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Tag: Privacy

  • FTC reportedly investigating ChatGPT creator OpenAI over consumer protection issues

    FTC reportedly investigating ChatGPT creator OpenAI over consumer protection issues

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    The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation into ChatGPT creator OpenAI and whether the artificial intelligence company violated consumer protection laws by scraping public data and publishing false information through its chatbot, according to reports in the Washington Post and the New York Times.

    The agency sent OpenAI a 20-page letter requesting detailed information on its AI technology, products, customers, privacy safeguards and data security arrangements, according to the reports. An FTC spokesman had no comment.

    OpenAI founder Sam Altman tweeted disappointment that news of the investigation started as a “leak,” noting that the move would “not help build trust,” but added the company will work with the FTC.

    “It’s super important to us that out technology is safe and pro-consumer, and we are confident we follow the law,” he wrote. “We protect user privacy and design our systems to learn about the world, not private individuals.”

    The FTC’s move represents the most significant regulatory threat so far to the nascent but fast-growing AI industry, although it’s not the only challenge facing these companies. Comedian Sarah Silverman and two other authors have sued both OpenAI and Facebook parent Meta for copyright infringement, claiming that the companies’ AI systems were illegally “trained” by exposing them to datasets containing illegal copies of their works.

    On Thursday, OpenAI and The Associated Press announced a deal under which the AI company will license AP’s archive of news stories.

    Altman has emerged as a global AI ambassador of sorts following his testimony before Congress in May and a subsequent tour of European capitals where regulators were putting final touches on a new AI regulatory framework. Altman himself has called for AI regulation, although he has tended to emphasize difficult-to-evaluate existential threats such as the possibility that superintelligent AI systems could one day turn against humanity.

    Some argue that focusing on a far-off “science fiction trope” of superpowerful AI could make it harder to take action against already existing harms that require regulators to dig deep on data transparency, discriminatory behavior and potential for trickery and disinformation.

    “It’s the fear of these systems and our lack of understanding of them that is making everyone have a collective freak-out,” Suresh Venkatasubramanian, a Brown University computer scientist and former assistant director for science and justice at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, told the AP in May. “This fear, which is very unfounded, is a distraction from all the concerns we’re dealing with right now.”

    News of the FTC’s OpenAI investigation broke just hours after a combative House Judiciary Committee hearing in which FTC Chair Lina Khan faced off against Republican lawmakers who said she has been too aggressive in pursuing technology companies for alleged wrongdoing.

    Republicans said she has been harassing Twitter since its acquisition by Elon Musk, arbitrarily suing large tech companies and declining to recuse herself from certain cases. Khan pushed back, arguing that more regulation is necessary as the companies have grown and that tech conglomeration could hurt the economy and consumers.

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  • FTC reportedly investigating ChatGPT creator OpenAI over consumer protection issues

    FTC reportedly investigating ChatGPT creator OpenAI over consumer protection issues

    [ad_1]

    The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation into ChatGPT creator OpenAI and whether the artificial intelligence company violated consumer protection laws by scraping public data and publishing false information through its chatbot, according to reports in the Washington Post and the New York Times.

    The agency sent OpenAI a 20-page letter requesting detailed information on its AI technology, products, customers, privacy safeguards and data security arrangements, according to the reports. An FTC spokesman had no comment.

    OpenAI founder Sam Altman tweeted disappointment that news of the investigation started as a “leak,” noting that the move would “not help build trust,” but added the company will work with the FTC.

    “It’s super important to us that out technology is safe and pro-consumer, and we are confident we follow the law,” he wrote. “We protect user privacy and design our systems to learn about the world, not private individuals.”

    The FTC’s move represents the most significant regulatory threat so far to the nascent but fast-growing AI industry, although it’s not the only challenge facing these companies. Comedian Sarah Silverman and two other authors have sued both OpenAI and Facebook parent Meta for copyright infringement, claiming that the companies’ AI systems were illegally “trained” by exposing them to datasets containing illegal copies of their works.

    On Thursday, OpenAI and The Associated Press announced a deal under which the AI company will license AP’s archive of news stories.

    Altman has emerged as a global AI ambassador of sorts following his testimony before Congress in May and a subsequent tour of European capitals where regulators were putting final touches on a new AI regulatory framework. Altman himself has called for AI regulation, although he has tended to emphasize difficult-to-evaluate existential threats such as the possibility that superintelligent AI systems could one day turn against humanity.

    Some argue that focusing on a far-off “science fiction trope” of superpowerful AI could make it harder to take action against already existing harms that require regulators to dig deep on data transparency, discriminatory behavior and potential for trickery and disinformation.

    “It’s the fear of these systems and our lack of understanding of them that is making everyone have a collective freak-out,” Suresh Venkatasubramanian, a Brown University computer scientist and former assistant director for science and justice at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, told the AP in May. “This fear, which is very unfounded, is a distraction from all the concerns we’re dealing with right now.”

    News of the FTC’s OpenAI investigation broke just hours after a combative House Judiciary Committee hearing in which FTC Chair Lina Khan faced off against Republican lawmakers who said she has been too aggressive in pursuing technology companies for alleged wrongdoing.

    Republicans said she has been harassing Twitter since its acquisition by Elon Musk, arbitrarily suing large tech companies and declining to recuse herself from certain cases. Khan pushed back, arguing that more regulation is necessary as the companies have grown and that tech conglomeration could hurt the economy and consumers.

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  • House Republicans set to interrogate FTC’s Khan over ethics, antitrust issues

    House Republicans set to interrogate FTC’s Khan over ethics, antitrust issues

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    WASHINGTON — House Republicans who say the Federal Trade Commission has been overzealous and politicized under President Joe Biden are set to interrogate agency head Lina Khan on Thursday, bringing her before the House Judiciary Committee for the first time amid her court battles with big technology companies.

    Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has criticized Khan in recent months on a multitude of issues, including what he says are politically motivated actions directed at Elon Musk after he acquired Twitter last year, questions about whether she should have recused herself from certain cases and her legal actions against tech giants on antitrust issues. In April, the committee subpoenaed Khan after an investigation by the panel that concluded the FTC “harassed” Twitter in the wake of Musk’s acquisition.

    The hearing will examine “mismanagement of the FTC and its disregard for ethics and congressional oversight under Chair Lina Khan,” the Judiciary panel’s website says.

    The hearing comes as the agency has been embroiled in several legal cases against technology companies and as Khan — an outspoken critic of Big Tech before becoming the agency’s head — has tried, not always successfully, to toughen government regulation of those companies.

    Khan and the agency suffered a major defeat Tuesday when a federal judge declined to block Microsoft’s looming $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard. The FTC had sought to ax the deal, saying it will hurt competition.

    U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said the deal — the largest in the history of the tech industry — deserved scrutiny but the FTC hadn’t shown that it would cause serious harm. The FTC is now appealing her ruling.

    Another judge rebuffed the FTC’s attempt earlier this year to stop Meta from taking over the virtual reality fitness company Within Unlimited.

    The FTC has also sued Amazon for allegedly engaging in a yearslong effort to enroll consumers without consent into Amazon Prime and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions. In a complaint filed in federal court last month, the agency accused Amazon of using deceptive designs, known as “dark patterns,” to deceive consumers into enrolling in the service.

    The FTC has been investigating Twitter, including efforts this spring to obtain owner Elon Musk’s internal communications, as part of ongoing oversight into the social media company’s privacy and cybersecurity practices.

    The agency has been watching the company for years since Twitter agreed to a 2011 consent order alleging serious data security lapses. But the agency’s concerns spiked with the tumult that followed Musk’s October takeover of the company and mass layoffs that followed.

    Khan, a legal scholar, was a known tech critic when she took over the agency in 2021 and her nomination was seen as a signal from the Biden administration that it would be tough on technology companies as they have been under intense pressure from other regulators and state attorneys general.

    She was a professor at Columbia University Law School and became known for her scholarly work in 2017 as a Yale law student, “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox.” That work helped lay the foundation for a new way of looking at antitrust law beyond the impact of big-company market dominance on consumer prices.

    And she has experience with the Judiciary committee, having served as counsel to the panel’s antitrust subcommittee in 2019 and 2020. In that role she played a key role in a sweeping bipartisan investigation of the market power of the tech giants.

    Jordan’s House Judiciary panel has also gone after the tech companies for what Republicans say is censorship of conservatives. The committee subpoenaed the chief executives of the five largest tech companies in February as part of an effort to investigate Big Tech’s moderation of content.

    ___

    O’Brien reported from Providence, R.I.

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  • House Republicans set to interrogate FTC’s Khan over ethics, antitrust issues

    House Republicans set to interrogate FTC’s Khan over ethics, antitrust issues

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    WASHINGTON — House Republicans who say the Federal Trade Commission has been overzealous and politicized under President Joe Biden are set to interrogate agency head Lina Khan on Thursday, bringing her before the House Judiciary Committee for the first time amid her court battles with big technology companies.

    Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has criticized Khan in recent months on a multitude of issues, including what he says are politically motivated actions directed at Elon Musk after he acquired Twitter last year, questions about whether she should have recused herself from certain cases and her legal actions against tech giants on antitrust issues. In April, the committee subpoenaed Khan after an investigation by the panel that concluded the FTC “harassed” Twitter in the wake of Musk’s acquisition.

    The hearing will examine “mismanagement of the FTC and its disregard for ethics and congressional oversight under Chair Lina Khan,” the Judiciary panel’s website says.

    The hearing comes as the agency has been embroiled in several legal cases against technology companies and as Khan — an outspoken critic of Big Tech before becoming the agency’s head — has tried, not always successfully, to toughen government regulation of those companies.

    Khan and the agency suffered a major defeat Tuesday when a federal judge declined to block Microsoft’s looming $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard. The FTC had sought to ax the deal, saying it will hurt competition.

