Daring Bits
The SEC Burned LBRY to the Ground - LBRY was YouTube on the blockchain, and the SEC has finally driven it into bankruptcy. “No one, not the customers, the content creators or the investors has benefitted or been protected by the SEC,” writes Alex Tabarrok. SEC commissioner Hester Peirce has written a compelling Statement of Dissent. By the way, I don’t remember ever voting for the SEC. 🧐
Texas Destroys Farmer’s Property, Shrugs - The Texas Department of Transportation’s highway project caused severe flooding on Richie DeVillier’s farm, killing livestock and destroying crops, yet the state denied compensation. Now at the Supreme Court, this case could set a precedent for the government’s obligation to uphold property rights - one way or another.
Biden Shies Away From Data Freedom - The Biden administration has announced that it will no longer support rules to ensure the free flow of cross-border data or opposition to national data localization mandates, policies designed to allow unobstructed information exchange and limit governmental restrictions on the internet. Makes one wonder if they might be trying to obstruct information exchange or use government to restrict the internet… 🤔
I Accidentally Saved Half A Million Dollars - This guy saved his company a huge amount of money by clicking a few buttons - elucidating the high cost of simple mistakes, and betraying the bureaucratic nightmare that perpetuates them.
“Android is a massive tracking device” - Apple - The Department of Justice has just posted some juicy exhibits in the ongoing Google antitrust trial, revealing that while Apple has long distrusted Google’s handling of user privacy, the company ironically sought user data from Google.
Robot Overlords
Biden Issues Sweeping Executive Order on AI - President Biden’s sweeping executive order on AI imposes a significant burden on innovators by mandating the sharing of test results with the government before launching new products. This bureaucratic hurdle, under the guise of national security and labor concerns, could potentially stifle creativity and slow down the rapid advancement in AI.
DOC Weighs Down AI - The Department of Commerce’s potential restrictions on open model weights for AI “would be the death of free speech, free commerce, science, and a bad security design to boot,” according to @soumithchintala. Model weights are parameters within AI models that are crucial for the model’s ability to make predictions or decisions. Restricting access to these weights would hinder collaborative advancements in AI, and possibly establish barriers to entry, favoring big corporations in AI development.
Pigeons Mirror AI Learning Patterns - Researchers from Ohio State University and the University of Iowa discovered that pigeons employ a “brute force” method of problem-solving akin to AI methods, excelling in certain tasks even beyond human capability through trial, error, and associative learning. This, on top of pigeon internet supremacy, makes us wonder if it’s the pigeon overlords we need to watch out for…
Liberty Toolbox
Threema - Threema is a secure messaging app designed with privacy as a priority, offering end-to-end encryption to ensure only intended recipients can read messages. It does not require personal data, like phone numbers or email addresses. Apple. Android
