Lawmakers struggle for ways to distinguish real content from AI fakes
|
Lawmakers in Washington and across the country are grappling with ways to protect consumers from deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Some early efforts have focused on requiring labels on AI-generated content in hopes of making fakes easily identifiable.
|
In New York, Assemblymember Alex Bores (D) is taking a different approach: He wants to add labels to content that is real.
|
Bores plans to introduce legislation next year that will require broader use of C2PA, a new global provenance standard that can be embedded in media to identify its origins and how it has been edited or manipulated. It’s a technology similar to the HTTPS designation at the beginning of URLs that denotes a secure website
|
The Defense Department and major tech firms like Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft have begun using C2PA to guarantee reality wins out over AI. If Bores’s legislation moves next year, New York would set the states on the same path.
|
|
|
Welcome to Tech Friday, a joint project of The Hill and Pluribus News covering tech policy across government.
|
Sign up to receive The Hill’s newsletters here. Rather not receive this newsletter? Let us know.
|
|
|
Treasury uses AI to combat fraud
|
The Treasury Department has used artificial intelligence to prevent or recover $1 billion in fraudulent payments over the last year. The department said AI is being used across a host of fraud detection processes. Online payment fraud is expected to surpass $362 billion by 2028. Read more at The Hill.
|
|
|
FTC makes canceling subscriptions easier
|
The Federal Trade Commission will implement a “final click to cancel” rule that will require sellers to make it easier for consumers to cancel subscriptions. The rule is meant to make it as easy to end a subscription as it was to sign up. Read more at The Hill.
|
|
|
Feds investigate Tesla software
|
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla’s Full Self Driving software after the system was involved in four crashes, including one that killed a pedestrian. The investigation covers about 2.4 million Tesla vehicles. Read more at The Hill.
|
|
|
Google to ban post-election ads
|
Google will ban advertisers from running ads related to the presidential election once the polls close, repeating its policy from the 2020 election. The company said the ban would reduce confusion as the votes are counted. Read more at The Hill.
|
|
|
Instagram adds safety features
|
Instagram has introduced new safety features to prevent extortion schemes. The safety features will include notices to teen users if they are speaking with someone from another country, and limits on who can view a teen user’s followers. Read more at The Hill.
|
|
|
Netflix beats earnings estimates
|
Streaming giant Netflix saw memberships on its ad-supported tier jump 35% last quarter, accounting for more than half of all signups in countries where it is available. The company posted revenue of $9.8 billion, narrowly beating analyst expectations. Read more at CNBC.
|
|
|
Magnificent Seven performance this week
|
MSFT -0.3%, GOOG +0.1%, AMZN -0.2%, TSLA +0.5%, NVDA +0.8%, META -2.7%, AAPL +2.6%. NASDAQ-100 Tech Sector index: -2.8%.
|
|
|
Meta readies lobbying fight
|
Facebook parent company Meta is pushing lawmakers to require app stores to verify user ages, rather than social media companies themselves. Bills are likely in Louisiana and South Dakota, putting Meta at odds with Google and Apple, operators of the two largest app stores in the U.S. Read more at Pluribus News.
|
|
|
SpaceX sues California regulators
|
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has filed suit against the California Coastal Commission for rejecting the company’s request to allow more rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The company alleges the commission discriminated against Musk’s political views. Read more at The Hill.
|
|
|
Ride-share giant Lyft will offer discounted rides, bikeshare and scooters on Election Day to help people get to the polls. The company said it had already helped more than 3 million people get to the polls this year. Read more at The Hill.
|
|
|
Oct. 21: WSJ Tech Live summit takes place in Laguna Beach, Calif.
|
|
|
The social media network Bluesky said it added 500,000 new users in a single day this week after X changed its policy on blocked users. Critics said the changes on X would become a safety issue, especially for those facing harassment. Read more at The Verge.
|
Facebook parent Meta has fired about two dozen staffers for misusing meal credits to purchase household items. The fired employees were using meal credits meant for time at the office to have food delivered at home. Meta offers employees a $20 credit for breakfast and $25 each for lunch and dinner. Read more at the Financial Times.
|
|
|
You’re all caught up! See you next week.
|
| | |