    U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said the deal — the largest in the history of the tech industry — deserved scrutiny but the FTC hadn’t shown that it would cause serious harm. The FTC is now appealing her ruling.

    Another judge rebuffed the FTC’s attempt earlier this year to stop Meta from taking over the virtual reality fitness company Within Unlimited.

    The FTC has also sued Amazon for allegedly engaging in a yearslong effort to enroll consumers without consent into Amazon Prime and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions. In a complaint filed in federal court last month, the agency accused Amazon of using deceptive designs, known as “dark patterns,” to deceive consumers into enrolling in the service.

    The FTC has been investigating Twitter, including efforts this spring to obtain owner Elon Musk’s internal communications, as part of ongoing oversight into the social media company’s privacy and cybersecurity practices.

    The agency has been watching the company for years since Twitter agreed to a 2011 consent order alleging serious data security lapses. But the agency’s concerns spiked with the tumult that followed Musk’s October takeover of the company and mass layoffs that followed.

    Khan, a legal scholar, was a known tech critic when she took over the agency in 2021 and her nomination was seen as a signal from the Biden administration that it would be tough on technology companies as they have been under intense pressure from other regulators and state attorneys general.

    She was a professor at Columbia University Law School and became known for her scholarly work in 2017 as a Yale law student, “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox.” That work helped lay the foundation for a new way of looking at antitrust law beyond the impact of big-company market dominance on consumer prices.

    And she has experience with the Judiciary committee, having served as counsel to the panel’s antitrust subcommittee in 2019 and 2020. In that role she played a key role in a sweeping bipartisan investigation of the market power of the tech giants.

    Jordan’s House Judiciary panel has also gone after the tech companies for what Republicans say is censorship of conservatives. The committee subpoenaed the chief executives of the five largest tech companies in February as part of an effort to investigate Big Tech’s moderation of content.

    ___

    O’Brien reported from Providence, R.I.

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  • 3 tax prep firms shared ‘extraordinarily sensitive’ data about taxpayers with Meta, lawmakers say

    3 tax prep firms shared ‘extraordinarily sensitive’ data about taxpayers with Meta, lawmakers say

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    WASHINGTON — A group of congressional Democrats reported Wednesday that three large tax preparation firms sent “extraordinarily sensitive” information on tens of millions of taxpayers to Facebook parent company Meta over the course of at least two years.

    Their report urges federal agencies to investigate and potentially go to court over the wealth of information that H&R Block, TaxAct and Tax Slayer shared with the social media giant.

    In a letter to the heads of the IRS, the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and the IRS watchdog, seven lawmakers say their findings “reveal a shocking breach of taxpayer privacy by tax prep companies and by Big Tech firms.”

    Their report said highly personal and financial information about sources of taxpayers’ income, tax deductions and exemptions was made accessible to Meta as taxpayers used the tax software to prepare their taxes.

    That data came to Meta through its Pixel code, which the tax firms installed on their websites to gather information on how to improve their own marketing campaigns. In exchange, Meta was able to access the data to write targeted algorithms for its own users.

    The program collected information on taxpayers’ filing status, income, refund amounts, names of dependents, approximate federal tax owed, which buttons were clicked on the tax preparers’ websites and the names of text entry forms that the taxpayer navigated, the report states.

    The letter to federal agencies was signed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Richard Blumenthal, Tammy Duckworth, Bernie Sanders and Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Katie Porter. The lawmakers called for the agencies to “immediately open an investigation into this incident.”

    They ask the agencies to investigate “and prosecute any company or individuals who violated the law,” saying it could result in billions of dollars in criminal liability to the firms.

    The Markup, a nonprofit journalism outlet focusing on technology, initially reported on the data-sharing between tax firms and Meta in November. TaxAct told The Markup then that it takes the privacy of its customers’ data “very seriously” and ”endeavors to comply with all IRS regulations.” TaxSlayer said then that its customers’ privacy is “of utmost importance” and that it had removed the Pixel to evaluate its use.

    H&R Block said on Wednesday that it takes protecting client privacy very seriously and has taken steps to prevent the sharing of information through the Pixel coding.

    And Meta said that it has been clear in its policies that advertisers “should not send sensitive information about people through our Business Tools.”

    “Doing so is against our policies and we educate advertisers on properly setting up Business Tools to prevent this from occurring,” the company said in an emailed statement. “Our system is designed to filter out potentially sensitive data it is able to detect.”

    Representatives from the IRS, the DOJ, the FTC and the IRS watchdog also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    The Democrats say their report serves as an argument for the creation of an electronic free-file system for submitting tax returns that would be run by the government, which the IRS is currently piloting.

    The IRS plans to launch a pilot program for the 2024 filing season to test a “direct file” system and help the federal government decide whether to move forward with potentially implementing it in the future.

    The IRS in May published a feasibility report laying out taxpayer interest in direct file, how the system could work, its potential cost, operational challenges and more.

    The report shows that the majority of surveyed taxpayers would be interested in using an IRS-provided tool to prepare and file their taxes electronically — almost 50% of respondents who preferred the IRS free-file option over commercial tax preparation firms said they preferred to give their financial information directly to the IRS instead of the third party.

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  • Want to Build Trust? Focus on Data Privacy | Entrepreneur

    Want to Build Trust? Focus on Data Privacy | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Did you know that 422.14 million people were impacted by data compromises in 2022 in the US alone? With increasing instances of data breaches and unauthorized data use, it’s no wonder that data privacy has become the top priority for customers. A Cisco report states that 76% of people say they would not buy from a company they do not trust with their data.

    As a result, you must apply comprehensive data safety measures to retain your customers’ trust in your company. This is especially crucial in marketing because customer data collection, storage and analysis drive modern marketing.

    If you are wondering how you can take measures to safeguard customer data while marketing and bolster their trust in your company, you’re at the right place! I’ve put together this guide to help you understand data privacy in marketing in simple terms. It will also help you devise cost-effective strategies to adhere to customer data regulations.

    Related: 8 Ways a Data Breach Could Take Out Your Company Tomorrow

    Understanding data privacy in marketing

    Data privacy in marketing refers to protecting and responsibly handling consumer information collected throughout your marketing endeavors. Why is this crucial?

    Marketers engage in a plethora of data collection and handling activities. This includes personal and behavioral data that help them gain insights into their target audience and provide personalized experiences. However, the threat of data privacy breaches is growing daily, and a breach can have severe consequences.

    These include reputational damage, legal repercussions, financial loss and loss of customer trust. So, every marketer must prioritize customer data security and comply with privacy regulations. Let’s understand how this works.

    Related: Schools Are Getting Slammed By Cyberattacks and Student Data Is No Longer Safe. Here’s How to Navigate Cybersecurity in the New, Digital Classroom

    Ensuring customer data protection

    First, you must ensure your website is secure, and consumer data is used for legitimate purposes. After all, the Harvard Business Review found that 84% of consumers avoid shopping from brands with suspicious websites. But there’s more! Here are the critical methods you must apply carefully to safeguard your consumer’s privacy and trust.

    1. Compliance with data protection regulations

    The most important step is to ensure compliance with data protection regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States. These two acts are the primary customer data regulation frameworks, and if not followed, they lead to substantial fines and reputational damage.

    CCPA, which was enacted in 2020, grants consumers the right to know about collected personal data and request the deletion of their information. It mandates the organizations to provide a list of third-party organizations that will have access to the data upon request from the customer. Enterprises failing to comply with the regulation can face statutory damages that range from $100 to $750 per consumer per incident.

    GDPR was enacted in 2018. It grants individuals control over their data. Businesses that comply must obtain informed consent for data collection, provide privacy policies and notices and implement measures to protect the data. Noncompliance can result in a fine of €20 million or 4% of total revenue, whichever is higher.

    By incorporating stringent measures as per these laws, you will fulfill the legal requirements and instill confidence in consumers regarding their information and strengthen the brand reputation.

    2. Implementing Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)

    Multi-factor authentication is an added layer of security for enhancing data security in marketing, and it is growing in use due to its effectiveness and ease of use. Under MFA, users must provide multiple forms of verification, such as a password or code sent to their phone number or email.

    As a marketer, you can implement MFA across customer portals, employee access, and administrative dashboard. You can also go a step ahead and implement advanced methods such as biometric systems to strengthen security further.

    With MFA, you can significantly decrease the risk of a data breach by allowing only authorized individuals access to sensitive customer data. This will naturally bolster consumer trust regarding your data handling practices.

    Related: Safeguarding Your Corporate Environment from Social Engineering

    3. Implementing Decentralized Finance

    DeFi is an innovative technology that uses blockchain to create a decentralized ecosystem for secure financial data management. As per a recent survey report by Antier Solutions, about 15-20% of small businesses are already utilizing DeFi services for financing successfully. This indicates that Defi is living up to its promise of safety and reliability. But what makes it so effective, you may ask?

    DeFi platforms use ledger technology and cryptography to decentralize data storage and eliminate potential risks. Moreover, DeFi uses smart contracts to ensure transparency between both entities. Smart contracts are self-executing contracts that automatically execute predefined conditions and are stored in blockchain. You can utilize smart contracts to obtain consent from consumers regarding data collection and usage.

    In contrast to Defi, traditional centralized financing has data storage systems that pose inherent vulnerabilities to data breaches. So, vulnerability at even a single point can allow hackers to extract data.

    4. Prioritize Supplier and Vendor Security

    Marketers who collaborate with third-party suppliers and vendors may provide access to consumer data. If you are amongst them, it is necessary to conduct due diligence when selecting partners. Furthermore, your contracts with them should include provisions that require third parties to comply with the same data protection and privacy standards as you.

