Leftovers

• Digital Music News ☛ ‘Errors Tour’—Swifties Saddened to Discover Taylor Swift Book Riddled with Typos and Grainy Photos

  Taylor Swift’s fans are annoyed by the amount of grammatical errors and low-quality photos inside her Eras Tour companion book. Taylor Swift’s official Eras Tour book went on sale across the US exclusively in Target stores over the Thanksgiving weekend, selling over 814,000 copies.

• Ruben Schade ☛ First morning ritual at the new place

  Today was the first time properly sitting here doing my early morning ritual of coffee and RSS. The views of the national park, the sound of birds, and the complete lack of road noise is stunning. Trains roll by sometimes, but the “quality” of that sound (for want of a better word) is far preferable to the constant drone of traffic, horns, and brakes. It’s silly, but I like that I can wave at people, and occasionally a small kid will wave back :).

• Marco F ☛ Tech I Don’t Need (But Want)

  There are a few tech items I’ve been eyeing for a long time, which I’d love to have, but the rational part of my brain forbids me from buying—at least for now, thankfully.

• Justin Duke ☛ Letters to a Young Bartender

  Maybe it's hindsight, but most cocktail writing on the [Internet] is not particularly helpful. It's either Dave Arnold-style postmodernism [2], recipe analysis with little foundational insight that one would get from a couple years as a barback, or (particularly recently) recipe/bottle porn. What I wish I had was a list of now-obvious tips for keeping and running a home bar, and here is where I will keep them: [...]

• The Legacy of ITS

  In the world of computing lore,
  There once was an OS known as ITS,
  The Incompatible Timesharing System to be precise,
  A name that made users think twice.

  It was a system that was hard to love,
  With commands and syntax that felt above,
  The reach of many users' minds,
  A learning curve that felt unkind.

  But for those who stuck it out,
  ITS was a system without a doubt,
  That offered power and control,
  To those who sought to take the toll.

  From Lisp machines to Multics too,
  ITS was a system that knew what to do,
  It was a pioneer in its day,
  

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Chilling Historical Photo Captures The Deadly Impact of Humans

    Hard to believe it's real.

  • Avinash Sajjanshetty ☛ Galloping Search - blag

    I recently learned about an algorithm called Galloping Search. It’s used to search sorted items when the upper bound is unknown. It’s like binary search but without the ‘high’ value. In this short post, I’ll explain my problem and how I solved it.

• Career/Education

  • Axios ☛ Colleges dismantle DEI on campus as Trump promises crackdown

    What we’re watching: Universities in states that have not yet implemented DEI bans are also cutting programs. “There’s an epidemic of pre-compliance and over-compliance, and that’s really hurting students,” Young says.

  • Unmitigated Risk ☛ Beyond Memorization: Preparing Kids to Thrive in a World of Endless Information

    What does it take to prepare our children for a tomorrow where AI shapes how they get information, robots change traditional jobs, and careers transform faster than ever—a time when what they can memorize matters far less than how quickly they can think, adapt, and create? As a parent with children aged 29, 18, and 9, I can’t help wondering how to best prepare each of them. My oldest may have already found his way, but how do I ensure my younger two can succeed in a world so different from the one their brother entered just a few years before?

  • Adolfo Ochagavía ☛ My personal Bell Labs

    After I left, years ago, I gradually gravitated towards projects that required programming from first principles. I’ve since been paid to implement RFCs, work on open source libraries, create a benchmarking setup for Rust’s main TLS implementation… Heck, last November I even attended an IETF meeting to discuss the viability of the QUIC protocol for Earth to Mars communication!

    It looks like, somehow, I’ve finally reached the dream job where my curiosity can go wild: every project I take results in a deeper understanding of computing; I’m working together with smarter people than I ever hoped for; I’m creating technology from first principles for other programmers to build upon…

• Hardware

  • New York Times ☛ Is defective chip maker Intel Cooked? + What’s Your P(Dyson Sphere)? + Hard Fork Gift Guide

    The sudden departure of Intel’s C.E.O. reignites concerns about U.S. dependence on foreign manufacturing.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Legendary video game developer imagines a future where GPUs don't need PCs — John Carmack envisions a GPU with Linux onboard, so you would just add power and a display

    Imagine connecting a graphics card to a display and a power source and running diagnostics before installing it or running it standalone later when troubleshooting. Perhaps the card could have a compact Linux distro onboard, mused the iconic Doom developer. It could even come with a handful of apps and utilities and connect to a keyboard via DisplayPort…

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Chinese companies are reportedly reluctant to adopt homegrown chips — domestic solutions are technologically too far behind

    Chinese companies are reluctant to adopt domestic silicon from automotive and computing to Hey Hi (AI) and HPC sectors.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Two years on, Chinese carry 'painful' memories of COVID lockdowns

    The rapid U-turn followed protests, and led to millions of infections and deaths across the country.

  • Pro Publica ☛ A Montana Hospital Let Dr. Thomas Weiner Continue Practicing Despite Concerns

    Lisa Warwick found her husband gasping for air at the foot of the basement stairs and knew the miracle was over. It was Aug. 2, 2020, more than 11 years since Scot Warwick had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Most patients are dead in months, but her husband, who had just turned 51, had somehow destroyed the odds.

    “Are we going in?” she asked.

  • Futurism ☛ Scientists Issue Warning About Perfumes

    As the Washington Post notes in its medical column, that's because many perfumes on the market are infused with a potentially harmful chemical known as phthalates, which help their scents last longer.

    The risks phthalates pose to children are already well documented enough that certain forms of the chemical are banned in children's toys in the US. But there are no such restrictions against them being used in perfumes and other self-care products, like shampoos and soaps. It's on the consumer, then, to forego them whenever possible.

  • Scheerpost ☛ ‘Not Medically Necessary’: Inside the Company Helping America’s Biggest Health Insurers Deny Coverage for Care

    But the insurance companies don’t always make these decisions. Instead, they often outsource medical reviews to a largely hidden industry that makes money by turning down doctors’ requests for payments, known as prior authorizations. Call it the denials for dollars business.

    The biggest player is a company called EviCore by Evernorth, which is hired by major American insurance companies and provides coverage to 100 million consumers — about 1 in 3 insured people. It is owned by the insurance giant Cigna.

    A ProPublica and Capitol Forum investigation found that EviCore uses an algorithm backed by artificial intelligence, which some insiders call “the dial,” that it can adjust to lead to higher denials. Some contracts ensure the company makes more money the more it cuts health spending. And it issues medical guidelines that doctors have said delay and deny care for patients.

  • Omicron Limited ☛ While we're quick to limit kids' screen time, parents can also benefit from setting boundaries for themselves

    Excessive screen time in young children is linked to developmental delays in communication and problem-solving. One explanation is that screen time displaces parent–child interactions that are crucial for development. This is often framed as the child's screen time displacing these interactions.

