The Download: The Merge arrives, and Chinas AI image censorship – MIT Technology Review
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1 Social medias biggest companies appeared before the US SenatePast and present Meta, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube employees answered questions on social media's impact on homeland security. (TechCrunch)+ Retaining user attention is their algorithms primary purpose. (Protocol)+ TikToks representative avoided committing to cutting off Chinas access to US data. (Bloomberg $)
2 China wants to reduce its reliance on Western techInvesting heavily in native firms is just one part of its multi-year plan. (FT $)+ Cybercriminals are increasingly interested in Chinese citizens personal data. (Bloomberg $)+ The FBI accused him of spying for China. It ruined his life. (MIT Technology Review)
3 California is suing AmazonAccusing it of triggering price rises across the state. (WSJ $)+ The two-year fight to stop Amazon from selling face recognition to the police. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Russia is waging a surveillance war on its own citizensIts authorities are increasingly targeting ordinary people, not known dissidents or journalists. (Slate $)+ Russian troops are still fleeing northern Ukraine. (The Guardian)
5 Dozens of AIs debated 100 years of climate negotiations in secondsTheyre evaluating which policies are most likely to be well-received globally. (New Scientist $)+ Patagonias owner has given the company away to fight climate change. (The Guardian)
6 Iranian hackers hijacked their victims printers to deliver ransom notesThe three men have been accused of targeting people in the US, UK and Iran. (Motherboard)
7 DARPAs tiny plane could spy from almost anywhereThe unmanned vehicle could also carry small bombs. (WP $)+ The Taliban have crashed a helicopter left behind by the US military. (Motherboard)
8 Listening to stars helps astronomers to assess whats inside themThe spooky-sounding acoustic waves transmit a lot of data. (Economist $)+ The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted newborn stars. (Space)+ The next Space Force chief thinks the US needs a satellite constellation to combat China.(Nikkei Asia)
9 Well never be able to flip and turn like a catBut the best divers and gymnasts are the closest we can get. (The Atlantic $)+ The best robotic jumpers are inspired by nature. (Quanta)
10 This robot is having a laughEven if its not terribly convincing. (The Guardian)
Quote of the day
Tesla has yet to produce anything even remotely approaching a fully self-driving car."
Briggs Matsko, a Tesla owner, explains his rationale for suing the company over the deceptive way it marketed its driver-assistance systems, according to Reuters.
Continued here:
The Download: The Merge arrives, and Chinas AI image censorship - MIT Technology Review
- Voice of America journalists sue feds over censorship and propaganda - Courthouse News - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Voice Of America Refuses To Be Trump's Propaganda Mouthpiece - HuffPost - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Inside the Trump administrations campaign to counter content bans in Europe - The Washington Post - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Wuthering Heights: A Tale of Passionate Love Censorship, and Class Struggle - Luxus Magazine - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Quiet book bans threaten freedom of expression in North Dakota libraries - News From The States - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Growing concerns over censorship show the need to support school libraries - Schools Week - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- UPDATE: Rutherford County Library Director Refuses to Move 190 Books to Adult Section | Censorship News - School Library Journal - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- IFF statement against the Alarming Escalation of Social Media Censorship and Proposed Expansion of Takedown Powers - Internet Freedom Foundation - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- NymVPN's latest update brings crucial anti-censorship and usability boost but Apple users will have to be patient - TechRadar - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- THE CENSORSHIP OF DREAMS to be Presented at La MaMa - Broadway Message Board & Forum - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Claims of censorship as artworks removed from exhibition - Bristol24/7 - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Why a judge eviscerating the Pentagon rules for censoring and punishing journalists is a victory for the press - 930 WFMD Free Talk - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- TIMOTHY A. WISE - AGRA Exposed for Censoring Criticism of its Green Revolution - theelephant.info - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- How Israels military censorship is shaping coverage of the Iran war | AJ #shorts - Modern Ghana - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Indias creative community is uniting to devise meaningful responses to growing censorship - The Hindu - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Explained : Is Israel Censoring What You See About the Iran War? - Haaretz - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Judge Asked To Reverse Donald Trump National Parks Censorship - Newsweek - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Moscow dials up censorship with new whitelist system - The Week - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Amid war, Pentagon quashing of reporter access is blatant censorship - Freedom of the Press Foundation - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Leading First Amendment Scholars and Litigators Call on FCC to End Unlawful Jawboning and Censorship Campaign - freepress.net - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Inside The Independent Ink: Mr. Fish on Free Expression, Censorship, and the Fight for an Unmuzzled Press - scheerpost.com - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Against the censorship of left-wing bookshops in Germany! Defend freedom of culture and expression! - World Socialist Web Site - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Chinas Censorship Is the Most Pressing Threat to Freedom of Expression - The Diplomat Asia-Pacific Current Affairs Magazine - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- SXSW panels tackle censorship and funding in public media, the arts - CultureMap Austin - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Removing political art stifles the conversations universities need - North Texas Daily - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- We need the world service more than ever - Index on Censorship - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- America hunts EU 'censorship' proof as tech giants told to hand over vanishing messages - Cybernews - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- 10 Films On Palestine To Stream In India Amidst The Censorship Of The Voice Of Hind Rajab - Outlook India - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Why is India banning the release of this Oscar-nominated Gaza drama? - Euronews.com - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Indias artist fraternity is uniting to devise meaningful responses to growing censorship - The Hindu - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Shortlist for $40K Canadian Political Writing Prize Includes Titles on Oil, Censorship, and Women's Rights - stl.news - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Dhurandhar: The Revenge dubbed versions delayed due to censorship issues; Ranveer Singh starrer to begi - The Times of India - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Books about oil, censorship and women's rights on shortlist for $40K Canadian political writing prize - CBC - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- India bans 'The Voice of Hind Rajab', citing threats to relationship with Israel - Middle East Eye - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- Free Speech Watchdogs Urge FCC Chair To Withdraw Threats To Broadcasters 03/23/2026 - MediaPost - March 22nd, 2026 [March 22nd, 2026]
