As Russia bans Roblox for spreading “LGBT propaganda” — now along with Snapchat and FaceTime too — it leaves homophobes with yet another thing to avoid, just in case.
sam flynn:
Fellas is it gay to play Roblox?
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Alex Karp — the CEO of Palantir, the not-a-surveillance company put forward by Elon Musk’s DOGE to supply the US government with software that allows ICE to track immigrants — is very offended that anyone would suggest he is running a surveillance company.
Also, please “speak up” because “everyone” who thinks he’s a fascist is speaking up, said Karp, who famously wrote a dissertation on the rhetoric of fascism. I wonder why he’s so sensitive!
The Verge’s Hayden Field joins Decoder to discuss the politically fraught climate around AI safety.
UK regulator Ofcom announced it’s fined a porn provider £1 million (around $1.3 million) under the Online Safety Act because while it has age verification measures, they aren’t “highly effective.” That’s just a little more bite than the £20,000 ($27,000) fine it handed 4Chan earlier in the year.
The brief panic caused by an attempt to shoehorn AI preemption into a must-pass defense bill is over. But this won’t be the last you hear of this. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) told reporters “we’re still looking at other places” to work it in, saying there’s still interest.
President Trump is expected to announce a major rollback of Biden-era standards on Wednesday for 2022-2031 model-year vehicles, Reuters reports. Since stepping into office, his administration has worked to dismantle efficiency regulations meant to cut down pollution and save consumers money.
Along with pro-AI, pro-pollution, and pro-surveillance plans, the spending bill signed in July introduced investment accounts for children with $1,000 contributed for US citizens born from 2025 through 2028. Today, Michael and Susan Dell announced they would also contribute:
Through our charitable funds, we are thrilled to be contributing $6.25 billion to seed 25 million additional accounts with $250 each. These deposits will reach the accounts of most children age 10 and under who were born prior to the qualifying date for the federal newborn contribution. Children older than 10 may benefit, too, if funds remain available after initial sign-ups.
The coordinated support of David Sacks after a New York Times report is only drawing more attention to the story.
