“Meta is one of the largest publishers in the world and has a responsibility to protect its users from scams, yet it continually chooses to prioritize profits instead of protecting its users,” said Justin Brookman, director of tech policy at CR.
Lucas Duplan in a white blazer and Richard Branson in a leather jacket lighting fake money on fire with a lighter and smiling at the camera
a DMCA take down request filed by Lucas Andrew Duplan to Google that reads: This article/image features a unique moment with Richard Branson and me in a private setting, showcasing a highly distinctive interaction involving burning banknotes and demonstrating new technology, reflecting a rare and specialized concept. As the copyright owner, I assert that this content is both original and of significant personal and commercial value. Its unauthorized use by third parties is without my permission and constitutes a clear violation of copyright law and misuse of protected intellectual property. Given the exclusive and recognizable nature of this image, it is imperative for Google to remove it promptly from search results to prevent further infringement, as there is no valid basis for further public dissemination without explicit permission. Additionally, there is little commercial value as the article is almost 10 years old. Thank you.
I wrote a story in 2014 about a digital payments startup called Clinkle. At the time, a source provided me with photo of Clinkle CEO Lucas Duplan burning (fake) money with Richard Branson. It became a metaphor after Clinkle crashed.
Now Duplan filed a DMCA takedown to get it removed from Google.
Whoever at the CA bar was responsible for this should be fired immediately.
French scientist denied US entry after officers find phone messages criticizing Trump
I have seen several people argue that Trump has the constitutional right to fire minority commissioners at will (dubious, but I get the argument).
Has anyone serious argued that firing Slaughter and Bedoya is good governance or will make the FTC more effective?
Last Friday afternoon, I got my first message from Ryan Daniels, public affairs manager of strategic response at Meta. When I declined his invitation to talk by phone, he wrote back again: “I was wondering if the Washington Post was going to write a review about a book that’s coming out this upcoming week on Meta. Do you have a couple minutes to chat?” So, I called. Daniels said, “We don’t have the book,” but the company had prepared “preliminary statements” about it. Although he didn’t share those with me, he wrote to me again on Saturday and again on Monday trying to get information about our review plans. (In my 27 years of reviewing and editing newspaper books sections, no company has ever done this with me.)
Yesterday, when I reached out to Daniels for a response from Meta, he wrote back: “Do you plan to write something about it, or are you just curious how we’re responding?” It’s always about controlling the narrative. But apparently, that’s not going so well. This morning, “Careless People” is No. 3 on Amazon. I know this is a long item, the longest I’ve ever written for the Book Club newsletter. But when one of the world’s most powerful media companies tries to snuff out a book — amid other alarming attacks on free speech in America like this — it’s time to pull out all the stops.
WaPo's Ron Charles, in his Book Club newsletter, on Meta's repeated questions about his plans to review Sarah Wynn-Williams's "Careless People":
"In my 27 years of reviewing and editing newspaper books sections, no company has ever done this with me."
The CR's effect on DC is a five alarm fire.
By treating the DC as a federal agency & compelling the city to return to 2024 spending,
Congress is mandating that DC cut its budget--*its own tax dollars*--by almost 20%.
None of this $ will be refunded to the fed gov; it was never theirs.
After HP bought Humane AI's assets to salvage the failed company, it left consumers in the lurch. So @justinbrookman.bsky.social and I wrote about how the FTC should crack down on companies that avoid responsibility for their failed connected devices by structuring deals as asset sales.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement announcing that his office has sued General Motors and its subsidiary OnStar for deceiving Arkansans and selling data collected through OnStar to third parties, who then sold the data to insurance companies.
I thought FPF has done a thoughtful job trying to find common ground of AI regulatory issues. I've had my quibbles which is not unexpected given they are mostly industry funded. But they're now being attacked as leftists trying to import EU law to America?! www.hyperdimensional.co/p/the-eu-ai-...
WOW. The Future of Privacy Forum gets bullied into abandoning their role as convenor of state legislators discussing AI policy. fpf.org/blog/future-...
