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☆ Elon Musk's AI-driven plan for news on X is like 'old Twitter on steroids,' expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In short, Musk thinks social media posts can be aggregated into a real-time news feed using AI. However, using AI to curate a real-time news feed could come with some serious risks. 'Old Twitter on steroids'Nic Newman, of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, told Business Insider the model was reminiscent of pre-Musk Twitter. According to Musk, X "very quickly" corrects itself when misinformation is spread on the platform. AdvertisementMisleading 'experts'According to Musk, AI and the internet are already "aggregating the wisdom of the people."

Persons: —, Elon, Mark Read, Musk, Musk's, Nic Newman, Newman, they've, they're, Matt Navarra Organizations: Service, Cannes Lions, WPP, Business, Reuters Institute for, Journalism, University of Oxford, Twitter, Reuters Institute

☆ How to Save Tech Industry: Fire Managers, Put Tech People in Charge
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Ed Zitron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

This disastrous mindset has hollowed out Silicon Valley's ability to innovate and caused regular people to grow increasingly frustrated with everyday tech. The large platforms have generally ignored this feedback for one big reason: The tech industry has been taken over by career managers. Now Google Search is more profitable and worse, elevating spammy content and outright scams, a problem exacerbated by artificial intelligence. AdvertisementBut today's tech products feel built to sell a dream of the future rather than solve a customer's existing pains. As long as the tech industry is controlled by people who don't build things, it will continue to build products that help raise growth metrics rather than help consumers with tangible problems.

Persons: scammers hawking, Meta's, Hewlett Packard, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, Adam Mosseri, Systrom, Krieger, Mosseri, Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Sundar Pichai, Prabhakar Raghavan, Raghavan, Ben Gomes, Gomes, it's, Sam Altman, Helen Toner, Ilya Sutskever, Larry Summers, Fidji Simo, Meta —, —, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak Organizations: Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Adobe, Meta, Builders, Apple, Xerox, HP, Department, Reuters Institute, Oxford University, Silicon Valley Locations: Silicon, Silicon Valley

☆ A national network of local news sites is publishing AI-written articles under fake bylines. Experts are raising alarm
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Hadas Gold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But a closer look at the bylines populating the local site and a national network of others — Sarah Kim, Jake Rodriguez, Mitch M. Rosenthal — reveals a tiny badge with the words “AI.” These are not real bylines. The outlet, Hoodline, is not the first or only news site to harness AI. Sports Illustrated deleted several articles from its website after they were found to have been published under fake author names. Keeping local news aliveOn Hoodline’s network of local news sites, it is difficult to find an article not written by the software. But the transformation at Hoodline shows that bigger solutions are needed to keep vital local news reporting alive.

Persons: Sarah Kim, Jake Rodriguez, Mitch M, Rosenthal —, ”, Hoodline, ” Zachary Chen, ” Chen, “ Nina, Mark Graham, Peter Adams, “, ” Adams, Chen, Danielle Coffey, ” Coffey, That’s, Felix Simon, ” Simon, Simon, Benjamin Toff, Hoodline San Francisco ’, Nuala, ” Bishari Organizations: CNN, Media, Tech, Gannett, Internet, Wayback Machine, News Literacy, LinkedIn, Media Alliance, News Corp, Reuters Institute for, Journalism, University of Oxford, Research, University of Minnesota, San Francisco Chronicle Locations: embarrassments, San Francisco, Philippines, Hoodline San

☆ Kate, Princess of Wales conspiracies peddled by Russian disinformation group, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The motive of such campaigns, Innes said, is to “destabilize” Russia’s Western antagonists and “undermine trust” in their institutions. The pattern of behavior was one his team recognized from a group of Russian actors his team had studied before. It is a commercial firm contracted to run disinformation campaigns, Innes said. Aaron Chown/Press Association/APMeta said it disrupted the group, but its disinformation campaigns have since grown more sophisticated. The timing of the Kate conspiracies was also propitious for the Kremlin – coming just as Putin secured a fifth term in power in a stage-managed election devoid of credible opposition.

Persons: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate, “, ” Martin Innes, ” Innes, Emmanuel Macron, Innes, Princess, Wales, ”, Instagram –, Doppelganger, Aaron Chown, King Charles III, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, ” Anna George, Timothy Snyder, Vladimir Putin’s, Henry Nicholls, Prince William, ’ ”, Putin Organizations: CNN, Cardiff University, –, Soviet, Meta, Facebook, Press Association, AP Meta, US Treasury, British Embassy, Reuters Institute for, Journalism, Oxford University, Oxford Internet Institute, Yale, Russian Foreign, ” Police, London Clinic, Getty, CNN’s Royal, Kremlin Locations: Wales, Ukraine, ”, Russia, Soviet Union, London, Moscow, Cardiff, Russian, United States, Europe, British, Kensington, Britain, AFP, Windsor

☆ The 26-year-old YouTuber conquering French journalism
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Travers, 26, is the founder and face of HugoDecrypte, a French media start-up that delivers news aimed primarily at young audiences. Travers' daily news round-ups, usually delivered from behind a desk, are very popular among younger French audiences. Joshua Berlinger/CNNThe first concerned the state of political coverage in French media. The HugoDecrypte channel launched with the mission to give young French audiences a fast, digestible way to understand the news. But he and editor-in-chief Aleberteau believe that, wherever there is social media, their model is viable.