    But when parents use their smartphones a lot, this is associated with lower responsiveness and attention towards their children, particularly when this screen time occurs during routines such as meal time.

  • Futurism ☛ Horrifying AI Chatbots Are Encouraging Teens to Engage in Self-Harm

    Many of the bots we found were designed to mix depictions of self-harm with romance and flirtation, which further concerned Emanuele, who noted that teenagers are "in an age where they're exploring love and romance, and a lot of them don't know what to do."

  • [Old] Simply Scholar Ltd ☛ Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory of Emotion

    Here’s a breakdown of the theory:

    1. Physiological Arousal: Initially, an event causes physiological arousal. This is the body’s immediate response to a stimulus, which can include reactions such as an increased heartbeat, sweating, and muscle tension.

    2. Cognitive Interpretation: Following physiological arousal, the individual will make a cognitive interpretation or appraisal of the situation to determine the specific emotion they are feeling. This means that the person will search their environment for cues to label and interpret their arousal.

  • India Times ☛ US FDA cited animal lab at Musk's Neuralink for 'objectionable conditions'

    An animal testing laboratory at Elon Musk's Neuralink brain technology company was found to have "objectionable conditions or practices" by the Food and Drug Administration, which cited the company and urged it to address the problems.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Medevel ☛ Apple Vision Pro: I Tried It, and I’m Not Impressed

    The tech world has been buzzing about Apple’s Vision Pro, a headset that promises to blend virtual and augmented reality in a seamless experience. Marketed as a “spatial computer,” it aims to revolutionize how we interact with digital content by creating immersive environments for work, entertainment, and social interaction.

  • India Times ☛ bluesky: Bluesky is different from X for now

    On social media, the political is personal; migrating Bluesky users are signaling political separation from an increasingly conservative X and giving up on the idea of a town square that holds all voices simultaneously.

  • The Verge ☛ How to stop the AI you’re using from training with your data

    Disabling AI training isn’t quite the same as wiping your AI chatbot history, though they are linked. Your chats can still be used for training purposes before they’re wiped, and you may well want to keep your chat history in place — but at the same time stop AI companies from using your data for model refinement.

    Here are instructions on how to turn off AI training on several AI or AI-supporting apps.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Spotify Creates AI-Generated Podcast for Your Wrapped Summary

    If Spotify Wrapped stats aren’t enough, the audio giant has teamed up with Google to build an AI-generated podcast offering an audio recap of your year in music.

  • [Repeat] OpenRightsGroup ☛ Letter to Peter Kyle: Keep our right not to be subjected to decisions based solely on AI

    Under Art 22 of GDPR we have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning him or her or similarly significantly affects him or her.

    This right would be removed if the DUA Bill is passed. Clause 80 of the Data Bill would deprive individuals of this important right in most circumstances and exacerbate power imbalances by requiring individuals to scrutinise, contest and assert their rights against decisions made by AI.

  • Macworld ☛ Apple's first 5G modem will kick off a 3-year plan to leave Qualcomm behind

    It has been over five years since Apple purchased Intel’s modem division and patents, and in all that time it hasn’t managed to ship a product. Now, according to a new report from Bloomberg, the company is finally ready to bring its first 5G modem to market.

  • Thomas Buck ☛ Pico BLE Vape Remote - xythobuz.de

    Like many modern devices, some of the medical vaporizer devices from S&B (the Crafty, Venty and the Volcano Hybrid) offer Bluetooth connectivity and an app to control them.

  • Howard Oakley ☛ A brief history of Mac servers – The Eclectic Light Company

    Although there’s little evidence of them today, Apple made a long succession of Mac servers and servers for Macs from 1988 to 2014, and only discontinued support for the last release of macOS Server in April 2022. Its first entry into the market was a special version of the Macintosh II running Apple’s own port of Unix way back in 1988.

  • David Darnes ☛ bluesky-replies Web Component

    After seeing the Web Components community on Bluesky share a couple of components for embedding Blueksy post threads, I thought I'd throw my hand into the ring. I'm not knocking them; it's great to see them out there. However, I prefer something a bit more low-level that can utilise HTML and CSS as it's typically used.

  • Pivot to AI ☛ A polite disagreement bot ring is flooding Bluesky — reply guy as a (dis)service

    On the Bluesky social network, you may notice a lot of drive-by responses from accounts that rarely or never post — they just reply to other accounts.

    The reply pattern starts with a phrase like “I respectfully disagree” and follows it with a fatuous objection. Another pattern is to start by agreeing, then pivot to trying to start a fight.

  • Deccan Chronicle ☛ Apple's 5G Modem to Debut in 2025, Aims to Overtake Qualcomm

    Modem is a critical component of a mobile phone which lets the device connect to the cell towers to make calls and also link up with the [Internet].

  • Futurism ☛ Murdered Insurance CEO Had Deployed an AI to Automatically Deny Benefits for Sick People

    The algorithm in question, known as nH Predict, allegedly had a 90 percent error rate — and according to the families of the two deceased men who filed the suit, UHC knew it.

    As that lawsuit made its way through the courts, anger regarding the massive insurer's predilection towards denying claims has only grown, and speculation about the assassin's motives suggests that he may have been among those upset with UHC's coverage.

  • Futurism ☛ Alarms Blaring That AI Bubble Could Collapse

    That is not an auspicious parallel. After hitting a temporary peak in 1998, the S&P 500 would continue to balloon for a few more years. But by early 2001, the bubble had popped, plunging the US economy into a lengthy recession.

    That isn't the only parallel, of course. The Dot-com bubble and our current AI one have an eerie amount in common.

  • Associated Press ☛ Wall Street parties like it's 1998 as AI fuels gains unmatched since dot-com era

    This time around, it’s not dot-com stocks boosting the market but skyrocketing prices for companies in the artificial-intelligence business. Nvidia, for example, has more than doubled in value after surging over three times in 2023 because its chips are powering much of the move into AI. Super Micro Computer, which makes servers used in AI and other computing, has jumped nearly 48% this year after more than tripling last year.

  • Tedium ☛ What Bluesky’s Business Model Could Learn From Craigslist

    In my first big rant on Bluesky, I tapped into a small seed of an idea that I think deserves expansion: The idea that the problem with many companies is that they maximize profits instead of protecting what got everyone interested in them in the first place.

    Based on what CEO Jay Graber is saying—including at a TechCrunch event this week—she strikes me as someone who does not want to maximize profit in consumer-unfriendly ways. She suggested advertising, but only based on contextual intentions, i.e., through search rather than shoved into your feed.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • CBC ☛ A huge hack of U.S. phone companies means your text messages may not be safe

      At a media briefing Wednesday, U.S. deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger shared details about the breadth of a sprawling hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans.