    5. Establish Incident Response Plans

    Despite all measures, there’s always a risk of things going south as technologies develop rapidly! So, developing a comprehensive incident response plan is vital as it helps you effectively address and mitigate the impact of any data breaches or privacy issues. Here’s what you must do to establish an effective incident response plan-

    • Start by establishing a cross-functional incident response team. This must comprise individuals from different departments, such as IT, communication, legal, etc., to bring together a range of expertise.
    • You must have an escalation plan ready to ensure incidents are promptly forwarded to the appropriate management level.
    • Develop clear communication protocols for both the internal stakeholders and external parties, such as the affected customers and regulatory authorities.
    • Designate official spokespersons for prompt and transparent communication because it helps maintain trust and demonstrates a commitment to addressing the incident responsibly.

    Lastly, don’t wait for emergencies! Conduct regular tabletop exercises and simulations to test the effectiveness of your plans and identify areas for improvement.

    Summing up

    Data privacy has become the most fundamental aspect of maintaining customer trust and building strong relationships in the era of data-driven digital marketing. Its importance cannot be overstated in a world where data breaches are rising in frequency and customers are increasingly sensitive about their data safety.

    So, remember to analyze and implement the points in this guide carefully and always stay up-to-date with the latest privacy regulations, data security threats, and customer expectations. The area of data safety is constantly evolving, and only the most agile and vigilant marketers will find lasting success.

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    Vikas Agrawal

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  • Meta’s new Twitter rival app Threads gets tens of millions of sign-ups in its first day

    Meta’s new Twitter rival app Threads gets tens of millions of sign-ups in its first day

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    Tens of millions of people have quickly signed up to Meta’s new app, Threads, as it aims to compete with Twitter — a sign that users are looking for an alternative to the social media platform that has undergone a series of unpopular changes since Elon Musk bought it.

    Meta Platforms’ CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Thursday that 30 million people had registered for the app, including 10 million in the first seven hours of its launch Wednesday in the U.S. and over 100 other countries, including Britain, Australia, Canada and Japan.

    Threads is billed as a text-based version of Meta’s photo-sharing app Instagram that the company says provides “a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations.”

    Instagram users can log in with their existing usernames and follow the same accounts on the new app, giving Threads users a ready-made audience and an edge over other Twitter challengers like Bluesky and Mastodon.

    “I think I’ll just see — I’ll keep Twitter for a while and then if everyone moves over there (to Threads), then I’ll probably move,” said Javi de Andreas, a 24-year-old researcher in London.

    He added that Instagram “feels like a bit more reliable just in terms of nothing really changes.”

    There was plenty of excitement among Threads users about the opportunity to make a fresh start on a new social media app, giving Threads a “first day of school” vibe.

    Early adopters included celebrities like chef Gordon Ramsay, pop star Shakira and actor Jack Black as well as Airbnb, Guinness World Records, Netflix, Vogue magazine and other media outlets.

    There were also glitches, annoyance about the lack of a chronological feed and gripes about missing features — raising the question of whether the initial burst of interest would lead to sustained growth that could pose a meaningful challenge to Twitter.

    “The euphoria around a new service and this initial explosion will probably settle down,” said Paolo Pescatore, a technology analyst at PP Foresight. “But it is apparent that this alternative is here to stay and will prove to be a worthy rival given all of Twitter’s woes.”

    Teething problems for Threads include Zuckerberg’s posts — or Threads as they’re dubbed — not loading in several countries. But his replies to other users did appear.

    Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri acknowledged the early issues.

    “The real test is not if we can build up a lot of hype, but if you all find enough value in the app to keep using it ove time,” Mosseri posted in a thread.

    “And there are tons of basics that are missing: search, hashtags, a following feed” and direct messaging, he said. “We’re on it,” but ”it’ll take time.”

    Threads does have buttons to like, repost, reply to or quote a thread, and users see the number of likes and replies a post has received. Posts are limited to 500 characters, which is more than Twitter’s 280-character threshold for most users, and can include links, photos and videos up to five minutes long.

    Some questioned whether it made sense to seek to combine Twitter and Instagram users, which are two distinct online groups. Twitter is tailored for quick and short updates, while Instagram is best for visually creative posts.

    An Argentine archbishop chosen by Pope Francis to head the Vatican office that ensures doctrinal orthodoxy concedes he made mistakes in handling a 2019 case of a priest accused of sexual abuse of minors.

    Allisen Corpuz poses with the winner's trophy after the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament at the Pebble Beach Golf Links, Sunday, July 9, 2023, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

    Allisen Corpuz picked the right time and the right place for her first big win. She won the first U.S.

    FILE - PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan speaks during a news conference before the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, June 22, 2022, in Cromwell, Conn. Monahan is returning to work just over a month after he stepped away for a “medical situation” during a tumultuous time of working out a surprise commercial agreement with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

    The Washington Post is reporting former AT&T Chairman Randall Stephenson has resigned from the PGA Tour policy board.

    FILE - Roy Herron hugs and shakes hands with supporters with help from Wesley Warrilow, right, after being defeated by Stephen Fincher for U.S. representative, Nov. 2, 2010, at the Elks Lodge in Dresden, Tenn. Herron, a longtime Tennessee state lawmaker and former chairman of the state Democratic Party, died Sunday, July 9, 2023, from injuries sustained in a jet ski accident. He was 69 years old. (Katie Brake/The Jackson Sun via AP, File)

    Roy Herron, a longtime Tennessee state lawmaker and former chairperson of the state Democratic Party, has died from injuries sustained in a jet ski accident.

    “Some people will want to keep it separate from Instagram for numerous and very good reasons,” Pescatore said. “This is something that Meta might have to address, which could halt its progress.”

    Meta’s new offering also has raised data privacy concerns. The company has held off on rolling it out in the European Union, citing regulatory uncertainty.

    The 27-nation EU has strict data privacy rules and is set to start enforcing a new set of digital rules aimed at clamping down on Big Tech companies and limiting what they can do with users’ personal information.

    Threads could collect a wide range of personal information, including health, financial, contacts, browsing and search history, location data, purchases and “sensitive info,” according to its data privacy disclosure on the App Store.

    Threads poses a fresh headache for Musk, who acquired Twitter last year for $44 billion. Analysts said combining Twitter-style features with Instagram’s look and feel would drive user engagement.

    Musk has made a series of changes that have triggered backlash, the latest being daily limits on the number of tweets people can view to try to stop unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data.

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  • What is Threads? All your questions about Meta’s new Twitter rival, answered

    What is Threads? All your questions about Meta’s new Twitter rival, answered

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    NEW YORK — Threads, a text-based app built by Meta to rival Twitter, is live.

    The app, billed as the text version of Meta’s photo-sharing platform Instagram, became available Wednesday night to users in more than 100 countries — including the U.S., Britain, Australia, Canada and Japan. Despite some early glitches, 30 million people had signed up before noon on Thursday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Threads.

    New arrivals to the platform include celebrities like Oprah, pop star Shakira and chef Gordon Ramsay — as well as corporate accounts from Taco Bell, Netflix, Spotify, the Washington Post and other media outlets.

    Threads, which Meta says provides “a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations,” arrives at a time when many are looking for Twitter alternatives to escape Elon Musk’s raucous oversight of the platform since acquiring it last year for $44 billion. But Meta’s new app has also raised data privacy concerns, and is notably unavailable in the European Union.

    Here’s what you need to know about Threads.

    HOW CAN I USE THREADS?

    Threads is now available for download in Apple and Google Android app stores for people in more than 100 countries.

    Threads was built by the Instagram team, so Instagram users can log into Threads through their Instagram account. Your username and verification status will carry over, according to the platform, but you will also have options to customize other areas of your profile — including whether or not you want to follow the same people that you do on Instagram.

    Because Threads and Instagram are so closely linked, it’s also important to be cautious of account deletion. According to Threads’ supplemental privacy policy, you can deactivate your profile at any time, “but your Threads profile can only be deleted by deleting your Instagram account.”

    CAN I USE THREADS IF I DON’T HAVE AN INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT?

    For now, only Instagram users can create Threads accounts. If you want to access Threads, you will have to sign up for Instagram first.

    While this may receive some pushback, VP and research director at Forrester Mike Proulx said making Threads an extension of Instagram was a smart move on Meta’s part.

    “It’s piquing (user) curiosity,” Proulx said, noting that Instagram users are getting alerts about their followers joining Threads — causing more and more people to sign up. “That’s one of the reasons why Threads got over 10 million people to sign up in just a seven hour period” after launching.

    Still, Proulx added, maintaining momentum and continuing to capture user attention past the initial curiosity bump will be crucial down the line — noting “the long term nature of threads is what’s going to ultimately predict its success or failure.”

    HOW IS THREADS SIMILAR TO TWITTER?

    Threads’ microblogging experience is very similar to Twitter. Users can repost, reply to or quote a thread, for example, and can see the number of likes and replies that a post has received. “Threads” can run up to 500 characters — compared with Twitter’s 280-character threshold — and can include links, photos and videos up to five minutes long.

    In early replies on Threads, Zuckerberg said making the app “a friendly place” will be a key to success — adding that that was “one reason why Twitter never succeeded as much as I think it should have, and we want to do it differently.”

    IS TWITTER SEEKING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST META?

    According to a letter obtained by Semafor on Thursday, Twitter has threatened legal action against Meta over Threads. In the letter, which was addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and dated Wednesday, Alex Spiro, an attorney representing Twitter, accused Meta of unlawfully using Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property by hiring former Twitter employees to create a “copycat” app.

    Meta spokesperson Andy Stone responded to the report of Spiro’s letter on Threads Thursday afternoon, writing, “no one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee.”

    Musk hasn’t directly tweeted about the possibility of legal action, but he has replied to several snarky takes on the Threads launch. The Twitter owner responded to one tweet suggesting that Meta’s app was built largely through the use of the copy and paste function, with a laughing emoji.

    Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino has also not publicly commented on Wednesday’s letter, but seemingly appeared to address Threads’ launch in a Thursday tweet — writing that “the Twitter community can never be duplicated.”

