Accountability requires more than government assurances; it requires transparency. #noblackboxes

This is not how public policy should work. Public policy cannot be built on secret standards and undisclosed criteria. If AI rules are going to shape innovation, safety, and public rights, the public deserves to see the framework, understand the benchmarks, & participate in the debate.

"The White House says its AI framework is done. It will not say what is in it. The framework gives the government a 30-day preview window on frontier models. The benchmarks are classified. The thresholds are classified. The framework itself is not classified, but it is not public either."

The White House says its AI framework is done. It will not say what is in it.

The voluntary AI model evaluation framework met its August 1 deadline. The White House will not disclose its contents, who has seen it, or when companies will use it.

thenextweb.com

So yes, when it comes to surveillance, China and the US are playing the same game with different rulebooks. The technology may differ in scale and structure, but the underlying purpose is the same: information is power, and power seeks to preserve itself.

Over the last two decades, the US has spent billions upon billions on large-scale identity, intelligence, data fusion, facial recognition, AI analysis, tracking, and government decision-support systems. Many of which are now used for immigration raids at home & waging war abroad.

While the Chinese system is centralized, the US also has access to a decentralize network of private companies that provide technology comparable in broad function to the Chinese surveillance/database capabilities described in the NYT article.

👀 "How China Keeps Tabs on Foreigners. An unsecured police dashboard was a rare window into how the authorities track foreigners by collecting and aggregating vast amounts of private data." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/w...

How China Keeps Tabs on Foreigners (Gift Article)

An unsecured police dashboard was a rare window into how the authorities track foreigners by collecting and aggregating vast amounts of private data.

nytimes.com

"Nearly half the companies citing the EU's AI Act in their governance disclosures have no legal obligation to follow it, as new research shows the rules are shaping practices well beyond the bloc's borders." www.euronews.com/next/2026/07...

Brussels Effect: How the EU AI Act reaches firms beyond the bloc

Nearly half the companies citing the EU's AI Act in their governance disclosures have no legal obligation to follow it, as new research shows the rules are shaping practices well beyond the bloc's bor...

euronews.com

According to Bloomberg, the European Commission plans to designate Roblox and OpenAI's ChatGPT as very large online platforms (VLOPS) under the DSA. VLOPS are subject to more stringent reporting rules. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

ChatGPT, Roblox to Fall Under Strictest EU Rules for Platforms

OpenAI’s ChatGPT and video game company Roblox Corp. will be subject to stricter scrutiny and monitoring requirements under the European Union’s content moderation rules after surpassing a threshold o...

bloomberg.com

I just got back from a couple of weeks in Europe, and one thing I noticed was that there seemed to be a lot more people travelling while visibly sick with colds, the flu, or COVID. Has anyone else noticed this too?🤔

But I'm sure the troops won't mind the military taking their phones. It'll just feel like being back in high school that they just graduated from where we have already normalized taking phones away from students all day. www.theverge.com/policy/97260...

Full school day cellphone bans are more popular than ever

Most adults across age groups support an in-class ban.

theverge.com

The official reason: to stop troops from sharing pics/vids. 🤔 The actual reason? "U.S. forces deployed to ​war zones have been targeted using commercially available location data... an illustration of how ‌the global surveillance economy is shaping the battlefield." www.reuters.com/business/med...

US military personnel are being targeted using location data, Pentagon letter shows

U.S. forces deployed to ​war zones have been targeted using commercially available location data, according to reports fielded by military officials, an illustration of how ‌the global surveillance ec...

reuters.com

"The top U.S. commander for the Middle East has warned troops that cellphone videos shared online can help Iran target American bases, and sources told Reuters some deployed personnel could soon be ordered to surrender their phones." www.yahoo.com/news/politic...

US military may require some troops in Mideast to surrender cell phones, sources say

The top U.S. commander for the Middle East has warned troops that cellphone videos shared online can help Iran target American bases.

yahoo.com

Only dead things are encased in amber.

History has shown again and again, communities and organizations that shut out new people, fresh ideas and competition rarely remain strong, they simply become stagnant.