      A group of hackers known as Salt Typhoon is being blamed for the attack targeting companies, which reportedly included AT&T, Verizon and Lumen Technologies. White House officials cautioned that the number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could still grow.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • New York Times ☛ Cash App Wades Into the Exclusive World of Presale Concert Tickets

      Legacy credit cards and banks aren’t the only banking options to come with perks for premium access to events anymore.

    • Russell Graves ☛ Prison Communication in Canyon County and Idaho State Prisons

      And now for something completely different: Notes on communication systems into the various Treasure Valley jails, as of the end of 2024. This covers the Canyon County Jail, Ada County Jail, and the various Idaho prisons in the Boise area (though some will apply to other jails using the same systems). This is all pieced together from a range of conversations with people over the past six months or so - and all of this is up to regular change as the whims of jail officials change. So. If something has changed, please update things in the comments section and I’ll see what I can do.

    • The Register UK ☛ Boeing employee leaks office surveillance details

      An unnamed Boeing employee at Everett, a key manufacturing site for the aerospace giant's jumbojets, shared an internal PowerPoint presentation with The Seattle Times touting the benefits of the tracking technology.

      The plan reportedly called for installation of "workplace occupancy sensors" throughout Boeing's office that include motion sensors and cameras mounted in ceiling tiles, intended to monitor building occupancy.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Could Facial Recognition Help Find Man Sought in United Healthcare CEO’s Killing?

    Experts disagreed on whether running surveillance camera images released by the police through a facial recognition system would produce a reliable lead.

  • New Eastern Europe ☛ An open letter from Georgia

    New Eastern Europe received this open letter from one of our contributors based in Georgia. We are republishing it here in support of Georgian civil society and in an effort to help raise awareness of the situation that is taking place there.

  • The Washington Post ☛ OpenAI workers question its work with weapons startup Anduril

    OpenAI has said its work with Anduril will be limited to using AI to enhance systems the defense company sells the Pentagon to defend U.S. soldiers from drone attacks. Employees at the AI developer asked in internal messages how OpenAI could ensure Anduril systems aided by its technology wouldn’t also be directed against human-piloted aircraft, or stop the U.S. military from deploying them in other ways.

  • Futurism ☛ US Military Alarmed by Russian Nuclear Weapon Platform in Orbit

    Launched in February 2022 just a few weeks before Ukraine was invaded, Russia's Cosmos 2553 spacecraft is nominally built to test out "newly developed onboard instruments and systems." According to new reporting from the New York Times, however, the mysterious satellite system contains a "dummy warhead" — a precursor of what could come should the Russians decide to arm the craft for real.

  • The Hill ☛ Maxwell Frost criticizes Musk, Ramaswamy as Trump's DOGE leadership

    Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) criticized President-elect Trump’s choices to lead the new Department [sic] of Government Efficiency (DOGE), saying it’s “two billionaires who are cosplaying as government officials.”

  • The Atlantic ☛ What can DOGE do?

    The meme-inspired name of the commission led by Elon Musk and the former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is a bit of a misnomer: DOGE stands for the Department [sic] of Government Efficiency, but the commission will not actually be a federal department (those have to be formed by Congress). Instead, it will be an advisory body, one without the practical authority or enforcement ability to enact the lofty goals it has so far put forth.

  • The Age AU ☛ TikTok is now a step closer to being banned in the US

    American lawmakers and intelligence officials have said that TikTok poses a national security threat under ByteDance. They say the Chinese government’s oversight of private companies would allow it to use the app to retrieve sensitive information about Americans or to spread propaganda, though they have not publicly shared evidence that this has occurred.

    They have also noted that apps like Facebook and YouTube are banned in China and that the country does not allow TikTok there.

  • Kansas Reflector ☛ Federal appeals court upholds rapidly approaching TikTok ban

    “Today’s ruling is a victory for the American people and TikTok users, and a loss for the Chinese Communist Party, which will no longer be able to exploit ByteDance’s control over TikTok to undermine our sovereignty, surveil our citizens, and threaten our national security,” Chairman John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican, wrote. “I am optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok to allow its continued use in the United States and I look forward to welcoming the app in America under new ownership.”

  • Los Angeles Times ☛ TikTok loses court bid to stop U.S. ban. Supreme Court appeal expected

    TikTok sued the government in May, asking the U.S. Court of Appeals to declare unconstitutional a law that would require its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations or face a ban in the country.

    Legislators backing the law said a ban or sale was necessary to address national security concerns posed by the app’s ties to China.

  • Advance Local Media LLC ☛ Court deals massive blow to TikTok, paving way for potential U.S. ban

    The U.S. has said it’s concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect.

    However, a significant portion of the government’s information in the case has been redacted and hidden from the public as well as the two companies.

  • Semafor Inc ☛ US court upholds law forcing TikTok to divest or face a ban

    A Washington court ruled Friday to uphold a law forcing TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell its stake in the video-sharing platform to avoid a US ban.

    Shortly after, TikTok announced that it would appeal the ruling with the Supreme Court — meaning the timings could exceed the Jan. 19 limit set for the divestiture. This would leave TikTok’s fate in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump, who once backed a ban, but now describes himself as “a big star on TikTok.”

  • US News And World Report ☛ US TikTok Content Creators Warn Followers to Find Them on Instagram, YouTube

    The U.S. Congress, fearing TikTok's Chinese owners are gathering information about American consumers, has passed a law requiring its owner, Chinese-backed ByteDance, to divest its TikTok in the U.S. or face a ban. On Friday, a federal appeals court upheld the law.

  • VOA News ☛ US to observe 83rd anniversary of attack on Pearl Harbor

    Saturday, December 7, marks the 83rd anniversary of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, a U.S. naval base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, near Honolulu.

  • Sightline Media Group ☛ Could a young Army pilot have prevented the Pearl Harbor attack?

    At about 7:20 a.m., Elliott reached the center’s switchboard operator, Private Joseph P. McDonald, and gave his report: “Large number of planes coming in from the north.” McDonald thought that he was alone and didn’t know what to do. When he saw that Tyler was still on duty, he had Tyler speak with Lockard. Lockard told Tyler about the contact, which was now 20-25 miles closer to Oahu, deeming it the most substantial reading he had ever gotten.

  • Deccan Chronicle ☛ 100-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor recalls confusion and chaos during Japanese bombing 83 years ago

    A moment of silence will be held at 7:54 a.m., the same time the attack began eight decades ago. Aircraft in missing man formation are due to fly overhead to break the silence.

