August 11th, 2024 • 3h 16m
Shownotes
Every new episode of No Agenda is accompanied by a comprehensive list of shownotes curated by Adam while preparing for the show. Clips played by the hosts during the show can also be found here.
UK in Chaos
Online Safety Act: explainer
The arrests for inaccurate information being posted on Facebook and getting angry on Facebook is a byproduct of the online safety act which is still in the process of being implemented. Although The act passed into law last October.
So it looks as though online discussion is already ruined.
And it's everything.. emails whatsapp you name it.
They say the purpose is to avoid sending photographs of terrorists or sexual violence or something. But ultimately, it means that contents of messages and emails are being examined.
Flashing images are also illegal because somebody might have an epileptic fit.
The last time rumors were illegal was in wartime.
Best to you and the keeper
Sara
The Act passed into law on 26 October 2023. Now work is being carried out to bring its protections into effect.
Ofcom is leading work to implement the Act’s provisions and are taking a phased approach to bringing duties into effect
5 Aug 2024
Tackling online content that stirs up hatred, provokes violence and spreads disinformation.
The UK’s Online Safety Act will put new duties on tech firms to protect their users from illegal content, which under the Act can include content involving hatred, disorder, provoking violence or certain instances of disinformation
When will the Act come into force?
We’re working to implement the Act so we can enforce it as soon as possible
More than 700 arrests made and 302 people charged over riots in England | Crime | The Guardian
Police investigating the riots led by the far right say they have made more than 700 arrests for alleged offences, and promised “hundreds” more to come.
Of the 741 arrests, 32 relate to online offences such as incitement, and the scale of the operation is shown by the fact the arrest took place in 36 of the 43 force areas across [England](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/england) and Wales.
Free Speech is Under Siege in Starmer's UK
It has now emerged that the government in London has started flagging content it deems to be “misinformation” – but also something referred to as “concerning content.”
X is among those who have been asked to remove posts which British officials consider to threaten the country’s national security; and while reports say Google, Meta, and TikTok are complying with these demands, X is said to be resisting them.
The accusations that social sites are “providing a platform for hate” while allegedly unaccountable for that is coming from cabinet members and MPs alike.
Kamala
Harris and animal farm - Glenn Greenwald
Donald Trump Attacks 'Copycat' Kamala Harris for 'Stealing' Proposal - Newsweek
The vice president and Democratic presidential nominee announced the proposal, which mirrors one made by Trump earlier this year, during a rally in Las Vegas on Saturday. "When I am president, we will continue our fight for working families of America, including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers," Harris said.
What I can't find any evidence of is the Harris campaign actually posting this picture at all
Big Tech AI and Socials
Nebraska Attorney General releases excerpts from previously censored TikTok documents
TikTok achieves its success from “many coercive design tactics” and features that “limit user agency,” including infinite scroll, auto-play, and constant notifications.
TikTok affects its users in a way that is psychologically similar to a “slot machine” and TikTok admits that the “product in itself has baked into it compulsive use” and that “compulsive usage on TikTok is rampant.”
TikTok admits that its young users “have minimal ability to self-regulate effectively” and lack the “executive control function” needed to control their screen time.
Compulsive usage of TikTok “correlates with a slew of negative mental health effects like loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety.”
TikTok is aware that compulsive usage of its platform interferes with users’ “essential personal responsibilities like sufficient sleep, work/school responsibilities, and connecting with loved ones” and causes “negative emotions.”
Beyond being aware that TikTok use regularly interferes with users’ sleep, TikTok also knows that “[s]leep [is] unanimously linked to health outcomes” and that “[b]ad sleep is a source of mental health issues.”
TikTok is aware that many teens on its platform find that TikTok is addictive, inappropriate, and interferes with their lives in unhealthy ways.
TikTok knows that many of its publicized safety features, like age verification and Family Pairing, are easily circumvented or not widely used but still considers them “good talking point[s]” in response to scrutiny from “policymakers.”
Israel vs Everyone
Yahya The Baptist! BOTG
ITM Gents,
Quick background on the name Yahya, this is the Arabic name of John the Baptist. The name Yahya is close to the Biblical name of Jehiah.
Yahya is prophet in Islam and is mentioned in the Quran.
TYFYC,
Dude Named Mohammed
Biden
Biden is not done yet, could he make Kamala the President?
Big Pharma
Ozempic May Have Another Side Effect: Better Sex - WSJ
Jacqueline Smith had a
healthy sex life until she began taking Ozempic to lose weight. That’s
when she noticed some dramatic changes. Smith, 35, and her husband of
seven years went from having sex several times a week to doing so daily,
sometimes more than once.
Smith,
who lives in Greenville, Ohio, has lost 67 pounds and says she’s now
taking the drug on and off. When she stops, she says, her sex drive
slows down a bit. “It’s not all crazy wild.”
Elon
Here's What Elon Musk Really Thinks About Climate Change | Entrepreneur
"Climate change is the biggest threat that humanity faces this century, except for AI," Musk told Rolling Stone in 2018. "I keep telling people this. I hate to be Cassandra here, but it's all fun and games until somebody loses a f---ing eye."
Trump
Cyber Pandemic
CENTCOM server outage BOTG
Hi Adam, just another dude named Ben here.
Heads up that there's currently a major outage of CENTCOM servers...
No public reason has been given as to why.
CrowdStrike EULA lawsuit update
Adam—I know you’re probably still being inundated with CrowdStrike news, but I thought you might appreciate some actual documents, with a twist of commentary. Here are two attachments:
· **David Boies’s reply letter:** You probably saw CrowdStrike’s response to Delta’s demand letter. I still can’t find the original demand letter anywhere, but I just got Delta’s reply to CrowdStrike’s response, sent yesterday by David Boies himself. It’s interesting because it touches on the contractual limitations on damages that CrowdStrike has cited. Boies hasn’t invoked the F word yet (fraud), but he does allege “gross negligence” and “willful misconduct.” And to support these allegations, he cites CrowdStrike’s own reports. As for fraud, he makes a not-so-veiled suggestion that discovery will dislodge even more evidence.
The letter also speaks of a “second bug” that made the problem worse. And in response to CrowdStrike’s claim that Delta caused its own troubles through bad IT operations, Boies argues that Delta was just relying on CrowdStrike and Microsoft—which in retrospect was a bad idea.
· **Delta’s Form 8-K:** In this SEC report, Delta estimates the financial impact this debacle has caused. Notably, all the cancellations saved Delta $50 million in fuel, LOL. Total estimated damages are half a billion.
M5M
Media companies take $15 billion hit on cable as industry turns to 'shrinking to survive'
It was a brutal week for the value of the cable bundle, as Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and Paramount Global (PARA) both took significant write-downs on just how much their respective cable businesses are worth.
On Wednesday, WBD reported a massive $9.1 billion impairment charge related to its TV networks unit following the loss of a key media rights deal with the NBA.
It was a similar story for Paramount, which said Thursday it took a nearly $6 billion write-down on the value of its cable business, citing "recent indicators in the linear affiliate marketplace."
STORIES
Real Pic of Crowd at Rally for Harris and Walz? | Snopes.com
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 17:21
One X user commented, "You can tell it's photoshopped." ");}else if(is_tablet()){slot_number++;document.write("
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Claim:A photo authentically shows a crowd greeting Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz at an Aug. 7, 2024, rally at Detroit Metro Airport.
ContextThe image's origins are unknown. While other photos and videos depicted a similar scene and tools designed to detect artificial-intelligence (AI) software said the image was likely a real photo, there was no conclusive evidence to confirm the photo's authenticity. If it was real, it's possible that its lightening, shadows or filtering was digitally manipulated.
In early August, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, campaigned in several battleground states, including Michigan. Shortly after they landed for a rally in Detroit, many social media users posted what they claimed to be a photo from the event '-- an image that purportedly depicted a large crowd with Air Force 2 in the background.
In addition to X, the photo circulated on Facebook and Reddit. Several users seemed to believe the image was digitally altered (that is, someone took a real photo of the event and added or changed elements using software like Photoshop) or the product of artificial-intelligence (AI) software (in other words, AI software created the image entirely). One user commented under an X post, "You can tell it's photoshopped."
The image's origins are unknown. In other words, we were unable to identify who first posted the image online. Without that source, there's no evidence to determine whether the photo is genuine, the product of digital software, or a combination of the two (an authentic photo with some editing to change brightness or add a filter, for instance).
Other photos and videos of the event depicted a similar scene '-- rows of Harris-Walz supporters gathered in front of Air Force 2.
Meanwhile, tools designed to detect artificial-intelligence (AI) software said it was likely a real photo.
However, if that was indeed the case, its possible that its brightness, shadows or coloring was digitally manipulated.
We will update this report when, or if, new information surfaces to confirm or deny the image's authenticity.
What We Know About the ImageIn many AI-generated images, people appear to have nonhuman characteristics, such as extra or too-few fingers, or unrecognizable facial features. We didn't see that in the photo.
Nevertheless, we scanned the image through two online AI-detection tools. The first, Winston AI Image Detector, determined the image was "96% human" '-- or, that it was likely photographed by someone and not created using an AI-generation tool. The results were as follows:
(Winston AI)
Isitai.com, another detection tool, described the image as "somewhat likely human generated," estimating a 58% chance that it's not AI.
(isitai.com)
To find the image's origin, we did a reverse-image search. Rachel Bitecofer, a political strategist, appeared to be one of the first social media accounts to share the image. She told Snopes she did not attend the event and she was "not sure" where she got the photo online.
We found photos that depicted a similar scene at the Detroit Metro Airport in The Associated Press' image archive. For example, an image by photojournalist Carlos Osorio shows a similar angle of the crowd, though with different lightening. We reached out to the AP to get in contact with Osorio, who may have insight on whether the in-question image was a possible view of the event.
In the AP photos and other media, a roof hangar gives a shadow over the crowd '-- in other words, part of the crowd that's closer to the aircraft is visible and the people underneath the roof are not as easy to see. Also, many supporters were recorded holding campaign signs, just like the in-question image.
Also, by zooming in on phone screens in the image, you can see what appears to be the plane and crowd '-- in other words, the phones seem to show people recording what's in front of them. In the image below, you can see the fin of the plane on the attendee's phone:
(X user @RachelBitecofer)
SourcesYouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p2nj9GtfgQ. Accessed 8 Aug. 2024.
AP. https://newsroom.ap.org/editorial-photos-videos/search?query=Air%20Force%20Two%20with%20Democratic%20presidential%20nominee%20Vice%20President%20Kamala%20Harris%20and%20her%20running%20mate%20Minnesota%20Gov.%20Tim%20Walz%20aboard%20arrive%20for%20a%20campaign%20rally%20Wednesday,%20Aug.%207,%202024,%20in%20Romulus,%20Mich.%20&mediaType=photo&st=keyword. Accessed 8 Aug. 2024.
"Https://Isitai.Com/Ai-Image-Detector/." Is It AI?, https://isitai.com/ai-image-detector/. Accessed 8 Aug. 2024.
Login | Winston AI. https://app.gowinston.ai/login. Accessed 8 Aug. 2024.
Watson, Kathryn, and Caitlin Yilek. In First Rally with Walz, Harris Praises Him as Leader to Help Unite the Nation - CBS News. 7 Aug. 2024, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kamala-harris-vp-tim-walz-philadelphia-rally/.
Busby, Mattha. "First Thing: Thousands Rally for Harris and Walz in Wisconsin and Michigan." The Guardian, 8 Aug. 2024. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/08/first-thing-thousands-rally-for-harris-and-walz-in-wisconsin-and-michigan.
Sean Eifert, Snopes' first newsroom summer intern, is a senior studying journalism in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University.
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Lee County School District testing out vape detectors in five schools
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 17:17
CAPE CORAL, Fla '-- The Lee County School District is testing out a vape detector pilot program in five schools.
Estero High School, Cape Coral High School, Fort Myers High School, Lexington Middle School and Caloosa Middle School are trying them out in the bathrooms.
"The vape detectors detect the vape chemicals in the air and notify administration," said Rachel Gould, director of student services for the southern part of the district. "The vape detector will constantly update to the change in chemicals in vapes."
Take a look at the detectors here:
Lee County School District testing out vape detectors in 5 schools
Once it's detected, the detector's technology will notify staff on their computer or an app.
Administration can look at cameras outside the bathrooms to see which student may have set off the detector.
The program is paid for by JUUL following a settlement for $5 million targeting kids in their ads.
"It's important. We need to make sure kids are following healthy habits and understanding what they're doing to themselves when they're vaping," Gould said. "This year we are giving schools a program so that students can learn about the harm of what vaping is doing to them, but also involving parents."
Each detector is $1,000 and the program is about $680,000 for the five schools.
"We need to support them and help them understand what it's doing to them," Gould said. "Don't vape at school. Don't vape at all. It's dangerous it's not healthy for you and we want you to make better choices."
The district will look at the data to see if they plan to put detectors in other schools at later date.
Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Free Speech is Under Siege in Starmer's UK
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 16:49
The UK is currently experiencing a massive attack on free speech, spearheaded by new Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is encouraging police to use the full force of controversial British laws to crack down on social media posts.
The push for more online censorship has spanned many years, and different governments in the UK have gained new momentum with the recent protests and riots.
Emboldened by the crisis, officials seem to be using it to step up the already existing, multi-year effort to get social media companies to ''cooperate'' with the authorities.
It has now emerged that the government in London has started flagging content it deems to be ''misinformation'' '' but also something referred to as ''concerning content.''
X is among those who have been asked to remove posts which British officials consider to threaten the country's national security; and while reports say Google, Meta, and TikTok are complying with these demands, X is said to be resisting them.
The accusations that social sites are ''providing a platform for hate'' while allegedly unaccountable for that is coming from cabinet members and MPs alike.
Science, Innovation, and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has revealed that he and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper are working to get content they consider ''harmful'' removed from the internet.
Recent actions in the UK regarding the apprehension of individuals for disseminating ''incorrect information'' highlight a concerning trend that threatens the very core of free speech'--a foundational pillar of Western democracies.
These developments suggest an alarming escalation in government and law enforcement involvement in regulating online speech, which traditionally enjoys broad protections under democratic norms.
The use of existing laws, such as the Public Order Act 1986, to arrest individuals for their online speech is deeply troubling to civil liberties groups.
While maintaining public order is a legitimate concern of the state, the broad application of these laws and combining accusations of ''stirring racial hatred'' with instances of alleged ''misinformation'' is supercharging an attack on free speech.
The introduction of the UK's most recent censorship law, the ''Online Safety Act'' further complicates this, with supporters of censorship like Kyle, suggesting that the already-controversial act doesn't go far enough.
As far as Kyle is concerned, he is looking for ways for the government to be able to control online speech to an even greater extent.
The primary catalyst appears to be the recent riots and social unrest following tragic incidents, like the knife attack in Southport.
Axel Rudakubana is an 18-year-old who has been charged with the murders of three young girls during a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England. The victims were Bebe King, aged six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, aged nine. In addition to the murder charges, Rudakubana faces charges of attempted murder against a yoga class instructor, a businessman, and eight children, as well as possession of a kitchen knife with a curved blade.
Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents and lived in Banks, Lancashire, England. UK police are alleging that early posts stating that Rudakubana was a Muslim have fueled online hatred and prosecutors are using claims of ''misinformation.''
Yet while those in the US may be familiar with false allegations being a civil matter, as the First Amendment largely protects citizens from criminal charges for such incidents; in the UK, where free speech is struggling, citizens don't have the same protections under the current law.
In Cheshire, police have taken anti-lockdown campaigner Bernadette ''Bernie'' Spofforth into custody for allegedly spreading misleading information on social media about a suspect involved in the Southport killings. According to Cheshire police, she faces charges of inciting racial hatred and disseminating false information. Police allege that her actions are part of a broader issue of online misinformation sparking violence nationwide.
The controversy centers on a social media post attributed to Spofforth, in which she identified ''Ali Al-Shakati'' as the Southport suspect, describing him as an ''asylum seeker who came to the UK by boat last year'' and claiming he was under surveillance by MI6. The post ominously noted, ''If this is true, then all hell is about the break loose.''
Chief Superintendent Alison Ross commented on the situation, saying, ''We have all seen the violent disorder that has taken place across the UK over the past week, much of which has been fueled by malicious and inaccurate communications online. It's a stark reminder of the dangers of posting information on social media platforms without checking the accuracy. It also acts as a warning that we are all accountable for our actions, whether that be online or in person.''
Even the much-criticized Online Safety Act, a sweeping censorship law, is now not enough as far as Kyle is concerned, as he is looking for ways for the government to be able to control online speech to an even greater extent.
The UK's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a forthcoming review of the Online Safety Act. During his visit to a police station on Friday, just before two individuals were imprisoned for using social media to incite attacks on asylum seeker accommodations, Starmer emphasized that social media must not be a ''law-free zone.''
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who criticized the legislation as inadequate and in urgent need of revision, also suggested it doesn't go far enough and more censorship power is needed.
''I do agree that we're going to have to look more broadly at social media after this disorder,'' Starmer said. ''But the focus at the moment has to be on dealing with the disorder and making sure that our communities are safe and secure.''
Starmer further commented on what he believes should be the responsibilities of social media executives, telling them to prioritize community safety. He affirmed, ''The first thing I'd say is, this is not a law-free zone. And I think that's clear from the prosecutions and sentencing. Today we're due sentencing for online behavior.''
And, the government has brought in the National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT) to monitor online activity ''discussing the deaths of the three children killed in Southport and the rioting,'' as Kyle put it.
NSOIT, previously known as the Counter Disinformation Unit, is infamous for its censorship ''handiwork'' during the Covid pandemic when it flagged accurate posts from politicians and journalists simply for being critical of the government's policy.
Conservative MP David Davis previously called for the unit to be disbanded, but now, he doesn't mind ''deploying'' it to once again police speech: ''It's perfectly legitimate for the state to monitor things that might incite violence,'' said Davis.
Big Brother Watch Director Silkie Carlo writes that Kyle is ''reviving Whitehall's disgraced Counter Disinformation Unit'' and warns that it would be a ''grave mistake'' to further undermine free speech as it would simply ''inflame tensions, sow distrust and undermine democracy.''
Carlo also warns about ''the very neat response of online censorship that benefits elites who have never really trusted us with free and open access to information online.''
Meanwhile, Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales Stephen Parkinson has told citizens not to reshare posts that are ''insulting or abusive ('...) intended to or likely to start racial hatred.''
Some reports interpret this to mean citizens could be prosecuted even if they are sharing that content as a warning to others.
The UK government issued a stern warning to its citizens regarding the risks of sharing potentially offensive content online, particularly in the context of the recent riots. Those who incite ''hatred'' could face imprisonment, as stated in a post by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on the social media platform X.
''Think before you post!'' the CPS advised.
But it's not just UK citizens that officials are threatening.
Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, said that what he terms ''keyboard warriors'' could face terrorism charges for their online behavior that incites violence, even if they are based overseas.
''And whether you're in this country committing crimes on the streets or committing crimes from further afield online, we will come after you,'' highlighting the extended reach of law enforcement to those instigating unrest from afar,'' Rowley said to Sky News.
''Being a keyboard warrior does not make you safe from the law, you can be guilty of offenses of incitement, of stirring up racial hatred, there are numerous terrorist offenses regarding the publishing of material, and all of those offenses are in play if people are provoking hatred and violence on the streets and we will come after those individuals just as we will physically confront on the streets the thugs and the yobs who are causing the problems for communities.''
Keir Starmer has asserted that criticisms of police and accusations of a two-tier policing system in the UK are themselves dangerous. This could have troubling implications for free speech.
X owner Elon Musk, who is facing censorship calls from Starmer, called out Starmer's hypocrisy, highlighting how the Prime Minister himself criticized police back in 2021. ''What a hypocrite,'' Musk posted.
By framing such critiques as not only unfounded but also hazardous, there's a risk that public discourse may be stifled.
This stance might discourage individuals from voicing legitimate concerns about policing, out of fear that their criticisms could be seen as harmful or destabilizing.
It suggests a scenario where the public might hesitate to hold law enforcement accountable, which is a crucial aspect of democratic oversight. The suggestion that voicing concerns about police practices can endanger officers potentially shifts the focus from the need for transparency and accountability in policing to a narrative that prioritizes the suppression of dissent to protect police image and safety. This could undermine the principle of free expression, which includes the right to critique and question government institutions.
UK police block entire North American continent from its website as they begin arresting non-violent Brits for 'inaccurate social media posts'... - Revolver News
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 16:45
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The UK is reeling after a violent 17-year-old Rwandan teen attacked and stabbed a group of innocent young British girls who were attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. The entire country is outraged. This wasn't the first horrific attack by migrants; it's been happening everywhere, including in the US. However, it does appear to be the one that has broken the UK's back.
We covered this horrific story from the onset.
Revolver:
The stabbing attacks in the UK are off the charts, often perpetrated by violent migrants who have been allowed into the country under the guise of ''asylum.'' To claim that these attacks are random and not the result of a group of foreigners who refuse to integrate is just more ''smoke and mirrors'' nonsense pushed by the left worldwide. They tell us, ''Don't believe your lying eyes; believe what we tell you.'' The message is clear: be outraged by white right-wingers, not by foreign attackers, you bigots.
['...]
A 17-year-old Rwandan immigrant recently attacked a group of young kids at a ''Taylor Swift'' dance class near a mosque, resulting in a stabbing frenzy that took the lives of three young, innocent girls. Oddly enough, the police were quick to announce that it was not a ''terror attack.'' Really? Because this sounds precisely like a terror attack to us.
AP:
Bloodied children ran screaming from a dance and yoga class ''like a scene from a horror movie'' to escape a teenager's savage knife attack that killed two children and wounded 11 other people Monday in northwest England, police and witnesses said.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in the stabbing in Southport, a seaside town near Liverpool, Merseyside Police said. The motive was not clear, but police said detectives were not treating the attack as terror-related.
Needless to say, people are horrified and outraged. The attacker is an African migrant, which has sparked riots and outrage.
Amy Mek:
People in the UK and across Europe have had enough.
Who can blame them?
Yesterday, three MORE children were brutally slaughtered '' this time during a Taylor Swift dance class.
I'm shocked that this hasn't happened sooner, given the years of imported Islamic (mainly Pakistani) grooming gangs responsible for the rape, beating, and sexual exploitation of thousands of white non-Islamic British girls by Muslim males. The people are fed up'...
To all of the leftists out'...
If you're more outraged by the reaction to the child murders than the child murders themselves, you are beyond redemption.
People in the UK and across Europe have had enough.
Who can blame them?
Yesterday, three MORE children were brutally slaughtered '' this time during a Taylor Swift dance class.
I'm shocked that this hasn't happened sooner, given the years of imported Islamic (mainly'... pic.twitter.com/n0RysewI4n
'-- Amy Mek (@AmyMek) July 30, 2024
We also reported on the UK government threatening Elon Musk. When he refused to bow to the establishment and vilify the outraged British public, they responded by threatening to construct a ''firewall'' to block social media access.
Revolver:
Now, the UK government is blaming the victims. They're using their police force to hunt down and arrest people who post ''mean'' things online about migrants, instead of addressing the very serious issue of growing migrant violence that's eroding the very fabric of British life.
And that's where Elon Musk steps in and throws gasoline on the already-raging bonfire. And it's not just hyperbole. Elon has legitimate questions and concerns that should be answered immediately.
Why aren't all communities protected in Britain? @Keir_Starmer https://t.co/gldyguysNe
'-- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 6, 2024
Well, it now appears that the UK has actually blocked the entire North American continent in some cases. It appears this was done in an effort to stop the flow of any news or comments they disagree with.
How very ''North Korean'' of them.
They blocked the entire North American continent apparently, try the link. https://t.co/6ZykYzmJp4
'-- TimOnPoint (@TimOnPoint) August 8, 2024
This is what Americans are seeing when they try to click on the Cheshire Police link:
And right on cue, while blocking America and others, the UK government has started arresting its own citizens for posting what it deems ''inaccurate information'' online.
Cheshire Police:
Officers from Cheshire Police have arrested a woman in relation to social media post containing inaccurate information about the identity of the attacker in the Southport murders.
The 55-year-old woman from near Chester, was arrested earlier today, Thursday 8 August, on suspicion of publishing written material to stir up racial hatred (S19 of the Public Order Act 1986) and false communications (S179 Online Safety Act 2023).
She is currently being held in police custody where she is assisting officers with their enquiries.
Chief Superintendent Alison Ross said:
''We have all seen the violent disorder that has taken place across the UK over the past week, much of which has been fuelled by malicious and inaccurate communications online.
''It's a stark reminder of the dangers of posting information on social media platforms without checking the accuracy. It also acts as a warning that we are all accountable for our actions, whether that be online or in person.''
Meanwhile, meet the UK's Prime Minister, a 5-foot-something man with a Napoleon complex who's currying favor with the ''woke'' crowd by locking up his own citizens for social media posts while migrants run amok and commit violent acts against innocent people.
Weak men really do create hard times.
''Weak Men Create Hard Times''
Also Britains New Prime Minister ð pic.twitter.com/fTcDhlMfvZ
'-- Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) August 5, 2024
This is the globalists' version of ''freedom.'' Pretty scary stuff, right? Meanwhile, just imagine if they redirected even a fraction of the effort they use to lock up non-violent citizens toward vetting the violent migrants flooding in.
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More than 700 arrests made and 302 people charged over riots in England | Crime | The Guardian
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 16:34
Police investigating the riots led by the far right say they have made more than 700 arrests for alleged offences, and promised ''hundreds'' more to come.