    HASN’T THIS BEEN DONE BEFORE?

    The similarities of Meta’s new text-based app suggests that the company is working to directly challenge Twitter. The tumultuous ownership has resulted in a series of unpopular changes that have turned off users and advertisers, some of whom are searching for Twitter alternatives.

    Threads is the latest Twitter rival to emerge in this landscape following Bluesky, Mastodon and Spill.

    HOW DOES THREADS MODERATE CONTENT?

    According to Meta, Threads will use the same safety measures deployed on Instagram — which includes enforcing Instagram’s community guidelines and providing tools to control who can mention or reply to users.

    Content warnings — on search queries ranging from conspiracy theory groups to misinformation about COVID-19 vaccinations — also appear to be similar to Instagram.

    WHAT ARE THE PRIVACY CONCERNS?

    Threads could collect a wide range of personal information — including health, financial, contacts, browsing and search history, location data, purchases and “sensitive info,” according to its data privacy disclosure on the App Store.

    Threads also isn’t available in the European Union right now, which has strict data privacy rules.

    Meta informed Ireland’s Data Privacy Commission, Meta’s main privacy regulator for the EU, that it has no plans yet to launch Threads in the 27-nation bloc, commission spokesman Graham Doyle said. The company said it is working on rolling the app out to more countries — but pointed to regulatory uncertainty for its decision to hold off on a European launch.

    WHATS THE FUTURE FOR THREADS?

    Success for Threads is far from guaranteed. Industry watchers point to Meta’s track record of starting standalone apps that were later shut down — including an Instagram messaging app also called “Threads” that shut down less than two years after its 2019 launch, Proulx notes.

    Still, Proulx and others say the new app could be a significant headache for Musk and Twitter.

    “The euphoria around a new service and this initial explosion will probably settle down. But it is apparent that this alternative is here to stay and will prove to be a worthy rival given all of Twitter’s woes,” technology analyst Paolo Pescatore of PP Foresight said, noting that combining Twitter-style features with Instagram’s look and feel could drive user engagement.

    Threads is in its early days, however, and much depends on user feedback. Pescatore believes the close tie between Instagram and Threads might not resonate with everyone. The rollout of new features will also be key.

    “The real test is not if we can build up a lot of hype, but if you all find enough value in the app to keep using it over time,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri wrote Thursday in a Threads post. He also acknowledged, as many users have already done, that there are “tons of basics” missing, including hashtags and direct messaging between users. “Full disclosure, it’ll take time.”

    IS AP ON THREADS?

    You can find AP News on Threads here.

    _______

    AP Technology Writer Kelvin Chan contributed to this report from London.

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  • What is Threads? All your questions about Meta’s new Twitter rival, answered

    What is Threads? All your questions about Meta’s new Twitter rival, answered

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    NEW YORK — Threads, a text-based app built by Meta to rival Twitter, is live.

    The app, billed as the text version of Meta’s photo-sharing platform Instagram, became available Wednesday night to users in more than 100 countries — including the U.S., Britain, Australia, Canada and Japan. Despite some early glitches, 30 million people had signed up before noon on Thursday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Threads.

    New arrivals to the platform include celebrities like Oprah, pop star Shakira and chef Gordon Ramsay — as well as corporate accounts from Taco Bell, Netflix, Spotify, the Washington Post and other media outlets.

    Threads, which Meta says provides “a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations,” arrives at a time when many are looking for Twitter alternatives to escape Elon Musk’s raucous oversight of the platform since acquiring it last year for $44 billion. But Meta’s new app has also raised data privacy concerns, and is notably unavailable in the European Union.

    Here’s what you need to know about Threads.

    HOW CAN I USE THREADS?

    Threads is now available for download in Apple and Google Android app stores for people in more than 100 countries.

    Threads was built by the Instagram team, so Instagram users can log into Threads through their Instagram account. Your username and verification status will carry over, according to the platform, but you will also have options to customize other areas of your profile — including whether or not you want to follow the same people that you do on Instagram.

    Because Threads and Instagram are so closely linked, it’s also important to be cautious of account deletion. According to Threads’ supplemental privacy policy, you can deactivate your profile at any time, “but your Threads profile can only be deleted by deleting your Instagram account.”

    CAN I USE THREADS IF I DON’T HAVE AN INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT?

    For now, only Instagram users can create Threads accounts. If you want to access Threads, you will have to sign up for Instagram first.

    While this may receive some pushback, VP and research director at Forrester Mike Proulx said making Threads an extension of Instagram was a smart move on Meta’s part.

    “It’s piquing (user) curiosity,” Proulx said, noting that Instagram users are getting alerts about their followers joining Threads — causing more and more people to sign up. “That’s one of the reasons why Threads got over 10 million people to sign up in just a seven hour period” after launching.

    Still, Proulx added, maintaining momentum and continuing to capture user attention past the initial curiosity bump will be crucial down the line — noting “the long term nature of threads is what’s going to ultimately predict its success or failure.”

    HOW IS THREADS SIMILAR TO TWITTER?

    Threads’ microblogging experience is very similar to Twitter. Users can repost, reply to or quote a thread, for example, and can see the number of likes and replies that a post has received. “Threads” can run up to 500 characters — compared with Twitter’s 280-character threshold — and can include links, photos and videos up to five minutes long.

    In early replies on Threads, Zuckerberg said making the app “a friendly place” will be a key to success — adding that that was “one reason why Twitter never succeeded as much as I think it should have, and we want to do it differently.”

    IS TWITTER SEEKING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST META?

    According to a letter obtained by Semafor on Thursday, Twitter has threatened legal action against Meta over Threads. In the letter, which was addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and dated Wednesday, Alex Spiro, an attorney representing Twitter, accused Meta of unlawfully using Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property by hiring former Twitter employees to create a “copycat” app.

    Meta spokesperson Andy Stone responded to the report of Spiro’s letter on Threads Thursday afternoon, writing, “no one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee.”

    Musk hasn’t directly tweeted about the possibility of legal action, but he has replied to several snarky takes on the Threads launch. The Twitter owner responded to one tweet suggesting that Meta’s app was built largely through the use of the copy and paste function, with a laughing emoji.

    Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino has also not publicly commented on Wednesday’s letter, but seemingly appeared to address Threads’ launch in a Thursday tweet — writing that “the Twitter community can never be duplicated.”

    HASN’T THIS BEEN DONE BEFORE?

    The similarities of Meta’s new text-based app suggests that the company is working to directly challenge Twitter. The tumultuous ownership has resulted in a series of unpopular changes that have turned off users and advertisers, some of whom are searching for Twitter alternatives.

    Threads is the latest Twitter rival to emerge in this landscape following Bluesky, Mastodon and Spill.

    HOW DOES THREADS MODERATE CONTENT?

    According to Meta, Threads will use the same safety measures deployed on Instagram — which includes enforcing Instagram’s community guidelines and providing tools to control who can mention or reply to users.

    Content warnings — on search queries ranging from conspiracy theory groups to misinformation about COVID-19 vaccinations — also appear to be similar to Instagram.

    WHAT ARE THE PRIVACY CONCERNS?

    Threads could collect a wide range of personal information — including health, financial, contacts, browsing and search history, location data, purchases and “sensitive info,” according to its data privacy disclosure on the App Store.

    Threads also isn’t available in the European Union right now, which has strict data privacy rules.

    Meta informed Ireland’s Data Privacy Commission, Meta’s main privacy regulator for the EU, that it has no plans yet to launch Threads in the 27-nation bloc, commission spokesman Graham Doyle said. The company said it is working on rolling the app out to more countries — but pointed to regulatory uncertainty for its decision to hold off on a European launch.

    WHATS THE FUTURE FOR THREADS?

    Success for Threads is far from guaranteed. Industry watchers point to Meta’s track record of starting standalone apps that were later shut down — including an Instagram messaging app also called “Threads” that shut down less than two years after its 2019 launch, Proulx notes.

    Still, Proulx and others say the new app could be a significant headache for Musk and Twitter.

    “The euphoria around a new service and this initial explosion will probably settle down. But it is apparent that this alternative is here to stay and will prove to be a worthy rival given all of Twitter’s woes,” technology analyst Paolo Pescatore of PP Foresight said, noting that combining Twitter-style features with Instagram’s look and feel could drive user engagement.

    Threads is in its early days, however, and much depends on user feedback. Pescatore believes the close tie between Instagram and Threads might not resonate with everyone. The rollout of new features will also be key.

    “The real test is not if we can build up a lot of hype, but if you all find enough value in the app to keep using it over time,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri wrote Thursday in a Threads post. He also acknowledged, as many users have already done, that there are “tons of basics” missing, including hashtags and direct messaging between users. “Full disclosure, it’ll take time.”

    IS AP ON THREADS?

    You can find AP News on Threads here.

    _______

    AP Technology Writer Kelvin Chan contributed to this report from London.

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  • Meta takes aim at Twitter with the launch of rival app Threads

    Meta takes aim at Twitter with the launch of rival app Threads

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    Meta unveiled an app to rival Twitter on Wednesday, appearing to target users looking for an alternative to the social media platform owned — and frequently changed — by Elon Musk.

    Called Threads, the new offering is billed as a text-based version of Meta’s photo-sharing app Instagram that the company says provides “a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations.”

    The app went live just after midnight Wednesday in the U.K. in Apple and Google Android app stores in more than 100 countries including the U.S., Britain, Australia, Canada and Japan. Early celebrity users include chef Gordon Ramsay, the pop star Shakira and Mark Hoyle, better known as the YouTuber LadBaby.

    Users get a Twitter-like microblogging experience, according to screenshots provided to media, suggesting that Meta Platforms has been gearing up to directly challenge the platform after Musk’s tumultuous ownership has resulted in a series of unpopular changes that have turned off users and advertisers.

    There are buttons to like, repost, reply to or quote a “thread,” and counters showing the number of likes and replies that a post has received.

