Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak thinks that it may be time for regulators to consider breaking up large tech companies, according to an interview with Business Insider.
Why it matters: Wozniak hasn't been with Apple for decades, but remains a well-respected voice in the tech community.
Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey is scheduled to meet with top Senate Intelligence Committee Democrat Mark Warner on Thursday, according to a congressional source familiar with the matter. Twitter didn't respond to a request for comment — but Dorsey said on his own page Thursday that he is in Washington, DC.
Why it matters: Silicon Valley is paying more attention to policy matters these days, particularly Warner's investigation into how Russian operatives used social media platforms to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.
Although a Washington Post story suggested Apple was eyeing Northern Virginia for a new campus, another report (from WRAL) says a move to North Carolina is already "a done deal."
What's next?: The only remaining hurdle for closing on the Research Triangle Park location, according to the report, was for state legislators to pass some tax breaks as an incentive for Apple.
Before you get too excited about those artificial intelligence doctors we’ll all have someday, you should read this briefing note from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, a London-based group that ponders the tough ethical questions about medicine.
What they're saying: The Council has a pretty handy guide to the things that can go wrong with AI. For example, it’s not always reliable. (In one clinical trial, an app incorrectly told doctors to send home patients with asthma.)
Facebook today will announce a partnership with the Atlantic Council aimed at helping deter manipulation of the platform during elections around the world.
Why it matters: About 87% of Facebook’s user base is outside the U.S., so the opportunity for election manipulation around the world is massive. And platform manipulation in those countries can be even harder to manage, because of language and cultural barriers.
Google made headlines by demonstrating an AI-powered voice assistant that made haircut and restaurant reservations, without betraying that it isn't human. But we have questions about the demos, which purported to be recordings of calls with real businesses.
Why it matters: Google told both developers and investors that it has created something remarkable, thus increasing its profile and value. When questioned further, however, it will not provide basic evidence to back up its boasts.
The whistleblower behind the Cambridge Analytica Facebook data scandal told CNN Wednesday that Steve Bannon, President Trump's former top political adviser, directed the firm to carry out voter suppression tactics against black voters in 2016.
The backdrop: Christopher Wylie, a former Cambridge Analytica employee, said he didn't participate in the activity, but that Bannon wanted to "discourage or demobilize certain types of people from voting." This revelation follows Wylie's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the firm had used methods to discourage voting among targeted populations. Bannon did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will meet with leaders of the European Union's parliament to answer questions about the Cambridge Analytica privacy controversy.
Why it matters: Zuckerberg has turned down requests from the U.K. to testify in person there. As the E.U.'s new privacy rules go into effect, its leaders may take a tougher line on Facebook than U.S. legislators did last month.
Jigsaw, the altruistic projects incubator of Google's parent company Alphabet, will offer free protection to political campaigns from cyber attacks meant to overpower websites and online services using high volumes of internet traffic, the group announced Wednesday morning.
Why it matters: Distributed denial of service attacks — essentially, attacks that force networks of thousands of hacked computers to flood a server with so much traffic it cannot properly function — are cheap and easy to pull off.
