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☆ How election lies fuel Taylor Swift conspiracy theories
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Misinformation has created an alternative world for some Americans
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

O’SULLIVAN: So much of mainstream American politics now is being infected and affected by what is happening on what was once considered the real fringes — fringe platforms, fringe personalities. O’SULLIVAN: A lot of people got kicked off the major social media platforms after January 6. Because major social media platforms like Facebook have these rules. But I think just overall, in 2016, all the guards were down when it came to social media. And then in 2020 there was a big crackdown from the social media platforms, which got a huge amount of blowback from conservatives.

Persons: CNN —, —, CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, Trump, Anderson Cooper ”, Joe Biden didn’t, They’ve, they’ve, we’ve, Rachel Powell, “, O'Sullivan, It’s, Joe Black, Donald Trump, O’Sullivan, Black, Joe Biden, it’s, You’re, ”, Tim Alberta, Christiane Amanpour, Caleb Campbell, — he’s, You’ve, you’ve, Elon Musk, WOLF, There’s, she’ll, She’s Organizations: CNN, FBI, Pastors, Facebook, Twitter, Elon, Trump Locations: Colorado, Alberta, West Virginia, Trump

☆ How the Baltimore bridge collapse spawned a torrent of instant conspiracy theories
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

It is entirely possibly that millions of Americans encountered false claims about the bridge collapse when they woke up Tuesday morning before ever seeing the facts. Politics is everythingWhat is perhaps most notable about how quickly and widely conspiracy theories about a breaking news story spread is just how normal this all is right now. Jewish space lasersAs news unfolded on Tuesday, the conspiracy theories continued. Greene has not weighed in on the cause of the bridge collapse. Jewish space lasers were not responsible for the wildfires, nor the Baltimore bridge collapse.

Persons: Francis Scott Key, Israel, ”, Ben Decker, Andrew Tate, Tate, Tate’s, Elon Musk, meekly, Sandy Hook, Alex Jones, “, ” Jones, Jones, Baltimore’s, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, it’s, Biden, Taylor Swift, Joe Biden, Trump, X, David Simon, Simon, –, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Maryland State Police, Coast Guard, Baltimore Mayor, Equity, FBI, Republicans, Netflix, HBO, Georgia Republican Locations: Baltimore, Covid, USA, Romania, United Kingdom, Florida, Texas, California, Georgia

☆ Biden officials confront limits of federal response in exercise preparing for 2024 election threats
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Carolyn Kaster/AP/FileUS national security officials have to weigh whether publicly calling attention to disinformation might inadvertently amplify the very message they’re trying to bat down. In both scenarios, federal officials favored a muted public response, largely choosing to let state and local governments take the lead. State and local officials run elections and are more trusted voices in their communities, but how can federal officials act decisively to support them? “It’s a trick box,” said Adam Hickey, who worked on election security issues for the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “[W]e prioritize tabletop exercises that integrate the range of cyber, physical, and operational threats election officials may encounter,” Conley said in a statement to CNN.

Persons: “, ”, —, Carolyn Kaster, there’s, Biden, Xi Jinping, Kevin Lamarque, Joe Biden, deepfakes, ” Sen, Mark Warner, Kevin Dietsch, Francisco Aguilar, ” Aguilar, Donald Trump’s, Adam Hickey, Hickey, Cait Conley, DHS’s, ” Conley, –, ” CNN’s Evan Perez, Natasha Bertrand, Donie O’Sullivan, Katie Bo Lillis Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, Biden White, Jeffersonville Masonic, New Hampshire, Foreign Ministry, ”, Senate, Committee, White, Senate Intelligence, Virginia Democrat, Republican, Trump, Capitol, Justice Department’s National Security, “, Justice Department, Department of Homeland, National Security Council, US Army, DHS’s Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency Locations: China, Jeffersonville, Jeffersonville , Ohio, American, Woodside , California, Nevada, Russia, Iran, Russian, Iranian

