Anthropic CEO stands firm as Pentagon deadline looms

Anthropic CEO stands firm as Pentagon deadline looms

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said Thursday that he “cannot in good conscience accede to [the Pentagon’s] request” to give the military unrestricted access to its AI systems. “Anthropic understands that the Department of War, not private companies, makes military decisions,” Amodei wrote in a statement. “However, in a narrow set of cases, we believe AI…

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Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras

Americans are destroying Flock surveillance cameras

Brian Merchant, writing for Blood in the Machine, reports that people across the United States are dismantling and destroying Flock surveillance cameras, amid rising public anger that the license plate readers aid U.S. immigration authorities and deportations. Flock is the Atlanta-based surveillance startup valued at $7.5 billion a year ago and a maker of license…

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Homeland Security reportedly sent hundreds of subpoenas seeking to unmask anti-ICE accounts

Homeland Security reportedly sent hundreds of subpoenas seeking to unmask anti-ICE accounts

The Department of Homeland Security has been increasing pressure on tech companies to identify the owners of social media accounts that criticize Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to The New York Times. This echoes other recent reporting, with Bloomberg pointing to five cases in which Homeland Security sought to identify the owners of anonymous…

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India makes Aadhaar more ubiquitous, but critics say security and privacy concerns remain

India makes Aadhaar more ubiquitous, but critics say security and privacy concerns remain

India is pushing Aadhaar, the world’s largest digital identity system, deeper into everyday private life through a new app and offline verification support, a move that raises new questions about security, consent, and the broader use of the massive database. Announced in late January by the Indian government-backed Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the…

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India has changed its startup rules for deep tech

India has changed its startup rules for deep tech

Deep tech startups in sectors such as space, semiconductors, and biotech take far longer to mature than conventional ventures. Because of that India is adjusting its startup rules, and mobilizing public capital, hoping to help more of them make it to commercial products. This week, the Indian government updated its startup framework, doubling the period…

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An AI startup founder says he’s planning a ‘March for Billionaires’ in protest of California’s wealth tax

An AI startup founder says he’s planning a ‘March for Billionaires’ in protest of California’s wealth tax

The war on California’s proposed ‘Billionaire’s Tax’ is getting weird. This week, amid ongoing rancor from tech elites over the much maligned bill, it became apparent that someone was planning a so-called “March for Billionaires” in San Francisco. A website advertising the event popped up online, providing little in the way of context other than…

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