    “Our vision is that Threads will be a new app more focused on text and dialogue, modeled after what Instagram has done for photo and video,” the company said.

    Posts are limited to 500 characters, which is more than Twitter’s 280-character threshold, and can include links, photos and videos up to five minutes long.

    Instagram users will be able to log in with their existing usernames and follow the same accounts on the new app. New users will have to set up an Instagram account.

    Meta emphasized measures to keep users safe, including enforcing Instagram’s community guidelines and providing tools to control who can mention or reply to users.

    Meta’s new offering, however, has raised data privacy concerns.

    Threads could collect a wide range of personal information, including health, financial, contacts, browsing and search history, location data, purchases and “sensitive info,” according to its data privacy disclosure on the App Store.

    Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey pointed it out in a snarky tweet saying, “All your Threads are belong to us” that included a screenshot of the disclosure. Musk replied “yeah.”

    One place Threads won’t be rolled out is in the European Union, which has strict data privacy rules.

    Meta has informed Ireland’s Data Privacy Commission that it has no plans yet to launch Threads in the 27-nation bloc, commission spokesman Graham Doyle said. The Irish watchdog is Meta’s main privacy regulator for the EU because the company’s regional headquarters is based in Dublin.

    While Meta had teased Threads with a listing on Apple’s U.K. App Store earlier this week, it could not be found in the French, German or Dutch versions. The company is working on rolling the app out to more countries but cites regulatory uncertainty for its decision to hold off on a European launch.

    Analysts said its success is far from guaranteed, citing Meta’s track record of starting standalone apps that were later shut down.

    Also in question is whether it’s the right move for Meta, which has announced tens of thousands of layoffs over the past year amid a tech industry slowdown.

    CEO Mark Zuckerberg also has been focusing on the metaverse, investing tens of billions of dollars in the virtual reality concept.

    Meta risks “spreading itself too thin,” said Mike Proulx, a research director at Forrester, a global market research company. “Meta is banking on a moment in time amidst peak Twitter frustration. However, this window of opportunity is already flooded with Twitter alternatives including Bluesky, Mastodon, Spill, Post.News and Hive, which are all competing for Twitter’s market share.”

    Even so, Threads could be a fresh headache for Musk, who acquired Twitter last year for $44 billion.

    He’s made a series of changes that have triggered backlash, the latest being daily limits on the number of tweets people can view to try to stop unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data. He also is now requiring paid verification for users to access the online dashboard TweetDeck.

    Musk’s rivalry with Zuckerberg could end up spilling over into real life. In an online exchange the two tech billionaires seemingly agreed to a cage match face-off, though it’s unclear if they will actually make it to the ring.

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  • Meta takes aim at Twitter with the launch of rival app Threads

    Meta takes aim at Twitter with the launch of rival app Threads

    [ad_1]

    Meta unveiled an app to rival Twitter on Wednesday, appearing to target users looking for an alternative to the social media platform owned — and frequently changed — by Elon Musk.

    Called Threads, the new offering is billed as a text-based version of Meta’s photo-sharing app Instagram that the company says provides “a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations.”

    The app went live just after midnight Wednesday in the U.K. in Apple and Google Android app stores in more than 100 countries including the U.S., Britain, Australia, Canada and Japan. Early celebrity users include chef Gordon Ramsay, the pop star Shakira and Mark Hoyle, better known as the YouTuber LadBaby.

    Users get a Twitter-like microblogging experience, according to screenshots provided to media, suggesting that Meta Platforms has been gearing up to directly challenge the platform after Musk’s tumultuous ownership has resulted in a series of unpopular changes that have turned off users and advertisers.

    There are buttons to like, repost, reply to or quote a “thread,” and counters showing the number of likes and replies that a post has received.

    “Our vision is that Threads will be a new app more focused on text and dialogue, modeled after what Instagram has done for photo and video,” the company said.

    Posts are limited to 500 characters, which is more than Twitter’s 280-character threshold, and can include links, photos and videos up to five minutes long.

    Instagram users will be able to log in with their existing usernames and follow the same accounts on the new app. New users will have to set up an Instagram account.

    Meta emphasized measures to keep users safe, including enforcing Instagram’s community guidelines and providing tools to control who can mention or reply to users.

    Meta’s new offering, however, has raised data privacy concerns.

    Threads could collect a wide range of personal information, including health, financial, contacts, browsing and search history, location data, purchases and “sensitive info,” according to its data privacy disclosure on the App Store.

    Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey pointed it out in a snarky tweet saying, “All your Threads are belong to us” that included a screenshot of the disclosure. Musk replied “yeah.”

    One place Threads won’t be rolled out is in the European Union, which has strict data privacy rules.

    Meta has informed Ireland’s Data Privacy Commission that it has no plans yet to launch Threads in the 27-nation bloc, commission spokesman Graham Doyle said. The Irish watchdog is Meta’s main privacy regulator for the EU because the company’s regional headquarters is based in Dublin.

    While Meta had teased Threads with a listing on Apple’s U.K. App Store earlier this week, it could not be found in the French, German or Dutch versions. The company is working on rolling the app out to more countries but cites regulatory uncertainty for its decision to hold off on a European launch.

    Analysts said its success is far from guaranteed, citing Meta’s track record of starting standalone apps that were later shut down.

    Also in question is whether it’s the right move for Meta, which has announced tens of thousands of layoffs over the past year amid a tech industry slowdown.

    CEO Mark Zuckerberg also has been focusing on the metaverse, investing tens of billions of dollars in the virtual reality concept.

    Meta risks “spreading itself too thin,” said Mike Proulx, a research director at Forrester, a global market research company. “Meta is banking on a moment in time amidst peak Twitter frustration. However, this window of opportunity is already flooded with Twitter alternatives including Bluesky, Mastodon, Spill, Post.News and Hive, which are all competing for Twitter’s market share.”

    Even so, Threads could be a fresh headache for Musk, who acquired Twitter last year for $44 billion.

    He’s made a series of changes that have triggered backlash, the latest being daily limits on the number of tweets people can view to try to stop unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data. He also is now requiring paid verification for users to access the online dashboard TweetDeck.

    Musk’s rivalry with Zuckerberg could end up spilling over into real life. In an online exchange the two tech billionaires seemingly agreed to a cage match face-off, though it’s unclear if they will actually make it to the ring.

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  • Meta takes aim at Twitter with the launch of rival app Threads

    Meta takes aim at Twitter with the launch of rival app Threads

    [ad_1]

    LONDON — Meta unveiled an app to rival Twitter on Thursday, appearing to target users looking for an alternative to the social media platform owned — and frequently changed — by Elon Musk.

    Called Threads, the new offering is billed as a text-based version of Meta’s photo-sharing app Instagram that the company says provides “a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations.”

    The app went live just after midnight Wednesday in the U.K. in Apple and Google Android app stores in more than 100 countries including the U.S., Britain, Australia, Canada and Japan.

    Users will get a Twitter-like microblogging experience, according to screenshots provided to media, suggesting that Meta Platforms has been gearing up to directly challenge the platform after Musk’s tumultuous ownership has resulted in a series of unpopular changes that have turned off users and advertisers.

    There are buttons to like, repost or quote a “thread,” and counters showing the number of likes and replies that a post has received.

    “Our vision is that Threads will be a new app more focused on text and dialogue, modeled after what Instagram has done for photo and video,” the company said.

    Posts are limited to 500 characters, which is more than Twitter’s 280-character threshold, and can include links, photos and videos up to five minutes long.

    Instagram users will be able to log in with their existing user names and follow the same accounts on the new app. New users will have to set up an Instagram account.

    Meta emphasized measures to keep users safe, including enforcing Instagram’s community guidelines and providing tools to control who can mention or reply to users.

    Meta’s new offering, however, has raised data privacy concerns.

    Threads could collect a wide range of personal information, including health, financial, contacts, browsing and search history, location data, purchases and “sensitive info,” according to its data privacy disclosure on the App Store.

    Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey pointed it out in a snarky tweet saying, “All your Threads are belong to us” that included a screenshot of the disclosure. Musk replied “yeah.”

    One place Threads won’t be rolled out is in the European Union, which has strict data privacy rules.

    Meta has informed Ireland’s Data Privacy Commission that it has no plans yet to launch Threads in the 27-nation bloc, commission spokesman Graham Doyle said. The Irish watchdog is Meta’s main privacy regulator for the EU because the company’s regional headquarters is based in Dublin.

    While Meta had teased the launch with a listing on Apple’s U.K. App Store earlier this week, it could not be found in the French, German or Dutch versions.

    Analysts said its success is far from guaranteed, citing Meta’s track record of launching standalone apps that were later shut down.

    Also in question is whether it’s the right move for Meta, which has announced tens of thousands of layoffs over the past year amid a tech industry slowdown.

    CEO Mark Zuckerberg also has been focusing on the metaverse, investing tens of billions of dollars in the virtual reality concept.

    Meta risks “spreading itself too thin,” said Mike Proulx, a research director at Forrester, a global market research company. “Meta is banking on a moment in time amidst peak Twitter frustration. However, this window of opportunity is already flooded with Twitter alternatives including Bluesky, Mastodon, Spill, Post.News and Hive, which are all competing for Twitter’s market share.”

    Even so, Threads could be a fresh headache for Musk, who acquired Twitter last year for $44 billion.

    He’s made a series of changes that have triggered backlash, the latest being daily limits on the number of tweets people can view to try to stop unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data. He also is now requiring paid verification for users to access the online dashboard TweetDeck.

    Musk’s rivalry with Zuckerberg could end up spilling over into real life. In an online exchange the two tech billionaires seemingly agreed to a cage match face-off, though it’s unclear if they will actually make it to the ring.

