Montana has signed into law what is believed to be the first-ever ban on TikTok, which will come into force in 2022. The legislation will impose a $10,000 fine per day on stores offering TikTok downloads, in addition to making it illegal for the platform to operate in the state. Some 200,000 Montanans use TikTok, along with 6,000 businesses, according to a company spokesperson. The ban echoes influential opinions shared by US lawmakers and security chiefs that TikTok could present a national-security risk as Chinese technology companies are subject to government control via laws on intelligence work.
Two men have been charged with sexual offences after women reported a series of frightening incidents along the Merri Creek trail in Melbourne’s north over several months. A police spokeswoman confirmed a 40-year-old Brunswick man was charged over two alleged incidents of sexual exposure in a public place on March 20 and April 4. Separately, police from the sexual offences unit charged a 30-year-old Preston man on February 5 with nine offences, including directing sexual activity at a person, stalking and committing an indictable offence while on bail.
Japan must take a greater military role in the region to counter the military build-up of China, according to an editorial in the New York Times. Its author, Professor Jennifer Lind of Dartmouth College, believes that “Japan is critical to successfully managing the Chinese challenge and needs to finally get off the sidelines.” During the Cold War, Japan was able to remain a relatively low-key US ally, but China’s growing global reach, its ambitions and military arsenal mean the theme for group of seven countries meeting in Hiroshima this week should be Japanese military maintenance. Despite the current Constitution forbidding its maintenance of “land, sea and air forces”, Japan field highly sophisticated maritime capability and the government want’s to double military spending to 2% of GDP over the next five years, to defend the country's territories, including the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea which China claims.
Andrew Miller, a transgender butcher known locally as Amy, has admitted to abducting a primary schoolgirl, dressed as a woman, and subjecting her to sexual assaults at his house. The case is expected to cause unease over the gender self-ID proposals, a legislation that poses to allow Scots to change their legal sex merely by signing a declaration. Some of the opponents debate that this action will make it easier for male predators, similarly to Miller, to access women-only spaces. The suspect presented as a woman while luring the girl into his vehicle.
US federal officials have warned about continued cyber-threats in medical devices. HHS deputy director of the office of preparedness, Brain Mazanec, claimed that almost all hospitals hold support systems that are out of date, suggesting the need for stricter laws for medical device manufacturers. The omnibus package, signed by President Biden in 2023, requires manufacturers to provide key cybersecurity information to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, regulators are yet to enforce cybersecurity requirements for devices, with device sponsors given until October 1 to work out any discrepancies before applications are rejected. The FDA has identified that medical devices, from electronic thermometers to MRI machines, pose a unique area for cybersecurity. Medical devices are connected and interoperable in hospital settings, meaning one failure may cause others to fail, posing a wider secondary risk. The amended rules dictate that manufacturers are to provide a software bill of materials, send device patches, and disclose all vulnerability findings. The FDA has been working to future-proof as the lifecycle of devices is two decades long, with the industry required to design and implement these new systems for improved resilience.
Master Gardener, the latest film from legendary screenwriter and director Paul Schrader, follows horticulturalist Narvel Roth (played by Joel Edgerton). While it begins with a character study of Roth, the story grows more complex as Roth’s dark past is revealed. This is another tale of a tortured soul trying to bury the darkness. Master Gardener is not a smooth ride, but is serious and profound. Schrader’s strong, meditative hands create an entrancing work that is worth the watch. However, it is not suitable for the Facebook crowd, according to The New York Times.
Politicians in Queensland, Australia, are accused of playing into fears over crime and violence in order to gain political popularity. Analysis of government figures over five years, tackled by Brisbane Times, shows that levels of juvenile crime have remained relatively steady in the state. However, media reports have portrayed an apparent crisis, while Queensland's Palaszczuk government has switched from an evidence-based approach to one based on the “toughest youth justice laws in the nation”.
Hay River evacuee, 94, has 'no complaints' staying at the Yellowknife Multiplex
CBC
23-05-18 10:00
Almost 300 people have been evacuated from Hay River and Kátł'odeeche First Nation due to fire. The evacuees are staying at the Yellowknife Multiplex, and are being provided with meals, social services and mental health support. A former president of the Hay River fishing association and evacuee, Alex Morin, has claimed that he is "looked after pretty good" at the multiplex, but has expressed a desire to know when he can return home. Breakup was said to have been smooth this year, but residents were suddenly told to evacuate their homes due to the fire.
The US Supreme Court has rejected the opportunity to review a case against Google that pitted the family of a student killed in an Islamic State (IS) attack against the internet giant company. The complainants alleged that Google's YouTube had played a role in radicalising individuals who then went on to join the terrorist group. Google has claimed protection against court action under a 1996 law that usually prevents social media companies from being held responsible for user-generated content. The case will be passed back to the lower courts for further consideration.
It is seen as a victory for the technology industry, which had argued that a ruling against Google could have far-reaching implications, with opponents suggesting it could stifle free speech online, and lead to more frivolous lawsuits against social media firms.
The court also ruled on a similar case involving Google, Twitter, and Facebook that argued the three companies should be held liable for a terrorist attack at a Turkish nightclub that claimed 39 lives. The court unanimously ruled against the case continuing under a law that forbids aid to terrorists.