Of the 741 arrests, 32 relate to online offences such as incitement, and the scale of the operation is shown by the fact the arrest took place in 36 of the 43 force areas across England and Wales.
Arrests include allegations of violent disorder, theft and antisocial behaviour, and police say the investigations across the country will probably last for months to come.
The figures come as communities and forces brace for more potential gatherings that could tip into violence, with police continuing with their biggest mobilisation to face down a public order threat since the 2011 riots across England.
Police said 302 people had been charged, with more to come, and said further cases should be expected against ''rioters and those spreading online hate''. The new figures were issued by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC). The figures include Northern Ireland, where police have arrest 26 people and charged 21 in relation to rioting.
Detectives are using a variety of sources to identify suspects, including drone and body-worn video footage. BJ Harrington, a chief constable who is the national lead for public order, warned that facial recognition, which is being used retrospectively, can identify people even if they are wearing masks.
Police chiefs are convinced their constant public messages about swift and robust justice will continue to act as a deterrent to some who may be tempted to join in the violent disorder seen in England and Northern Ireland since last Tuesday. The latest police statement is part of that campaign.
The violence broke out after false information about the suspect of the stabbings in Southport that left three young girls dead was widely shared online.
The violence has in part been stoked by the extremist far right, and has involved a strong anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment. Some people arrested joined in spontaneously, police believe.
The past two nights have been quieter, but police said 6,000 riot officers would be deployed over the weekend as officers wait to see if the worst of the violence has passed.
Gavin Stephens, the NPCC chair, said: ''While the previous two nights have been a welcome break from the appalling scenes of the last week, and may have reached a turning point, we are by no means complacent.
''Our message to those involved in violence is that we continue to comb through thousands of images, live streams and videos as well as body-worn footage to find you.
''We are grateful to those who are calling us to identify those in the images circulated by forces. We are also grateful for the many messages of support to the officers, staff and volunteers that have faced hatred, racial abuse and violence whilst doing their job.''
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Police declined to say how many potential gatherings they expected this weekend. Police said they expected 160 far right-led gatherings on Wednesday but only 30 took place, with little or no incident, and with anti-racists taking to the streets to defend those under attack.
Stephens said: ''The strong message that communities sent on Wednesday evening that they don't tolerate hate and racism and violence, also, as potentially the start of a turning point in this whole thing.
''So, I think the mood is different as a consequence of all that.''
Harrington said: ''I would not say we are not worried. But what we are is prepared '... policing's got a grip of this.''
Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, said: ''More than 100 extra CPS prosecutors stand ready to respond rapidly to emerging requirements for charging decisions and advice.
''We understand the deterrence impact of a swift and robust response from law enforcement. Our aim is to make immediate charging decisions where we can, to enable courts to sentence within days.''
Brands should avoid this popular term. It's turning off customers | CNN Business
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 15:56
CNN '--
Even as tech giants pour billions of dollars into what they herald as humanity's new frontier, a recent study shows that tacking the ''AI'' label on products may actually drive people away.
A study published in the Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management in June found that describing a product as using AI lowers a customer's intention to buy it. Researchers sampled participants across various age groups and showed them the same products '' the only difference between them: one was described as ''high tech'' and the other as using AI, or artificial intelligence.
''We looked at vacuum cleaners, TVs, consumer services, health services,'' said Dogan Gursoy, one of the study's authors and the Taco Bell Distinguished Professor of hospitality business management at Washington State University, in an interview with CNN. ''In every single case, the intention to buy or use the product or service was significantly lower whenever we mentioned AI in the product description.''
Despite AI's rapid advancement in recent months, the study highlights consumers' hesitance to incorporate AI into their daily lives '' a marked divergence from the enthusiasm driving innovations in big tech.
Included in the study was an examination of how participants viewed products considered ''low risk,'' which included household appliances that use AI, and ''high risk,'' which included self-driving cars, AI-powered investment decision-making services and medical diagnosis services.
While the percentage of people rejecting the items was greater in the high-risk group, non-buyers were the majority in both product groups.
There are two kinds of trust that the study says play a part in consumers' less-than-rosy perception of products that describe themselves as ''AI-powered.''
The first kind, cognitive trust, has to do with the higher standard that people hold AI to as a machine they expect to be free from human error. So, when AI does slip up, that trust can be quickly eroded.
Take Google's AI-generated search results overview tool, which summarizes search results for users and presents them at the top of the page. People were quick to criticize the company earlier this year for providing confusing and even blatantly false information to users' questions, pressuring Google to walk back some of the features' capabilities.
Gursoy says that limited knowledge and understanding about the inner workings of AI forces consumers to fall back on emotional trust and make their own subjective judgments about the technology.
''One of the reasons why people are not willing to use AI devices or technologies is fear of the unknown,'' he said. ''Before ChatGPT was introduced, not many people had any idea about AI, but AI has been running in the background for years and it's nothing new.''
Even before chatbot ChatGPT burst into public consciousness in 2022, artificial intelligence was used in technology behind familiar digital services, from your phone's autocorrect to Netflix's algorithm for recommending movies.
And the way AI is portrayed in pop culture isn't helping boost trust in the technology either. Gursoy added that Hollywood science fiction films casting robots as villains had a bigger impact on shaping public perception towards AI than one might think.
''Way before people even heard about AI, those movies shaped people's perception of what robots that run by AI can do to humanity,'' he said.
'...and a lack of transparency Another part of the equation influencing customers is the perceived risk around AI '' particularly with how it handles users' personal data.
Concerns about how companies manage customers' data have tamped down excitement around tools meant to streamline the user experience at a time when the government is still trying to find its footing on regulating AI.
''People have worries about privacy. They don't know what's going on in the background, the algorithms, how they run, that raises some concern,'' said Gursoy.
This lack of transparency is something that Gursoy warns has the potential to sour customers' perceptions towards brands they may have already come to trust. It is for this reason that he cautions companies against slapping on the ''AI'' tag as a buzzword without elaborating on its capabilities.
''The most advisable thing for them to do is come up with the right messaging,'' he said. ''Rather than simply putting 'AI-powered' or 'run by AI,' telling people how this can help them will ease the consumer's fears.''
Europe hit by Brazil virus which 'kills people in 20s' as experts fear 'unstoppable' outbreak - World News - Mirror Online
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 12:02
The first few cases of Oropouche fever have been reported in Europe after two people died from the disease in Brazil, with experts fearing an 'unstoppable' spread
Experts have warned the illness could spread and become 'unstoppable' ( Image: Getty Images)
Europe has been hit by the 'sloth' fever Oropouche for the first time - with fatalities in Brazil sparking fears among experts of an "unstoppable" outbreak.
Two people who visited Cuba were admitted to hospitals in Italy showing symptoms of the disease upon their return, The Lancet reports. A 26-year-old woman was struck down with fever and diarrhoea after her trip to Cuba's Ciego de Avila province, returning to Verona on May 26.
Meanwhile, a 45-year-old man began experiencing symptoms shortly after his summer travels to Havana and Santiago de Cuba, seeking medical attention in Fori, northern Italy, on June 7.
Dr Danny Altmann, Professor of Immunology at Imperial College London, voiced his concerns to The Telegraph: "We should definitely be worried," he said. "Things are changing and may become unstoppable."
Young people in Havana, Cuba, have been struck down with the virus ( Image:
Getty Images) The threat is compounded by the potential impact of global warming, which could increase human exposure to viruses like Oropouche, Birmingham Live reports. In severe instances, the horrid illness could lead to neurological disorders such as meningitis.
Dr Concetta Castilletti, who leads the Virology and Emerging Pathogens Unit at a hospital near Verona, said, "Arboviruses such as Oropouche fever, Dengue, Zika, or Chikungunya, constitute one of the public health emergencies we must get used to living alongside.
She warned: "Climate change and the increase in the movement of human populations risk making viruses [that were] once confined to the tropical belt endemic even in our latitudes."
Brazil has reported the first fatalities from the virus worldwide, with two young women succumbing to the illness.
The victims, a 21-year-old and a 24-year-old, suffered from intense abdominal pain, bleeding, and hypotension before passing away on July 25. Oropouche fever symptoms, which are akin to dengue, include headaches, high temperature, muscle soreness, joint stiffness, nausea, vomiting, colds, or photophobia.
Sir Keir Starmer to review social media laws in wake of riots
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 11:35
Sir Keir Starmer has suggested the Government will review social media laws in the wake of the riots.
The Prime Minister said Labour will need to ''look more broadly'' at the sector after Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said ministers should check whether existing legislation to protect against online harms is fit for purpose.
Speaking to broadcasters on a visit to Scotland Yard on Friday morning, Sir Keir was asked whether he agreed with his Labour colleague.
He replied: ''I do agree that we're going to have to look more broadly at social media after this disorder but the focus at the moment has to be on dealing with the disorder and making sure that our communities are safe and secure.''
It raises the prospect that Labour will revisit the Online Safety Act after Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister, said it would keep the legislative framework for the statute ''under review''.
Sir Keir also warned social media is not a ''law-free zone'' as more sentences for online offences linked to the riots are expected to be passed in the coming hours.
He added: ''I think that's clear from the prosecutions and sentencing. Today, we're due sentencing for online behaviour.
''That's a reminder to everyone that whether you're directly involved or whether you're remotely involved, you're culpable, and you will be put before the courts if you've broken the law.
''And so that's happening today, that sentencing.''
Mr Thomas-Symonds told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: ''The Government's strong message today is that we remain in a state of high readiness. We are vigilant going into the weekend.
''The Prime Minister chaired a Cobra meeting only yesterday, in which he set out that high state of readiness, so I think we'll continue to see the criminal justice system acting and processing people very swiftly.''
Asked about Mr Khan's comments that new social media rules were ''not fit for purpose'', the minister said the Government would keep the legislative framework for the Online Safety Act ''under review''.
He added: ''If we need to act in relation to online safety laws '' we will.
''Sadiq Khan's challenge is that we quickly review it, consider it, and that's exactly what we will do.''
On the Online Safety Act and misinformation on social media, he also told Sky News: ''I think we will be looking at the legal framework that exists for regulating the platform providers.''
Holding firms accountableThe Government has said social media giants must be held accountable for ''swirling'' misinformation linked to the unrest that has swept Britain in recent days.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, told the BBC on Thursday: ''I think we've seen social media has been used to really organise some of the violence, to inflame the tensions, some of the racial hatred, being inflamed online, and we will continue to pursue those prosecutions.
''We will make sure that we pursue those prosecutions and that what is criminal offline is also criminal online.
''So, we do expect social media companies to take some responsibility to make sure that they recognise the implications of the sort of swirling misinformation, but also the organising of crimes online, that has to be part of it, you have to deal with this online, as well as offline in our communities. It's got a contribution.''
Safety measuresThe Online Safety Act will, for the first time, make firms legally responsible for keeping users safe when they use their services.
It will require platforms to put in place clear and proportionate safety measures to prevent illegal and other harmful content from appearing and spreading on their sites.
The biggest platforms could face billions of pounds in fines if they do not comply.
Named managers could be held criminally liable in some instances, and sites may face having their access limited in the most severe cases.
Ofcom, which will oversee the new laws, urged social media companies to do more to deal with content stirring up hatred or provoking violence on Britain's streets.
The watchdog said: ''In a few months, new safety duties under the Online Safety Act will be in place, but you can act now '' there is no need to wait to make your sites and apps safer for users.''
Nebraska Attorney General releases excerpts from previously censored TikTok documents
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 11:21
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Attorney General Mike Hilgers released several key excerpts from internal TikTok documents on Friday.
According to the attorney general, the excerpts show that TikTok knew its platform was addictive, that compulsive use on TikTok is rampant and that TikTok's purported safety tools are ineffective.
The excerpts of the internal TikTok documents are part of a lawsuit Attorney General Hilgers filed against the company in May, which is proceeding before Judge Lori A. Maret in Lancaster District Court.
Until this week, any internal TikTok documents quoted in the complaint were redacted from public view.
The internal TikTok document excerpts now made public show that:
TikTok achieves its success from ''many coercive design tactics'' and features that ''limit user agency,'' including infinite scroll, auto-play, and constant notifications. TikTok affects its users in a way that is psychologically similar to a ''slot machine'' and TikTok admits that the ''product in itself has baked into it compulsive use'' and that ''compulsive usage on TikTok is rampant.'' TikTok admits that its young users ''have minimal ability to self-regulate effectively'' and lack the ''executive control function'' needed to control their screen time. Compulsive usage of TikTok ''correlates with a slew of negative mental health effects like loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety.'' TikTok is aware that compulsive usage of its platform interferes with users' ''essential personal responsibilities like sufficient sleep, work/school responsibilities, and connecting with loved ones'' and causes ''negative emotions.'' Beyond being aware that TikTok use regularly interferes with users' sleep, TikTok also knows that ''[s]leep [is] unanimously linked to health outcomes'' and that ''[b]ad sleep is a source of mental health issues.'' TikTok is aware that many teens on its platform find that TikTok is addictive, inappropriate, and interferes with their lives in unhealthy ways. TikTok knows that many of its publicized safety features, like age verification and Family Pairing, are easily circumvented or not widely used but still considers them ''good talking point[s]'' in response to scrutiny from ''policymakers.'' These significant portions of the complaint have now been unredacted and are available to the public. You can access the public version of the State of Nebraska's Complaint below:
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Copyright 2024 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Online Safety Act: explainer - GOV.UK
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 11:03
What the Online Safety Act does The Online Safety Act 2023 (the Act) is a new set of laws that protects children and adults online. It puts a range of new duties on social media companies and search services, making them more responsible for their users' safety on their platforms.
