New investigation: In June 2030 the World Cup opens at Uruguay's Estadio Centenario. Fans passing the turnstiles will have their faces scanned against a watchlist - by software written in Barcelona, in a country where regulators have shut that practice down. (1/x)
Nico Schmidt
@nicoschmidt.io
Reporter for Investigate Europe Working currently on AI Accountability as Pulitzer Center Fellow 2024-2025 Tips? schmidt@investigate-europe.eu All views are my own
New Investigation: The EU has banned real-time facial recognition on its own streets. But it never banned exporting it. In India, software from one Spanish company is now estimated to power more than 4,000 surveillance cameras. (1/x)
Following our recent @investigate-europe.eu story, 35 MEPs from across Europe demand the EU Commission in a letter to scrap the "unlawful" secrecy clause. Last month, we revealed how Microsoft and other Big Tech companies wrote a law article hiding their data centre's environmental footprint.
With other fellows and friends of the @pulitzercenter.org, I’ll be speaking today at re:publica on "How to build a coalition to hold tech and AI corporations accountable". @lipstickkrantikari.bsky.social , @pjarandia.bsky.social, @andreramiro.bsky.social and Maria Karienova will also be there. #rp26
“The biggest scandal is that the European Commission is open to this lobbying,” said @bramvranken.bsky.social in conversation with Carole Cadwalladr at #ijf26, following our @investigate-europe.eu revealing that Big Tech wrote the EU law article hiding their data centres' environmental footprint
"We reject the accusation of ad verbatim copy-pasting of industry lobbying," the EU Commission told AFP in response to our latest Investigate Europe investigation exposing how big tech wrote a law that hides their data centre's environmental footprint. Well, judge for yourself.
Big Tech wrote the EU law that hides their data centres' environmental impact. The EU wants to triple its data centre capacity in the next five years. While the full scale of their energy and water footprint is hidden from the public. Our new @investigate-europe.eu investigation reveals why.
First episode of Tech Story of the Week is out now! Huge thanks to @leonardocoelho.jor.br and @nicoschmidt.io for uncovering this story and sharing it with us, and to @techpolicypress.bsky.social for publishing it!
Why are schoolchildren in Brazil being surveilled for…attendance? Every day, as many as one million students in the state of Paraná have their faces scanned and biometrically assessed, all to try and save a few seconds of roll call.
Would you trust a doctor that is making up body parts? www.theverge.com/health/71804...
Google’s healthcare AI made up a body part — what happens when doctors don’t notice?
The basilar ganglia does not exist.
theverge.com
Big Tech once pledged not to power mass surveillance. That era is over. New @theguardian.com investigation shows: Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure has supported Israeli military surveillance of Palestinians. These quiet dependencies make modern surveillance possible. Cloud providers aren’t neutral.
‘A million calls an hour’: Israel relying on Microsoft cloud for expansive surveillance of Palestinians
Revealed: The Israeli military undertook an ambitious project to store a giant trove of Palestinians’ phone calls on Microsoft’s servers in Europe
theguardian.com
Hulk Hogan not only made wrestling popular but also helped reshape American media law. His lawsuit against Gawker (financed partly by Peter Thiel), which bankrupted the media outlet, proved to be a blueprint for Trump's aggressive actions against papers and TV stations.
Today we can reveal: Rheinmetall, one of Germany's largest defence companies, portrays itself as a defender of the free world. But away from public view, the company is delivering operational ammunition factories – apparently to Russia's partners as well.
Today we can reveal: Rheinmetall, one of Germany's largest defence companies, portrays itself as a defender of the free world. But away from public view, the company is delivering operational ammunition factories – apparently to Russia's partners as well.
Bsky is being flooded with German speaking AI powered bots. A thread on why this is important, ultimately making all social media is unusable. #deutschland #trolls #AI #election 1/ What happened? All these responses to a @zeit.de post have something in common (spoiler: they are not real):
This is alarming: Law enforcement conducted a search and seizure at the home of the parents of Alesya Marokhovskaya - the editor-in-chief of @occrp.bsky.social member center Istories. A criminal case was opened against her under the “foreign agency” article. istories.media/en/news/2024...
Law Enforcement Conducted a Search and Seizure at the Home of IStories Editor-in-Chief Alesya Marokhovskaya’s Parents
A criminal case was opened against her under the “foreign agency” article
istories.media
Come, work with us at @investigate-eu.bsky.social and help take investigative cross-border journalism to the next level. Apply now (until 6 December 2024) or share if you know someone who knows someone. Happy also to answer any questions. Link: www.investigate-europe.eu/en/opportuni...
Coordinating Editor
Investigate Europe
investigate-europe.eu
Come, work with us at @investigate-eu.bsky.social and help take investigative cross-border journalism to the next level. Apply now (until 6 December 2024) or share if you know someone who knows someone. Happy also to answer any questions. Link: www.investigate-europe.eu/en/opportuni...