Tunisia frees two students arrested for satirical song criticising police
Reuters
23-05-18 14:51
Two Tunisian students have been freed after their arrest for posting a satirical song criticising the police on TikTok and Facebook drew criticism from President Kais Saied. Youssef Chelbi and Dhia Nsir were arrested on Wednesday, but Saied spoke out against the arrests on Facebook, calling for their release, and dozens of activists protested against restrictions on freedom of speech and trials targeting bloggers and journalists. Rights campaigners report the freedom of speech and media restrictions are worsening under Saied's rule.
Experts, activists and relatives of those detained in Tunisia have warned that the intensifying crackdown on opposition leaders and critics, instigated by President Kais Saied, imperils society and risks the return of autocracy. Since February, over 20 dissidents, activists, journalists and opposition figures have been arrested, with charges often thought to be trumped up. Seizing power in 2021 following his victory as an independent social conservative, Saied has pursued critics and Ennhahda politicians. The party emerged in 2011 as the largest group in Tunisia’s first parliamentary elections following the removal of protest-hit Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, winning 37 percent of the vote. Soumaya Ghannoushi, daughter of Rached Ghannouchi, the Ennahdha president who was arrested in April, said Saied has “devoured” Tunisia’s democracy bit by bit.
Twitter cannot be held liable for allowing an attack on an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39, according to the Supreme Court. Twitter was accused of violating the Anti-Terrorism Act because it gave ISIS a platform to release propaganda that spark the attack. A group of Americans who were relatives of a Jordanian killed in the attack filed a suit against Twitter, which a court of appeal had revived in 2021 but the US Supreme Court has ruled cannot proceed. The ruling shows that social media companies cannot be held responsible for user-generated content, a decision widely welcomed by other internet giants.
The dark side of online gaming culture has been highlighted by a report form the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, which looks at the way in which far-right ideologies can emerge in gaming chatrooms. The report analysed the culture of such forums, such as the message service Discord, which is popular with gamers. Some of the areas studied involve misogyny, racism, and how gamers open to influence have been targeted to reinforce and recruit individuals with such extreme views. A survey also conducted among gamers found that 51% of respondents in five major gaming markets (US, UK, France, Germany and South Korea) said they had encountered extreme statements in multiple player games in the previous year. The report also discusses ways in which platforms are trying to counter these insidious trends, including registering and recording audio from in-game chats for investigation purposes, and creating a framework that bans hate speech.
The US Supreme Court has issued its first judgment on whether Section 230, which shields online services from liability for users’ content, is valid. The decision was unanimous, and found that Twitter and Google did not require legal protection against liability for hosting terrorist content on their platforms. The rulings related to two cases in which the families of ISIS terrorist attack victims took legal action against the sites, claiming that their recommendation algorithms had aided the group by circulating its content. Observers had anticipated the outcome as a potential shift in tech firms’ legal protection.
The south Turkish province of Adiyaman, which has been hit hard in various earthquakes, has long been a stronghold of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. His success at winning 66% of the vote there in the last round of elections may mean that he remains confident he can win Turkey's presidential election. During his rule, much of the aid to people living in Adiyaman has come from an interpretation of the religious tax known as "zakat". Other voters in the capital, Ankara and Istanbul believe that Adiyaman's people supported Erdogan, despite their suffering, because they have nowhere else to go.
Twitter owner Elon Musk said Twitter users making false claims of stolen elections "will be corrected" on its platform. However, many such claims have thrived on Twitter in the week since former President Donald Trump spent much of a CNN town hall digging in on his lie that the 2020 election was "rigged" against him. The contrast between Musk's promise and the extent the claims are spreading on Twitter underscores a major challenge for social media companies trying to call out election conspiracies and falsehoods that Trump and his supporters continue to promote.
Meta is developing custom chips in-house for AI work, according to spokespeople for the social media giant, including for its Meta Training and Inference Accelerator (MTIA) project. The company has in the past drawn criticism for its handling of data, while its plans to develop a large-scale inference chip in-house were previously abandoned, in favor of a more grandiose system that would enable training as well. MTIA is powered by RISC-V architecture and looked hopeful in early testing for low-and medium-complexity models, though its developers were said to have struggled with complex models. Data center projects, including new networking and cooling systems, have also been announced.
Young adults moving to a new city for work are eligible to claim a tax break in Canada. A deduction for moving and relocation costs can be claimed if the new home is at least 40 km closer to the job than the previous location. Costs that are claimable include transportation, moving expenses, meals, and other related moving expenses. Homeowners who move for a new job can also claim the costs of real estate commissions and legal fees.
Global chipmakers including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Samsung Electronics, Intel and US chipmaker Micron, have agreed to invest billions of dollars in Japan as countries seek to reduce their dependence on Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, which is under threat of invasion by China. Rising tensions between the west and China have spurred on this shift towards reducing reliance on Taiwan. Semiconductors are an essential component to modern-day technology & electronic equipment, and Taiwan is home to 65% of the world’s semiconductors and almost 90% of the most advanced chips.
Former Mississippi state Senator Johnny Morgan has died in a plane crash in Arkansas. Morgan, aged 76, was the only person aboard the Beech King Air E-90 when it crashed in southern Washington County. It left the University-Oxford airport before crashing on a private property near to Winslow. Morgan had previously served in the Mississippi state Senate from 1983 to 1991 and acted as a Lafayette County, Mississippi, supervisor from 2003.