  • RFERL ☛ Police Use Water Cannons In Attempt To Break Up Protest In Tbilisi As Pressure Grows On Georgian Government

    Riot police in Georgia used water cannons late on the night of December 6 to disperse protesters gathered in Tbilisi for the ninth consecutive night to voice their opposition to the government’s decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union.

  • The Record ☛ Romania annuls presidential election over alleged Russian interference | The Record from Recorded Future News

    Intelligence documents declassified and released on Wednesday by the outgoing president, Klaus Iohannis, assess that Georgescu's victory in the first round was down to a widespread state-sponsored interference on his behalf, including a sophisticated guerilla campaign on social media, particularly TikTok.

    According to these documents, $381,000 was spent to promote Georgescu on TikTok without being marked as campaigning material as required both by TikTok's terms and Romanian election law. The campaign was also heavily promoted by previously dormant accounts that had been registered two years ago.

    The intelligence agencies also identified Russian cybercrime platforms trading credentials used by Romanian voters to access electoral websites, and said there had been thousands of cyberattacks during the voting itself that damaged electoral computers and forced a recount on the evening of the vote.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ Did TikTok influence Romania's presidential election?

    The short video app TikTok is said to have played a role in the outcome. Calin Georgescu, the far-right and pro-Russian presidential candidate, was massively promoted via TikTok with the help of coordinated accounts, recommendation algorithms and paid advertising.

    Georgescu, who was previously largely unknown, does not belong to any political party, polled extremely low in all preelection surveys and did not take part in any of the TV debates. Nevertheless, he won the first round of voting.

  • RFERL ☛ Romania's 'King Of TikTok' Tied To Alleged Scheme Boosting Far-Right Presidential Candidate

    But now Peschir, a 36-year-old programmer reportedly leading a lavish lifestyle, has emerged as a central figure in the claims that far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu benefitted from secretive influence campaigns, including from Russia.

  • VOA News ☛ Romania's top court scraps presidential election

    On Wednesday, the presidency declassified documents detailing allegations against Georgescu and Russia, including "massive" social media promotion and cyberattacks.

    Based on this, said the court, it had unanimously decided to annul the entire electoral process to ensure its "correctness and legality."

  • RFERL ☛ Georgescu Urges Romanians To Show Up At Polls -- Despite Scrapping Of Presidential Runoff

    Meanwhile, Romania authorities conducted searches at three homes as part of the probe into the election irregularities.

    'In the central city of Brasov, police searched three homes early on December 7 as part of a probe "in connection with the crimes of voter corruption, money laundering, and computer forgery," the local prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

  • VOA News ☛ Romanian top court annuls presidential election result

    Romania's top court annulled the result of the first round of the country's presidential election on Friday, adding that the entire election process would have to be rerun.

    The second round had been scheduled for Sunday, and voting is already underway in polling stations abroad.

  • India Times ☛ EU issues 'retention order' to Tiktok following Romanian elections

    The European Union has issued a 'retention order' to Tiktok under the Digital Services Act following the Romanian elections, it said in a statement on Thursday.

    Documents declassified by Romania's top security council on Wednesday said the country was a target of "aggressive hybrid Russian attacks".

  • The Register UK ☛ Musk-linked contributions to Trump total $270M

    In all, according to the Washington Post's analysis of the commission's numbers, the total amount funneled to Trump and other Republicans by the SpaceX supremo is over $270 million, making Musk the largest donor in the US election.

  • The Register UK ☛ US appeals court backs law demanding TikTok sale or ban

    Unless the ruling is reversed on appeal, ByteDance divests, or the White House intervenes, TikTok will be forced to stop operating in the US as soon as January 19, 2025. The President – Biden until January 20, 2025 – has the option to grant a one-time 90-day extension to this deadline.

    The law at issue, initially known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PFACAA), became part of the foreign assistance package passed in April, after which it was approved by President Biden. It limits foreign adversaries from collecting data through adversary-controlled software applications. It also identifies ByteDance and TikTok by name, while potentially applying to code controlled by other foreign entities.

  • India Times ☛ Why TikTok faces a US ban, and what's next?

    Lawmakers and regulators in the West have increasingly expressed concern that TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, may put sensitive user data, like location information, into the hands of the Chinese government. They have pointed to laws that allow the Chinese government to secretly demand data from Chinese companies and citizens for intelligence-gathering operations.

    They are also worried that China could use TikTok's content recommendations to fuel misinformation, a concern that has escalated in the United States during the Israel-Hamas war and the presidential election. Critics say TikTok has fueled the spread of antisemitism.

  • France24 ☛ Deadly Israeli strikes pound Gaza, Qatar sees ‘momentum’ on truce talks

    Israeli strikes on Gaza City and Rafah on Saturday killed at least 34 people, according to local officials, as Qatar’s prime minister said talks to secure a truce and a hostage deal had gained momentum.

  • Digital Music News ☛ TikTok Ban Unanimously Upheld by US Court of Appeals

  • VOA News ☛ Appeals court upholds law that could ban TikTok in US

    The government has argued that TikTok presents a unique danger to national security because it collects vast amounts of information about its users, and because the Chinese government ultimately exercises control over its parent company, ByteDance, and over the algorithm that determines what content TikTok users see.

    Because ByteDance is in the People's Republic of China (PRC) it is subject to that country's laws, including measures requiring private companies to cooperate with government intelligence agencies.

  • India Times ☛ What happens next for TikTok after court ruling against it?

    In August 2020, then-President Donald Trump sought to ban both TikTok and Chinese-owned WeChat, but was blocked by courts. In June 2021, President Joe Biden withdrew a series of Trump-era executive orders that sought to ban new downloads of WeChat and TikTok.

    However, legislators later advanced a bill that compelled ByteDance to divest or face a ban. It passed with wide margins in both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.

  • India Times ☛ TikTok ban looms in US: What it means for users and creators

    TikTok and ByteDance, the plaintiffs in the case, argued that the law violated the First Amendment and constituted an unconstitutional bill of attainder by unfairly targeting the two companies. The Justice Department remarked that TikTok presents national security risks due to its Chinese connections, suggesting Chinese authorities could demand ByteDance share US user data or manipulate platform content.

  • India Times ☛ US spending on TikTok Shop gains as TikTok faces threat of ban, data shows

    A US federal appeals court on Friday upheld a law requiring Chinese-based ByteDance to divest TikTok in the US by early next year or face a ban. A ban of the popular short video app, if it happens, could extend to TikTok Shop, too.

  • France24 ☛ Live: Syria rebels say 'tyrant' Bashar al-Assad has 'fled'

    Syrian President Bashar al-Assad boarded a plane and left Damascus for an unknown destination on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.