The Act will give providers new duties to implement systems and processes to reduce risks their services are used for illegal activity, and to take down illegal content when it does appear.
The strongest protections in the Act have been designed for children and will make the UK the safest place in the world to be a child online. Platforms will be required to prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content and provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise.
The Act will also protect adult users, ensuring that major platforms will need to be more transparent about which kinds of potentially harmful content they allow, and give people more control over the types of content they want to see.
Ofcom is now the independent regulator of Online Safety. It will set out steps providers can take to fulfil their safety duties in codes of practice. It will have a broad range of powers to assess and enforce providers' compliance with the framework.
Providers' safety duties are proportionate to factors including the risk of harm to individuals, and the size and capacity of each provider. This makes sure that while safety measures will need to be put in place across the board, we aren't requiring small services with limited functionality to take the same actions as the largest corporations. Ofcom is required to take users' rights into account when setting out steps to take. And providers have simultaneous duties to pay particular regard to users' rights when fulfilling their safety duties.
The Act also introduced some new criminal offences '' details are set out below.
Who the Act applies to The Act's duties apply to search services and services that allow users to post content online or to interact with each other. This includes a range of websites, apps and other services, including social media services, consumer file cloud storage and sharing sites, video sharing platforms, online forums, dating services, and online instant messaging services.
The Act applies to services even if the companies providing them are outside the UK should they have links to the UK. This includes if the service has a significant number of UK users, if the UK is a target market or it is capable of being accessed by UK users and there is a material risk of significant harm to such users.
How the Online Safety Act is being implementedThe Act passed into law on 26 October 2023. Now work is being carried out to bring its protections into effect.
Ofcom is leading work to implement the Act's provisions and are taking a phased approach to bringing duties into effect. Government also needs to make secondary legislation in some areas to enable elements of the framework.
The Act requires Ofcom to develop guidance and codes of practice that will set out how online platforms can meet their duties. Ofcom will carry out public consultations on draft codes of practice before finalising them. Ofcom has already begun this work; the main phases are set out below:
Duties about illegal content '' Ofcom has published draft codes of practice and guidance for consultation. The consultation closed on 23 February 2024. We expect these duties to begin to be in effect from early 2025.
Duties about content harmful to children '' Ofcom has published draft guidance for consultation about use of age assurance to prevent children accessing online pornography. The consultation closed on 5 March 2024. Ofcom has also published draft codes of practice and guidance about protecting children from harmful content such as promotion of self-harm or suicide on 8 May 2024.
Duties for categorised services '' some platforms will have to comply with additional requirements to protect users. The Act created categories of service and during implementation the thresholds will be defined to determine which services fall into which categories (Category 1, 2A or 2B). Ofcom has published advice to government on how to set the thresholds for these categories and issued a call for evidence on 25 March 2024, (closing 20 May 2024). Once the thresholds have been set in regulations by government, Ofcom will publish a register setting out which services fall into which categories and will publish further codes of practice and guidance for consultation.
New offences introduced by the ActThe criminal offences introduced by the Act came into effect on 31 January 2024. These offences cover:
encouraging or assisting serious self-harm cyberflashing sending false information intended to cause non-trivial harm threatening communications intimate image abuse epilepsy trollingThese new offences apply directly to the individuals sending them, and convictions have already been made under the cyberflashing and threatening communications offences.
Types of content that the Act tacklesIllegal contentThe Act requires all companies to take robust action against illegal content and activity. Platforms will be required to implement measures to reduce the risks their services are used for illegal offending. They will also need to put in place systems for removing illegal content when it does appear. Search services will also have new duties to take steps to reduce the risks users encounter illegal content via their services.
The Act sets out a list of priority offences. These reflect the most serious and prevalent illegal content and activity, against which companies must take proactive measures.
Platforms must also remove any other illegal content where there is an individual victim (actual or intended), where it is flagged to them by users, or they become aware of it through any other means.
The illegal content duties are not just about removing existing illegal content; they are also about stopping it from appearing at all. Platforms need to think about how they design their sites to reduce the likelihood of them being used for criminal activity in the first place.
The kinds of illegal content and activity that platforms need to protect users from are set out in the Act, and this includes content relating to:
child sexual abuse controlling or coercive behaviour extreme sexual violence extreme pornography fraud racially or religiously aggravated public order offences inciting violence illegal immigration and people smuggling promoting or facilitating suicide intimate image abuse selling illegal drugs or weapons sexual exploitation terrorism Content that is harmful to children Protecting children is at the heart of the Online Safety Act. Although some content is not illegal, it could be harmful or age-inappropriate for children and platforms need to protect children from it.
Companies with websites that are likely to be accessed by children need to take steps to protect children from harmful content and behaviour.
The categories of harmful content that platforms need to protect children from encountering are set out in the Act. Children must be prevented from accessing Primary Priority Content, and should be given age-appropriate access to Priority Content. The types of content which fall into these categories are set out below.
Primary Priority Content pornography content that encourages, promotes, or provides instructions for either: self-harm eating disorders or suicide Priority Content bullying abusive or hateful content content which depicts or encourages serious violence or injury content which encourages dangerous stunts and challenges; and content which encourages the ingestion, inhalation or exposure to harmful substances.Age-appropriate experiences for children onlineThe Act requires social media companies to enforce their age limits consistently and protect their child users.
Services must assess any risks to children from using their platforms and set appropriate age restrictions, ensuring that child users have age-appropriate experiences and are shielded from harmful content. Websites with age restrictions need to specify in their terms of service what measures they use to prevent underage access and apply these terms consistently.
Different technologies can be used to check people's ages online. These are called age assurance technologies.
The new laws mean social media companies will have to say what technology they are using, if any, and apply these measures consistently. Companies can no longer say their service is for users above a certain age in their terms of service and do nothing to prevent younger children accessing it.
Adults will have more control over the content they seeMajor user to user online platforms (Category 1) will be required to offer adult users tools to give them greater control over the kinds of content they see and who they engage with online. This includes giving them the option of filtering out unverified users, which will help stop anonymous trolls from contacting them.
Adult users will also be able to verify their identity and access tools which enable them to reduce the likelihood that they see content from non-verified users, and prevent non-verified users from interacting with their content.
Following the publication of guidance by Ofcom, major platforms will need to proactively offer adult users optional tools to help them reduce the likelihood that they will encounter certain types of content. These categories of content are set out in the Act and includes content that does not meet a criminal threshold but encourages, promotes or provides instructions for suicide harm or eating disorders. These tools also apply to abusive or hate content including where such content is racist, antisemitic, homophobic, or misogynist. The tools must be effective and easy to access.
The Act already protects children from seeing this content.
The Act will tackle suicide and self-harm content Any site that allows users to share content or interact with each other is in scope of the Online Safety Act. These laws also require sites to rapidly remove illegal suicide and self-harm content and proactively protect users from content that is illegal under the Suicide Act 1961. The Act has also introduced a new criminal offence for encouraging or assisting serious self-harm.
Services that are likely to be accessed by children must prevent children of all ages from encountering legal content that encourages, promotes or provides instruction for suicide and self-harm.
The Act also requires major services (Category 1 services) to uphold their terms of service where they say they will remove or restrict content or suspend users. If a service says they prohibit certain kinds of suicide or self-harm content the Act requires them to enforce these terms consistently and transparently. These companies must also have effective reporting and redress mechanisms in place enabling users to raise concerns about companies' enforcement of their terms of service, if users feel that companies are not fulfilling their duties.
How the Act will be enforcedOfcom is now the regulator of online safety and must make sure that platforms are protecting their users. Once the new duties are in effect, following Ofcom's publication of final codes and guidance, platforms will have to show they have processes in place to meet the requirements set out by the Act. Ofcom will monitor how effective those processes are at protecting internet users from harm. Ofcom will have powers to take action against companies which do not follow their new duties.
Companies can be fined up to £18 million or 10 percent of their qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. Criminal action can be taken against senior managers who fail to ensure companies follow information requests from Ofcom. Ofcom will also be able to hold companies and senior managers (where they are at fault) criminally liable if the provider fails to comply with Ofcom's enforcement notices in relation to specific child safety duties or to child sexual abuse and exploitation on their service.
In the most extreme cases, with the agreement of the courts, Ofcom will be able to require payment providers, advertisers and internet service providers to stop working with a site, preventing it from generating money or being accessed from the UK.
How the Act affects companies that are not based in the UK The Act gives Ofcom the powers they need to take appropriate action against all companies in scope, no matter where they are based, where services have relevant links with the UK. This means services with a significant number of UK users or where UK users are a target market, as well as other services which have in-scope content that presents a risk of significant harm to people in the UK.
How the Act tackles harmful algorithmsThe Act requires providers to specifically consider how algorithms could impact users' exposure to illegal content '' and children's exposure content that is harmful to children '' as part of their risk assessments.
Providers will then need to take steps to mitigate and effectively manage any identified risks. This includes considering their platform's design, functionalities, algorithms, and any other features likely to meet the illegal content and child safety duties.
The law also makes it clear that harm can arise from the way content is disseminated, such as when an algorithm repeatedly pushes content to a child in large volumes over a short space of time.
Some platforms will be required to publish annual transparency reports containing online safety related information, such as information about the algorithms they use and their effect on users' experience, including children.
How the Act protects women and girlsThe most harmful illegal online content disproportionately affects women and girls, and the Act requires platforms to proactively tackle this. Illegal content includes harassment, stalking, controlling or coercive behaviour, extreme pornography, and revenge pornography.
All user-to-user and search services have duties to put in place systems and processes to remove this content when it is flagged to them. The measures companies must take to remove illegal content will be set out in Ofcom's codes of practice.
When developing these codes, Ofcom is required to consult with the Victim's Commissioner and Domestic Abuse Commissioner to guarantee that the voices and views of women, girls and victims are reflected.
The Act also requires Ofcom to produce guidance that summarises in one clear place the measures that can be taken to tackle the abuse that women and girls disproportionately face online. This guidance will ensure it is easy for platforms to implement holistic and effective protections for women and girls across their various duties.
Independent Review of Pornography Regulation, Legislation and EnforcementThe past two decades have seen a dramatic change in the way we consume media and interact with content online. We need to ensure pornography regulation and legislation reflects this change.
Separate to the Online Safety Act, the Independent Pornography Review was announced to assess the regulation, legislation and enforcement of online and offline pornographic content
It investigates how exploitation and abuse is tackled in the industry and examines the potentially harmful impact of pornography. This review will help ensure the laws and regulations governing a dramatically changed pornography industry are once again fit for purpose.
In line with the Terms of Reference, the Review is looking to publish a report with recommendations for government by the end of Summer 2024.
Background information: useful websitesLegislation The Online Safety Act on legislation.gov.uk Commencement regulations No.1 Commencement regulations No.2 Commencement regulations No.3 The Online Safety (List of Overseas Regulators) Regulations 2024 Notices Royal Assent Press Notice - October 2023 Criminal Offences Circular - January 2024 New Offences Press Notice - January 2024 Consultations and other publications (including relevant Ofcom consultations) Ofcom's approach to implementing the Online Safety Act (implementation roadmap) - October 2023 Government consultation: super-complaints - November 2023 Ofcom consultation: protecting people from illegal harms online - November 2023 Ofcom: how the Online Safety Act will protect women and girls '' November 2023 Ofcom consultation: guidance for service providers publishing pornographic content - December 2023 Letter from the DSIT Secretary of State to Ofcom about categorisation of services - March 2024 Ofcom advice to the Secretary of State on categorisation - March 2024 Ofcom call for evidence: third phase of online safety regulation - March 2024 Ofcom consultation: protecting children from harms online '' May 2024
Donald Trump Attacks 'Copycat' Kamala Harris for 'Stealing' Proposal - Newsweek
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 10:44
Former president and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump accused his Democratic rival Kamala Harris of being a "copycat" after she pledged to end federal taxes on tips for service workers this weekend.
The vice president and Democratic presidential nominee announced the proposal, which mirrors one made by Trump earlier this year, during a rally in Las Vegas on Saturday. "When I am president, we will continue our fight for working families of America, including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers," Harris said.
