infant."

Programs that collect biometric information and even DNA samples from migrants entering the country typically only apply to people between 14 and 79 years old. Boyd said Homeland Security's plan was likely made possible by some of its sub-offices' decision to remove age restrictions for the collection of biometric data. Since the information is also supposed to be used for research purposes and not for the agency's actual operations, Homeland's restrictions for biometric collection also don't apply to the program. 

Boyd told MIT Technology Review that the agency hasn't started collecting biometric information under the program yet, at least to the best of his knowledge, but that he can confirm that his office is funding it. He added that his office takes privacy seriously and that it doesn't share data with commercial industries. Data collected by the program could help improve facial recognition technologies' understanding of how faces change as humans age. The program could ultimately help authorities find missing children even after years have passed. 

However, critics and expects have raised concerns about collecting data from migrants, a lot of whom are entering the country in hopes of a better life and may feel like they have no choice but to agree to getting their facial and fingerprint information taken. It's even more concerning in this case, because children can't give their informed consent.

Homeland Security is disputing some of MIT Technology Review's reporting, though, and a spokesperson told Engadget that the publication got its information from a presentation meant to understand emerging technologies and their theoretical applications. "The DHS does not collect facial images from minors under 14, and has no current plans to do so for either operational or research purposes," the spokesperson said. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/us-homeland-security-will-reportedly-collect-face-scans-of-migrant-kids-133042516.html?src=rss