  • JURIST ☛ Syria rebels breach Damascus, free prisoners—developing story

    Fighters with the Syrian opposition movement Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) breached the capital Damascus early Sunday, reportedly freeing prisoners held in the country’s Sednaya Prison, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera, with Reuters reporting that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled the capital.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Insurgents advance in Syria: Army Withdraws, Assad Denies Fleeing

    Syrian insurgents advance near Damascus as the army retreats, seizing key areas. sparking rumors of Assad's flight. Rumors of President Bashar Assad fleeing the country circulate amid largest opposition gains in years.

  • New York Times ☛ Syria Live Updates: Rebels Enter Damascus, Threatening al-Assad’s Rule

    After just a few days of rapid advances, the rebels now stand on the edge of seizing Syria’s capital. President Bashar al-Assad and his forces were said to be fleeing.

  • RFERL ☛ Syrian Rebels 'Liberating' Homs, Eye Damascus As Assad Regime Hangs In Balance

    Syrian rebels led by Islamist militants were reported to be entering the central city of Homs on December 7 and closing in on Damascus suburbs as the country’s main allies -- Russia and Iran -- scrambled to protect the regime of authoritarian President Bashar al-Assad and their own assets in the country.

  • New York Times ☛ In Fight for Syria, a Battle for Domination of the Middle East

    In a region “already on fire,” analysts say, rebels’ advance toward Damascus is a barometer of the shifting power dynamics that also affect nations like Iran, Turkey, Russia and the United States.

  • New York Times ☛ Syria’s Government Battles Multiple Rebel Uprisings

    The longtime Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is facing threats from rebellions on numerous fronts as his key ally, Iran, is paring back support.

  • New York Times ☛ Iran Begins to Evacuate Military Officials and Personnel From Syria

    The withdrawals by one of President Bashar al-Assad’s key backers come amid a resurgent rebel offensive.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Spy Agencies Monitor Chemical Weapons Storage Sites, Fearing Use in Syria

    But aides to President Biden have made clear that the United States has no intention of intervening in support of either President Bashar al-Assad or the rebels.

  • NYPost ☛ Syrian President Bashar al-Assad flees Damascus as rebels move into country’s capital

    Syrian President Bashar al-Assad boarded a plane and left Damascus for an unknown destination on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments.

  • France24 ☛ Live: Syria rebels announce 'new era' after 'tyrant' Bashar al-Assad 'fled'

    Syrian rebels said Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad had fled the country, calling on citizens abroad to return to a "free Syria" and saying that Damascus was free of the "tyrant".

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 4 Taiwan soldiers charged with spying for China

    Four Taiwanese soldiers, including three from a unit in charge of security for the president’s office, were charged Friday for photographing and leaking confidential information to China, prosecutors and the president’s office said.

  • Martial law in South Korea, US-China prisoner swap: RFA Insider #21

    How the martial law order in 2024 compares with 1980 illustrates how South Korea has become a developed democracy.

  • New York Times ☛ Rebels Advance in Syria as Iran Steps Back

    Also, judges rejected TikTok’s effort to avoid a U.S. ban. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.

  • New York Times ☛ He Mocked the Rich on Fentanylware (TikTok) for Fun. Now He Can Get $30,000 Per Post.

    Aris Yeager’s “European Kid” videos have been an unexpected hit. Wealthy people and luxury brands have noticed.

  • RFERL ☛ Romanian Elections Targeted By 'Aggressive Hybrid Russian Action,' Declassified Documents Show

    Documents declassified by Romania's top security council on December 4 said the country was the target of an "aggressive hybrid Russian action” during recent election campaigns, including last month’s surprise victory of a pro-Russian far-right candidate.

  • JURIST ☛ European Commission issues retention order against Fentanylware (TikTok) in the context of Romania elections

    The European Commission announced on Thursday that it would step up and monitor the Fentanylware (TikTok) platform’s compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA). The move comes in the context of the ongoing Romanian elections and the online campaign of front-runner candidate Calin Georgescu. The European Commission issued an order, obliging Fentanylware (TikTok) to freeze all information [...]

  • France24 ☛ Romania's top court annuls presidential vote won by far-right candidate

    A top Romanian court on Friday annulled the first round of the country's presidential election, days after allegations that Russia ran a coordinated online campaign to promote the far-right outsider who won the first round. The Constitutional Court’s unprecedented decision — which is final — came after President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence on Wednesday that alleged Russia ran a sprawling campaign comprising thousands of social control media accounts to promote Calin Georgescu across platforms such as Fentanylware (TikTok) and Telegram. FRANCE 24's Maria Gerth-Niculescu reports from Bucharest, Romania.

  • France24 ☛ This 'raises a lot of questions' about the role of social control media in this campaign

    A top Romanian court on Friday annulled the first round of the country's presidential election, days after allegations that Russia ran a coordinated online campaign to promote the far-right outsider who won the first round. "This certainly raises a lot of questions about the role of Fentanylware (TikTok) and the role of social control media in general in this campaign," said FRANCE 24's correspondent in Romania, Maria Gerth-Nicolescu.

  • Digital Music News ☛ TikTok Ban Unanimously Upheld by US Court of Appeals — Divest-or-Sell Order Slated to Go Into Effect Next Month

    A federal appeals court has upheld the Fentanylware (TikTok) ban President Biden signed into law earlier this year. The law requires Chinese company ByteDance to divest and sell Fentanylware (TikTok) or the platform will be banned in the United States comes January.

    [...]

    President Biden signed the TikTok ban into law in April. The U.S. military was proactive in banning TikTok from government devices all the way back in 2019, starting with the Navy and then moving on to other branches. Congress soon banned the app from government devices in both the House and the Senate due to TikTok’s alleged connections to the Chinese government. Chinese law requires Chinese companies to provide information to the CCP if instructed to do so.

  • New York Times ☛ Read President Yoon’s Speech Apologizing for Declaring Martial Law in South Korea

    President Yoon Suk Yeol said his declaration of martial law was born out of “desperation,” and apologized for causing “anxiety.”

  • New York Times ☛ South Korea’s Ex-Defense Chief Is Detained Over Martial Law Episode

    Prosecutors are investigating whether President Yoon Suk Yeol and his followers committed insurrection when they briefly put South Korea under martial law.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • France24 ☛ Macron, Trump, Zelensky hold trilateral on sidelines of Notre-Dame ceremony

      French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday hosted three-way talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and US president-elect Donald Trump in Paris on the sidelines of the Notre-Dame Cathedral reopening ceremony amid concerns over US support for Ukraine in its war against Russia under a Trump presidency.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Hails Talks With Macron, Trump, Says 'A Just Peace' Was Discussed

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called his trilateral talks with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump “good and productive” and said the leaders discussed the situation on the ground in Ukraine and the potential for “a just peace.”