Trump immediately reacted to the proposal accusing Harris of copying his policy idea. "Kamala Harris, whose 'Honeymoon' period is ENDING, and is starting to get hammered in the Polls, just copied my NO TAXES ON TIPS Policy," the former president wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Donald Trump on August 9, 2024, in Bozeman, Montana. The former president accused Kamala Harris of "stealing" his idea after she pledged to cut federal taxes on tips on Saturday during a rally in Nevada. Donald Trump on August 9, 2024, in Bozeman, Montana. The former president accused Kamala Harris of "stealing" his idea after she pledged to cut federal taxes on tips on Saturday during a rally in Nevada. Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images"The difference is, she won't do it, she just wants it for Political Purposes! This was a TRUMP idea'--She has no ideas, she can only steal from me," he added.
In another post, he accused the vice president of having "no imagination, whatsoever, as shown by the fact that she played 'COPYCAT' with, NO TAXES ON TIPS!"
Trump introduced his policy proposal during a campaign stop in Las Vegas on June 9. "This is the first time I've said this, and for those hotel workers and people that get tips, you're going to be very happy because when I get to office, we are going to not charge taxes on tips people [are] making," the former president told the crowd at the rally.
"We're going to do that right away first thing in office because it's been a point of contention for years and years and years, and you do a great job of service."
Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., echoed his father's comments, sharing a video of Harris' announcement during the Saturday rally and writing on X, formerly Twitter: "Harris-Walz 2024: Stolen proposals and stolen valor!"
But the idea of ending federal taxes on tips isn't new and didn't start with Trump. In 2012, former Representative Ron Paul, a Republican who sought the party's nomination for president in 2008 and 2012, announced his own plan to end federal taxation of tips. In an op-ed for the Las Vegas Sun, Paul called for a break on the "sector of American workers who are often overlooked by both sides during the never-ending debate on taxes."
Kamala Harris in Las Vegas on August 10, 2024. The vice president has pledged to end taxes on tips. Kamala Harris in Las Vegas on August 10, 2024. The vice president has pledged to end taxes on tips. RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty ImagesPaul could not go further with his plan as the Republican nomination in 2012 was given to Mitt Romney, who lost the election to Barack Obama.
Newsweek contacted Trump's and Harris' 2024 campaign teams for comment by email on Sunday morning, outside of standard working hours.
The idea to eliminate federal taxes on tips for service workers is likely to appeal to voters in the swing state of Nevada, where thousands of casino employees depend on gratuities.
Despite reported skepticism from labor leaders, the proposal has gathered bipartisan support, with Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, and Nevada's Democratic Representatives Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen having expressed their backing for the policy idea.
According to data from Nate Silver, the founder of FiveThirtyEight, Harris currently leads in polls in Nevada with 44.6 percent of the vote against Trump's 42.9 percent.
More Ukrainian Brigades Roll Into Russia's Kursk Oblast As Ukrainian Artillery Blocks Russian Reinforcements
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 10:41
Artillery from the Ukrainian army's 116th Mechanized Brigade in action this summer.
116th Mechanized Brigade photoFour days into Ukraine's surprise invasion of Russia's Kursk Oblast, just across Ukraine's northern border with Russia, the number of confirmed Ukrainian brigades in and around the invasion zone has grown to at least five: four army mechanized brigades and one brigade from the independent air assault force.
Altogether, these units could oversee as many as 10,000 troops and 600 armored vehicles. Additional artillery, air-defense, drone and reconnaissance units are playing critical supporting roles.
To put into perspective the scale of the Ukrainian force in and around Kursk, recall that Kyiv formed a corps with a dozen new brigades to lead its southern counteroffensive in the summer of 2023.
So far, the Kursk corps is less than half the size of the counteroffensive corps. But it appears to be growing as analysts scour social media, scrutinize official media releases and verify the presence of additional brigades.
In four days, the five brigades have partially or fully occupied around 400 square miles of Kursk Oblast and captured scores of Russian troops. While it's still possible the brigades don't intend to stay in Russia, there are currently no signs of them slowing their attacks.
''We can only hope that Ukraine has a well-prepared plan and that this operation translates into more than just a significant PR victory with positive political implications,'' mused Artur Rehi, an Estonian soldier and analyst.
It was evident, in the early hours of the Ukrainian assault across the border on Tuesday, that at least three brigades were directly involved or performing a supporting role: the army's 22nd and 88th Mechanized Brigades as well as the 80th Air Assault Brigade.
And then, on Thursday, the army's 116th Mechanized Brigade posted a video'--shot by its Khorne drone group'--depicting the brigade's tanks and armored personnel carriers rolling toward Kursk. ''Our vehicles moving on Russian soil like it's our homeland,'' the drone team crowed.
A day later, the 61st Mechanized Brigade announced itself in a dramatic video that the unit's 99th Mechanized Battalion posted online from the Russian town of Sudzha, the locus of the Ukrainian operation.
Taken together, the five confirmed brigades in the Kursk corps are an eclectic group operating a diverse mix of ex-Soviet, ex-European and ex-American armored vehicles including American-supplied Stryker wheeled infantry fighting vehicles, Polish-made PT-91 tanks and a dizzying array of artillery: ex-Soviet 2S3, ex-British AS-90 and ex-Italian M-109L howitzers as well as RM-70 rocket launchers from the Czech Republic.
The 49th Artillery Brigade, operating additional AS-90s and other howitzers, has staged near Sumy, in northern Ukraine around 30 miles from the Kursk battlefield. But it's evident the 27th Artillery Brigade is in the area, too.
We can assume this because the 27th Artillery Brigade is the sole operator of Ukraine's American-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System wheeled launchers, which fire M30/31 GPS-guided rockets out to a distance of more than 50 miles. The HIMARS have apparently been busy around Kursk.
On Friday, the Khorne drone group showed Ukrainian media a video depicting what appears to be a HIMARS attack on a column of Russian troops rolling toward Kursk, likely intending to reinforce the collapsing Russian line in the oblast.
The rockets rained down on the battalion-sized column'--hundreds of troops in dozens of vehicles'--as it passed through the Russian town of Rylsk, 30 miles west of Sudzha. Images from the aftermath of the attack show seven destroyed trucks and a lot of dead soldiers.
The bombardment of Rylsk helps explain how the Ukrainians have managed to advance so far, so quickly. It seems artillery is preventing fresh Russian troops from reaching the battlefield.
The artillery interdiction mitigates one of the main dangers to the Ukrainian operation. ''The primary concern at the moment is the risk of Russia isolating Ukrainian units on the front,'' Rehi explained.
But the Russians can't isolate the Ukrainians if they can't get through the Ukrainian artillery in order to attack the supply lines of the main Ukrainian force. And every day of delay cements the Ukrainians' gains as more units'--most recently, the 61st and 116th Mechanized Brigades'--roll into Kursk.
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Sources:
1. Khorne Group: https://t.me/khornegroup/2411; https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/1821924526801699008
2. 61st Mechanized Brigade: https://x.com/Militarylandnet/status/1821980923740541110
3. Ukraine Control Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1xPxgT8LtUjuspSOGHJc2VzA5O5jWMTE&ll=51.04105141380203%2C34.74656477163666&z=11
4. Artur Rehi: https://x.com/ArturRehi/status/1821877160593756489
BREAKING: Trump Campaign HACKED '-- Internal Docs Leaked to the Media Starting in Late July | The Gateway Pundit | by Cassandra MacDonald
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 10:26
The Trump campaign has confirmed that internal communications have been hacked and leaked to the media.The campaign confirmed the cybercrime after Politico received a series of stolen documents on Saturday.
Trump's team believes Iran may have been behind the hack but has not released any information on the perpetrator.
Politico reports:
The campaign blamed ''foreign sources hostile to the United States,'' citing a Microsoft report on Friday that Iranian hackers ''sent a spear phishing email in June to a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign.'' Microsoft did not identify the campaign targeted by the email and declined to comment Saturday. POLITICO has not independently verified the identity of the hacker or their motivation, and a Trump campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, declined to say if they had further information substantiating the campaigns' suggestion that it was targeted by Iran.
''These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process,'' Cheung said in a statement provided to the outlet. ''On Friday, a new report from Microsoft found that Iranian hackers broke into the account of a 'high ranking official' on the U.S. presidential campaign in June 2024, which coincides with the close timing of President Trump's selection of a vice presidential nominee.''
Cheung did not comment about if the campaign has been in touch with Microsoft to confirm.
Politico claims it began receiving the emails in late July.
The report states:
On July 22, POLITICO began receiving emails from an anonymous account. Over the course of the past few weeks, the person '-- who used an AOL email account and identified themselves only as ''Robert'' '-- relayed what appeared to be internal communications from a senior Trump campaign official. A research dossier the campaign had apparently done on Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, which was dated Feb. 23, was included in the documents. The documents are authentic, according to two people familiar with them and granted anonymity to describe internal communications. One of the people described the dossier as a preliminary version of Vance's vetting file.
The research dossier was a 271-page document based on publicly available information about Vance's past record and statements, with some '-- such as his past criticisms of Trump '-- identified in the document as ''POTENTIAL VULNERABILITIES.'' The person also sent part of a research document about Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who was also a finalist for the vice presidential nomination.
When Politico asked how the documents were obtained, the hacker replied, ''I suggest you don't be curious about where I got them from. Any answer to this question, will compromise me and also legally restricts you from publishing them.''
Elon Musk's SpaceX gets closer to U.S. intelligence, defense
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 20:02
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander for the IM-1 mission launches from the Kennedy Space Center at 1:05 a.m. EDT on February 15, 2024 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.Photo: Paul Hennessy/Anadolu (Getty Images)
Elon Musk's company SpaceX reportedly has a $1.8 billion classified contract with an unnamed U.S. government agency, expanding its work with American intelligence and defense agencies.
Microsoft turns the blame back on Delta for the global IT outage
Documents reported by The Wall Street Journal show the contract will eventually become a major part of the company's revenue. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday morning.
SpaceX's work with intelligence and defense agencies dates back to the company's early days, when it won a launch contract with an unnamed U.S. intelligence agency in 2005.
In March 2022, thousands of the company's Starlink satellite internet terminals were sent to Ukraine after Russia's invasion of the country, as U.S. officials sought to keep the Ukrainian government online in anticipation of Russian physical and cyberattacks. Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request in 2022 showed that government contractor DAI began searching for equipment to help Ukraine starting on Feb. 11 of that year. The U.S. Agency for International Development initially purchased 1,333 terminals for Ukraine, while SpaceX donated 3,600 terminals.
Musk and the Russian government last week denied reports by Ukraine's military intelligence agency that SpaceX was selling the broadband internet terminals to Russia for its troops. SpaceX also removed a number of Starlink satellites from orbit recently, after finding an unspecified defect in the early versions.
A military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet network, Starshield, received a Pentagon contract worth up to $70 million in September, but not much is known about the unit's work.
''When I'm never sure what I can say in a public forum, I tend to zip it,'' Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's chief operating officer, said in May . ''But I can say that there is very good collaboration between the intelligence community and SpaceX.''
Palantir jumps on Microsoft tie-up to sell AI to U.S. defense, intel
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 20:00
Alex Karp, chief executive officer of Palantir Technologies Inc., walks to the morning session at the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, US, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Palantir shares closed up 11% on Thursday after the company announced a partnership with Microsoft to sell secure cloud, analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities to the U.S. defense and intelligence communities.
Palantir, which works closely with governments to provide software to visualize army positions, among other services, will use the partnership to launch its products '-- such as Gotham, Foundry, Apollo and AIP '-- on Microsoft's cloud products for government agencies.
Palantir reported earnings earlier in the week, raising its annual revenue forecast to between $2.74 billion and $2.75 billion, from $2.68 billion to $2.69 billion. That was above LSEG consensus estimates of a $2.7 billion forecast.
CEO Alex Karp said in a letter to shareholders at the time that the company's trailing 12-month revenue in its U.S. government business, which includes intel and defense agencies, surpassed $1 billion for the first time. The company said it earned 54% of its revenue from government clients during the second quarter.
Microsoft said the partnership would allow U.S. defense and intelligence organizations to build AI tools for action plans and logistics, among other things.
Palantir, co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, will work with Microsoft to provide trial services and training sessions.
Palantir shares are up about 70% year to date.
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CNN's 'Reliable Sources' reporter Oliver Darcy shockingly quits network
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 19:07
CNN ''Reliable Sources'' writer Oliver Darcy surprisingly quit the struggling cable network Thursday, saying he plans to launch a rival media newsletter.
The 33-year-old Darcy, who has often criticized his own network, had been penning ''Reliable Sources'' since CNN ousted the newsletter's former writer Brian Stelter in 2022.
Darcy said his subscription-based newsletter, ''Status,'' will be a singular endeavor.
''There are no backers. Just me,'' he told The Post. ''The paid readers will empower my independent voice.''
''Reliable Sources'' scribe Oliver Darcy has left CNN to start his own media-focused newsletter called ''Status.'' CNNHis shock exit comes as the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network is in the throes of a massive restructuring under new CNN CEO Mark Thompson, who recently announced 100 job cuts.