People often forget that every wall built to keep others out also becomes a prison for those inside. While barriers may shield against outside threats, they also choke off growth, trade, innovation, and collaboration.

America used to know and understand that. But a nation that fires its scientists and guts the pipeline training the next generation isn't preserving greatness; it's embalming it. #DOGECuts

"A new report from the Government Accounting Office reveals that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to nearly triple the number of surveillance towers along U.S. borders, from the current 830 to 2,300 by 2034." #openairprison www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...

An Explosion of Surveillance Towers is Coming to U.S. Borders, Costing Over $1 Billion

A new report from the Government Accounting Office reveals that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to nearly triple the number of surveillance towers along U.S. borders, from the current ...

eff.org

Instead of relying solely on innovation, leading U.S. AI executives are lobbying the government to create regulatory barriers that serve as an artificial moat, preserving their market power and economic rents from everyone who uses AI or buys products and services made with AI.

As we've been saying, in a fair competition, American AI risks losing ground to Chinese AI because low-cost or free AI models are becoming good enough for many use cases. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/top-...

Top American AI Execs Sound Alarm on Chinese Models

The White House is divided on how to respond to recent advances in Chinese AI and has weighed crackdown measures.

wsj.com

Social Media Lab@socialmedialab.ca · 2mo ago

This is true. With limited research funds, we have been using open-source models for our projects for nearly two years now. More companies will come to the same conclusion as hardware costs go down. www.tomshardware.com/tech-industr...

Interesting... A détente? "Trump and Sánchez meet at World Cup final after nearly two years of diplomatic tensions." www.euronews.com/2026/07/19/t...

Trump and Sánchez meet at World Cup final after two years of tension

For nearly two years, the leaders of Spain and the United States have clashed over issues ranging from defence spending to US policy in the Middle East.

euronews.com

Almost as good as being there. #WORLDCUP #FIFA

NYC half an hour ago. We can smell and taste the smoke.

‘Wildfires happen every summer,’ they say, as if that makes it okay. None of this is normal. Scientists have been warning us for decades. "Evacuees' photos show raging wildfire that forced evacuation in northwestern Ontario" www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Evacuees' photos show raging wildfire that forced evacuation in northwestern Ontario | CBC News

Communities across Canada are beset with wildfires, including well over 100 in northwestern Ontario alone. See some of the confirmed photos from the region here.

cbc.ca

Another #TimelineCleanse: Can you guess the city?

I have a piece in the NYT today arguing that the law should permit victims of ICE abuse to sue not just individual officers, but supervisors and policymakers like Stephen Miller and Gregory Bovino. A Democratic president and Congress could do this in 2029. And they could make it retroactive.

Opinion | ICE Is Out of Control. Here’s What to Do About It.

Congress must push back against our inhumane immigration tactics.

nytimes.com

"Truth Social to sell Wall Street firms the ‘fastest’ access to Trump’s posts. President Donald Trump’s posts on the platform regularly move markets. High speed access to these could be very valuable to traders and investors." www.nbcnews.com/business/med...

Truth Social to sell Wall Street firms the ‘fastest’ access to Trump’s posts

President Donald Trump’s posts on the platform regularly move markets. High speed access to these could be very valuable to traders and investors.

nbcnews.com

Republicans are not hiding it anymore—the racism is off the charts. How is it possible that Tennessee produced both Dolly Parton & Marsha Blackburn? This new ad by a sitting U.S. senator is so vile & disgusting that I half expected a pack of 101 Dalmatians to run across the screen at the end.

101 Dalmatians Puppies Running Down Stairs

ALT: 101 Dalmatians Puppies Running Down Stairs

static.klipy.com

Matt Novak@paleofuture.bsky.social · 4w ago

Marsha Blackburn's new ad is so racist that it makes me wonder if mainstream Republicans could have gotten away with something like this back in the 1980s or 90s.

Running a social-media research lab means having endless public and proprietary tools to parse the daily data deluge. In times of conflict, though, that deluge turns into a tsunami. 🌊 🏄‍♂️

Run Tsunami GIF

ALT: Run Tsunami GIF

media.tenor.com