Persons: Paris CNN — Hugo Travers, Travers, Le, “, ” Travers, there’s, ”, Alice Antheaume, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Gabriel Attal, Marie Flament, Francois Jost, Joshua Berlinger, Z, Travers ’, pander, “ You’ve, Benjamin Aleberteau, HugoDecrypte, Christopher Nolan, “ Oppenheimer, Omar Sy, Tahar Rahim, Virginie Efira, Jost, “ TikTok, …, it’s, I’m, they’re, Xavier Niel, Vincent Bollore, Rupert Murdoch, Aleberteau, ” Aleberteau Organizations: Paris CNN, YouTube, CNN, Sciences Po Journalism School, Franco, Sorbonne Nouvelle University, Democratic, Sciences Po, Reuters Institute, Antheaume Locations: France, French, TikTok, Europe, Paris, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo

☆ Argentina's new far-right president Javier Milei winning is a triumph for Tucker Carlson
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tucker Carlson interviewed Javier Milei in September, boosting his candidacy. Milei is a far-right firebrand and showman, compared by some to Donald Trump. AdvertisementAfter the election of far-right outsider Javier Milei as Argentina's president Sunday, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson took a victory lap. Carlson posted a picture of himself posing with Milei, whose candidacy he boosted by interviewing him for his show on X in September. In the interview, Milei echoed the rhetoric of former US President Donald Trump, questioning the climate crisis, urging right-wingers to wage culture wars with liberals, and pledging to cut government spending to reduce Argentina's spiking inflation.

Persons: Tucker Carlson, Javier Milei, Milei, Donald Trump, Carlson's, —, Carlson, Bauer, Trump, Hungary's Viktor Orbán, Jair, he's, soulmates Trump, Benjamin Gedan Organizations: Service, Fox News, University of Alabama, Reuters Institute, Fox, Trump, Latin America, Wilson Center, Associated Press Locations: Argentina, Washington

Another analytics firm, Data.ai, likewise told Reuters that its data was not showing any meaningful change to usage of the platform in Canada in August. Both Meta and Alphabet's Google have said the law is unworkable for their businesses. Even before Meta pulled the plug on news links in Canada, Facebook referrals to a sampling of popular news sites in Canada were already down about 35% year-over-year in July and about 74% since 2020, according to Similarweb. Meta's other big social platform Instagram is less of a presence in the news environment as it does not enable links within individual user posts. Canada's new Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge has spoken to both Facebook and Google since taking office after a cabinet shuffle at the end of July, her office told Reuters.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Data.ai, Similarweb, Meta, Pascale St, Onge, Katie Paul, Steve Scherer, Ismail Shakil, Kenneth Li, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS, Meta, Similarweb, Reuters, Graphics, Google, Reuters Institute, Pew Research Center, Thomson Locations: Canada, United States, New York, Ottawa

☆ Boomers are memed for falling for fake news but are better at identifying online misinformation than Gen Zers and millennials, survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Baby boomers are better at spotting fake news than Gen Zers and millennials, a survey found. The survey found those who spent more time online were also more likely to fall for fake news. Boomers have always taken the flack for falling for fake news stories, but a survey has found it's younger generations that are more susceptible to online misinformation. It examined how likely people were to be fooled by fake headlines. Although stereotypes about the older generation falling victim to fake news may be dated, they are rooted in fact.

Persons: Gen Zers, flack, TikTok, YouGov Organizations: Boomers, University of Cambridge, Associated Press, NPR, Princeton, New York University, Reuters Institute Locations: Snapchat

However, “I didn't want to make people think that I was an expert,” said Spehar, who filmed the TikTok video from their home in Rochester, New York. Josh Helfgott, a TikTok user with 5.5 million followers, posts a recurring series of videos called “Gay News” discussing current events relevant to LGBTQ viewers. Meanwhile, TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform for news, according to a report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism published on Tuesday. Twenty percent of 18-to-24-year-olds use TikTok to learn about current events, up 5 percentage points from last year, the report said. The benefit was mutual: Spehar learned how journalism is produced, while the publisher benefited from Spehar's TikTok skills.