On Wednesday, WBD reported a $10 billion net loss for the second quarter and missed Wall Street estimates for quarterly results. The stock is down more than 10% Thursday.
Darcy, who joined CNN in 2017, became a leading media voice when he took over ''Reliable Sources.'' Notably, in June 2023, he spoke out against his own network under then-CEO Chris Licht, who had sparked an upheaval among staffers over the exec's perceived poor judgment and lack of leadership.
He also had his fair share of scoops, most recently exposing MSNBC's decision to yank ''Morning Joe'' off the air after an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
''Oliver has established himself as a tough but scrupulously fair leading voice in media reporting and commentary '' never afraid to call it as he sees it,'' CNN boss Thompson said.
A rep for CNN said ''Reliable Sources'' will go on summer break but return in the fall with a new writer.
The first issue of ''Status'' is set to appear on Monday, and it will have a launch sponsor, which Darcy declined to name.
A subscription will begin at $15 a month or $150 a year with an elite membership, with perks like private Zoom calls available for $595 annually, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Darcy told the outlet that ''Status'' will cover topics ranging from Silicon Valley to presidential politics to the effects of artificial intelligence technology on news consumption.
CNN boss Mark Thompson wished Darcy well on his next endeavor. The network said it plans to name a new writer of ''Reliable Sources'' in the fall. Getty Images for Warner Bros. Discovery''We are trying to connect all these dots on a nightly basis,'' he said.
''My pitch to readers is this is a 100% independent voice,'' he said. ''I don't think there's one product out there that does exactly what we do.''
The newsletter will also have an ad sales partnership with The Ankler, a start-up that covers Hollywood, founded by Janice Min, the ambitious media veteran, who once helmed ''The Hollywood Reporter'' and ''US Weekly'' in its glory days.
''Status'' joins a slew of newsletters from outlets like Politico, Axios, Puck and Bloomberg.
'Nowhere to hide' for influencers behind disorder - top prosecutor
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 19:05
Getty ImagesStephen Parkinson said anybody involved in the violence would face the most severe possible criminal charges, including terrorism
The director of public prosecutions says his teams will consider seeking the extradition of social media influencers allegedly playing a role in the violent disorder gripping the UK from abroad.
Stephen Parkinson told the BBC that offenders "must know that they are not safe and there is nowhere to hide".
He added that anybody involved in the violence should know they would face the most severe possible criminal charges, including terrorism.
Approximately 100 of the 400 people arrested in relation to a week of disorder have been charged, Mr Parkinson revealed.
Prosecutors and detectives are now working through cases in teams across England and Wales to push as many suspects into the courts as quickly as possible. Some complex cases could take weeks more to be charged, but Mr Parkinson said prosecutors were ''absolutely geared up'' to bring offenders to justice.
Concern has been mounting about extreme right-wing social media influencers, including the founder of the English Defence League, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson.
He is currently in Cyprus. The High Court has issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to turn up in court last Monday.
Mr Parkinson said: ''Some people are abroad. That doesn't mean they're safe. We have liaison prosecutors around the globe, who've got local links with the local judiciary. We can cooperate with our international partners.
''We would certainly consider extradition if we are satisfied that an offence has been committed.
''And if it takes weeks or not months, we will bring them home and they will face justice.''
Violent riots following the fatal stabbing of three girls in Southport have now lasted almost a week.
Suspects charged so far have faced allegations including violent disorder, which can lead to five years in jail. Other suspects who have been arrested are still being assessed for the more serious charge of rioting, that can lead to ten years.
Those charging decisions would take longer, said Mr Parkinson, because of the nature of the crime and the evidence needed - but they will come.
''There are sentencing guidelines which indicate that many people who have been caught up in this disorder will face immediate imprisonment. There should be no doubt about that. They are going to prison.
''We are willing to look at terrorism offences. I'm aware of at least one instance where that is happening.
''Where you have organised groups planning activity for the purposes of advancing [an] ideology ... planning really, really serious disruption then yes, we will consider terrorism offences.''
Earlier today, the Crown Prosecution Service charged a 28-year-old man with posting content online that was allegedly intended to stir up racial hatred in relation to the violence disorder - the first such charge in relation to the clashes.
Front Pages 8th of August 2024 - Tomorrow's Papers Today!
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 18:10
Newspaper Round Up: 8th of August 2024
Metro Front Page 8th of August 2024 9:13 pm
Russian operatives are allegedly targeting UK far-right channels with the intention of organising and inciting riots across Britain, as part of efforts to destabilise the West.
Read More >>Financial Times Front Page 8th of August 2024 9:12 pm
H2O Asset Management has agreed to pay investors '¬250 million to avoid a fine from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for serious failings, including breaches on illiquid investments and issues linked to financier Lars Windhorst.
Read More >>
B.C. Human Rights Tribunal says it can hear allegations of online hate speech
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 18:09
British Columbia's Human Rights Tribunal has ruled it has the authority to hear cases about allegations of online hate speech.
The tribunal says provincial human rights laws against publications that perpetrate discrimination or hatred fall under the province's jurisdiction, not the federal government's control over telecommunications.
The decision is part of an ongoing human rights complaint between the BC Teachers' Federation and former Chilliwack school board trustee Barry Neufeld.
Neufeld made several online posts starting in 2017 objecting to the province's sexual orientation education initiative, including comparing allowing children to change genders to child abuse.
He argued that the internet falls within exclusive federal jurisdiction over telecommunications.
The tribunal's decision says the merits of the allegations about Neufeld's online publications will be decided when the hearing resumes in the fall.
B.C.'s Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender, who is an intervener in the case, said in a statement that the decision is a positive one.
''The tribunal's decision means that discriminatory or hateful speech will not be immune from provincial human rights laws just because it was published online,'' she said.
''The B.C. Human Rights Code will continue to offer protection to people in this modern context.''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2024.
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MAGA influencers boycott Dunkin' Donuts over Rumble ads
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 18:06
Dunkin' Donuts is facing a boycott from prominent MAGA figures after Rumble's CEO claimed the chain won't advertise on his video sharing platform due to divisive right-wing content.
The grumbling began Wednesday when Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski posted what appeared to be a snippet of an email from Dunkin's parent company, Inspire Brands.
''I would be opposed to showing up on the current version of the platform,'' the email read. ''The right wing culture of the site is too polarizing from a brand sustainability standpoint today.''
The sender added that Inspire Brands would be open to revisiting the matter as ''the site evolves.''
Rumble hosts programming from controversial right-wing fabulists including Alex Jones, Nick Fuentes and Tucker Carlson.
Social media MAGA influencer Catturd expressed outrage over Dunkin's choice on X '-- another online platform struggling to attract advertisers because of its far right-wing content.
''So, companies like POS @dunkindonuts are boycotting Rumble, and X, unless they drop all the truth tellers,'' the online personality wrote Wednesday night to his 2.7 million followers. ''I'm calling on everyone to BudLight @dunkindonuts.''
Bud Light took a financial blow in 2023 after it launched a promotion featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The campaign offended MAGA loyalists including musician Kid Rock, who filmed himself shooting at several cases of beer.
Right-wing pundit Steven Crowder, who has 2.2 million followers on X, praised Pavlovski's decision to target potential advertisers that choose to avoid content they find objectionable. He also encouraged his supporters to exercise their freedom to boycott such companies.
''This is the power that YOU have,'' he wrote on the platform Thursday. ''When you don't Kowtow to the woke mob, you win.''
This is the power that YOU have. When you don't Kowtow to the woke mob, you win.
And @chrispavlovski is a legend with massive balls! https://t.co/bxnBZXaCnj
'-- Steven Crowder (@scrowder) August 8, 2024
Crowder was one of several activists who celebrated Wednesday's New York Times report that the Global Alliance for Responsible Media '-- an organization being sued by Rumble and X '-- was suspending operations amid antitrust allegations. The nonprofit group said it can't afford to fight back.
Inspire Brands, which also operates Arby's, Baskin Robbins and Buffalo Wild Wings, hasn't responded to a request for comment.
Originally Published: August 8, 2024 at 3:38 p.m.
Major US banks shutter 33 locations in just 2 weeks | The Post Millennial | thepostmillennial.com
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 18:04
National banks continue to shut down branches at an alarming rate, with more than 30 locations being shuttered in just two weeks in July, the Daily Mail reports. Banks closing branches include Chase, Bank of America, PNC, Axiom Bank, Capitol, Citizens, Dollar Bank, Lemont, Wells Fargo and Zions Bancorporation.Bank of America shuttered 11 branches with Chase and PNC both closing seven branches each. Florida lost the most branches, with Ohio, Virginia and Texas following with three branches each in those states. Bank of America closed 100 branches in 2024 alone. Over the past year, however, California saw the most closures at 72 while New York was second with 51 and Pennsylvania had 40 branches closed."These shifts in our branch network reflect that, more and more, our clients are using digital banking for their everyday financial needs and coming into financial centers for more significant needs or to have conversations about their finances," a Bank of America spokesperson told the media outlet. '¨Banks are hoping to move away from expensive real estate and actual bank employees to the virtual world of self-service.'¨'¨"The majority of Americans, from Gen Z to boomers, are in less need of a traditional bank, which may explain the rising number of physical branches that have been closing over the past year," Andrew Murray, lead data researcher at GOBankingRates told The Daily Mail.'¨'¨The banks claim that their internal surveys indicate that the public prefers on-line banking to in-person banking and rarely actually enters a bank to conduct business. '¨'¨"It's likely that overhead costs (rent, maintenance, supplies and staff salaries) are a large factor, especially given that our survey shows how infrequently people visit brick and mortar banks," Murray told the Daily Mail. As far as the bottom line is concerned, fewer buildings and personnel mean more money for banks, that spend an average of $2.6 million per location annually.
Online disinformation sparked a wave of far-right violence in the UK
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 18:01
Riot police officers push back anti-migration protesters outside the Holiday Inn Express Hotel which is housing asylum seekers on August 4, 2024 in Rotherham, United Kingdom.
Christopher Furlong | Getty Images News | Getty Images
It didn't take long for false claims to appear on social media after three young girls were killed in the British town of Southport in July.
Within hours, false information '-- about the attacker's name, religion, and migration status '-- gained significant traction, sparking a wave of disinformation that fueled days of violent riots across the U.K.
"Referencing a post on LinkedIn, a post on X falsely named the perpetrator as 'Ali al-Shakati,' rumored to be a migrant of Muslim faith. By 3 p.m. the following day, the false name had over 30,000 mentions on X alone," Hannah Rose, a hate and extremism analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), told CNBC via email.
Other false information shared on social media claimed the attacker was on an intelligence services watchlist, that he came to the UK on a small boat in 2023, and was known to local mental health services, according to ISD's analysis.
Police debunked the claims the day after they first emerged, saying the suspect was born in Britain, but the narrative had already gained traction.
Disinformation fueled biases and prejudiceThis kind of false information is closely aligned with a rhetoric that has fueled the anti-migration movement in the U.K. in recent years, said Joe Ondrak, research and tech lead for the U.K. at tech company Logically, which is developing artificial intelligence tools to fight misinformation.
"It's catnip to them really, you know. It's really the exact right thing to say to provoke a much angrier reaction than there likely would have been were the disinformation not circulated," he told CNBC via video call.
Riot police officers push back anti-migration protesters outside on Aug. 4, 2024 in Rotherham, U.K.
Christopher Furlong | Getty Images
Far-right groups soon began organizing anti-migrant and anti-Islam protests, including a demonstration at the planned vigil for the girls who had been killed. This escalated into days of riots in the U.K. that saw attacks on mosques, immigration centers and hotels that house asylum seekers.
The disinformation circulated online tapped into pre-existing biases and prejudice, Ondrak explained, adding that incorrect reports often thrive at times of heightened emotions.
"It's not a case of this false claim goes out and then, you know, it's believed by everyone," he said. The reports instead act as "a way to rationalize and reinforce pre-existing prejudice and bias and speculation before any sort of established truth could get out there."
"It didn't matter whether it was true or not," he added.
Many of the right-wing protestors claim the high number of migrants in the U.K. fuels crime and violence. Migrants rights groups deny these claims.
The spread of disinformation onlineSocial media provided a crucial way for the disinformation to be circulated, both through amplification of algorithms and because large accounts shared it, according to ISD's Rose.
Accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers, and the paid-for blue ticks on X, shared the false information which was then pushed by the platform's algorithms to other users, she explained.
"For example when you searched 'Southport' on TikTok, in the 'Others Searched For' section, which recommends similar content, the false name of the attacker was promoted by the platform itself, including 8 hours after the police confirmed that this information was incorrect," Rose said.
Shop fronts are being boarded up to protect them from damage before the rally against the far-right and racism.
Thabo Jaiyesimi | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images
ISD's analysis showed that algorithms worked in a similar way on other platforms such as X, where the incorrect name of the attacker was featured as a trending topic.
