Ashley Belanger

Tech industry is in tariff hell, even if refunds are automated Trade groups urge court to create a simple blueprint for tariff refunds.

Billions in tariff refunds could be automated, the Consumer Technology Association and Chamber of Commerce argued this week.
But Trump instead is dragging out repayments that each month cost the US another $700M in interest, one conservative estimate says.
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...

xAI spent $7M building wall that barely muffles annoying power plant noise “Temu sound wall” not enough to quell fury over xAI’s power plant.

Residents complained about the noise so xAI built a basically useless wall.

Residents complained the wall was lame so now they are building ANOTHER wall.

A local group told me why they’re skeptical walls will do anything to reduce the loud incessant roaring. arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...

xAI spent $7M building wall that barely muffles annoying power plant noise “Temu sound wall” not enough to quell fury over xAI’s power plant.

A coalition fighting to block xAI's permitting in Mississippi told me that nobody thinks Musk's second sound barrier is gonna help end torturous noise disturbances.

The walls are one of the costliest ways to avoid engaging with a community that I've seen so far in data center fights.

Looks like this poster was inspired by our story www.wired.com/story/grok-i... and ongoing Grok reporting.

Poster artist, if you’re reading this, please get in touch! You can email us at mail@wired.com or Signal one of our editors at timmarchman.01.

Data center builders thought farmers would willingly sell land, learn otherwise Even in a fragile farm economy, million-dollar offers can't sway dedicated farmers.

“My whole entire life is nothing but the land." The pleas from rural communities opposing data centers gobbling up countrysides are plainly heartbreaking, even if you want AI everywhere. arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...

Data center builders thought farmers would willingly sell land, learn otherwise Even in a fragile farm economy, million-dollar offers can't sway dedicated farmers.

The farm economy is especially fragile right now in the aftermath of the tariffs ruling. So it seems notable that farmers are rejecting "unimaginable riches" from data center developers to defend their land and way of life.

Finished updating this one. Some smaller bits that stuck out to me:
-Kavanaugh claims the ruling could undo readings of another tariff statute Trump may rely more heavily on now
-He also was maybe inadvertently the only justice pointing out that consumers are likely getting the biggest shaft here

Thanks to @cathaysmith.bsky.social for helping me navigate the minefield of potential copyright issues here…

Discord faces backlash over age checks after data breach exposed 70,000 IDs Discord to block adult content unless users verify ages with selfies or IDs.

Discord users had questions about how age checks will work to secure their data. I spoke to companies and dug into the policies and partnerships to better understand why their concerns were warranted. arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...

Neocities founder stuck in chatbot hell after Bing blocked 1.5 million sites Microsoft won’t explain why Bing blocked 1.5 million Neocities websites.

Neocities sites are slowwwwwly popping back up in Bing results, I'm told, but this remains one of the weirdest exchanges I've had with a tech company, where Microsoft admitted there was an issue but wouldn't connect directly to resolve it. arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...

Hey, I'm a journalist hoping to connect with No Desert Data Center Coalition for a story. Is there an email where I can reach out? Or feel free to message me at ashley.belanger@arstechnica.com if that's easier.

The cast of SCTV

SCTV is on Internet Archive if you'd like to enjoy the early work of Catherine O'Hara and her fellow sketch comedy gods.

S1: archive.org/details/sctv...
S2: archive.org/details/sctv...
S3: archive.org/details/19-m...
S4-5: archive.org/details/66-s...
S6 + Cinemax: archive.org/details/sctv... #TVSky

I keep reading that some people in leadership roles insist on using ChatGPT bc it's the chatbot they know, without seeming to understand why it may not be the best tool for the job...

TikTok users “absolutely justified” in fearing MAGA makeover, experts say TikTok’s tech issues abound as censorship fears drive users to delete app.

Experts told me that TikTok users freaked out by "bugs" censoring anti-Trump content are not paranoid, they're just used to platforms manipulating what they see. arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...

“IG is a drug”: Internal messages may doom Meta at social media addiction trial A loss could cost social media companies billions and force changes on platforms.

TikTok settled at the last minute, but Meta and YouTube are still facing down a jury over alleged social media addiction for the first time, if you're wondering what the stakes are:

TikTok explained why some US creators are seeing posts with "0 views" US TikTok users experienced a wide range of errors, sparking conspiracies.

In case you're wondering, TikTok US just now directly addressed the whole "0 views" thing and claims it's a temporary glitch and creators won't lose money, as actual data and engagement is supposedly being logged. arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...

DHS keeps trying and failing to unmask anonymous ICE critics online Community watch groups have a playbook to keep ICE away from subscriber information.

DHS withdrew its request for subscriber info after the owner of Facebook and Instagram community watch groups sued to block the summons as unconstitutional. It's a playbook community watch groups may increasingly use to block unmasking as ICE tensions escalate:

Still thinking about this gross catch-22 where the quickest way to remove images is to ask Grok but if you ask Grok and the images don’t come down, the act of asking Grok to remove them may make it harder to sue.