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“Silent Push Threat Analysts are tracking a massive “fake marketplace” scam that uses thousands of fake websites to abuse dozens of major brands and buy Facebook ads to promote its scam products. Our team is labeling this group “GhostVendors,” and we suspect they are also purchasing ads on other networks to self-promote their scam sites. …
Democracy Defenders Fund: “A new white paper, Cut to Shreds: How Elon Musk Profited While Decimating the US Government, offers a blistering account of Elon Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee” under President Trump. Far from a symbolic role, Musk used his position as de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) …
EFF: “…The consolidation of government records equals more government power that can be abused. Different government agencies necessarily collect information to provide essential services or collect taxes. The danger comes when the government begins pooling that data and using it for reasons unrelated to the purpose it was collected. Imagine, for instance, a scenario where …
The New York Times no paywall – “OpenAI, the firm that helped spark chatbot cheating, wants to embed A.I. in every facet of college. First up: 460,000 students at Cal State. OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, has a plan to overhaul college education — by embedding its artificial intelligence tools in every facet of campus …
The Guardian: “A cure for HIV could be a step closer after researchers found a new way to force the virus out of hiding inside human cells. The virus’s ability to conceal itself inside certain white blood cells has been one of the main challenges for scientists looking for a cure. It means there is …
The New York Times – no paywall: “Several hundred soldiers were deployed to the streets of Los Angeles on Sunday, as demonstrations against President Trump’s immigration crackdown raged for a third day. The troops were members of the California National Guard, called in by the president against the wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Not since …
Jerry Lawson, attorneys@work: “…Replacing Fuzzy Thinking with Clear Models. This is not a book of answers. It is a book of questions. Susskind does not pretend to have solutions to all thorny issues around artificial intelligence. His goal is to help readers identify the issues and suggest some clear ways of thinking about them. Susskind’s …
404 Media: “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are researching an incredibly wild virtual reality technology that would allow TSA agents to use VR goggles and haptic feedback gloves to allow them to pat down and feel airline passengers at security checkpoints without actually touching them. The agency calls this …
Lifehacker – and What to Do About It – “If you own a home, you know that homeowners insurance usually requires inspections—at least once, when you initially take out the policy, and often periodically when the renewal comes around. You usually can’t avoid this—the insurer has a right to ensure that they’re not taking on …
Vox via MSN: “…Americans still consume plenty of text. Social media platforms teem with words — even video-based apps like TikTok are replete with captions and comments. And on average, we spend more than two hours scrolling through such platforms each day. But not all reading is created equal. The mind can skim over the …
New York Times (Gift Article): The Disappearing Funds for Health. “These are the nearly 2,500 N.I.H. grants that have been ended or delayed [vizualization]. In his first months in office, President Trump has slashed funding for medical research, threatening a longstanding alliance between the federal government and universities that helped make the United States the …
The Verge: “When you’re preparing to move, you can find yourself faced with a lot of paper documents. Holiday cards, leases, letters, tax documents, notes, doodles – whatever – can really stack up over time. If your choices are only “keep” or “trash,” it can be hard to let go, even if you choose one …