As the riots continued, X-owner Elon Musk weighed in, making controversial comments about the violent demonstrations on his platform. His statements prompted pushback from the U.K. government, with the country's courts minister calling on Musk to "behave responsibly."
TikTok and X did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
The false claims also made their way onto Telegram, a platform which Ondrak said plays a role in consolidating narratives and exposing increasing numbers of people to "more hardline beliefs."
"It was a case of all of these claims getting funneled through to what we call the post-Covid milieu of Telegram," Ondrak added. This includes channels that were initially anti-vaxx but were co-opted by far-right figures promoting anti-migrant topics, he explained.
In response to a request for comment by CNBC, Telegram denied that it was helping spread misinformation. It said its moderators were monitoring the situation and removing channels and posts calling for violence, which are not permitted under its terms of service.
At least some of the accounts calling for participation in the protest could be traced back to the extreme right-wing, according to analysis by Logically, including some linked to the banned right-wing extremist group National Action, which was named a terrorist organization in 2016 under the U.K.'s Terrorism Act.
Ondrak also noted that many groups that had previously circulated false information about the attack had started walking it back, saying it was a hoax.
On Wednesday, thousands of anti-racism protestors rallied in cities and towns across the U.K., far out-numbering recent anti-immigrant protests.
Content moderation?The U.K. has an Online Safety Act meant to fight hate speech, but it only comes into effect early next year and may not be enough to guard against some forms of disinformation.
On Wednesday, the U.K. media regulator Ofcom issued a letter to social media platforms saying they shouldn't wait for the new law to come into force. The U.K. government also said social media companies should do more.
Many platforms already have terms and conditions and community guidelines, which to varying extents cover harmful content and enforce action against it.
A protester holds a placard reading "Racists not welcome here" during a counter demonstration against an anti-immigration protest called by far-right activists in the Walthamstow suburb of London on August 7, 2024.
Benjamin Cremel | Afp | Getty Images
The companies "have a responsibility to ensure that hatred and violence are not promoted on their platform," ISD's Rose said, but added that they need to do more to implement their rules.
She noted that ISD had found a range of content on a number of platforms that would likely be against their terms of service, but remained online.
Logically's Henry Parker, who is VP of corporate affairs, also pointed out nuances for different platforms and jurisdictions. Companies invest varying amounts in content moderation efforts, he told CNBC, and there are issues over differing laws and regulations.
"So there's a dual role here. There's a role for platforms to take more responsibility, live up to their own terms and conditions, work with third parties like fact checkers," he said.
"And then there's the responsibility of government to really be clear what their expectations are '... and then be very clear about what will happen if you don't meet those expectations. And we haven't yet gone to that stage yet."
FDA won't approve psychedelic MDMA for PTSD | AP News
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 16:54
WASHINGTON (AP) '-- Federal health regulators on Friday declined to approve the psychedelic drug MDMA as a therapy for PTSD, a major setback for groups seeking a breakthrough decision in favor of using mind-altering substances to treat serious mental health conditions.
Drugmaker Lykos Therapeutics said the FDA notified the company that its drug ''could not be approved based on data submitted to date,'' and requested an additional late-stage study. Such studies generally takes several years and millions of dollars to conduct. The company said it plans to ask the agency to reconsider.
Lykos and other psychedelic companies had hoped that MDMA would be approved and pave the way for other hallucinogenic drugs to enter the medical mainstream . If the FDA had granted the request, MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, would have become the first illegal psychedelic to become a federally approved medicine.
The FDA's decision was expected after a panel of government advisors voted overwhelmingly against the drug's use for post-traumatic stress disorder in June. The negative vote came after an all-day meeting in which experts scrutinized Lykos' study data , research methods and possible risks of the drug, including heart problems, injury and abuse.
Military veterans have spent years lobbying for the use of psychedelic drugs to treat PTSD and other hard-to-treat mental health conditions. (AP video/Shelby Lum)
FDA said Friday the MDMA application had ''significant limitations'' that ''prevent the agency from concluding that the drug is safe and effective for the proposed indication.'' The agency said it will continue encouraging ''innovation for psychedelic treatments and other therapies to address these medical needs.''
Lykos said the issues FDA raised in what's called a complete response letter echoed the concerns during the June meeting.
''The FDA request for another study is deeply disappointing,'' Lykos CEO Amy Emerson said Friday in a statement. ''Our heart breaks for the millions of military veterans, first responders, victims of sexual and domestic abuse and countless others suffering from PTSD who may now face more years without access to new treatment options.''
Lykos is essentially a corporate spinoff of the nation's leading psychedelic advocacy group, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS, which funded the initial studies of MDMA by raising millions of dollars from wealthy backers.
The group has been a pioneer in researching the medical use of psychedelics, which major pharmaceutical companies have been unwilling to fund. Two small studies submitted to the FDA suggested combining MDMA with talk therapy led to significant easing of PTSD symptoms.
Antidepressants are now the only FDA-approved drugs for PTSD, which is closely linked to depression, anxiety and suicidal thinking and is more prevalent among women and veterans.
In recent years, MDMA research has been widely publicized by combat veterans , who say the lack of treatments options for the condition has contributed to higher rates of suicide among military personnel. Last month, veterans supporting psychedelic therapy rallied on Capitol Hill in support of the drug. And more than 80 House and Senate lawmakers have signed letters to the FDA in recent weeks urging MDMA's approval.
But FDA's review brought new scrutiny to the research. The vast majority of patients in Lykos' studies correctly guessed whether they had received MDMA or a dummy pill, making it ''nearly impossible'' to maintain the ''blinding'' which is considered essential for medical research, according to FDA internal staffers.
In recent months, separate allegations of misconduct have emerged, including that some researchers involved in the studies coached patients to suppress negative results or inflate positive ones.
Despite the setback, many experts say other psychedelics may fare better before the agency.
MDMA is the first in a series of psychedelics that are expected to be reviewed by the FDA in coming years as part of a resurgence of interesting into their therapeutic potential.
The idea of using psychedelics to enhance psychotherapy is not new. A handful of therapists in California used MDMA during the 1970s and 1980s '-- when it was still legal '-- to facilitate couples therapy sessions. MAPS was founded in 1986 to oppose a federal decision placing MDMA in the same ultra-restrictive drug category as heroin, LSD and other illegal psychedelics.
MAPS' studies of MDMA began more than a decade ago. Since then, dozens of small, startup drugmakers have entered the field, studying other substances like psilocybin and LSD for conditions including depression, addiction and anxiety. Those studies are generally larger and more rigorous than the MDMA studies submitted to the FDA.
Two drug developers, Compass Pathways and Usona Institute, are conducting late-stage studies of psilocybin '-- the active ingredient in magic mushrooms '-- for severe depression.
___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Former YouTube CEO and Silicon Valley trailblazer Susan Wojcicki has died at age 56
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 14:06
CEO Youtube Susan Wojcicki speaks during the 'What Matters Next' session during the Cannes Lions Festival 2018 on June 19, 2018 in Cannes, France.
Francois G. Durand | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who was also one of the most influential early Google employees, has died at the age of 56 according to posts shared online by her husband Dennis Troper and Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Friday night.
Wojicki led YouTube for nearly ten years and was one of the only women to hold the CEO role at a big tech company in Silicon Valley.
Wojcicki's husband Dennis Troper wrote on Facebook early Friday night, "It is with profound sadness that I share the news of Susan Wojcicki passing. My beloved wife of 26 years and mother to our five children left us today after 2 years of living with non-small cell lung cancer."
Pichai confirmed the death and cancer condition in a post on social media Friday, writing that he was "unbelievably saddened" by the loss.
In a note sent to employees, Pichai described Wojcicki as "one of the most active and vibrant people I have ever met. Her loss is devastating for all of us who know and love her, for the thousands of Googlers she led over the years, and for millions of people all over the world who looked up to her, benefited from her advocacy and leadership, and felt the impact of the incredible things she created at Google, YouTube, and beyond.
"Susan's journey, from the garage she rented to Larry and Sergey '... to leading teams across consumer products and building our Ads business '... to becoming the CEO of YouTube, one of the world's most significant platforms, is inspiring by any measure. But she didn't stop there. As one of the earliest Googlers -- and the first to take maternity leave -- Susan used her position to build a better workplace for everyone. And in the years that followed, her advocacy around parental leave set a new standard for businesses everywhere. Susan was also deeply passionate about education. She realized early on that YouTube could be a learning platform for the world and championed 'edutubers' -- especially those who extended the reach of STEM education to underserved communities."
Wojcicki, 56, joined YouTube as CEO in 2014. She stepped down from her role in February 2023, saying she'd continue working with YouTube teams, coaching members and meeting with creators.
She helped to build Google from its earliest days into a tech titan, and is credited with shepherding some of its most successful products.
She let Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, work out of her Menlo Park, California, home upon founding Google. Page and Brin rented the garage space for $1,700 a month from her. Wojcicki was working in the marketing department at Intel at the time.
Upon joining Google in 1999 as the company's 16th employee, Wojcicki oversaw the design and build of Google's advertising and analytics products for 14 years. She played a crucial role in developing Google's advertising business, including co-creating AdSense, one of the company's most successful products.
In 2006, she advocated for Google's then-$1.65 billion acquisition of YouTube.
"The founders trust Susan maybe more than anybody on the planet," Patrick Keane, an early Google sales director, said in the 2022 book "Like, Comment, Subscribe: Inside YouTube's Chaotic Rise to World Domination." "You could never get Susan rattled, no matter how challenging the moment was."
"When people couldn't get him to see reason, she always could," said former Google director and early Silicon Valley workplace influencer Kim Scott in the book as "a Larry whisperer," referring to Google co-founder Larry Page.
During Wojcicki's tenure as YouTube CEO, she oversaw the company's rapid expansion, helping turn it into the largest video platform in the world. YouTube now has more than 2.5 billion monthly active users and more than 500 hours of content are uploaded to the platform every minute, according to the company.
The announcement of her death led to an outpouring of condolences from a wide range of tech and venture capital leaders on Friday night.
"I had the good fortune of meeting Susan 17 years ago when she was the architect of the DoubleClick acquisition," wrote current YouTube CEO Neal Mohan in a social media post Friday night. "Her legacy lives on in everything she touched at Google and YouTube."
"She taught me the business and helped me navigate a growing, fairly chaotic organization at the beginning of my career in tech," said former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg in a social media post. "As one of the most important women leaders in tech '-- the first to lead a major company'-- she was committed to expanding opportunities for women throughout Silicon Valley. I don't believe my career would be what it is today without her unwavering support."
"I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear colleague and friend @SusanWojcicki," wrote Google chief scientist Jeff Dean on social media Friday night. "She has had a profound influence on everyone at Google and impacted the lives of so many."
Here's What Elon Musk Really Thinks About Climate Change Entrepreneur
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 05:11
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Where is Elon Musk on the climate change issue?
While the world's second richest man has strongly advocated for fighting against global warming over the years, his thoughts on reversing the trend have varied.
"Climate change is the biggest threat that humanity faces this century, except for AI," Musk told Rolling Stone in 2018. "I keep telling people this. I hate to be Cassandra here, but it's all fun and games until somebody loses a f---ing eye."
Musk's concern about the climate is shared by 72% of Americans, according to a survey by Yale University. Another survey by the American Association for the Advancement of Science survey found that about 97% of climate scientists concluded that "human-caused climate change is happening."
A pioneer in clean energyMusk's actions as an entrepreneur demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability.
In 2008, Musk became CEO of Tesla, now the world's largest electric vehicle producer. Additionally, in 2016, Tesla acquired SolarCity '-- a company started by Musk's cousins '-- for $2.6 billion. SolarCity was reorganized into Tesla Energy, a clean energy subsidiary of Tesla, Inc.
What was the motivation behind investing in Tesla?
"The fundamental intention of Tesla, at least my motivation, was to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy," he said. "That's why I open-sourced the patents. It's the only way to transition to sustainable energy better."
Related: Elon Musk Was Right To Ban Remote Work. Here's Why
Musk is funding a $100 million carbon removal competitionMusk has consistently funded efforts to fight global warming.
The Musk Foundation is involved with the XPrize Carbon Removal Program, which is funding a carbon removal competition between teams across the globe. According to the website, the goal is to fight climate and rebalance the Earth's carbon cycle, and the prize is listed as the largest incentive prize in history.
"We want teams to build real systems that can make a measurable impact at a gigaton level. Whatever it takes. Time is of the essence," Musk said.
Musk on the risks of climate changeMusk has repeatedly warned about the risks of climate change to humanity. In 2015, he made a head-turning speech on the subject at Paris-Sorbonne University.
"If we wait and delay the change (away from fossil fuels), the best case is simply delaying the inevitable transition from sustainable energy. This is the best case if we don't take action now," he said. "The worst case, however, is more displacement and destruction than all the wars in history combined. These are the best and worst-case scenarios. This is why I call it the dumbest experiment in history."