THIS MATTER having come before this Court on the verified Petition of the City of Clarksdale requesting a temporary restraining order or a hearing on a preliminary injunction and after review of the verified Petition and Attorney Certification, the Court finds that the Petition is well taken. The injury in this case is defamation against public figures through actual malice in reckless disregard of the truth and interferes with their legitimate function to advocate for legislation they believe would help their municipality during this current legislative cycle. The Respondents are well aware of the accusations against them as they have already received a draft of the verified Petition and further notice is not needed until such hearing. The Temporary Restraining Order for Respondents to remove the article "EDITORIAL: SECRECY AND DECEPTION ERODE PUBLIC TRUST" from their online portals and make it inaccessible to the public is hereby granted. Petitioner shall post a bond in the amount of $100.00 as security for any damages that Defendant may incur should it be determined that this Temporary Restraining Order was wrongfully issued. This Court further orders that a hearing on the City of Clarksdale's request for a preliminary injunction is hereby set for February 27, 2025, at 9:30 am
(Conclusion of the court order.)
Wow: City of Clarksdale, Mississippi got a court order yesterday directing a newspaper to delete an editorial criticizing city officials -- without a hearing. Here's the TRO issuing the prior restraint:
Without these employees, I doubt already approved ARPA-H projects will be seeing their grant funding anytime soon. These are ambitious, billion dollar projects to tackle disease and cancer. This amounts to theft of taxpayer dollars. Not to mention the loss of institutional knowledge. 🧪
absolutely wild. i went to youtube to watch a video and the autoplay ad was an AI fake of tom hanks spouting fake diabetes cures. google is making money off this???
Newsom vetoed this bill last year after it had passed the legislature by wide margins. But given Apple's and Google's continued refusal to make these tools available to their user base, it's great to see this bill coming back.
California State Capitol building. CPPA sponsors crucial data protection bill. Icon of a bill. Introduced by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, the bill requires browsers and mobile operating systems to support opt-out preference signals. CPPA lock logo.
@asmlowenthal.bsky.social has introduced AB 566, sponsored by the CPPA. It requires browsers and mobile operating systems to give users the tools to opt out of the sale or sharing of their personal info in one step with opt-out preference signals. Read more: cppa.ca.gov/announcement...
Clerked for Justice Scalia, member of the Federalist Society, picked by Trump administration last month
Yes! I have it constantly stuck in my head though.
One of the many CFPB rules that it's not currently defending in court is the open banking rule, which allows people to easily move their money. The Bank Policy Institute sued to block it. CFPB is standing down.
So today, the Financial Technology Association—the fintech lobby—intervened in the suit.
Trump picked Jonathan McKernan, who resigned on Monday from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. board, to lead the consumer bureau, replacing Biden appointee Rohit Chopra, an aggressive regulator who he ousted last month. www.politico.com/news/2025/02...
gritty has seized control of the federal government
It's important to keep emphasizing that what Musk proposes in this tweet is illegal. Congress created the CFPB, just as it created USAID, the DOE, etc. Neither the President nor a billionaire can dissolve them by fiat. Doing so is a violation of the law and the President's constitutional duties.
Today is my birthday, AND the galleys for my book came. I am told that Barnes and Noble is having a sale and A Physical Education is 25% off thru tomorrow with code PREORDER25. Here we are sharing a tender moment www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-physical...
new insane tech job listing just dropped
If you wanted no leaks you should have gone into Settings -> Security -> Configure privacy & security -> Privacy options -> Other -> Configure -> Media interface and clicked “Disallow.”
The Leak setting is on by default but we understand your privacy is important so we’ve made it easy to opt out
His manifesto/job application called out big tech companies, though primarily in terms of anti-conservative censorship. I don't recall anything about the prices consumers pay for goods and services. But it's just Day 5, he still has a chance to show he takes this issue seriously.
Consumer are very concerned about prices right now, and this is the FTC's core mission!
If Ferguson is serious about addressing this issue, he should either reissue the previous RFIs or quickly propose some alternative approach to demonstrate this remains a priority for the agency.
FWIW, Ferguson says he pulled the FTC's inquiries into pricing because of timing/process objections, not necessarily substance.
However, absent any replacement initiative, this sends a message to the marketplace that pricing is less of a priority for the agency now. www.ftc.gov/system/files...