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    Source link

  • Iowa auditor says new law will restrict his office’s access to information

    Iowa auditor says new law will restrict his office’s access to information

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    DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa’s auditor may face new challenges in his quest to track taxpayer dollars after a new law takes effect Saturday that allows state agencies to deny his office access to information and bars him from making an appeal in court.

    State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat in statewide office, said the law advanced by Republican lawmakers is a politically motivated attack on accountability. The law could stifle Sand, who described his office as “assertive.”

    “Bottom line on that is, we uncovered a record amount of waste, fraud and abuse in my first term. That’s where it came from,” Sand said in an interview with The Associated Press. “They don’t want accountability.”

    But supporters of the Iowa law emphasize the changes are meant to protect Iowans’ privacy and that the risk to the auditor’s work is low.

    Going forward, a state agency is not allowed to provide the state auditor’s office access to confidential information, such as medical or school records, unless it is deemed necessary to the auditor’s responsibilities. The auditor’s office, as usual, must maintain confidentiality of those records.

    That could mean business as usual — as Republican lawmakers suggest — if the auditor is doing his job as outlined in generally accepted federal audit standards. Or, it could mean agencies would more often question a request and withhold information from his office.

    If a dispute arises, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds is empowered to appoint a tiebreaker vote to an arbitration panel, on which Sand and the agency involved each will have a representative. That gives two of the three voices on the panel, whose decision is final, to Reynolds’ administration.

    The bill made its way through a Republican-dominated statehouse and passed easily without support from Democrats, who argued it has the potential to give the state’s Republican leadership more power to quiet political rivals and hide corruption.

    Uneven political power in Republican-controlled state governments has given way to some more extreme examples of retribution in recent months, including the expulsion of three Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee’s Legislature and the removal of a Democratic transgender lawmaker from the Montana House floor.

    Iowa Republican State Senator Mike Bousselot said previous state Supreme Court rulings in cases between Sand’s office and state agencies raised questions about the role of the auditor’s office.

    “Why should the Auditor have unfettered access to Iowans’ medical records, financial aid, school records and more?” Bousselot wrote in an email. “It is irrational and potentially dangerous for the Auditor to seek irrelevant information in an audit.”

    “This bill gives Iowans additional privacy protections while allowing the Auditor to continue accessing information relevant to the purpose of the audit,” he added.

    When the legislation surfaced, state and national auditing and accounting organizations joined with Sand to convey concerns that the law will prevent independent and complete oversight. Those concerns have since made their way to a federal agency responsible for auditing standards, according to John Geragosian, past president of the National State Auditors Association.

    A spokesperson at the Government Accountability Office pointed to a March letter clarifying the federal auditing standards but offered no additional comments.

    The tension in Iowa is not entirely unique. Auditors in other states have experienced pushback, even from members of their party.

    In North Dakota, second-term State Auditor Josh Gallion and his fellow Republicans in the Legislature have clashed over how he publicizes critical audit findings and what fees his office has charged for local governments’ audits. This spring, lawmakers budgeted $500,000 for an audit of the auditor’s office.

    Former Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, a Democrat, said Republican lawmakers were regularly “touting” his audits of the Democratic governor’s administration. Then, in 2019, Republican lawmakers pushed through a cut to his office’s budget by 10% just months after he announced a run for U.S. Congress.

    “I will tell you that that is the most fascinating coincidence,” DePasquale said. “I thought it was gutter politics, to be blunt.”

    In Iowa, Sand emphasized his record of avoiding partisan politics, asserting he employs senior staff from both sides of the aisle, has provided opportunities for agencies to undo errors and regularly defends the Republican administration’s actions.

    “I like this job,” Sand said, but admitted the law could “end up making this office less impactful.”

    “I’m hard pressed to see how it couldn’t have an impact,” Sand said, suggesting it will become easier for a state agency to reject his requests. “I think the only impact that it could have would be negative for the public and negative for this office’s ability to do its work.”

    ___

    Associated Press reporter Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed.

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  • Iowa auditor says new law will restrict his office’s access to information

    Iowa auditor says new law will restrict his office’s access to information

    [ad_1]

    DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa’s auditor may face new challenges in his quest to track taxpayer dollars after a new law takes effect Saturday that allows state agencies to deny his office access to information and bars him from making an appeal in court.

    State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat in statewide office, said the law advanced by Republican lawmakers is a politically motivated attack on accountability. The law could stifle Sand, who described his office as “assertive.”

    “Bottom line on that is, we uncovered a record amount of waste, fraud and abuse in my first term. That’s where it came from,” Sand said in an interview with The Associated Press. “They don’t want accountability.”

    But supporters of the Iowa law emphasize the changes are meant to protect Iowans’ privacy and that the risk to the auditor’s work is low.

    Going forward, a state agency is not allowed to provide the state auditor’s office access to confidential information, such as medical or school records, unless it is deemed necessary to the auditor’s responsibilities. The auditor’s office, as usual, must maintain confidentiality of those records.

    That could mean business as usual — as Republican lawmakers suggest — if the auditor is doing his job as outlined in generally accepted federal audit standards. Or, it could mean agencies would more often question a request and withhold information from his office.

    If a dispute arises, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds is empowered to appoint a tiebreaker vote to an arbitration panel, on which Sand and the agency involved each will have a representative. That gives two of the three voices on the panel, whose decision is final, to Reynolds’ administration.

    The bill made its way through a Republican-dominated statehouse and passed easily without support from Democrats, who argued it has the potential to give the state’s Republican leadership more power to quiet political rivals and hide corruption.

    Uneven political power in Republican-controlled state governments has given way to some more extreme examples of retribution in recent months, including the expulsion of three Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee’s Legislature and the removal of a Democratic transgender lawmaker from the Montana House floor.

    Iowa Republican State Senator Mike Bousselot said previous state Supreme Court rulings in cases between Sand’s office and state agencies raised questions about the role of the auditor’s office.

    “Why should the Auditor have unfettered access to Iowans’ medical records, financial aid, school records and more?” Bousselot wrote in an email. “It is irrational and potentially dangerous for the Auditor to seek irrelevant information in an audit.”

    “This bill gives Iowans additional privacy protections while allowing the Auditor to continue accessing information relevant to the purpose of the audit,” he added.

    When the legislation surfaced, state and national auditing and accounting organizations joined with Sand to convey concerns that the law will prevent independent and complete oversight. Those concerns have since made their way to a federal agency responsible for auditing standards, according to John Geragosian, past president of the National State Auditors Association.

    A spokesperson at the Government Accountability Office pointed to a March letter clarifying the federal auditing standards but offered no additional comments.

    The tension in Iowa is not entirely unique. Auditors in other states have experienced pushback, even from members of their party.

    In North Dakota, second-term State Auditor Josh Gallion and his fellow Republicans in the Legislature have clashed over how he publicizes critical audit findings and what fees his office has charged for local governments’ audits. This spring, lawmakers budgeted $500,000 for an audit of the auditor’s office.

    Former Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, a Democrat, said Republican lawmakers were regularly “touting” his audits of the Democratic governor’s administration. Then, in 2019, Republican lawmakers pushed through a cut to his office’s budget by 10% just months after he announced a run for U.S. Congress.

    “I will tell you that that is the most fascinating coincidence,” DePasquale said. “I thought it was gutter politics, to be blunt.”

    In Iowa, Sand emphasized his record of avoiding partisan politics, asserting he employs senior staff from both sides of the aisle, has provided opportunities for agencies to undo errors and regularly defends the Republican administration’s actions.

    “I like this job,” Sand said, but admitted the law could “end up making this office less impactful.”

    “I’m hard pressed to see how it couldn’t have an impact,” Sand said, suggesting it will become easier for a state agency to reject his requests. “I think the only impact that it could have would be negative for the public and negative for this office’s ability to do its work.”

    ___

    Associated Press reporter Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed.

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  • Meta launches more parental supervision tools for Instagram. Is it enough?

    Meta launches more parental supervision tools for Instagram. Is it enough?

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    Instagram and Facebook‘s parent company Meta is adding some new parental supervision tools and privacy features to its platforms as social media companies face increasing scrutiny over their effects on teen mental health.

    But many of the features require minors — and their parents — to opt in, raising questions about how effective the measures are. Instagram, for instance, will now send a notice to teens after they have blocked someone, encouraging them to let their parents “supervise” their account. The idea is to grab kids’ attention when they might be more open to parental guidance.

    If a teen opts in, the system will let parents set time limits, see who their kid follows or is followed by, and allows them to track how much time the minor spends on Instagram. It does not let parents see message content.

    Instagram launched parental supervision tools last year to help families navigate the platform and find resources and guidance. A sticking point in the process is that kids need to sign up if they want parents to supervise their accounts. It’s not clear how many teen users have opted in and Meta has not disclosed any numbers.

    Such supervision allows parents to see how many friends their child has in common with accounts the child follows or is followed by. So if the child is followed by someone none of their friends follow, it could raise a red flag that the teen does not know the person in real life.

    This, Meta says, “will help parents understand how well their teen knows these accounts, and help prompt offline conversations about those connections.”

    Meta is also adding parental supervision tools already available on Instagram and on virtual reality product to Messenger. The opt-in feature lets parents see how much time their child spends on the messaging service and information such as their contact lists and privacy settings — but not who they are chatting with, for instance.

    Such features can be useful for families in which parents are already involved in their child’s online life and activities. Experts say that’s not the reality for many people.

    Last month, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned that there is not enough evidence to show that social media is safe for children and teens and called on tech companies to take “immediate action to protect kids now.”

    Murthy told The Associated Press that while he recognizes social media companies have taken some steps to make their platforms safer, those actions are not enough. For instance, while kids under 13 are technically banned from social media, many younger children access Instagram, TikTok and other apps by lying about their age, either with or without their parents’ permission.

    Murthy also said it’s unfair to expect parents to manage what their children do with rapidly evolving technology that “fundamentally changes how their kids think about themselves, how they build friendships, how they experience the world — and technology, by the way, that prior generations never had to manage,”

    “We’re putting all of that on the shoulders of parents, which is just simply not fair,” Murthy said.

