International press review Extrema Ratio - 6 April
Extrema Ratio focuses on the topics we work on, including geopolitcs, cybersecurity, critical technologies, foreign interference, disinformation, international law, national security.
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China
The digital reminbi and the global standard of "Central Bank digital currencies"
Extrema Ratio
G e N Iuvinale
The blockchain infrastructure created by Beijing to build a stronger economic and political apparatus and attempt to reduce the hegemony of the dollar.
Macron urges Xi to reason with Russia for Ukraine peace
Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron urged China's Xi Jinping on Thursday to reason with close ally Russia and help end the Ukraine war, while Xi responded by saying he hoped the two sides could hold peace negotiations as soon as possible.
In Beijing, French business community welcomes Macron's overtures
Reuters
Among the French business executives travelling to Beijing with President Emmanuel Macron, the mood was cautiously sanguine on the thawing post-pandemic trade prospects with China, with some rejecting American-led calls for 'decoupling'.
Macron travelled to China with a 50-strong delegation of business leaders including the CEOs of Airbus (AIR.PA), Alstom (ALSO.PA) and EDF (EDF.PA), raising eyebrows among some diplomats that this could blur the message of firmness the West wants to send at a time of heightened tension between Beijing and the United States.
Analysis: Taiwan braces for new China pressure tactic in disputed strait
Reuters
Taiwan officials and defence analysts are bracing for intensifying pressure on the "median line" that has for decades helped keep the peace in the Taiwan Strait as China begins inspecting civilian shipping across the waterway.
China's Fujian maritime safety administration launched a three-day special patrol and inspection operation on Wednesday, which is seen in Taiwan as retaliation for President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting in California with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Top Iranian, Saudi envoys meet in China in restoration of diplomatic ties
Reuters
Bernard Orr and Aziz El Yaakoubi
The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Beijing on Thursday for the first formal gathering of their top diplomats in more than seven years, after China brokered a deal to restore relations between the top regional powers.
Leaked files show China and Russia sharing tactics on internet control, censorship Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty Daniil Belovodyev, Andrei Soshnikov and Reid Standish Growing cooperation between the two countries is shown in documents and recordings from closed door meetings in 2017 and 2019 between officials from the Cyberspace Administration of China, its chief Internet regulator, and Roskomnadzor, the government agency charged with policing Russia's Internet, that were obtained by RFE/RL's Russian Investigative Unit (known as Systema) from a source who had access to the materials.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang welcomed “a new starting point” as French President Emmanuel Macron and E.U. chief Ursula von der Leyen began meetings with Chinese leaders in Beijing today. Macron and von der Leyen have said they want to persuade China to use its influence over Russia to bring peace in Ukraine or at least deter Beijing from directly supporting Moscow in the conflict. These talks also have a significant business dimension as Macron is traveling with a 50-strong business delegation. Michel Rose and Laurie Chen report for Reuters.
Conservative politicians push for a tougher procurement bill. Led by FAC chair Alicia Kearns, a group of Tory MPs want to strengthen ministers’ power to exclude companies that are deemed a national security risk. Eleni Courea.Politico. 4 April
All Party Parliamentary Groups to be probed by security services. The Parliament’s standards committee has warned of improper links to both commercial bodies and foreign governments who may seek to influence legislation. Concerns were raised following revelations last year that the chairman of the now disbanded Chinese in Britain APPG received more than £500,000 in donations from Christine Lee, who was later revealed to be a spy. Adam Forrest.The Independent. 5 April
Taiwan and Japan monitor Chinese military activity after President Tsai Ing-wen meets US speaker. A carrier strike group, which appears to be on a training exercise, was sent to waters south-east of Taiwan on Wednesday. Helen Davidson and Amy Hawkins. The Guardian. 6 April
The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia meet in Beijing. The two nations agreed to restore diplomatic ties last month during lower-level talks brokered by China. BBC. 6 April
Chinese C.D.C publishes long-awaited study about Wuhan market. Swabs taken in March 2020 confirm that DNA from racoon dogs and other animals susceptible to the coronavirus were found at the market. Benjamin Mueller. The New York Times. 5 April
Ahead of state visit, Macron announces Europe must resist reducing trade and diplomatic ties with China. Macron travels with a 50-strong business delegation including Airbus, LVMH and EDF. Reuters. 5 April
China calls on WTO to review coordinated chip export restrictions by US, Japan and Netherlands. State media questions whether the existence of a deal between the three nations violates WTO principals of openness and transparency. Cyril Ip. South China Morning Post. 5 April
US, Japan and South Korea conduct joint anti-submarine exercise in the East China Sea. This marks the fourth round of trilateral maritime exercises as the three countries seek to counter North Korean threats.Takahashi Kosuke.The Diplomat. 5 April
The International Tennis Federation resumes tournaments in China, with no update on Peng Shuai. Activity was suspended in late 2021 after the disappearance of Peng, who publicly accusing a former high-ranking party official of sexual assault. The Independent. 5 April