☆ Fake Biden robocall linked to Texas-based companies, New Hampshire attorney general announces
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( David Wright | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A robocall that used an AI voice resembling President Joe Biden’s to advise New Hampshire voters against voting in the state’s presidential primary has been linked to a pair of Texas-based telecommunications companies, the state’s attorney general announced on Tuesday. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella, in a news conference on Tuesday, said the source of the calls were linked to two businesses: Life Corporation and Lingo Telecom. Formella identified Walter Monk as the owner of Life Corporation. Formella said the investigation is ongoing and suggested it involves additional entities other than Life Corporation and Lingo Telecom. “We have issued a cease-and-desist letter to Life Corporation that orders the company to immediately desist violating New Hampshire election laws.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, John Formella, Formella, Walter Monk, “, ” Formella, ”, Donald Trump, That’s, we’ve, I’m, Biden, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan Organizations: CNN, New, . New Hampshire, Life Corporation, Lingo Telecom, “ Republicans, Democratic, Texas Life Corporation, New Hampshire, University of California, Berkley Locations: New Hampshire, Texas, ., Hampshire

The recordings immediately went viral on social media, and the candidate, who is pro-NATO and aligned with Western interests, was defeated in September by an opponent who supported closer ties to Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin. AI images that falsely depicted former President Donald Trump sitting with teenage girls on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane circulated on social media last month. And once a deepfake appears on social media, it can be nearly impossible to stop its spread. Šimečka said his team and others complained to social media platforms and law enforcement. He said social media platforms need to “put measures in place” to prevent attempts to meddle with an election.

Persons: he’d, Vladimir Putin, ”, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein’s, Trump, “, Subrahmanian, Alex Curtas, Curtas, Jared DeMarinis, ’, ” DeMarinis, Chelsea Carattini, Ilana Beller, haven’t, ” Beller, Paul Vallas, Sean R, Clark, ” Vallas, Vallas, Brandon Johnson, ” “ We’ll, Slovakia Michal Šimečka, ” Šimečka, Šimečka, ” Daniel Milo, Milo, it’s, ” Milo, Janis Sarts, ” Sarts Organizations: CNN, NATO, Northwestern University, Senior, Twitter, Democratic, Chicago, Political, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Public Citizen, State’s, Republican Party, Commission, Progressive, YouTube, Facebook, Slovakia’s Ministry, Meta, NATO Strategic Communications, of Excellence, Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Intelligence Locations: Slovakia, Moscow, Europe, States, New Hampshire, Russia, China, Russian, Northwestern, American, California , Michigan, Minnesota , Texas, Washington, New Mexico, Idaho, Chicago, Progressive Slovakia, Slovakia’s, Latvia

☆ Former Harvard disinformation scholar says she was pushed out of her job after college faced pressure from Facebook
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A nationally recognized online disinformation researcher has accused Harvard University of shutting the project she led to protect its relationship with mega-donor and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The allegations, made by Dr. Joan Donovan, raise questions about the influence the tech giant might have over seemingly independent research. Beginning in 2018, Dr. Donovan worked for the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and ran its Technology and Social Change Research Project, where she led studies of media manipulation campaigns. But last year Harvard informed Dr. Donovan it was shutting the project down, Donovan claims. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is the philanthropy run by Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, who both attended Harvard.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Joan Donovan, Donovan, Harvard University’s John F, Dr, Miguel Cardona, Chan, Chan Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, ” Libby Liu, Frances Haugen, “ We’ve, ” Liu Organizations: CNN, Harvard University, Meta, Shorenstein, Harvard University’s, Kennedy School of Government, Technology, Research, Harvard, US Education, University, Initiative, The Washington Post, Post, Big Energy, Big Pharma

☆ Biden campaign prepares legal fight against election deepfakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan | Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In recent months, the campaign has spun up the internal task force, dubbed the “Social Media, AI, Mis/Disinformation (SAID) Legal Advisory Group,” part of a broader effort across the campaign to counter all forms of disinformation, TJ Ducklo, a senior adviser to the Biden campaign, told CNN. It aims to have enough prepared to be able to run a campaign-wide tabletop exercise in the first half of 2024. Existing US election law prohibits campaigns from “fraudulently misrepresenting other candidates or political parties,” but whether this prohibition extends to AI-generated content is an open question. Any political advertiser that uses deepfakes in ads on Facebook or Instagram will need to disclose that fact, it said. The Meta report details how some social media platforms are grappling with how to handle deceptive uses of AI.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Biden, ”, Arpit Garg, TJ Ducklo, Garg, Maury Riggan, “, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Hany Farid, —, Meta, Darren Linvill Organizations: CNN, Department of Homeland, Social Media, European Union, Digital Services, Republicans, Federal, Republican National Committee, Democratic National Committee, University of California, Facebook, Clemson University’s, RNC Locations: European, Florida, Berkeley, United States