Persons: Josh Helfgott, Magali, Read, Vitus, Spehar, “, ”, Helfgott, Joe Biden, ” Helfgott, Kristy Drutman, TikTok, Lisa Remillard, Remillard, ” Remillard, Magali Druscovich, Sheila Dang, Kenneth Li, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Capitol, White, Human, New York Times, BuzzFeed News, Reuters Institute for, “, Los Angeles Times, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Rochester , New York, Tallahassee , Florida, San Diego , California, United States

☆ Influencers are outranking journalists as news sources on TikTok and other platforms that win with younger audiences
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Journalists rank behind influencers in driving news conversation on TikTok and other younger social platforms. Journalists are getting outflanked by influencers when it comes to reaching audiences around news topics on younger-skewing platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. But "personalities" won out on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube (by a smaller margin). While TikTok was the fastest-growing network in the Reuters report, Facebook remained the most important overall, with 28% of consumers using it for news in the last week. The Reuters report also found a difference in the topics that resonated on different platforms, which could hinder the efforts of some journalists and news organizations.

Persons: TikTok, Whatsapp Organizations: Facebook, Twitter, Journalists, Reuters Institute, YouGov, YouTube, Reuters Locations: China, Asia

☆ Fewer people trust traditional media, more turn to TikTok for news, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Helen Coster | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TikTok is the fastest growing social network in the report, used by 20% of 18- to 24-year-olds for news, up five percentage points from last year. Trust in the news has fallen by 2 percentage points in the last year, reversing gains made in many countries at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. On average, 40% of people say they trust most news most of the time. Across markets, 56% of people say they worry about identifying the difference between real and fake news on the internet – up 2 percentage points from last year. Reporting by Helen Coster; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rasmus Nielsen, Helen Coster, David Gregorio Our Organizations: YORK, Reuters Institute for, Journalism, Reuters, U.S, Trust, United, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Thomson Reuters, Thomson Locations: United States

☆ A Newspaper’s Closing Deals a Blow to a Nation’s Democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jody García | Elda Cantú | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“If you’re a journalist, do you have the right to commit criminal acts because you are a journalist?” Mr. Giammattei asked during an interview with a Colombian radio station in January. “Does journalism grant you immunity?”Nine other journalists at the newspaper are also under investigation by the government, some of them because they wrote about Mr. Zamora’s case, which prosecutors have said constitutes obstruction of justice. Some journalists at elPeriodico have fled Guatemala, fearing legal repercussions because of their work. “The feeling came that everything was falling, everything was leading us to disappear,” said Mr. Aceituno, in an interview on Sunday in his Guatemala City home, which was filled with books and movie posters. “What we are seeing in Guatemala is the latest example of how press freedom is eroding in the region.”

☆ The creepy secret behind online therapy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Tanmoy Goswami | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Crisis Text Line, now in its 10th year of operations, uses artificial intelligence to respond to people experiencing emotional abuse, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. 'The vast majority of mental-health apps are exceptionally creepy'BetterHelp, a poster child of online therapy founded in 2013, calls itself "the world's largest therapy platform" and says it has over 2 million users. One of the first popular mental-health apps, PTSD Coach, was launched by the US Department of Veteran Affairs in 2011. But for mental-health companies these practices can undermine the very foundations of mental-health care: dignity, trust, and psychological safety. As Crisis Text Line wrote on its website extolling its deal with Loris: "Why sell T-shirts when you can sell what your organization does best?"

The Wall Street bank also wants Staley to repay all compensation from 2006 to 2013. Staley has acknowledged having been friendly with Epstein, but expressed regret for their relationship and denied knowing about the financier's alleged crimes. Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Staley resigned as Barclays' chief executive in November 2021 amid a dispute with British financial regulators examining his ties to Epstein. The cases are JPMorgan Chase Bank NA v Staley, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said the bank must turn over requested documents from 2015 to 2019, a period after JPMorgan had dropped Epstein as a client. The U.S. Virgin Islands has called Dimon "a likely source of relevant and unique information" about why JPMorgan kept Epstein on, and discussions on Epstein's referrals of prominent and wealthy potential clients. Lawyers for the U.S. Virgin Islands did not immediately respond to requests for comment. JPMorgan wants Staley to reimburse it for damages it might incur in the other lawsuits, and return eight years of compensation. The case is Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands v JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