    Also beginning Tuesday, Meta will encourage — but not force — children to take a break from Facebook, just as it already does on Instagram. After 20 minutes, teenage users will get a notice to take time away from the app. If they want to keep scrolling, they can just close the notification. TikTok also recently introduced a 60-minute time limit for users under 18, but they can bypass it by entering a passcode, set either by the teens themselves, or if the child is under 13, by their parent.

    “What we are focused on is kind of a suite of tools to support parents and teens on how they how can they can best engage in safe and appropriate experiences online,” said Diana Williams, who oversees product changes for youth and families at Meta. “We’re also trying to build tools that teens can use themselves to learn how to manage and recognize how they’re spending their time. So things like ‘take a break’ and ‘quiet mode’ in the evenings.”

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  • Amazon is accused of enrolling consumers into Prime without consent and making it hard to cancel

    Amazon is accused of enrolling consumers into Prime without consent and making it hard to cancel

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    NEW YORK — Amazon was sued Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly engaging in a yearslong effort to enroll consumers without consent into Amazon Prime and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions.

    In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the agency accused Amazon of using deceptive designs, known as “dark patterns,” to deceive consumers into enrolling in Prime, which provides subscribers with perks such as faster shipping for an fee of $139 annually, or $14.99 a month.

    The FTC said Amazon made it difficult for customers to purchase an item without also subscribing to Prime. In some cases, consumers were presented with a button to complete their transactions — which didn’t clearly state it would also enroll them in Prime.

    Getting out of a subscription was often too complicated, and Amazon leadership slowed or rejected changes that would have made canceling easier, the complaint said.

    Internally, Amazon called the process “Iliad,” a reference to the ancient Greek poem about lengthy siege of Troy during the Trojan war.

    The FTC argued that Amazon’s practices violated the FTC Act and another law called the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act.

    Launched in 2005, Prime has more than 200 million members worldwide who are entitled to perks such as free delivery, returns and the streaming service Prime Video. In the first three months of this year, Amazon reported it made $9.6 billion from subscriptions, a 17% jump from the same period last year.

    In a news release announcing the lawsuit, the FTC said though its complaint is significantly redacted, it contains “a number of allegations” that backs up its accusations against Amazon. It also accused the company of attempting to hinder the agency’s investigation into Prime, which began in 2021, in several instances.

    “Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a prepared statement. “These manipulative tactics harm consumers and law-abiding businesses alike.”

    In the past two years, the agency has been ramping up its enforcement against deceptive sign-up and cancellation tactics that could manipulate consumers into buying products or services they don’t want. In December, it said Epic Games Inc., the maker of the popular Fortnite video game, would pay $245 million in customer refunds for deceptive payment methods. In November, the telecom company Vonage settled a similar case for $100 million.

    The lawsuit also comes as Amazon is facing heightened regulatory scrutiny as it moves to expand its e-commerce dominance and dip its toes into other markets, including groceries and health care.

    Some anti-monopoly groups celebrated the lawsuit on Wednesday shortly after the FTC’s announcement. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday, but NetChoice, a tech lobbying group that counts the online retailer as one of its members, released a statement calling the lawsuit absurd.

    “The complaint is that Amazon encourages people to use Amazon Prime – this is like going after Kroger for promoting its rewards program or Costco for its membership club,” Carl Szabo, the group’s vice president and general counsel, said in a statement. “It is abundantly clear that the FTC is a runaway agency in need of greater oversight. Congress must engage in robust oversight to rein in the FTC by cutting funding and investigating its ethical lapses and abuse of power.”

    The industry group also pointed to Khan’s prior criticism of Amazon, and accused her of using the lawsuit “to attack American businesses she doesn’t like.”

    Khan, 34, burst onto the antitrust scene in 2017 with her massive scholarly work as a Yale law student, “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox.” In 2021, Amazon asked unsuccessfully that she remove herself from separate antitrust investigations into its business, arguing that her public criticism of the company’s market power before she joined the government makes it impossible for her to be impartial.

    The U.S. and Amazon have traded barbs for over the investigation.

    Last year, Amazon accused the FTC of harassing its executives, including founder Jeff Bezos, as the agency sought to get the company’s top brass to testify as part of the probe.

    The tech giant has also faced other lawsuits accusing its Prime cancelation process of being too complicated. While under scrutiny from the FTC, the company in March provided consumers with instructions on how to cancel their Prime memberships in a blog post.

    The lawsuit follows another Amazon-related win by the agency just a few weeks ago. Earlier this month, Amazon agreed to pay a $25 million civil penalty to settle allegations it violated a child privacy law for storing kids’ voice and location data recorded by its popular Alexa voice assistant. It also agreed to pay $5.8 million in customer refunds for alleged privacy violations involving its doorbell camera Ring.

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  • Amazon is accused of enrolling consumers into Prime without consent and making it hard to cancel

    Amazon is accused of enrolling consumers into Prime without consent and making it hard to cancel

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    NEW YORK — Amazon was sued Wednesday by Federal Trade Commission for what it called a years-long effort to enroll consumers without consent into its Prime program and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions.

    In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the agency accused Amazon of using deceptive designs, known as “dark patterns,” to deceive consumers into enrolling in the program. It said the option to purchase items on Amazon without subscribing to Prime was more difficult in many cases. It also said that consumers were sometimes presented with a button to complete their transactions — which didn’t clearly state it would also enroll them into Prime.

    Internally, Amazon called the process “Iliad,” a reference to the ancient Greek poem about lengthy siege of Troy during the Trojan war.

    Company leaders slowed or rejected changes that made canceling the subscription easier, the complaint said. It argued those patterns were in violation of the FTC Act and another law called the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act.

    Launched in 2005, Prime has more than 200 million members worldwide who pay $139 a year, or $14.99 a month, for faster shipping and other perks, such as free delivery, returns and the streaming service Prime Video. In the first three months of this year, Amazon reported it made $9.6 billion from subscription, a 17% jump from the same period last year.

    In a news release announcing the lawsuit, the FTC said though its complaint is significantly redacted, it contains “a number of allegations” that backs up its accusations against Amazon. It also accused the company of attempting to hinder the agency’s investigation into Prime, which began in 2021, in several instances.

    “Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money,” Khan said in a prepared statement. “These manipulative tactics harm consumers and law-abiding businesses alike.”

    Some anti-monopoly groups celebrated the lawsuit shortly after the FTC’s announcement.

    The tech giant has faced other lawsuits accusing its Prime cancelation process of being too complicated. Under scrutiny from the agency, the company in March provided consumers with instructions on how to cancel their Prime memberships in a blog post. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

    Amazon has faced heighted regulatory scrutiny in recent years as it moved to expand its e-commerce dominance and dip its toes into other markets, including groceries and health care.

    The U.S. and Amazon have traded barbs for years over the investigation.

    Last year, Amazon accused the FTC of harassing its executives, including founder Jeff Bezos, as the agency sought to get the company’s top brass to testify as part of the probe

    In 2021, Amazon asked unsuccessfully that Khan remove herself from separate antitrust investigations into its business, arguing that her public criticism of the company’s market power before she joined the government makes it impossible for her to be impartial. Khan burst onto the antitrust scene in 2017 with her massive scholarly work as a Yale law student, “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox.

    The lawsuit follows another Amazon-related win by the agency just a few weeks ago. Earlier this month, Amazon agreed to pay a $25 million civil penalty to settle allegations it violated a child privacy law for storing kids’ voice and location data recorded by its popular Alexa voice assistant. It also agreed to pay $5.8 million in customer refunds for alleged privacy violations involving its doorbell camera Ring.

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  • Surveillance has caught hackers and fentanyl smugglers, White House says in promoting spying law

    Surveillance has caught hackers and fentanyl smugglers, White House says in promoting spying law

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    WASHINGTON — The U.S. has used electronic surveillance programs to catch fentanyl smugglers and the hackers who temporarily shut down a major U.S. fuel pipeline, the White House said Tuesday as part of its push to have those programs renewed by Congress.

    Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act expires at the end of this year. President Joe Biden’s administration is trying to convince Congress to renew the law, which authorizes spy agencies to capture huge swaths of foreign emails and phone calls. But lawmakers in both parties have concerns about protecting Americans’ privacy from warrantless searches after a series of FBI errors and misuses of intelligence data.

    As part of its public campaign, the Biden administration released what it said were newly declassified examples of how U.S. intelligence uses Section 702. And the FBI announced new penalties for employees who misuse intelligence data in advance of a closely watched Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the program Tuesday morning.

    Previous administrations have oftencited the importance of Section 702 in stopping terrorism. But two decades after the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. public is broadly skeptical of intelligence agencies and less certain of sacrificing civil liberties for security.

    This time, the White House and supporters of Section 702 are targeting concerns over fentanyl, a synthetic opioid blamed for 75,000 U.S. deaths last year, and the shutdown of Colonial Pipeline, which led to gas shortages along the East Coast two years ago.

    Senior administration officials briefed reporters on the new examples Monday on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.

    Among the other examples the officials gave: The U.S. learned about Beijing’s efforts to track and repatriate Chinese dissidents; the FBI was able to warn an American who was the target of foreign spies seeking information about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and the U.S. identified the people behind an Iran-linked ransomware attack against nonprofit groups last year.

    The United States has already credited Section 702 with being used in the operation to kill al-Qaida head Ayman al-Zawahri and providing large amounts of the intelligence briefed daily to the president and other top officials.

    The administration officials said they provided more specifics to Congress in classified briefings.

    “We are trying to walk a careful line here where we’re trying to explain both to the public and to members of Congress the importance of Section 702,” one official said. “But at the same time, we do need to be very careful about protecting the ways in which we collect information.”