    • New York Times ☛ Zelensky Meets Trump in Paris to Press Ukraine’s Case

      The Ukrainian leader planned to use the grand reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral to lobby the president-elect and other world leaders attending the ceremony.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian Chamber of Commerce severs ties with two companies working with Russia

      The Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LTRK) will cease cooperation with two more companies that continue to cooperate with Russia, Latvian Radio reported December 6.

    • Meduza ☛ In surprise shake-up, Putin appoints ‘PR specialist’ Alexander Khinshtein, co-author of anti-LGBT legislation, to lead embattled Kursk region — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Putin agrees to Lukashenko’s request to deploy Oreshnik missiles on Belarusian territory — Meduza

    • RFERL ☛ Putin Says Oreshnik Missile System Will Be Deployed In Belarus

      Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Oreshnik missile systems, recently combat-tested in a strike on Ukraine, will be deployed in Belarus simultaneously with their introduction into the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN).

    • Meduza ☛ ‘It’s half-reward, half-trial’: Why Putin appointed a veteran politician to take over as governor of Russia’s partially occupied Kursk region — Meduza

    • Does a video show Putin sending off his son to Ukraine?

      Verdict: False

    • Meduza ☛ ‘He felt not well’: Russia’s foreign minister tells Tucker Carlson that Western allegations concerning Alexey Navalny’s death compare to the Bucha Massacre and Salisbury Poisonings — Meduza

• Environment

  • El País ☛ Texas water and the economic miracle are at risk of evaporating

    While money continues to pour in, the blows dealt by the drought are not immediately obvious. But in the Rio Grande Valley, the border area with Mexico in the southeastern part of the state, the last sugar mill closed in February due to a lack of water. Citrus crops — Texas is the third largest citrus-producing state — are in jeopardy. And Texas reservoirs are at near historic lows. This summer, the Falcon and Amistad International Reservoirs on the Rio Grande, which provide water to millions of people, were at 13% and 25% capacity, respectively.

  • India Times ☛ Zomato shareholder asks proof for "100% green deliveries," CEO Deepinder Goyal responds, "Public companies like us can't ..."

    The concerned shareholder escalated the dialogue, requesting concrete evidence. "As a shareholder, I would appreciate if you could share an audited report on 'Offset' that entitles Zomato to claim '100% Green Deliveries'," the investor wrote, specifically challenging the company to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) transition in the National Capital Region.

  • CS Monitor ☛ How the US Northeast is adapting to new wildfire risks

    With a decreasing winter snowpack, which leaves tree roots more vulnerable to cold, plus a new wave of forest pests that have migrated with warmer temperatures, the Northeast has unusually high levels of dead wood in its forest, experts here say. When that combines with a drought, the risk of wildfire shoots up.

    But the people who live in and around the trees here are not used to thinking about forest fires. Now, forestry professionals and firefighters across New England are trying to change that.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ In-flight thefts surge to 169 cases in first 10 months of 2024, most on flights from SE Asia

      Hong Kong saw 169 in-flight theft cases in the first ten months of the year, most of which were on short-haul flights arriving in the city from Southeast Asia, the Security Bureau has said.

    • El País ☛ Bitcoin’s tortuous path to the top: From zero to $100,000 in 16 years

      There was a time when one bitcoin wasn’t enough to buy a pizza — not even 1,000 bitcoins. The first transaction involving this cryptocurrency took place in 2010, when two pizzas from the U.S. chain Papa John’s were purchased for $41, paid with 10,000 bitcoins. Had Laszlo Hanyecz, a programmer from Jacksonville, kept those bitcoins instead of offering them on an [Internet] forum to anyone who would deliver the pizzas, today he would have more than $1 billion. Every May 22, the [cryptocurrency] community marks the anniversary of this historic transaction, more with nastiness than nostalgia, as they reflect on the growing cost of the most expensive meal in history.

    • India Times ☛ El Salvador President shares the country's Bitcoin success; gets this 'one-word' reply from Elon Musk

      Having initially invested around $269.7 million in Bitcoin, El Salvador now boasts a current valuation of approximately $603 million, yielding an unrealized profit of over $333 million. According to Arkham Intelligence, El Salvador's Bitcoin holdings currently stand at nearly 6,000.

    • Torrent Freak ☛ Bungie Targets Bitcoin Wallet in Effort to Expose 'Destiny 2' Cheaters

      The United States-based cryptocurrency exchange Kraken was later confirmed as one of the targets. Kraken is a brand of Payward Inc. and a few weeks ago Bungie sent a subpoena to the company, requesting detailed information on the owner of a Bitcoin wallet.

    • The New Leaf Journal ☛ Musing About Tesla Cybertruck at Brooklyn Bridge Park

      But let us focus on Mr. Gioia’s comparisons for the Cybertruck. He suggests it resembles a shipping crate, garbage dumpster, coffin from Dracula’s castle, battering ram, or piece of sheet metal. These are all interesting suggestions. But I have a different thought.

    • Marcy Wheeler ☛ The White House [Cryptocurrency] Czar: Trump's Election Has Helped Bitcoin Far More than the Dollar

      And all that was before his announcement that David Sacks would be his White House [cryptocurrency] and AI “czar,” as well as the head of Trump’s Council of Advisors for Science and Technology.

    • Renewable Energy World ☛ US Treasury releases final clean energy investment tax credit rules

      Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS unveiled their final rules for the “landmark” Section 48 Energy Credit, better known as the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which will provide clarity and certainty for developers undertaking major project investments.

      The final rules retain the core framework of the proposed rules and guidance issued in November 2023, tweaked and massaged via the aforementioned stakeholder input to clarify the general rules for the ITC and definitions of what is eligible for it.

    • Futurism ☛ Teen Brutally Rug Pulls [Cryptocurrency] Community, Pleads Them Not to Tell His Parents

      A kid in his early teens made a small fortune after running a brutal [cryptocurrency] pump-and-dump scheme.

    • Wired ☛ A Kid Made $50,000 Dumping [Cryptocurrency] He’d Created. Then Came the Backlash

      On the evening of November 19, art adviser Adam Biesk was finishing work at his California home when he overheard a conversation between his wife and son, who had just come downstairs. The son, a kid in his early teens, was saying he had made a ton of money on a cryptocurrency that he himself had created.

• Finance

  • India Times ☛ US regulator places Google Payment under supervision, company sues

    The US watchdog for consumer finance on Friday announced it was ordering federal supervision of Google Payment Corp., the [Internet] giant's payment arm, a decision the company immediately said it was challenging in court.

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced the step saying it had determined services offered by Google Payment had posed a risk to consumers.

  • The Verge ☛ Google sues to stop the US from monitoring it like a bank

    The agency found that Google’s error resolution and fraud prevention processes pose risks to consumers, citing consumer complaints about Google Pay Balance and Google’s peer-to-peer payments. Those complaints, which Google’s lawsuit claims are “unsubstantiated,” according to The Washington Post, include that the company didn’t seem to fully investigate fraudulent charges and didn’t “adequately explain” the results of those investigations.