He imagined the possibility of 5 to 10% of the Earth's landmass being absorbed by water, concluding ominously that "we would be talking about maybe two billion people being displaced and their homes being destroyed and their countries being gone. So I think we should take action."
Musk said he thought the government needed to play a role in changing the course.
"There needs to be a clear message from government in this regard," Musk said. "Because the fundamental problem is the rules today incent people to create carbon. This is madness. Whatever you incent, will happen. That is why we are seeing very little effect thus far.
"The government is the setter of rules, the government decides what rules the companies play by. And if we currently have a system that massively incentivizes bad behavior."
Musk on the Paris Climate AccordsIn the early days of the Trump Administration, Musk was part of two advisory councils to the former president. But Musk left the councils after Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords. The Accords include commitments from all countries to reduce their emissions and work together to adapt to the impacts of climate change, and calls on countries to strengthen their commitments over time.
"Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world," Musk wrote on Twitter.
Related: What Skills Does Elon Musk Have and Why Is He So Successful?
Musk on the Biden Administration plans for tackling climate changeAs the Biden Administration took over the White House in 2021, Musk told Fortune that he was excited about the new president's goals in tackling the climate crisis.
"I think this is great. I feel very optimistic about the future of sustainable energy with the new administration," Musk said. "Not that we should get complacent or anything, but the wind is at our back for solving the climate crisis with the new administration."
Musk bristles at government spending on climate changeBut as the details of the Biden Administration's Build Back Better bill surfaced, Musk began to have a change of heart about the administration. Despite the bill's provisions on climate change, Musk told the Wall Street Journal: "I would just can this whole bill. That's my recommendation."
Why was he against it? Musk expressed concern about the amount of government spending required and how it would affect the deficit.
"Do we need federal support for gas stations? We don't. So there's no need for this, for support for a charging network. I would delete it. Delete."
"It might be better if the bill doesn't pass because we've spent so much money, you know, it's like the federal budget deficit is insane," he added.
Musk on a carbon taxMusk has consistently favored a carbon tax, which is a tax on fossil fuels, especially those used by motor vehicles, intended to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide.
During a February 2021 interview with Joe Rogan, Musk once again declared that he favored a carbon tax. Musk had also discussed a carbon tax at the World Energy Innovation Forum in 2016, noting that a "revolt" against the fossil fuel industry was needed.
"My top recommendation, honestly, would be just add a carbon tax," Musk told Rogan. "The economy works great. Prices and money are just information. If the price is wrong, the economy doesn't do the right thing."
Musk said he wanted to make sure the tax was non-regressive, based on income level so that lower wage earners do not pay a higher rate than higher wage earners. He also floated the idea of tax rebates for lower-wage workers.
"If we just put a price on (carbon emissions), the market will react in a sensible way. But because we don't have a price on it, it is behaving badly," Musk said.
Musk said that he had spoken with the Biden Administration about a carbon tax, but he said that the White House told him it would be too difficult politically to get through. However, Biden's Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, has been vocal about her support for a carbon tax.
Related: 61 Books Elon Musk Thinks You Should Read
Musk vs. Bill Gates on climate actionMusk and Bill Gates are two of the richest men in the world. Both have overwhelming resources to devote to fighting climate change. But each man has taken different routes to help with the crisis, and these differences have caused a feud.
Gates has criticized Musk for his endeavors with exploring outer space rather than using that money for work here on Earth, while Musk has criticized Gates' strategies and his financial dealings with Tesla. In brief, Gates owns a half-a-billion short position on Tesla.
This came to a head when Gates reached out to Musk about working together on climate change. Musk shut down the proposition pretty quickly.
In a leaked text message exchange (which was later confirmed by Musk as authentic), Musk replied to Gates, "Sorry, but I cannot take your philanthropy on climate change seriously when you have a massive short position against Tesla, the company doing the most to solve climate change."
Musk now believes there are bigger problems than global warmingAlthough Musk declared in 2018 that climate change was the most significant threat humanity would face this century, his views seemed to have changed by the summer of 2022 '-- at least regarding global warming.
On July 15th, Musk tweeted, "Tesla is to protect life on Earth, SpaceX to extend life beyond."
However, just over one month later on August 25, Musk tweeted, "Population collapse due to low birth rates is a much bigger risk to civilization than global warming. Mark these words."
Population collapse due to low birth rates is a much bigger risk to civilization than global warming
'-- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2022He added, " I think global warming is a major risk."
Related: Elon Musk's Stalker Is an Uber Eats Driver Who Says Musk Is Stalking Him
VIDEOS
VIDEO - JPMorgan Chase rolls out AI assistant powered by ChatGPT-maker OpenAI
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 17:16
JPMorgan Chase has rolled out a generative artificial intelligence assistant to tens of thousands of its employees in recent weeks, the initial phase of a broader plan to inject the technology throughout the sprawling financial giant.
The program, called LLM Suite, is already available to more than 60,000 employees, helping them with tasks like writing emails and reports. The software is expected to eventually be as ubiquitous within the bank as the videoconferencing program Zoom, people with knowledge of the plans told CNBC.
Rather than developing its own AI models, JPMorgan designed LLM Suite to be a portal that allows users to tap external large language models '-- the complex programs underpinning generative AI tools '-- and launched it with ChatGPT maker OpenAI's LLM, said the people.
"Ultimately, we'd like to be able to move pretty fluidly across models depending on the use cases," Teresa Heitsenrether, JPMorgan's chief data and analytics officer, said in an interview. "The plan is not to be beholden to any one model provider."
Teresa Heitsenrether is the firm's chief data and analytics officer.
Courtesy: Joe Vericker | PhotoBureau
The move by JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank by assets, shows how quickly generative AI has swept through American corporations since the arrival of ChatGPT in late 2022. Rival bank Morgan Stanley has already released a pair of OpenAI-powered tools for its financial advisors. And consumer tech giant Apple said in June that it was integrating OpenAI models into the operating system of hundreds of millions of its consumer devices, vastly expanding its reach.
The technology '-- hailed by some as the "Cognitive Revolution" in which tasks formerly done by knowledge workers will be automated '-- could be as important as the advent of electricity, the printing press and the internet, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said in April.
It will likely "augment virtually every job" at the bank, Dimon said. JPMorgan had about 313,000 employees as of June.
ChatGPT banThe bank is giving employees what is essentially OpenAI's ChatGPT in a JPMorgan-approved wrapper more than a year after it restricted employees from using ChatGPT. That's because JPMorgan didn't want to expose its data to external providers, Heitsenrether said.
"Since our data is a key differentiator, we don't want it being used to train the model," she said. "We've implemented it in a way that we can leverage the model while still keeping our data protected."
The bank has introduced LLM Suite broadly across the company, with groups using it in JPMorgan's consumer division, investment bank, and asset and wealth management business, the people said. It can help employees with writing, summarizing lengthy documents, problem solving using Excel, and generating ideas.
But getting it on employees' desktops is just the first step, according to Heitsenrether, who was promoted in 2023 to lead the bank's adoption of the red-hot technology.
"You have to teach people how to do prompt engineering that is relevant for their domain to show them what it can actually do," Heitsenrether said. "The more people get deep into it and unlock what it's good at and what it's not, the more we're starting to see the ideas really flourishing."
The bank's engineers can also use LLM Suite to incorporate functions from external AI models directly into their programs, she said.
'Exponentially bigger'JPMorgan has been working on traditional AI and machine learning for more than a decade, but the arrival of ChatGPT forced it to pivot.
Traditional, or narrow, AI performs specific tasks involving pattern recognition, like making predictions based on historical data. Generative AI is more advanced, however, and trains models on vast data sets with the goal of pattern creation, which is how human-sounding text or realistic images are formed.
The number of uses for generative AI are "exponentially bigger" than previous technology because of how flexible LLMs are, Heitsenrether said.
The bank is testing many cases for both forms of AI and has already put a few into production.
JPMorgan is using generative AI to create marketing content for social media channels, map out itineraries for clients of the travel agency it acquired in 2022 and summarize meetings for financial advisors, she said.
The consumer bank uses AI to determine where to place new branches and ATMs by ingesting satellite images and in call centers to help service personnel quickly find answers, Heitsenrether said.
In the firm's global-payments business, which moves more than $8 trillion around the world daily, AI helps prevent hundreds of millions of dollars in fraud, she said.
But the bank is being more cautious with generative AI that directly touches upon the individual customer because of the risk that a chatbot gives bad information, Heitsenrether said.
Ultimately, the generative AI field may develop into "five or six big foundational models" that dominate the market, she said.
The bank is testing LLMs from U.S. tech giants as well as open source models to onboard to its portal next, said the people, who declined to be identified speaking about the bank's AI strategy.
Friend or foe?Heitsenrether charted out three stages for the evolution of generative AI at JPMorgan.
The first is simply making the models available to workers; the second involves adding proprietary JPMorgan data to help boost employee productivity, which is the stage that has just begun at the company.
The third is a larger leap that would unlock far greater productivity gains, which is when generative AI is powerful enough to operate as autonomous agents that perform complex multistep tasks. That would make rank-and-file employees more like managers with AI assistants at their command.
The technology will likely empower some workers while displacing others, changing the composition of the industry in ways that are hard to predict.
Banking jobs are the most prone to automation of all industries, including technology, health care and retail, according to consulting firm Accenture. AI could boost the sector's profits by $170 billion in just four years, Citigroup analysts said.
People should consider generative AI "like an assistant that takes away the more mundane things that we would all like to not do, where it can just give you the answer without grinding through the spreadsheets," Heitsenrether said.
"You can focus on the higher-value work," she said.
'-- CNBC's Leslie Picker contributed to this report.
Don't miss these insights from CNBC PRO
VIDEO - Noah Lyles wins 200m bronze; COVID diagnosis revealed after race - ABC7 New York
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 16:09
SAINT-DENIS, France -- Barely an hour after he earned his first gold medal Sunday night, Noah Lyles told anyone who would listen what would happen when he went for his second later in the week.
"I'll be winning," Lyles said.
Turns out, this time he was wrong.
One day after losing the 200-meter semifinal to Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, Lyles was unable to surpass him once again in the final Thursday night.
Noah Lyles, of the United States, is treated by medical staff following the men's 200-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France.
AP Photo/Petr David Josek
Tebogo ran an African-record 19.46 to earn the 200-meter gold medal. Finishing just behind him with silver was American Kenny Bednarek, who posted a 19.62-second showing.
Rounding out the podium placers with bronze was the American sprinter Lyles, who finished in 19.70 seconds. It's the second straight Olympics in which he earned a bronze medal in the race that he has long billed as his premier even
As soon as he crossed the finish line third, Lyles laid down on his back on the track. He placed his hands on his head with a look of disbelief on his face. Within moments, he was surrounded by athletic trainers and members of the Paris Olympics medical staff, who moved him toward a wall as they administered some level of treatment.
Noah Lyles, of the United States, is helped off the track after the men's 200-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France.
AP Photo/Matthias Schrader
At one point, Lyles was seen wearing a mask before being placed in a chair which was eventually wheeled into the nearby tunnel.
It was immediately unclear what Lyles' medical status was following the race, although NBC's broadcast indicated it had spoken with his mother, who said he had been diagnosed with COVID on Tuesday.
Just after Wednesday's semifinal heat in which Lyles finished second to Tebogo, Lyles did not come through the media mixed zone. He instead was taken directly to medical for what was an undisclosed reason.
Noah Lyles, of the United States, dons a face mask following his men's 200-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France.
AP Photo/Petr David Josek
During Thursday's race, all eight runners got off to a somewhat even start. Lyles was in the hunt early. Around the 100-meter mark, Tebogo and Bednarek began pulling away. Although Lyles was still hanging close with them, Tebogo's lead was one he was not relinquishing easily.
Minutes after the race, Lyles was also handed a yellow card for a violation of Technical Rule 7.1 for "improper conduct." It wasn't immediately clear why he was given it, but during introductions, he did demonstrably jump onto the track as he heard his name.
While pumping up the crowd before the race, Lyles smacked the box housing the speaker in his lane so hard that the number on it box fell off.
Lyles' 200-meter showing followed his 9.79-second, personal-best effort in Sunday's close 100-meter dash. He earned the gold medal in what was the closest 100-meter final since at least Moscow in 1980 -- or perhaps ever. Back then, Great Britain's Allan Wells narrowly beat Silvio Leonard in 10.25 seconds in an era when timing didn't go down to the thousandths of a second.
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VIDEO - President Trump Gives Lengthy Press Conference - August 8, 2024 - The Last Refuge
Sat, 10 Aug 2024 15:44
Earlier today, President Trump gave a press conference from Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Unlike the Kamala/Walz heavily controlled and scripted relationship with their allies in media, President Trump and JD Vance will take any/all questions regardless of topic.
President Trump delivered some short remarks then stood in front of the media and took questions from the assembled press pool for over an hour. WATCH:
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