    Under Section 702, the National Security Agency collects large amounts of foreign emails, phone calls, and other communications that the NSA and other agencies can then search for intelligence purposes.

    That collection often snares the communications of Americans. While U.S. spy agencies are barred from targeting U.S. citizens or businesses, they can search Americans’ names in Section 702 data and the FBI can use that data to investigate domestic crimes.

    A series of surveillance court opinions and government reports has disclosed that FBI agents at times have failed to follow rules on searching that data. Agents wrongly ran queries for the names of a congressman on the House Intelligence Committee, people linked to the Jan. 6 insurrection, and participants in the 2020 protests following the police killing of George Floyd.

    The FBI, backed by the White House and some Democrats, argues it has instituted better training and new rules that have sharply reduced the number of searches for American citizens. Supporters of the FBI say Congress should enshrine those rules into law so they can’t be rolled back easily.

    The bureau said Tuesday that it would begin to immediately suspend any employee’s access to Section 702 databases for an incident involving “negligence.” Repeat mistakes could result in an employee being reassigned or referred for an internal investigation.

    Some key Republicans want to impose new criminal penalties on FBI agents accused of wrongdoing. Many in the GOP are deeply angry at the FBI for the mistakes as well as for omissions in the bureau’s investigation of former President Donald Trump‘s ties to Russia. Some echo Trump’s attacks on the FBI as part of a so-called “deep state.”

    “There are reforms that are necessary,” said Rep. Darin LaHood, an Illinois Republican who previously disclosed that agents searched his name in intelligence databases. “Figuring out the proper reforms and safeguards that we need to put in place is what we’re discussing to try to see if we can get it reauthorized.”

    And other Democrats say they won’t vote to renew Section 702 without restrictions on access to U.S. citizens’ communications.

    Senior Biden administration officials reiterated Monday that they oppose proposals to require the FBI to get a warrant every time it searches for an American’s information. Previous administrations have fought the idea as well.

    The U.S. public at large is also skeptical of surveillance practices, according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs, with Democrats and Republicans opposing some practices authorized by Section 702 in roughly equal measure.

    A coalition of 21 civil liberties groups issued a letter Monday saying lawmakers should not renew the law without “critical reforms,” including a warrant requirement.

    “Although purportedly targeted at foreigners, Section 702 has become a rich source of warrantless government access to Americans’ phone calls, texts, and emails,” the letter says. “This has turned Section 702 into something Congress never intended: a domestic spying tool.”

    ___

    Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

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  • Today in History: June 11, auto racing disaster at Le Mans

    Today in History: June 11, auto racing disaster at Le Mans

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    Today in History

    Today is Sunday, June 11, the 162nd day of 2023. There are 203 days left in the year.

    Today’s Highlight in History:

    On June 11, 1955, in motor racing’s worst disaster, more than 80 people were killed during the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France when two of the cars collided and crashed into spectators.

    On this date:

    In 1509, England’s King Henry VIII married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.

    In 1770, Captain James Cook, commander of the British ship Endeavour, “discovered” the Great Barrier Reef off Australia by running onto it.

    In 1776, the Continental Congress formed a committee to draft a Declaration of Independence calling for freedom from Britain.

    In 1919, Sir Barton won the Belmont Stakes, becoming horse racing’s first Triple Crown winner.

    In 1938, Johnny Vander Meer pitched the first of two consecutive no-hitters as he led the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-0 victory over the Boston Bees. (Four days later, Vander Meer refused to give up a hit to the Brooklyn Dodgers, who lost, 6-0.)

    In 1962, three prisoners at Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay staged an escape, leaving the island on a makeshift raft; they were never found or heard from again.

    In 1985, Karen Ann Quinlan, the comatose patient whose case prompted a historic right-to-die court decision, died in Morris Plains, New Jersey, at age 31.

    In 1987, Margaret Thatcher became the first British prime minister in 160 years to win a third consecutive term of office as her Conservative Party held onto a reduced majority in Parliament.

    In 1993, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that people who commit hate crimes motivated by bigotry may be sentenced to extra punishment.

    In 2001, Timothy McVeigh, 33, was executed by injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.

    In 2009, with swine flu reported in more than 70 nations, the World Health Organization declared the first global flu pandemic in 41 years.

    In 2020, Louisville, Kentucky, banned the use of “no-knock” warrants and named the new ordinance for Breonna Taylor, who’d been fatally shot by officers who burst into her home.

    Ten years ago: A parade of FBI and intelligence officials briefed the entire House on the government’s years-long collection of phone records and Internet usage, saying it was necessary for protecting Americans, and did not trample on their privacy rights. The American Civil Liberties Union and its New York chapter sued the federal government, asking a court to demand that the Obama administration end the program and purge the records it had collected. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks got into a bench-clearing brawl in the seventh inning that resulted in six ejections before the Dodgers won the game at home, 5-3.

    Five years ago: U.S. and North Korean officials met at a hotel in Singapore to negotiate on the eve of the first summit between a U.S. president and a North Korean leader. The Supreme Court ruled that states can target people who haven’t cast ballots in a while in efforts to purge their voting rolls. Hurricane Bud grew to Category 3 force off Mexico’s Pacific coast.

    One year ago: Ukrainian and British officials warned that Russian forces were relying on weapons with the potential to cause mass casualties as they tried to make headway in capturing eastern Ukraine as fierce fighting depleted resources on both sides. Thousands of people streamed to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for the highest profile of demonstrations throughout the nation, marking a renewed push for gun control after a series of mass shootings. Mo Donegal defeated Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike and six other colts to win horse racing’s Belmont Stakes.

    Today’s Birthdays: Former U.S. Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-N.Y., is 93. International Motorsports Hall of Famer Jackie Stewart is 84. Singer Joey Dee is 83. Actor Roscoe Orman is 79. Actor Adrienne Barbeau is 78. Rock musician Frank Beard (ZZ Top) is 74. Animal rights activist Ingrid Newkirk is 74. Singer Graham Russell (Air Supply) is 73. Rock singer Donnie Van Zant is 71. Actor Peter Bergman is 70. Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana is 67. Actor Hugh Laurie is 64. TV personality and former U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz, M.D., is 63. Singer Gioia (JOY’-ah) Bruno (Expose) is 60. Rock musician Dan Lavery (Tonic) is 57. Country singer-songwriter Bruce Robison is 57. Actor Clare Carey is 56. Actor Peter Dinklage is 54. Actor Lenny Jacobson is 49. Actor Joshua Jackson is 45. Americana musician Gabe Witcher (Punch Brothers) is 45. U.S. Olympic and WNBA basketball star Diana Taurasi is 41. Actor Shia LaBeouf (SHY’-uh luh-BUF’) is 37.

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  • Judge in FTX bankruptcy rejects media challenge, says customer names can remain secret

    Judge in FTX bankruptcy rejects media challenge, says customer names can remain secret

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    DOVER, Del. — The names of individual customers of collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX Trading can be permanently shielded from public disclosure, a Delaware bankruptcy judge ruled Friday.

    Following a two-day hearing, Judge John Dorsey rejected arguments from lawyers for several media outlets and for the U.S. bankruptcy trustee, which serves as a government watchdog in Chapter 11 reorganization cases, challenging FTX’s request to keep the names of customers and creditors secret.

    Dorsey ruled that customer identities constitute a trade secret. He also said FTX customers need to be protected from bad actors who might target them by scouring the internet and the “dark web” for their personal information.

    “It’s the customers that are the most important issue here,” he said. “I want to make sure that they are protected and they don’t fall victim to any types of scams that might be happening out there.”

    Katie Townsend, an attorney for the media outlets, had argued that the press and the public have a “compelling and legitimate interest” in knowing the names of those affected by the stunning collapse of FTX.

    “That collapse sent shock waves not just through the cryptocurrency industry, but the entire financial industry,” Townsend said. “And at this point, we don’t even know where the shock waves, both individually and institutionally, have hit the hardest, and what institutions may have the largest, or no, exposure as a result.”

    But lawyers for FTX and its official committee of unsecured creditors argued that its customer list is both a valuable asset and confidential commercial information. They contend that secrecy is needed to protect FTX customers from theft and potential scams, and to ensure that potential competitors do not “poach” FTX customers. FTX believes its customer list could prove valuable as part of any sale of assets, or as part of a reorganization.

    “The debtors are in a position to realize value from these customer lists,” said FTX attorney Brian Glueckstein.

    FTX entered bankruptcy in November when the global exchange ran out of money after the equivalent of a bank run. Founder Sam Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to charges that he cheated investors and looted customer deposits to make lavish real estate purchases, campaign contributions to politicians, and risky trades at Alameda Research, his cryptocurrency hedge fund trading firm. Three former FTX executives have pleaded guilty to fraud charges and are cooperating with investigators.

    In January, Dorsey ruled that FTX could redact the names of all customers, and the addresses and email addresses of non-individual customers, from court filings for 90 days. He also authorized FTX to permanently keep secret the addresses and email addresses of individual creditors and equity holders.

    On Friday, the judge approved the permanent sealing of individual customer names and extended the secrecy regarding the names of institutional customers for another 90 days.

    Dorsey refused, however, to continue to allow FTX to shield the names of individual creditors or equity holders who are citizens of the United Kingdom or European Union nations and covered under a consumer protection program known as the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. FTX sought similar treatment for individuals covered under Japanese data privacy laws.

    Dorsey said that, in response to an objection from the U.S. trustee, FTX had presented no evidence to show that those foreign individuals might be harmed, or that FTX might be sanctioned, if their names are disclosed.

    Dorsey also rejected a request by attorneys for an ad hoc committee of non-U.S. customers to keep the names of its members secret. If the committee wants to participate in the case, then the names of its members must be disclosed, he said.

    According to redacted court filings, the ad hoc committee currently has 35 members, with estimated economic interests in FTX ranging from $64,434 to $1.5 billion. Dorsey noted that some members may decide to drop out based on his ruling.

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