  • Reuters ☛ US regulator places Google Payment under supervision, company sues

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced the step saying it had determined services offered by Google Payment had posed a risk to consumers.

    The regulator's step and the subsequent lawsuit marked a government tussle with a Silicon Valley behemoth in the final weeks of President Joe Biden's administration. The regulator's move could be reversed after President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House in January.

    Under Biden, the CFPB has been more closely scrutinizing the growing sector of financial services provided by Silicon Valley rather than traditional banks.

  • The Register UK ☛ Digital Isle of Man: For all your connected tax haven needs?

    The Reg FOSS desk, located in the Irish Sea wing of Vulture Towers, often gets invited to conferences and tech-industry events, typically two or even three international flights away from this tiny island. It's unprecedented that the event should be a ten-minute drive away – but Digital Isle 2024 was.

    Digital Isle 2024 was the fourth time that the Manx government's Department for Enterprise has run this one-day business conference, with talks and seminars [PDF] aimed at promoting business in this unique nation.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • France24 ☛ Anatomy of a fall…the French government, Notre Dame

    This week, our set of experts gathered around Gavin LEE take a look at the last episode in the political crisis France is facing, with the Parliamant voting no confidence to Michel Barnier's government; how Syria is plunging back into uncertainty, with various rebel groups taking large cities; and what happened when South Korean President YOON Suk Yeol decided to trigger a short-lived martial law.

  • El País ☛ Trump’s social media ‘bombs’ are a new source of instability for the financial markets

    Now, that being said, there are two other instruments in the investor’s toolkit that shouldn’t be discarded since Donald Trump’s election victory: X (formerly Twitter) and Truth Social. On both social media accounts, the Republican pours out his comments at any time of the day or night. And his unpredictable, blunt statements are capable of immediately shifting currencies and stocks — even when he still hasn’t returned to the Oval Office.

    This use of social media is unprecedented among previous presidents, creating turbulence for those who work in the financial sector. “It’s not a marginal issue. The tariff policy that he announces on social media directly affects inflation and, as a result, the yield curve and the currency,” says Ignacio de la Torre, chief economist at Arcano Economic Research. This means that — according to De la Torre — those who work “with bonds and interest rate derivatives” have to closely pay attention to what the president-elect posts online.

  • India Times ☛ Advanced AI chips cleared for export to UAE under Microsoft deal

    The US government has authorised the export of advanced artificial intelligence chips to a Microsoft-operated facility in the United Arab Emirates. This approval is part of Microsoft's closely scrutinized partnership with the Emirati AI company G42.

  • The Verge ☛ X helps update Kids Online Safety Act in final push for passage in the Republican-led House

    The striking announcement is the latest example of how Elon Musk and his companies are taking on significant roles in influencing government output. While it’s not unusual for outside stakeholders, including companies, to weigh in on pending legislation, the fact that the bill’s sponsors, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), announced X’s input indicates they view it as helpful to the bill’s chances of passing.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ New cybersecurity bill proposes HK$5m penalties for infrastructure operators

    The Protection of Critical Infrastructures (Computer Systems) Bill was gazetted on Friday. It will be submitted to the Legislative Council (LegCo) for a first and second reading next Wednesday.

    The bill stipulates the legal obligations of critical infrastructure operators (CIOs) in the realm of cybersecurity, such as requiring them to conduct regular security audits, provide contingency plans in the event of cybersecurity incidents and report such incidents to the authorities.

  • India Times ☛ Nvidia signs AI cooperation agreement with Vietnamese government

    Nvidia and the Vietnamese government signed an agreement on Thursday to boost artificial intelligence development in the Southeast Asian country.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • The Hindu ☛ Minister highlights consequences of fake news

      Addressing the challenge of misinformation, the Minister called for a nuanced approach that balances truth-seeking with the preservation of free speech in what he termed a ‘post-truth’ political environment.

      The event, organised in collaboration with the Editors’ Guild of India (EGI), brought together prominent intellectuals and industry leaders to deliberate on the evolving landscape of media in India. It was also attended by 1,500 students from 15 Karnataka institutions, alongside noted academicians.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China saw hundreds of demos this year, but Hong Kong remains quiet

    Hundreds of protesters massed at three government offices in Shenzhen on November 27 to press authorities for an update on an official investigation into the collapse of China Evergrande, in what Reuters described as the first sizable protest in the country since 2022.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ NBA to return to China for first time since 2019 fallout over Hong Kong protest comments

    The NBA will stage two pre-season games in Macau next October, its deputy commissioner said on Friday, marking its return to China after being frozen out for more than five years.

  • France24 ☛ Israel's war on media: Accusations of propaganda, intimidation and censorship

    Israel's government has been accused of increasing pressure on journalists over coverage of the war in Gaza. Press advocates say the decision to impose economic sanctions on Haaretz is part of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's master plan to control the narrative and stomp out criticism.

  • ANF News ☛ Kurdish language teacher imprisoned in Iran

    Hassanzadeh was denied both family visits and access to legal counsel throughout her detention.

    A Kurdish language teacher for 17 years in Bukan and nearby villages, she has been repeatedly summoned and interrogated by the security services in recent years for her activism.

  • Futurism ☛ Reddit Mods Delete Doctors Slamming Insurance Industry After CEO's Murder

    In the wake of the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, there has been an outpouring of grievances from Americans about the state of healthcare in this country, and the massive insurance companies that gatekeep you from receiving it.

    Doctors who have witnessed how insurers' ruthless penny-pinching has endangered their patients first-hand have been especially outspoken.

  • The Daily Beast ☛ Moderators Delete Reddit Thread as Doctors Torch Dead UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

    The top comment, which received hundreds of supporting upvotes from other users, mocked UHC’s notorious track record for refusing to pay out insurance claims and is written as a lengthy, spoof rejection letter from the company.

    Addressed to an unnamed applicant—following “a careful review of the claim submitted for emergency services on December 4, 2024″—it informs them they are being rejected for coverage because “you failed to obtain prior authorization before seeking care for the gunshot wound to your chest.”

  • The Register UK ☛ Russian techie flees Russia following FSB spyware plot

    According to his account of the story, published with his consent by Toronto University's Citizen Lab and First Department legal organization, he says he was threatened with life imprisonment if he failed to comply with the recruitment drive.

    In order to secure release, he agreed but before he was indoctrinated he and his wife fled the country. Always keep a second passport, if possible.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Guardian chair says Tortoise deal will end ‘inevitable decline’ of Observer

    Charles Gurassa says Tortoise deal will strengthen both Guardian and Observer titles.

