Technology

> You’ll have to pay more to go ad-free.

> What if you could never turn off motion smoothing?

> A security breach at the maker of ChatGPT last year revealed internal discussions among researchers and other employees, but not the code behind OpenAI’s systems.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/aubJh

> Artists must wait weeks for Glaze defense against AI scraping amid TOS updates.

> Madrid unveils a digital wallet to help porn platforms verify users’ ages.

> The Federal Trade Commission would like to remind you that yes, you can repair your own PC.

> So long, Wall-E-esque guard bot.

> The platform says it's because of "evolving" industry standards but sellers say they feel "betrayed."

> Cops want more access to OnlyFans to detect more child sex abuse, report says.

> It’s no secret that Ukraine is having a hard time in its fight against Russia at the moment. That’s in part because Ukraine is being limited in how deep into Russia it can attack using Western-supplied weapons. But mostly it is a matter of numbers: Russia has more men that it is willing to sacrifice in assaults, and more weapons and ammunition that it can use to pound Ukrainian positions and cities. As Alex Bornyakov, Ukraine’s deputy minister of digital transformation, told the UK Times: “We don’t have as many human resources as Russia, they fight, they die, they send more people, they don’t care, but that’s not how we see war.” Since it can’t match Russia in raw manpower and firepower, Ukraine has turned to technology to help it fight back.

> Thousands of pedophiles who download and share child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were identified through information-stealing malware logs leaked on the dark web, highlighting a new dimension of using stolen credentials in law enforcement investigations.

> But what about fax machines?

> The ‘ongoing attack’ had some high-profile targets.

> The tech will be transferred “out to the agriculture ecosystem.”

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/461229

> The leap in emissions is largely due to energy-guzzling data centers and supply chain emissions necessary to power artificial intelligence (AI) systems such as Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The report estimated that in 2023, Google’s data centers alone account for up to 10% of global data center electricity consumption. Their data center electricity and water consumption both increased 17% between 2022 and 2023. > > Google released 14.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide just last year, 13% higher than the year before. > > Climate scientists have shown concerns as Big Tech giants such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft continue to invest billons of dollars into AI.

> Google totally dodges the question of how much energy is AI is using — perhaps because the answer is "way more than we'd care to say."

> For decades there has been endless policy wrangling over whether “unlocking your phone” (removing restrictions allowing you to take the device with you to another carrier) should be allowed. Giant carriers have generally supported onerous phone locks because it hampers competition by making it harder to switch providers. Consumer rights groups and the public broadly support unlocked devices.

> Law that requires porn sites to verify user ages faces First Amendment challenge.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/408016

> Original report (pdf) > > Russia has been utilizing Kaliningrad, its strategic exclave bordering Poland and Lithuania, as a base to disrupt European Union satellite systems, according to a report from the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU). > > The ITU’s Radio Regulations Board (RRB) urged Russia to “immediately cease any deliberate action to cause harmful interference to frequency assignments of other administrations.” This statement follows a review of geolocation data from disrupted signals, which the board described as “extremely worrisome and unacceptable.” > > For several months, European satellite companies have reported being targeted by Russian radio frequency interference, leading to broadcast interruptions and, in at least two instances, violent programming overriding content on children’s channels. > > Initially, complaints from several NATO members identified the sources of disruption as mainland Russia and occupied Crimea. However, the RRB’s latest findings indicate that recent interference originated from locations including Kaliningrad and Moscow. > > The disruptions have primarily targeted TV and radio channels with Ukrainian content, but have also affected channels operated by the Administration of the Netherlands, the report said. The interference has manifested in various forms, such as high-power unmodulated carriers and replicated multiplexing signals, which override the original content transmitted by satellite. > > Two separate satellite operators conducted geolocation analyses, both independently concluding that the interference occurred from earth stations located in Moscow, Kaliningrad, and Pavlovka. > > Last week, reports emerged that a commercial transatlantic flight experienced significant disruptions due to GPS jamming, marking the first known instance of such an incident on this route. A flight from Madrid to Toronto was forced to operate in a “degraded mode” because a higher-altitude flight had been affected by GPS interference. > > The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank that monitors global conflicts, previously reported that it observed high levels of GPS jamming over Poland and the Baltic region since late 2023. Some analysts and experts have attributed these incidents to Russian electronic warfare (EW) activity from the Kaliningrad area and near St. Petersburg, Russia.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/408358