- NetChoice in Court to Halt Arkansas Window Dressing to Online Censorship Law - NetChoice - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Donald Trump Boasts About Crushing Legacy Media, And Newsom Mocks - Deadline - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- The Take: The hidden battlefield Censorship in the Israel-Iran war - Al Jazeera - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- On The Weeknight, Angelo Carusone discusses how Trumps attacks on reporters "create a culture of self-censorship" in the media - Media... - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Opinion | Social Media Isnt Just Speech. Its Also a Defective, Hazardous Product. - The New York Times - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Libraries urge residents to defend right to read amid rise in censorship - MidlandToday.ca - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- USFWS Moved To Censor Materials On Climate Change And Indigenous History - National Parks Traveler - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Banned Books: New York writers and educators talk about the dangerous impacts of censorship on literature - amNewYork - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Trump closes The Kennedy Center for renovation, sets a standard of censorship for the nation - The Miami Student - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Offline by decree: Irans war on the internet - Index on Censorship - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Are You Being Shadowbanned? Here's What You Need To Know - The Advocates for Self-Government - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Watch: The livestream of PFLAGs panel on LGBTQ+ censorship at SXSW EDU - dallasvoice.com - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Op-ed | From Prison Cell to Public Forum: What Prison Censorship Teaches Us about Democracy - Davis Vanguard - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- How to Kill a Free Press Without Killing a Free Press - Real Patriotism with Terry Moran - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Hicks: There's only one way to 'interpret' efforts to censor history at National Parks - Post and Courier - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Russia: Googling anything against the authorities is a crime - Index on Censorship - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- AKBAYAN YOUTH CONDEMNS CENSORSHIP OF UM CAMPUS PUBLICATION The Akbayan Youth has criticized the censorship of Primum, the official campus publication... - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Ethereum Foundation publishes formal mandate to hardlock censorship resistance and privacy - crypto.news - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Another weekend & another dust-up between Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom -- this time about media censorship or control, depending on who you ask.... - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- FCC chair calls Colbert censorship controversy a hoax orchestrated for clicks and donations - Washington Times - March 17th, 2026 [March 17th, 2026]
- Congress Is Considering Abolishing Your Right to Be Anonymous Online - The Intercept - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- The public deserves to know when Iran war reporting is stifled - Freedom of the Press Foundation - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- The Greenville Eight and Library Discrimination, Then and Now: Book Censorship News, March 6, 2026 - Book Riot - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Berlin Golden Bear Winner Ilker Catak Reacts to German Government Recommendations For Festival: We Would Have to Call It What It Is: Censorship -... - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- End User: Users should be aware of censorship on social platforms - The Ithacan - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Press must be transparent about wartime censorship - Freedom of the Press Foundation - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Oklahoma, Florida, Idaho Propose More Restrictive Book Bills | Censorship News - School Library Journal - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- The Toronto Film Critics Association Is Falling Apart - Vulture - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Golden Bear winner warns of possible German government 'censorship' - Euronews.com - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Censorship is a tool of the state but it's also a tool of the censored - Independent Australia - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Censoring Courses Isnt the Law in Texas. Public Universities Are Doing It Anyway. - The Chronicle of Higher Education - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Workshop on Investigating Prison Book Bans - The Marshall Project - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Elle-Mij Tailfeathers Rejects TFCA Award Over Alleged Censorship of Acceptance Speech Mentioning Palestine - TheWrap - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in deposition that he resisted censoring platforms - ABC News - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- The Unseen Cost: Media Censorship and the Human Face of War - Devdiscourse - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Roblox is censoring chats with AI - The Verge - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in deposition that he resisted censoring platforms - chronicleonline.com - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Europes global censorship threat, spare us the moral posturing, lefties and other commentary - New York Post - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- WhatsApp officially names Mullvad and Amnezia VPN as go-to tools for bypassing censorship - TechRadar - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- Inside Scoop: America off the rails, Colbert censorship controversy, Royal Reckoning - Washington Examiner - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- Two Views on AI in Chinas Censorship and Influence Operations - China Digital Times - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- Internet blackout is tool of desperate regime to isolate Iranians, say experts - The Guardian - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- The Right Expands Its Campaign to Censor College Professors - The Progressive - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- Author Sandra Cisneros to Texas A&M: The word is watching you censor education - Houston Chronicle - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in deposition that he resisted censoring platforms - Traverse City Record-Eagle - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]