The lies and taunts, which Musk engaged with on social media, turned his life upside down, Brody said. Brody filed a defamation lawsuit last month against Musk, the owner of X, formerly known as Twitter. Online conspiracy theorists soon jumped into the fray. Somehow, someone on social media had found a photo of Brody online and decided he looked like one of the people involved in the clash. The suit alleges that in August after Musk was made aware through his lawyers about Brody’s case for defamation, Musk refused to delete his tweets.

Persons: Ben Brody, Elon Musk, Brody, Musk, —, Alex Jones, Mark Bankston, who’ve, ”, CNN “, ‘ You’re, “ You’re, “, ” Brody, ‘, ” Musk, ’ ” Brody, wouldn’t, Alex Jones Bankston, Sandy Hook, Bankston, Jones, Musk’s, Ben, “ Musk, Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi, “ It’s, I’m, It’s Organizations: CNN, Nazi, Twitter, Sandy, Elementary, University of California Locations: California, Nazi, United States, Riverside , California, Portland , Oregon, Riverside, Oregon, Travis County , Texas

☆ Homebuilder stocks could get another boost from rate hikes ending
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —For over a year, the red-hot housing market has been at the mercy of the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes, which have driven mortgage rates to sky-high levels. Mortgage rates have hovered above 7% since August, according to Freddie Mac data. Both those factors have helped create a scorching-hot housing market and a boom in homebuilder stocks, as Americans turned to building as a buying alternative. Moderating bond yields could change the narrative for the housing market. Tight supply and elevated mortgage rates this year made home purchases the least affordable they’ve been since 1984.

Persons: Bell, Freddie Mac, Toll, DR Horton, Lennar, Price, Steve Sosnick, ”, John Petrofsky, Chris Isidore, Danielle Wiener, Bronner, haven’t, Clare Duffy, Donie, Meta Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New, New York CNN, Homeowners, DR, Federal, Treasury, Interactive, National Association of Home Builders, FBB Capital Partners, Starbucks, United Auto Workers, SAG, Writers Guild of America, Starbucks Workers United, Facebook, Street, Washington Post Locations: New York, Wells Fargo, Buffalo , New York, United States, Brazil, Israel, Italy

CNN —Dozens of young Americans have posted videos on TikTok this week expressing sympathy with Osama bin Laden, the notorious terrorist who orchestrated the September 11 attacks, for a two-decade-old letter he wrote critiquing the United States, including its government and support of Israel. TikTok is hugely popular with young Americans, with a majority of Americans under 30 using the app at least once a week, according to a KFF survey. The attack was orchestrated by Bin Laden, the former leader of the al Qaeda terrorist group who was killed in a US special forces raid in 2011. “There’s no proof it was written by bin Laden and some of the things that he focuses on are inconsistent with his other writings,” he told CNN. New data from the Pew Research Center released Wednesday shows TikTok is rapidly becoming a place where more and more young Americans get their news.

Persons: Osama bin Laden, TikTok, Bin Laden, influencer, ”, al, Andrew Bates, “, ” Bates, ” Imran Ahmed, ” Ahmed, Peter Bergen, Bergen, bin Laden, Pew Organizations: CNN, Israel, Hamas, Center, CNN National Security, Guardian, Pew Research Center Locations: United States, Israel, New York City , Washington, Pennsylvania, America, New York, American, al Qaeda, Palestine, TikTok