China considers banning exports of rare earth magnet technology used in EVs, wind turbine motors. MOFCOM is currently in the process of revising its ‘Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited and Restricted from Export’.Nikkei Asia,The Japan News. 5 April
Beijing leverages merger-review process and antimonopoly rules to put pressure on foreign companies. Intel Corp. and MaxLinear Inc. are among American companies awaiting approval from the State Administration for Market Administration. Lingling Wei and Asa Fitch. The Wall Street Journal. 4 April
Small businesses in China bounce back after Covid. In the first three months of 2023, nearly 7.57 million small and micro-sized enterprises were registered in China - considered an encouraging sign of economic recovery. Ji Siqi. South China Morning Post. 5 April
Volume of Made-in-India iPhones surges as Apple diversifies supply chains. Mainland China may be at risk of losing its primary role in Apple’s supply chain as Foxconn Technology Group plans US$700 million manufacturing plant in India. Xinmei Shen. South China Morning Post. 5 April
Chinese government scientists yesterday published a long-awaited study about a market in Wuhan, acknowledging that animals susceptible to the coronavirus were there around the time the virus emerged. The study included several unlikely findings and “glaring errors,” said Alice Hughes, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong focused on conservation biology. The research’s “greatest asset is the fact that it releases a data set for other scientists to analyze more carefully and responsibly,” she added. Benjamin Mueller reports for the New York Times.
Opinion & long-reads
When might US political support be unwelcome in Taiwan? Survey data reveals how the Taiwanese public feel about relations with China and the US. Alastair Iain Johnston, Tsai Chia-hung and George Yin.Brookings Institution. 5 April
It is getting even harder for Western scholars to do research in China. Foreign researchers face new hurdles as China limits access to OSINT resources. The Economist. 5 April
China is getting comfortable with the Gulf Cooperation Council. The West must pragmatically adapt to its growing regional influence. A look at China’s burgeoning relationship with the MENA region. Joseph Webster and Joze Pelayo. Atlantic Council. 5 April
TSMC’s turning point. Does TSMC’s international expansion represent cracks in Taiwan’s ‘silicon shield’? Gregor Stuart Hunter. The Wire. 5 April
US-China tech war: without advanced chips, can China’s smartphone industry survive? He Huifeng and Jane Cai. South China Morning Post. 4 April
USA
AI ‘could be’ danger to society, US President Biden says Al Jazeera United States President Joe Biden has said artificial intelligence “could be” dangerous but it remains to be seen how the technology will affect society. Speaking at the start of a meeting with science and technology advisers on Tuesday, Biden said technology companies had a responsibility to ensure their products are safe before their release.
US diplomat to Washington: you’re becoming obsolete in one big area of tech policy POLITICO Brandon Possin Too many inside government are clinging to the past. Because of this, the U.S. is at risk of blowing its approach to the next generation of the internet. When it comes to formulating digital asset policy, we need to embrace the internet’s inevitable evolution. We need more technologists, fewer lawyers, and less bias in favor of financial sector incumbents.
China, Russia propaganda wither as cameras multiply, US admiral says
Defence News
The proliferation of cameras now in use around the world make it increasingly difficult for China and Russia to control the narrative in international disputes, according to a senior U.S. Navy intelligence official.
US flies nuclear-capable bombers amid tensions with N. Korea
C4ISRNET
Hyung-Jin Kim, The Associated Press
Could Dementia in the National Security Workforce Create a Security Threat?
Rand Corporation
Kristie L. Gore, Samantha Cherney, Regina A. Shih, Richard S. Girven
Individuals who hold or held a security clearance and handled classified material could become a security threat if they develop dementia and unwittingly share government secrets. The exploratory research discussed in this Perspective highlights the factors involved in dementia becoming a risk to global and national security, proposes a framework to assess the risk, and guides further study of this potential threat. The authors also explore how the national security and intelligence communities are especially at risk because they employ large numbers of military veterans, who, as a population, may have a higher risk of developing dementia because of high rates of traumatic brain injury.
Former Vice President Mike Pence will not appeal a ruling compelling him to testify before a grand jury investigating former President Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2020 election, an adviser to Pence said yesterday. Judge James Boasberg noted Pence could decline to answer some questions related to his role as president of the Senate during the certification of then President-elect Biden’s victory. Sadie Gurman reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against former President Trump has garnered skepticism, even from left-leaning legal experts, liberal pundits, and some of Trump’s Republican detractors. Their skepticism has been fueled by burning questions about the prosecution’s legal theories, which Bragg has mainly left unanswered. Some wondered why Bragg revived a case he had appeared to abandon just months ago. Others questioned whether the “falsification of business records” charges against Trump could be elevated into felonies. Kyle Cheney, Erica Orden, and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.