LONDON, March 8 (Reuters) - The founder of collapsed private equity company Abraaj Group on Wednesday lost a bid to challenge his extradition from London to the United States to face fraud charges. Judge Jonathan Swift on Wednesday refused Naqvi permission to bring a judicial review against the 2021 approval of his extradition to the United States. Naqvi also suffers from severe depression and there is a “real risk” of suicide if he is extradited, Fitzgerald argued. The judge also said that Naqvi’s suicide risk could be adequately managed if he was held in prison. Naqvi’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bitcoin futures ETFs track bitcoin futures contracts, or agreements to purchase or sell bitcoin at a certain price on a specified date. A spot bitcoin ETF would track bitcoin's underlying market price. Proponents say a spot bitcoin ETF would give investors exposure to bitcoin without directly buying it. He told Reuters in January that Grayscale would appeal the case if the court backed the SEC's decision to reject its bitcoin ETF proposal. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, launched in 2013, has $14 billion in assets under management, according to Grayscale’s website.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Wiles approved Voyager's restructuring plan, which is built around the Binance.US acquisition, at a hearing in New York. Binance has agreed to pay $20 million in cash to Voyager, and to take on crypto assets deposited by Voyager customers. The customers' crypto assets, valued at $1.3 billion in February, account for the bulk of the deal's valuation, according to Voyager. Wiles approval of Voyager's plan allows it to begin transferring customer accounts to Binance, but Voyager could still walk away from the deal. Palo Alto-based Binance.US has said it is "fully independent" of its international parent company Binance, which is owned by Chinese-born and Singapore-based Changpeng Zhao.

Bitcoin futures ETFs track bitcoin futures contracts, or agreements to purchase or sell bitcoin at a certain price on a specified date. A spot bitcoin ETF would track bitcoin's underlying market price. Proponents say a spot bitcoin ETF would enable investors to gain exposure to bitcoin without directly buying it. The agency has denied more than a dozen spot bitcoin ETF applications, all of which it said lacked surveillance-sharing agreements to detect potential manipulation. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, launched in 2013, has $14 billion in assets under management, according to Grayscale’s website.

March 7 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto (RIO.AX) said on Tuesday it had agreed to pay a $15 million civil penalty to settle an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, relating to an alleged bribery scheme involving a consultant in Guinea. The company, one of the world's top iron ore producers, has been fined for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by the U.S. SEC. Rio Tinto said it would pay the charges without admitting to or denying the SEC's findings that it violated books and records. Reporting by Riya Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Companies TikTok FollowWASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - A group of 45 state attorneys general in the United States on Monday demanded Chinese-owned social media app TikTok produce subpoenaed materials sought in an ongoing nationwide consumer protection investigation. On Monday the states urged a Tennessee state court to compel TikTok answer requests for information. TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, is facing renewed scrutiny worldwide over its proximity to the Chinese government and protection of user data. Like other social media apps, TikTok has also faced criticism for not doing enough to shield teens from inappropriate content. Parents will now also be able to set custom time limits for their teens' TikTok usage depending on the day of the week, the company said.

Companies Grayscale Investments LLC FollowMarch 6 (Reuters) - FTX said on Monday its affiliate Alameda Research had sued asset manager Grayscale Investments for imposing a "redemption ban" that "could realize over a quarter billion dollars" of asset value for the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange's customers. If Grayscale had reduced its fees and did not implement redemption prevention measures, which the cryptocurrency exchange alleges are improper, FTX's shares would be worth nearly 90% more than the current value of those locked up with the asset manager, FTX said. FTX also accused Grayscale owner Digital Currency Group of breaching trust agreements and fiduciary duties. Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - U.S. auto safety regulators said Monday they are opening a probe into Amazon (AMZN.O) unit Zoox self-certification in 2022 of a robotaxi without traditional driving controls. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in September directed Zoox to answer questions about its basis for certifying the vehicle and that review is ongoing. NHTSA said Monday it is opening an audit query to determine whether the Zoox "certification basis depended upon unilaterally developed test procedures or determinations that certain standards were inapplicable due to the unique configuration of the vehicle." Reporting by David ShepardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Companies TikTok FollowWASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - A group of 45 state attorneys general on Monday demanded Chinese-owned social media app TikTok produce subpoenaed materials sought in an ongoing nationwide consumer protection investigation. The states are seeking to review internal TikTok communications to determine whether the company engaged in deceptive conduct that harmed mental health of TikTok users, particularly children and teens, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said. On Monday the states urged a Tennessee state court to compel TikTok's requests for information. Reporting by David Shepardson,Editing by Franklin PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The case stems from a sweeping probe of corruption in international soccer and its world governing body, FIFA. The government’s case hinges largely on the testimony of Argentine businessman Alejandro Burzaco, who has pleaded guilty to bribing soccer officials but has yet to be sentenced. Burzaco told jurors that Martinez and Lopez were aware of and approved the scheme, which he said they discussed during multiple meetings. Lawyers for Martinez and Lopez told jurors during closing arguments on Friday that their clients were unaware of Burzaco’s scheme. Prosecutors said Burzaco’s testimony was “devastating” and alleged that emails showed him discussing the bribes with Martinez and Lopez in coded terms.

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