☆ Hate groups leverage advances in artificial intelligence to stoke antisemitism amid tensions surrounding Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan Curt Devine Allison Gordon | Donie O'Sullivan | Curt Devine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Hate groups and far-right internet trolls have seized on the tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, while leveraging advances in artificial intelligence to further stoke antisemitism in the United States. “We’ve seen a real concerning ideological convergence between far-right communities online and pro-Hamas sentiment,” said Ben Decker, CEO of Memetica, a threat analysis company that monitors online hate. Karen Dunn, an attorney who sued the people responsible for the violence at the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, told CNN the hate groups “hate everybody, but they hate the Jews the most.”Antisemitism is a commonality that can unite multiple different and competing hate groups, which can then metastasize into hate directed at others, she said. Minadeo, the hate group’s leader, was sentenced this month to 30 days behind bars in Florida, after distributing the antisemitic fliers. Since the October 7 attack on Israel, hate groups also have attempted to latch onto the pro-Palestinian movement to push their own antisemitism-promoting agenda.

Persons: “ We’ve, ”, Ben Decker, Christopher Wray, Memetica, Decker, Karen Dunn, “, ” Dunn, ” Decker, “ It’s, I’m Jon Greenblatt, Jonathan Greenblatt, Greenblatt, ” Jon Minadeo, David Shapiro, “ Heil, Carla Hill, – Organizations: CNN, Defamation, Hamas, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Capitol, DHS, National Justice Party, 4chan, Meta, YouTube, Microsoft, Carnegie Mellon, ADL, Goyim Defense, Third, “, Extremism, CNN Center, Minadeo, Palestine Locations: Israel, stoke, United States, Charlottesville , Virginia, Charlottesville, Calabasas , California, Calabasas, council, Covid, California, Iowa , Massachusetts, Oregon, Fairfax , Virginia, Atlanta, Florida, Palm Beach, Missoula , Montana, Arizona

CNN —The Chinese government has built up the world’s largest known online disinformation operation and is using it to harass US residents, politicians, and businesses—at times threatening its targets with violence, a CNN review of court documents and public disclosures by social media companies has found. Victims face a barrage of tens of thousands of social media posts that call them traitors, dogs, and racist and homophobic slurs. While tech and social media companies have shut down thousands of accounts targeting these victims, they’re outpaced by a slew of new accounts emerging virtually every day. As part of a mission “to manipulate public perceptions of [China], the Group uses its misattributed social media accounts to threaten, harass and intimidate specific victims,” the complaint states. In the past, the Spamouflage network mostly focused on issues domestically relevant to China.

Persons: –, Xi Jinping, Biden, Mike Gallagher, Chen Pokong, ”, Chen, “, Spamouflage’s, Liu Pengyu, ” Liu, Jiayang, Darren Linvill, hasn’t, Fan, Communist Party playbook, Mandiant, Nancy Pelosi, ” Ben Nimmo, George Floyd’s, Ben Nimmo, Lindsay Gorman, Gorman, ” Linvill, Linvill, Spamouflage, Jiajun Qiu, Qiu, ” Qiu Organizations: CNN, US State Department, FBI, Communist Party, Meta, Google, ”, CCP, US Department of Justice, Department, DOJ, China’s Ministry of Public Security, Group, New Yorker, telltale, Media, Clemson University, Capitol, Department of Homeland Security, Marshall Fund’s Alliance, Securing Democracy, YouTube Locations: United States, Beijing, San Francisco, China “, New York, China, New York City, America, Washington, Hong Kong, US, Texas, Virginia, Manassas , Virginia

☆ How Microsoft’s AI is making a mess of the news
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan | Allison Gordon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But the apparent role of AI in Microsoft’s recent amplification of bogus stories raises questions about the company’s public adoption of the nascent technology and for the journalism industry as a whole. The poll prompted criticism from Microsoft’s readers, “This has to be the most pathetic, disgusting poll I’ve ever seen,” one person wrote. “We had a really tight knit, super talented editorial team and we had all worked together for a long time,” Pfeuffer told CNN. “I don’t think people realize how many people use [MSN],” she told CNN. “It felt like I was standing in line at the grocery store reading a National Enquirer front page,” Kawar told CNN.