> Original version behind a subscription > > Archived version > > A surge of Chinese plastic supply is threatening to overflow in the face of weak domestic demand, morphing into a fresh trade challenge for the rest of the world. > > “Everyone in China has this notion that if they are fast enough, if they are the first in the industry, able to burn cash long enough, then they will become the survivor that takes market share. And then they can raise the price,” said Ms Vivien Zheng, Asia chemicals analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. > > - Plants have mushroomed along the country’s eastern coast over the last decade, built in a race to satisfy China’s hunger for plastic and to help refiners counter an expected downturn in transport fuels, as electric vehicles take off. Vast volumes and lacklustre post-pandemic demand mean margins are paper thin – but companies have kept producing, hoping to cling to existing market share. > > - “This is yet another example – after steel and solar panels – where China’s structural imbalances are clearly spilling over into global markets,” one expert for Chinese industries said. In an echo of its predicament from batteries to green-energy technology, the world’s second-largest economy is staring down a situation of dramatic industrial excess. > > - Factories currently navigate the supply surge with brief shutdowns and low run rates, but as production capacity continues to be added, petrochemical executives and sector analysts say surpluses will grow – enough in many products to turn China into a significant exporter, often selling into a glut and potentially exacerbating existing trade tensions. > > - “China’s substantial investments between 2020 and 2027 have reshaped global supply dynamics, leading to a structural surplus in Asia and persistent low or negative profit margins,” said Ms Kelly Cui, principal petrochemicals analyst at Wood Mackenzie. The consultancy estimates that almost a quarter of global ethylene capacity is at risk of closure, even as China is still adding more. > > - Between 2019 and the end of 2024, China will have completed construction of so many plants to turn crude oil and gas into products such as ethylene and propylene – materials behind everything from plastic bottles to machinery – that nameplate capacity is now equal to Europe, Japan and South Korea combined, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). > > - Part of the reason is that smaller plants do not require approvals from Beijing, as large refineries do. The local authorities were quick to see the opportunity to use cheap land and fiscal perks to encourage job creation and investment. All sought to feed demand for a plastic known as polypropylene, used for plastic packaging, automobile parts and electrical appliances. > > - But as supply flowed, domestic demand faltered. Now the trouble is that financial and market-share pressures are also adding up. > > - China is already a net exporter of polyester products such as PVC and PET, used in clothing or food containers, shipping them to countries like Nigeria, Vietnam and India, according to an expert, again creating or worsening trade surpluses. > > - Most of the new facilities in China were installed in the last three or five years despite slowing demand, which makes this economic development harder and harder to sustain.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/405394

> A former Florida police officer who relocated to Moscow is one of the key figures behind it. > > Dozens of bogus stories aimed at influencing US voters and sowing distrust ahead of November’s election. Some have been roundly ignored but others have been shared by influencers and members of the US Congress. > > For example, one of these stories was published on a website called The Houston Post – one of dozens of sites with American-sounding names which are in reality run from Moscow - and alleged that the FBI illegally wiretapped Donald Trump’s Florida resort.

> The Indian social media platform Koo, which positioned itself as a competitor to Elon Musk's X, is ceasing operations after its last-resort acquisition The Indian social media platform Koo is shutting down after acquisition talks with local peer Dailyhunt fell through.

> The “world’s first horizontally foldable 360 degree laptop.”

> DJI continues to expand beyond drones.

> Even unlisted YouTube videos are used to train AI, watchdog warns.

> Google says “reducing emissions may be challenging” as it integrates AI into its products.

> European Commission objects to ‘pay or consent’ model for users of Facebook and Instagram

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/390314

> "We encourage you to consider, beyond the state subsidies, other reasons leading Chinese EVs to be sold at prices below market in the EU," Philippe Dam, EU Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), writes in an open letter to the European Commission. > > Refering to the EU's ongoing consultations with Beijing regarding tariffs on Electric Vehicles (EVs), HRW asks the Commission to "urge the Chinese government to end crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang and elsewhere and implement the recommendations of the August 2022 OHCHR report on Xinjiang". > > HRW demands three points: > - Release everyone who remains arbitrarily detained or imprisoned > > - Investigate and appropriately prosecute government officials implicated in serious violations of human rights and crimes against humanity > > - Grant free and unfettered access to Xinjiang to independent monitors, as requested by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and several UN Special Procedures > > The rights groups also calls to ensure coherence with the pending Forced Labor Regulation, which enables the European Commission and EU member states to take steps to block entry into the EU market for products made with forced labor.

> Simply submitting the request for a takedown doesn't necessarily mean the content will be removed, however.

> Drivers will get sick pay and healthcare stipends, too.

> Companies like Charter brought about the streaming industry they now want to join.

> It’s probably best not to reset your phone for a bit.

> Nvidia is set to be charged by the French antitrust regulator for allegedly anti-competitive practices, people with direct knowledge of the matter said, making it the first enforcer to act against the computer chip maker.

> Maybe it’s made with AI, or maybe it was just resized.

> Regulator gives industry groups six months to come up with draft code, expected to include rules about age verification

Temu—the Chinese shopping app that has rapidly grown so popular in the US that even Amazon is reportedly trying to copy it—is "dangerous malware" that's secretly monetizing a broad swath of unauthorized user data, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin alleged in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

Griffin cited research and media reports exposing Temu's allegedly nefarious design, which "purposely" allows Temu to "gain unrestricted access to a user's phone operating system, including, but not limited to, a user's camera, specific location, contacts, text messages, documents, and other applications."

"Temu is designed to make this expansive access undetected, even by sophisticated users," Griffin's complaint said. "Once installed, Temu can recompile itself and change properties, including overriding the data privacy settings users believe they have in place."

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) invites members of the public to a roundtable discussion about the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and legal protections for individuals’ reputations and name, image, voice, likeness (NIL), and other indicators of identity.

This is your opportunity to provide input on:

• Whether existing legal protections for individuals’ NIL and reputations are sufficient
• How these legal protections intersect with other intellectual property (IP) laws
• How AI technology impacts existing legal protections for NIL and reputation

The feedback received will assist the USPTO’s work to develop IP policy recommendations regarding the intersection of AI and IP, in accordance with the Executive Order on AI issued by President Biden in October 2023.

> New record shows potential high data throughput with no upgrade for current fiber optic infrastructure

> As more and more governments try to pass more and more laws requiring age verification, some of us keep pointing out that age verification will cause a ton of harm. For all the talk of how it’s necessary to “protect the children,” the only way to verify ages is to collect a ton of private information on people, which then makes that information a target.

> That is not how fair use works.