Notices by Flipboard Tech Desk (techdesk@flipboard.social)

Starting on March 28, Echo users will no longer be able to set their devices to process Alexa requests locally and, therefore, avoid sending voice recordings to Amazon’s cloud. In other words, everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon. @ArsTechnica reports:

https://flip.it/cGX-fa

#Tech #Amazon #AI #Alexa #Echo

Meta is facing an AI copyright lawsuit in France brought by authors and publishers who are accusing the company of economic “parasitism.” Read more at @Techcrunch. #Meta #Instagram #Facebook #AI #Copyright #Tech #Technology https://flip.it/mSO6-8

AI agents can book holidays, schedule meetings, sell stocks and much more, but Signal President @Mer__edith
mastodon.world at SXSW says that we could be risking our privacy and security.

@Techcrunch reports:
https://flip.it/m-_q9z

#AI #AIAgents #Privacy #OnlineSecurity #SXSW

A well-funded Moscow-based global "news" network has infected Western artificial intelligence tools worldwide with Russian propaganda.

From NewsGuard: "An audit found that the 10 leading generative AI tools advanced Moscow’s disinformation goals by repeating false claims from the pro-Kremlin Pravda network 33 percent of the time."

https://flip.it/PkXZXs

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Disinformation #Propaganda #Facts #Russia

At the same time as Meta decided to stop working with U.S. fact checkers, it revamped a program that rewards creators with high engagement. What could possibly go wrong? @ProPublica spoke to experts about how this will fuel viral hoaxes, as well as to the manager of the NO Filter Seeking Truth page, who has shared so much false information she's currently banned by Meta from earning money. She described the news about the end of fact-checking as "great information."

https://flip.it/E-VMhf

#Meta #Facebook #Internet #SocialMedia #ViralHoaxes #FactChecking

Mastodon is working to add the controversial "quote posts" feature.

@Sarahp reports for @Techcrunch: "Some Mastodon users feel strongly that quote posts don’t belong on Mastodon, as the feature is often used to 'dunk' on another person’s post, ... [but other] users [say] the feature makes it easier to reference another person’s post and its content when making a response."

https://flip.it/kC7XHk

#Mastodon #Fediverse #SocialMedia #Tech #Technology

Hundreds of thousands of people are taking the risk and choosing to sideload TikTok, while the Apple Store and Google Play continue to block the app in the U.S.

@BBCNews explains:
https://flip.it/.Lybxs

#TikTok #GooglePlay #Apple #US #Tech

PowerSchool, a provider of K-12 software to more than 18,000 schools to support some 60 million students across North America, confirmed in early January that it was hit by breach at the end of 2024. Despite the passing of an entire month, many questions remain unanswered. Read more from @Techcrunch:

https://flip.it/35QmSl

#Tech #Hacking #Cybersecurity #Technology

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has sought so much computing power to train the company’s AI models that, according to one report, Japanese officials actually laughed at the amount of electricity he demanded. It’s not laughable anymore after Altman secured a staggering $500 billion commitment from SoftBank, Oracle, and the Abu Dhabi fund MGX. @theverge has more, including why Stargate, OpenAI’s data center empire, could be one of the biggest private computing infrastructure projects in history — or a disaster.

https://flip.it/lAEyWn

#Tech #AI #OpenAI #Altman #StarGate

Government website reproductiverights.gov appears to have gone offline as of yesterday. The site was launched in 2022 and contained information on reproductive healthcare, referencing the overturning of Roe v. Wade and clarifying that abortion is legal in many states. Here's more from @CBSNews.

https://flip.it/7PIgVv

#USGovernment #ReproductiveRights #RoeVWade #TrumpAdministration

A group of researchers at France's CNRS public research body have developed an app to help users migrate from X to other platforms. The "HelloQuitX" campaign (a play on "Hello Kitty," since the letter Q sounds like K and X is pronounced "eeks" in French) allows users to transfer the lists of people they follow and their followers to Bluesky or Mastodon. The CNRS says it will delete personal information after migration. David Chavalarias, a mathematician at CNRS, says more than 5,000 people and organizations have signed up so far. Here's more from France 24.

https://flip.it/0hAJWn

#Technology #OpenSocialWeb #HelloQuitX #France #Xodus

Investor Mark Cuban shared on TikTok that he's ready to fund a TikTok alternative built on the AT Protocol. "If you’ve got that ability, let me know in the comments. If you create an MVP — a minimum viable product — so I can see it, that’s all the better, because obviously, I think you’d have a whole lot of support,” Cuban said in the video where he also explained the advantage of building on an open protocol. "It’s extensible, so that means nobody can just buy it, nobody can just close it,” he said. Here's more from @Techcrunch's @Sarahp.

https://flip.it/HXI-O7

#ATProtocol #Bluesky #TikTok #MarkCuban

When is Threads going to allow account portability so folks can move their accounts if they want to? We don't know. A Meta spokesperson couldn't confirm that the topic was on the Threads roadmap, but said it was "top of mind." Here's @Sarahp's story.

https://flip.it/9.k.KG

#Threads #Meta #Fediverse #Federation #OpenSocialWeb

OpenAI has cut off a developer who built a device that could respond to ChatGPT queries to aim and fire an automated rifle. Read more at @Gizmodo. #AI #OpenAI #ChatGPT #Tech #Technology #GunControl https://flip.it/8539J8

Mastodon CEO Eugen Rochko has spoken out about the significant moderation changes announced by Meta, warning users who cross-post via Threads’ fediverse-sharing feature that Mastodon will take action on hate speech and any Threads account violating Mastodon’s existing policies. Read more at @Techcrunch. #Fediverse #Mastodon #Threads #Meta #Facebook #Tech #Technology #SocialMedia https://flip.it/K6CFwy

Meta released a tool last year that allows anyone to create an AI character to chat with on Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. In less than six months, however, users have created and successfully published dozens of chatbots that violate the company's rules, according to a review conducted by NBC News. #Meta #Facebook #Instagram #WhatsApp #Messenger #AI #Chatbot #Tech #Technology https://flip.it/Z-Kp29

Oh, the humanity! A Waymo robotaxi and a Serve delivery robot collided in Los Angeles.

@Techcrunch reports on the incident: https://flip.it/nnvsKG

#Waymo #Robot #Tech #Technology

The clock is ticking for American creators as they prepare for a potential nationwide ban of TikTok next month. Read more at @NBCNews. #TikTok #SocialMedia #TikTokBan #Tech #Technology https://flip.it/I9aEE4

An Apple Intelligence-powered summary made it appear BBC News had published an article claiming Luigi Mangione, the man arrested for the murder of healthcare insurance CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself. He has not. Read it at @BBCNews. #LuigiMangione #AI #AppleNews #AppleIntelligence #BBC #Journalism #Tech #Technology https://flip.it/d4FnUL

Congress will vote this week on a bill that includes $3 billion to help U.S. telcoms remove equipment made by Chinese firms. Read more at @TechRadar. #China #Telcom #Cybersecurity #Huawei #ZTE https://flip.it/gIt9Nr