Persons: Joe Biden, Britain’s, Lilie James, James ’, Anna Bateson, “, ” Bateson, Brad Smith, Bateson, ”, Brandon Hunter, “ Brandon Hunter, Dean Preston, Elon Musk, Pfeuffer, ” Pfeuffer, Biden, Joe Biden ”, Ferris, ” Kawar, he’s Organizations: CNN, Democratic Party, NBA, Microsoft, Guardian, MSN, Guardian Media Group, San Francisco, Microsoft Edge, Enquirer, Microsoft Microsoft, Google Locations: OpenAI, Sydney, Australia, Santa Monica , California

☆ Messaging app Telegram blocks access to Hamas-run channels
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Clare Duffy | Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —The messaging app Telegram has restricted access to several channels closely associated with or operated by Hamas, as the militant group’s war with Israel rages on. The restrictions mark a significant clampdown on a major source of pro-Hamas propaganda since the Israel-Hamas war began, one that Telegram’s error messages suggest may be driven by the app store operators’ policies. Other popular Telegram channels that have expressed support for Hamas have also been restricted, according to CNN’s analysis. That account is among those no longer accessible via Telegram apps downloaded from the Google Play or Apple App stores, CNN confirmed. An Apple spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to CNN’s questions about the Telegram channels now blocked for iOS users.

Persons: Israel, —, ”, United States —, ” Google’s, didn’t, Brian Fishman, –, O’Sullivan, Paul Murphy Organizations: New, New York CNN, Hamas, Google, CNN, ” CNN, CNBC, Meta, Brigades, Apple, Capitol, Facebook, Twitter Locations: New York, Israel, Russian, United States, Dubai, Europe

CNN —When Google Maps users navigated to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Tuesday, they might have seen placenames that included, “F**k Israel,” and “May god curse Israel’s Jerusalem.”Cyber activists appeared to have targeted the service to post anti-Israel messages, likely by taking advantage of a feature on Google Maps that allows people to create and contribute information about businesses and landmarks that appear on the service. The company did not say if the action was at the request of the Israel Defense Forces. Google took the same action at the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year after online researchers used live traffic data to track the movements of Russian troops. It is unclear if the targeting of Google Maps with anti-Israeli messages was the result of the company’s decision to disable live traffic data. After CNN shared several examples of fake anti-Israel placenames with Google on Tuesday, a company spokesperson said, “On Google Maps, we strive to strike the right balance of helping people find reliable information about local places, and reducing inaccurate or misleading content.

Persons: ”, Ben Decker, ” Decker, “, Memetica’s Decker Organizations: CNN, Google, Israel Defense Forces Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Egypt, Jerusalem, Israel, Palestine, Ukraine

☆ Musk’s X cashes in on ‘superspreaders’ of Israel-Hamas misinformation, new report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

NewsGuard identified seven accounts it describes as “misinformation superspreaders,” which have shared widely debunked claims about the conflict. Verified users are also eligible to receive payments from the platform, financially incentivizing posts from the users who are actively spreading misinformation. The group said 186 of the 250 posts were sent by premium X accounts. Soon after NewsGuard published its report Thursday, Musk posted on X that the company “should be disbanded immediately.” CNN has reached out to X and Musk for further comment. In May, there was a brief dip in the stock market after verified accounts on X shared fake images of a purported “explosion” near the Pentagon.

Persons: NewsGuard, ” NewsGuard, Musk, ”, Linda Yaccarino Organizations: CNN, Elon, Twitter, Hamas, ” CNN, European Union, EU, Meta, X, Pentagon Locations: Israel

But its following has surged on popular messaging app Telegram since its October 7 terror attack on Israel. Hamas is a designated foreign terror organization in the United States, and new internet laws in the European Union mean large social media platforms can face penalties for hosting terroristic content. Hamas’ growing audienceThe Telegram channel for Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, had about 200,000 followers at the time of the attack. Fishman said while the huge growth in the number of people following Hamas’ Telegram accounts is concerning, it doesn’t mean all the followers are supporters – pointing out that many journalists, researchers and others are likely following the accounts. And that could make it more difficult for plaintiffs to use legal action to force Telegram to remove Hamas content.

