Tag Archives: Policy

A power utility is reporting suspected pot growers to cops. EFF says that’s illegal.

In May 2020, Sacramento, California, resident Alfonso Nguyen was alarmed to find two Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies at his door, accusing him of illegally growing cannabis and demanding entry into his home. When Nguyen refused the search and denied the allegation, one deputy allegedly called him a liar and threatened to arrest him. That same… Read More: A power utility is reporting suspected pot growers to cops.… »

Chinese firms rush for Nvidia chips as US prepares to lift ban

Chinese firms have begun rushing to order Nvidia’s H20 AI chips as the company plans to resume sales to mainland China, Reuters reports. The chip giant expects to receive US government licenses soon so that it can restart shipments of the restricted processors just days after CEO Jensen Huang met with President Donald Trump, potentially… Read More: Chinese firms rush for Nvidia chips as US prepares to… »

Anthropic destroyed millions of print books to build its AI models

But if you’re not intimately familiar with the AI industry and copyright, you might wonder: Why would a company spend millions of dollars on books to destroy them? Behind these odd legal maneuvers lies a more fundamental driver: the AI industry’s insatiable hunger for high-quality text. The race for high-quality training data To understand why… Read More: Anthropic destroyed millions of print books to build its AI… »

Cybersecurity takes a big hit in new Trump executive order

The departments of Commerce, Treasury, Homeland Security and the National Institutes of Health were all compromised. A large roster of private companies—among them Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Deloitte, FireEye, and CrowdStrike—were also breached. In response, a Biden EO required the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to establish a “common form” for self-attestation that organizations selling critical… Read More: Cybersecurity takes a big hit in new Trump executive order »

Hollywood studios target AI image generator in copyright lawsuit

The legal action follows similar moves in other creative industries, with more than a dozen major news companies suing AI company Cohere in February over copyright concerns. In 2023, a group of visual artists sued Midjourney for similar reasons. Studios claim Midjourney knows what it’s doing Beyond allowing users to create these images, the studios… Read More: Hollywood studios target AI image generator in copyright lawsuit »

“In 10 years, all bets are off”—Anthropic CEO opposes decadelong freeze on state AI laws

On Thursday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei argued against a proposed 10-year moratorium on state AI regulation in a New York Times opinion piece, calling the measure shortsighted and overbroad as Congress considers including it in President Trump’s tax policy bill. Anthropic makes Claude, an AI assistant similar to ChatGPT. Amodei warned that AI is advancing… Read More: “In 10 years, all bets are off”—Anthropic CEO opposes decadelong… »

GOP sneaks decade-long AI regulation ban into spending bill

The reconciliation bill primarily focuses on cuts to Medicaid access and increased health care fees for millions of Americans. The AI provision appears as an addition to these broader health care changes, potentially limiting debate on the technology’s policy implications. The move is already inspiring backlash. On Monday, tech safety groups and at least one… Read More: GOP sneaks decade-long AI regulation ban into spending bill »

DOGE software engineer’s computer infected by info-stealing malware

Login credentials belonging to an employee at both the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Department of Government Efficiency have appeared in multiple public leaks from info-stealer malware, a strong indication that devices belonging to him have been hacked in recent years. Kyle Schutt is a 30-something-year-old software engineer who, according to Dropsite News,… Read More: DOGE software engineer’s computer infected by info-stealing malware »

Trump admin to roll back Biden’s AI chip restrictions

The changing face of chip export controls The Biden-era chip restriction framework, which we covered in January, established a three-tiered system for regulating AI chip exports. The first tier included 17 countries, plus Taiwan, that could receive unlimited advanced chips. A second tier of roughly 120 countries faced caps on the number of chips they… Read More: Trump admin to roll back Biden’s AI chip restrictions »

Jury orders NSO to pay $167 million for hacking WhatsApp users

A jury has awarded WhatsApp $167 million in punitive damages in a case the company brought against Israel-based NSO Group for exploiting a software vulnerability that hijacked the phones of thousands of users. The verdict, reached Tuesday, comes as a major victory not just for Meta-owned WhatsApp but also for privacy- and security-rights advocates who… Read More: Jury orders NSO to pay $167 million for hacking WhatsApp… »