Coordinating Editor
Investigate Europe
investigate-europe.eu
Excited to dive into AI accountability reporting as a fellow at the Pulitzer Center! AI systems impact everything from job interviews to loan approvals, but can unfairly affect certain groups. I'll cover these issues at Investigate Europe. Any thoughts? Let's connect! ✉️ schmidt@investigate-europe.eu
Ein neues Gesetz droht der Pharmaindustrie in DE künftig zu erlauben, Preise für neue Arzneimittel geheim zu halten. In der Folge könnten andere EU-Staaten deutlich mehr für Medikamente zahlen müssen oder keinen Zugang bekommen. Unsere neuen Recherche #DeadlyPrices www.tagesschau.de/investigativ...
Medikamente ohne Zusatznutzen: Werden Arzneimittelpreise zum Geheimnis?
Für Medikamente ohne Zusatznutzen zahlen deutsche Krankenkassen oft nur einen Bruchteil des Listenpreises. Die Abschläge wollen Konzerne gegenüber anderen Ländern gerne verheimlichen. Der Gesundheitsm...
tagesschau.de
Wo ein Mensch in der EU lebt, entscheidet, ob er Zugang zu lebensrettenden Medikamenten. Das zeigt unsere neue Investigate Europe Recherche #DeadlyPrices, die heute mit NDR, WDR und SZ erschienen ist. (1/x)
Die EU will bald selbst Lithium, Graphit oder Kupfer abbauen, statt aus China zu importieren. Für die Versorgungssicherheit droht sie den Umweltschutz aufzugeben. Das zeigt unsere neue IE-Recherche zu einem ambitionierten Lithium-Projekt in Frankreich - mit @disclosengo.bsky.social
Mine de lithium dans l’Allier : le rapport qui dévoile une bombe toxique
Bei den Media Freedom Awards der britischen Society of Editors gab es für unsere Arbeit mit Investigate Europe heute eine lobende Erwähnung in der Kategorie International News Media Organisation. Eine große Ehre! www.societyofeditors.org/events/media...
Media Freedom Awards 2023 winners – Society of Editors
Society of Editors. Protecting the freedom of the news media
societyofeditors.org
Künftig wird Alessia Cerantola unsere Investigate-Europe-Recherchen koordinieren und leiten. Sie hat zuvor unter anderem als leitende Redakteurin für OCCRP gearbeitet. Das wird spannend. Willkommen, Alessia!
In eigener Sache: Ich suche einen Büroplatz in Berlin und freue mich über jeden Tipp. 🙏
Unternehmen wie Airbus finanzieren offenbar indirekt die russische Kriegsmaschine mit. Das ist das Ergebnis unserer neuen Investigate-Europe-Recherche. Denn noch immer beschaffen sich Konzerne in Russland kritische Rohstoffe wie Titan - und das völlig unsanktioniert. (1/x)
Milliarden für den Aggressor
Trotz des Ukrainekrieges und der Sanktionen gegen Russland verkaufen russische Bergbaukonzerne weiterhin unbeschränkt kritische Rohstoffe an die EU-Industrie, und das ist auch so gewollt – eine Ana...
investigate-europe.eu
"Vielleicht ist das die Lehre aus dem Erfolg des Donald Tusk: Nicht die Kaczyński-Wähler dieser Welt müssen umworben werden, sondern die demokratische Mitte. Wer die Rechten besiegen will, darf sich nicht von ihnen scheuchen lassen." www.spiegel.de/ausland/pole...
(S+) Polen: Was man aus dem Erfolg von Donald Tusk gegen die Rechtspopulisten lernen kann
Der liberale Oppositionsführer Donald Tusk hat die demokratische Mitte gegen die Rechtspopulisten mobilisiert. Sein Rezept: Er hat sich dem Polarisierungswettbewerb verweigert. Die Idee ist auf ander...
spiegel.de
Ich habe vorhin eine Grafik gepostet, die zeigte, wie verzerrt Polens Staatsfernsehen den Wahlausgang darstellt. Das Bild hatte mir ein Kollege aus Warschau geschickt. Ich übernahm es ohne zu prüfen. Das war ein Fehler. Tatsächlich stammte es von einem Satiremagazin. twitter.com/TygodnikNIE/...
Tweet by @TygodnikNIE
twitter.com
Die Gaspipeline Balticconnector hat offenbar ein Leck. Dabei handelt es sich "offenbar nicht um einen Unfall". Finnlands Regierung hat eine Pressekonferenz angekündigt, die im Zusammenhang stehe mit "besorgniserregenden Veränderungen der Sicherheitslage in Finnland" yle.fi/a/74-20054419
Yle source: Gas pipeline leak "does not appear to be an accident"
According to Gasgrid Finland, the only possible reason for the unusual pressure drop in the Balticconnector pipeline is a hole in the pipe, which has only been in use for a few years.
yle.fi
Microsoft will Dank AI die wertvollste Firma der Welt werden. Vorstand Nadella frohlockte zuletzt: „The Nineties are back.“ Das schnelle Wachstum hat seinen Preis, zeigt diese SRF-Recherche. Befragt zu den Schweizer Wahlen, liefert Microsofts AI Falschinfos und erfundene Skandale. t.co/kYEDvADIHS
Wahlen 2023 - KI gibt Falschinformationen zu Schweizer Wahlen
Veraltete Wahllisten, erfundene Skandale: Eine neue Untersuchung zeigt, wie KI-Sprachmodelle die Demokratie gefährden.
t.co