Persons: –, Brian Fishman, Fishman, Hamas ’, Pavel Durov, Durov, ” Durov, John Bergmayer, Thierry Breton, didn’t Organizations: CNN, Brigades, Google, Hamas, European Union, Hamas ’, Atlantic, Forensic Research, Meta, Capitol, Facebook, Twitter, ISIS, Communications, Republicans, European, Digital Services, European Commission Locations: Israel, United States, European, Russian, Dubai, Russia, Ashkelon, US

As a platform subject to Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA), X could face billions in fines if regulators conclude that violations have occurred. Much of the problematic content appears to stem from platform changes made under Musk’s supervision, Breton suggested in the letter, which he shared on X. “We have, from qualified sources, reports about potentially illegal content circulating on your service despite flags from relevant authorities,” Breton wrote. The EU letter comes as misinformation about the conflict continues to spread widely across X. On Tuesday, the investigative journalism group Bellingcat said a fake video designed to look like a BBC News report was circulating on social media.

Persons: Elon Musk, Thierry Breton, X didn’t, Breton, X, ” Breton, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, ”, Bellingcat, Elliot Higgins, Shayan, “, Musk Organizations: CNN, Europe’s Digital Services, White, DSA, SpaceX, Tesla, Viva Technology, Porte de, Reuters, BBC, BBC News, Pentagon Locations: Israel, Paris, France, EU, Ukraine

CNN has requested comment from Musk and X on the posts related to the Israel-Gaza conflict. Community notes allow users on X to fact-check false posts on the platform. While notes were appended to both of these false posts, they often come after a false post has been viewed thousands – or in some cases millions – of times. “In times of war, social media becomes a propaganda battlefield; there is always an element of disinformation and exaggeration,” said Emerson Brooking, senior resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. He said other platforms that have little or no guardrails including the social media messaging app Telegram are also hotbeds of misinformation, but X is unique given Musk’s behavior.

Persons: Musk, influencer Jackson Hinkle, Hinkle, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Israel, Emerson Brooking, ” Brooking, ” Joe Galvin, ” Galvin, X Organizations: CNN, Elon, White, Washington, Pentagon, Jerusalem Post, Directorate, Defamation League, Atlantic, Forensic Research, “, monetization, Twitter Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Russia, Gaza, Azerbaijan

☆ Her son was an accused cult leader. She says he was a victim, too.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

The man talking on the tape was her son, Michael Protzman. Michael Protzman got swept up in this alternate reality. We spoke to dozens of Americans whose lives and families have been affected by conspiracy theories, including Protzman’s own family. After Michael Protzman died this summer, some of his followers refused to believe he had passed. Vigrass never imagined that the conspiracy theories her brother was airing at the kitchen table could lead to him to join what she views as a cult.

Persons: CNN’s, O’Sullivan, Anderson Cooper, CNN —, “ John John, … Trump, Joe Kennedy, George Patton, Mussolini … ” Colleen Protzman, Michael Protzman, ”, “, John F, Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump, Kennedy, Junior —, “ He’ll, Trump, Jesus Christ, reemerge, opportunists, Protzman, Michael Brian Protzman, Michael “, Colleen Protzman, Michael, it’s, Sandy, ” Colleen Protzman, —, QAnon, Barack Obama, Rachel Maddow, Donie O'Sullivan, Michal Protzman, didn’t, JFK, Erica Vigrass, Jason, Erica, ‘ I’m, ’ ” Protzman’s, – Protzman, Erica Vigrass ’, Vigrass, ” Protzman, Jason –, They’re, Jesselyn Cook, It’s, Diane Benscoter, General, ” Benscoter Organizations: JFK, CNN, Dealey, Junior, Junior — JFK, WFAA, JFK Jr, Trump, Kennedys, Democratic Party, Michael Protzman CNN, Dallas CNN, Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Capitol, Facebook, Twitter, Hollywood, Unification Church, US Locations: United States, Dallas, JFK, Minnesota, Seattle, Washington, Dealey, –