  • Axios ☛ National Archives digitize cold cases of Black American murders

    Zoom in: Before the Cold Case Collection Act, information about unsolved cases had to be obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests — a slow process often resulting in significantly redacted documents.

  • VOA News ☛ Taliban shutter Afghan broadcaster over foreign content

    The Taliban said Thursday it had shuttered an Afghan TV station over what it said was "vulgar" programming.

    Around eight Taliban officials, including at least one who was armed, raided the Kabul office of Arezo TV on Wednesday morning.

    Men and women were separated, and their phones taken, according to an employee who spoke with Agence France-Presse on the condition of anonymity. At least six staff members were detained and placed under investigation.

  • VOA News ☛ From VOA Spanish: Media group warns of deterioration of press freedom in Americas

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • JURIST ☛ UN condemns Taliban directive barring women from medical education

    The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) on Thursday condemned a new Taliban directive barring Afghan women and girls from attending private medical institutions, warning that it will have devastating consequences for the country’s healthcare system.

    OHCHR Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani stated: “The measure is profoundly discriminatory, short-sighted and puts the lives of women and girls at risk in multiple ways. It removes the only remaining path for women and girls towards higher education and will decimate the already inadequate supply of female midwives, nurses and doctors.”

  • India Times ☛ Amazon hit with US consumer lawsuit over 'excluded' fast delivery zones

    The proposed nationwide class action lawsuit was filed on Thursday in federal court in Seattle by five residents of Washington, D.C., who said Amazon stopped serving historically underserved communities with its Prime delivery trucks and began outsourcing deliveries there.

  • RFERL ☛ Iran's New Hijab Law Seen As 'Vengeful Act' Against Women

    Lengthy prison terms, hefty fines, and travel bans.

    Those are among the punishments facing women who violate Iran's new hijab law.

  • Techdirt ☛ The DOJ Finally Decides There’s Something Wrong With The DEA’s Cash Grabs At Airports

    The DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) is an opportunist. It actually pays TSA (Transportation Security Administration) agents to search bags for cash, treating each discovery as evidence of criminal activity without being burdened with actually having to prove the seized cash was obtained via illegal transactions.

    That’s why the DEA regularly scans airline databases in hopes of finding people traveling in to or out of international airports who might be carrying a little extra cash. That’s why TSA agents are earning quasi-bonuses by scanning luggage for cash, rather than for explosives or actual contraband. That’s why the DHS simply ignores these abuses of power, even when it’s clear taking cash from travelers has absolutely zero net positive effect on travel and/or public safety.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • The Korea Times ☛ Network traffic briefly slows in area around Nat'l Assembly amid impeachment vote

    A number of posts and messages appeared on social media from the afternoon, complaining about the lack of [Internet] or call connectivity near the crowded National Assembly building in western Seoul, according to the sources.

    The disruptions were attributed to weakened signal strength caused by the large number of people gathered in a limited area, they added.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • 404 Media ☛ The Unauthorized Effort to Archive Netflix’s Disappeared Interactive Shows

    It is normal for Netflix and other streaming services to rotate titles in and out of their catalogue depending on what they cost to license and host and how many subscriptions they drive to the platform, but Netflix removing its interactive series means that, as original Netflix creations, once they are removed from Netflix they will not be available anywhere else, and they are a new and unique format that dozens of producers, animators, voice actors, and other creatives have finished work on very recently.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ iFixit now sells genuine Xbox replacement parts but at ridiculous prices — $599 for an Xbox Series X motherboard when a new console costs $499

    Motherboard replacements can cost more than a console, though...

  • Gregory Pittman ☛ Kindle Scribe: Take Two

    My first experience with an e-ink device was a first-generation Kindle Scribe. Of course it worked well as a reader1—but as a writing device, not so much. I ended up returning it a few days in. I’m now going to try the 2024 version, which should arrive later today. It’s time to update my old Kindle anyway, and if it works marginally well for other things, then it’s a win for me.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• The Register UK ☛ CISPE goes to Redmond to check up on Microsoft's progress

  Microsoft and the Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers of Europe (CISPE) trade body this week kicked off their technical summit to assess the Windows maker's progress in making available a version of Azure Local for hosters.

  According to an agenda seen by The Register, discussions began on Tuesday afternoon, following lunch, with an hour-long chat about the EU Data Act, which came into force at the beginning of 2024 and deals with the access to and use of data.

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ Oso IP entity, USTA Technology, Wi-Fi patent monopoly instituted

    On December 5, 2024, two months after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on all challenged claims of U.S. Patent RE 47,720, owned by USTA Technology LLC, an NPE and entity of Oso IP, LLC.

  • JUVE ☛ Bernhard Frohwitter’s foray into supercomputers and suit against Nvidia

    To find a former connection between the current opponents Bernhard Frohwitter and Bardehle Pagenberg one has to delve far into the history of the latter. In 1982, the well-known Munich law firm was known as Bardehle Pagenberg Dost Altenburg Frohwitter. Frohwitter had joined the firm a year earlier.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ Powell Gilbert forges full steam ahead into the UPC market [Ed: UPC is illegal and this is marketing spam from a publisher that got paid to lobby for this illegality]

      Powell Gilbert has 15 UPC representatives in its Dublin office and only one in London. It is clear the IP boutique wants to make a big play for the UPC.

    • JUVE ☛ Thum & Partner’s road as underdog in UPC litigation [Ed: Marketing spam for an illegal and fake court this publisher got paid to keep promoting]

      In late summer 2021, a six-strong team led by name partner Bernhard Thum founded the new law firm Thum & Partner in Munich. Thum himself was previously a member of the large partner ranks at Wuesthoff & Wuesthoff.

• Copyrights

  • Hackaday ☛ The £25,000 Tom Evans Pre-Amp Repair And A Copyright Strike

    We were recently notified by a reader that [Tom Evans] had filed a copyright claim against [Mark]’s repair video on his Mend it Mark YouTube channel, taking down said repair video as well as [Mark]’s delightful commentary. In a new video, [Mark] comments on this takedown and the implications. The biggest question is what exactly was copyrighted in the original video, which was tough because YouTube refused to pass on [Mark]’s questions or provide further details.

  • Locus Magazine ☛ Internet Archive Case Concludes – Locus Online

    Now that the case is settled, IA will remove infringing books from their “lending library” and pay an undisclosed monetary sum to the plaintiff publishers, which the Association of American Publishers says should “substantially” cover the attorney fees and court costs.

  • Internet Archive ☛ End of Hachette v. Internet Archive

    While we are deeply disappointed with the Second Circuit’s opinion in Hachette v. Internet Archive, the Internet Archive has decided not to pursue Supreme Court review. We will continue to honor the Association of American Publishers (AAP) agreement to remove books from lending at their member publishers’ requests.