We need to protect the protocols that open Bluesky
At the core of Bluesky's philosophy is the idea that instead of being centralized in the hands of one person or institution, social media governance should follow the principle of subsidiarity. Nobel Prize-winning economist Elinor Ostrom discovered, by studying grassroots solutions to local environmental problems around the world, that some problems are best solved locally, while others are best...
The Download: How to save social media, and the “remains” of the embryo
—Eli Pariser & Deepti Doshi Last week, when Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta would end third-party fact-checking, it was a shocking, but not surprising, pivot. It's just the latest example of billionaire flip-flops affecting our social lives on the internet. Zuckerberg is not the only social media CEO working across the street: Elon Musk, since buying Twitter in...
OpenAI has created an AI model for longevity science
Although genetic engineers have ways to direct molecular evolution in the laboratory, they can usually only test many possibilities. And even a typical long protein can be changed in an almost infinite way (because it is built from hundreds of amino acids, and each acid comes in 20 possible varieties). However, OpenAI models often suggest that a third of...
Apple registers all deleted apps along with TikTok in the US
In the midst of the TikTok shutdown, in a rare move, Apple released a statement and support document listing all the affected apps that cannot be accessed in the US. iPhone manufacturers usually don't publish information when they block apps. In particular, other ByteDance applications, including CapCut, Lemon8 - which has been increasing in recent months - and Marvel...
OpenAI is trying to extend the lifespan of humans, with the help of longevity startups
OpenAI says it's training a new AI model called GPT-4b micro with Retro Biosciences, a longevity science startup that's trying to extend human life by 10 years, according to MIT Technology Review. Retro, which is backed by Sam Altman, has been working with OpenAI for about a year on this research, according to the report. The GPT-4b micro model...
How To Get Around US TikTok Ban
"Even VPNs don't lead to circumvention" in India, Gosain told WIRED. In the early hours of the US ban, it is not clear exactly how feasible it will be to overcome the restrictions for US accounts. It seems that TikTok has taken a more extreme approach, making the US app dark - blacking out the version of the TikTok...
Not Just TikTok: Other ByteDance Apps Disappear After Ban
TikTok is no longer available in the United States — at least not yet. But that's not the only ByteDance-owned app currently blocked for US-based users. Shortly before the federally mandated January 19 deadline, TikTok cut off access to anyone trying to access the app from the US. "The law banning TikTok has been implemented in the US. Unfortunately,...
TikTok is not available in the US—and it’s gone from the App Store
For the first time in internet history, the United States government has officially banned a major global social media platform, joining authoritarian regimes like Russia and China. On Saturday, TikTok officially went dark. Users trying to access the app are now greeted with a message that says "TikTok is currently unavailable." ,” the message added. "Please stay tuned!" It...
TikTok goes dark in the US
TikTok has gone dark in the US, the result of a federal law banning the popular social media app for millions of Americans — at least for now. TikTok users started receiving messages about the ban around 10:30pm Eastern. As of Saturday afternoon, the app was also unavailable on Apple's app store. "Sorry, TikTok is currently unavailable," the message...
How PowerSchool data breach victims helped each other investigate ‘massive’ hack
On January 7, at 11:10 a.m. in Dubai, Romy Backus received an email from education technology giant PowerSchool informing her that the school she worked for was one of the victims of a data breach discovered by the company on December 28. PowerSchool says hackers. have accessed cloud systems containing personal student and teacher information, including Social Security numbers,...