CNN cannot independently verify if the photographs, social media accounts and the homes addresses being posted actually belong to the grand jurors. However, the names being circulated on these sites appear to match the names of at least 13 of the 26 grand jurors that served on the panel in Fulton County. It’s unclear if those names are the actual grand jurors or just people with the same name. Also, on some forums, users are posting multiple social media profiles of different people who have the same name as some of the grand jurors. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Government building on August 14, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Persons: Donald Trump, Daniel J, Jones, Hillary Clinton’s, Fani Willis, Joe Raedle, Ben Decker, Willis, Trump Organizations: CNN, Advance Democracy, Trump, Fulton, Fulton County Government, “ Locations: Fulton, Fulton County, Washington, Atlanta , Georgia, Atlanta

☆ Hackers take on ChatGPT in Vegas, with support from the White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Las Vegas, Nevada CNN —Thousands of hackers will descend on Las Vegas this weekend for a competition taking aim at popular artificial intelligence chat apps, including ChatGPT. The hackers are working with the support and encouragement of the technology companies behind the most advanced generative AI models, including OpenAI, Google, and Meta, and even have the backing of the White House. “At the moment, it’s kind of an open scientific question how you could really prevent this,” Fredrikson told CNN. Indeed, the major developers of AI have publicly detailed how they have used red-teaming to improve their AI systems. Arati Prabhakar, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, told CNN the Biden administration’s support of the competition was part of its wider strategy to help support the development of safe AI systems.

Persons: Biden, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Bard, “, Zico, ” Kolter, chatbot, Matt Fredrikson, ” Fredrikson, Arati Prabhakar, ” Organizations: Las Vegas , Nevada CNN, Google, Meta, White, Office of Science, Technology, OpenAI, Carnegie Mellon University, ”, CNN, Carnegie Mellon, Carnegie, Las Vegas Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, Las Vegas, guardrails, —, Nevada, Las

☆ US officials worry about ‘chilling effect’ on combating election disinformation after order limiting Biden administration contact with social platforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Brian Fung Sean Lyngaas | Brian Fung | Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

The resulting uncertainty, they say, risks slowing the government and social media companies’ ability to respond to election-related disinformation that appears on tech platforms. Last week, the State Department canceled a routine meeting on election security with Facebook, according to a person familiar with the matter. On Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray defended the close contacts between the US government and the social media companies. The injunction does contain some exceptions allowing more limited contact between affected agencies and social media companies. “Well, the government doesn’t necessarily have those capabilities to do that back-end work that the social media companies do.

Persons: Biden, ”, Chris Krebs, Krebs, Katie Harbath, Donald Trump, Christopher Wray, ” Wray, Trump, Harbath, Yoel Roth, Twitter’s, Gowri Ramachandran, “, ” Ramachandran, they’re, Ramachandran, Russia’s, ” Harbath, you’re, ’, Evelyn Douek, Jocelyn Benson, ” Benson, Adam Mosseri, Meta, ’ ”, Nick Clegg, Donie O’Sullivan Organizations: Washington CNN, Infrastructure Security Agency, CNN, State Department, Facebook, Justice Department, FBI, of Homeland Security, Health, Human Services, Twitter, “, Senate Intelligence, Department of Homeland Security, National Intelligence, Big Tech, Brennan Center for Justice, New York University, Stanford Law School, Meta, YouTube, Meta Global Locations: Louisiana, Missouri, State, Michigan

A Meta spokesperson did not specify, when asked, how many staffers had been cut from its teams working on elections. Instead, Meta said the social media giant had invested $16 billion in technology and teams since 2016 to protect its users. For years, the social media giant has invested heavily in teams of personnel to root out sophisticated and coordinated networks of fake accounts. In addition to its in-house team, Meta and other social media companies rely on tips from academics and other researchers who specialize in monitoring covert disinformation networks. The launch of Threads even as Meta trims its disinformation-focused personnel comes at a turbulent and transformative time for those tasked with writing and implementing rules on social media platforms.

Persons: Meta, “, –, ”, Darren Linvill, Elon Musk, Katie Harbath, Nick Clegg, ’ ” Harbath Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Meta, Clemson University’s, Sputnik, Elon, Twitter, YouTube, Republican, Biden, GOP, Meta Global Locations: United States, Taiwan, Ukraine, India, Myanmar, Africa, Louisiana

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