Former President Trump yesterday called on Republicans in Congress to slash funding for the Justice Department and the FBI. Trump took aim at federal law enforcement authorities even though it is a Manhattan district attorney who has pursued the criminal charges against him. Trump’s proposal is unlikely to be heeded by Congress. Rami Ayyub reports for Reuters.
Twitter added a warning to NPR’s account on Tuesday, declaring it “state-affiliated media,” a label usually reserved for foreign media outlets representing a government’s official views. In the past, Twitter did not regard NPR as state-affiliated because it had editorial independence, despite getting some funds from the government. Twitter defines state-affiliated media as an outlet “where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution.” Matt Novak reports for Forbes.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy discussed speeding up weapons deliveries with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen in California yesterday. “We must continue the arms sales to Taiwan and make sure such sales reach Taiwan on a very timely basis,” McCarthy said, adding that he believed there was bipartisan agreement. “Second, we must strengthen our economic cooperation, particularly with trade and technology.” Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom report for Reuters.
China today accused the United States and Taiwan of “serious wrongdoing” after Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the United States had ignored “repeated warnings” against allowing Tsai to visit and promised “resolute and forceful measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the serious wrongdoing of U.S.-Taiwan colluding together.” China has not announced any large-scale military exercises similar to the display of force it put on after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in August. Christian Shepherd and Vic Chiang report for the Washington Post.
China’s Fujian maritime safety administration launched a three-day special joint patrol and inspection operation in the central and northern parts of the Taiwan Strait that include moves to board ships, it said on its WeChat account. Taiwan’s Transport Ministry’s Maritime and Ports Bureau said in a statement yesterday that it has lodged a strong protest with China about the move. The move comes amid growing tensions as Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen met with U.S. officials this week. Reuters reports.
China’s Fujian maritime safety administration launched a three-day special joint patrol and inspection operation in the central and northern parts of the Taiwan Strait that include moves to board ships, it said on its WeChat account. Taiwan’s Transport Ministry’s Maritime and Ports Bureau said in a statement yesterday that it has lodged a strong protest with China about the move. The move comes amid growing tensions as Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen met with U.S. officials this week. Reuters reports.
The FBI and European law enforcement agencies have arrested more than 100 people as part of a global crackdown on a cybercrime forum that facilitated large-scale identity theft, officials said yesterday. “Operation Cookie Monster” targeted Genesis Market, a crime forum offering data stolen from over 1.5 million computers worldwide containing login details for over 80 million user accounts. Genesis Market “was one of the most, if not the most popular marketplace for stolen network and user information,” Azim Khodjibaev, senior threat intelligence analyst at Cisco Talos, said. “Based on my experience, the void will be filled by those who were not arrested.” Sean Lyngaas reports for CNN.
A statement on Iran’s nuclear program by Gen. Mark Milley, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, last week alarmed Israeli defense and intelligence officials, four Israeli officials have said. Milley testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense that the United States “remains committed as a matter of policy that Iran will not have a fielded nuclear weapon.” The term “fielded” created the impression among Israeli officials that the United States had changed its policy on Iran and would tolerate Tehran having a nuclear weapons program. The Biden administration was asked for clarification by Israeli officials, and Joseph Holstead, a Joint Staff spokesperson, later confirmed that the “U.S. policy remains the same.” Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
Americas
A new link between a Montreal group and the Chinese Communist Party? The Star Jeremy Nuttall Typically, it’s not the kind of paperwork that would garner a lot of attention. It looks like a largely innocuous, if quite detailed, intake form. But a closer look at the document, found on the website for a Montreal agency that’s now being investigated by the RCMP, appears to raise new questions about the organization’s ties to Beijing.
Canada is repatriating six women and their 13 children who have been held for at least three years in a camp for ISIS affiliates in Syria, their lawyer said yesterday. It is unclear if any women being returned this week may face charges. Canada’s government has appealed a federal court order to repatriate four men who have not been formally charged with crimes but are imprisoned in camps in Syria. Madeline Halpert reports for BBC News.
North Asia
Japan braced for rise in ransomware attacks after data breach Financial Times Leo Lewis and Kana Inagaki A hacking attack at Japan’s largest IT company is spilling across the country’s corporate sector, with cyber security experts warning that it could trigger a surge in attempts by organised criminal gangs to extort hefty ransoms from companies and their customers. More than 10 Japanese companies have said in the past month that they have been affected by the hacking at Fujitsu, which supplies internet infrastructure to thousands of companies.
Southeast Asia
Asia-Pacific NGOs affected by cyber attacks IT Wire Gordon Peters One in six Non-Government Organisations in the Asia-Pacific region - including in Australia - experienced a cyber security incident in the last 12 months, and only 24% of organisations currently provide cyber security training for their staff, according to a new report. The report, prepared by Infoxchange with support from Google.org, aims to recognise the ""unique digital strengths, challenges and opportunities"" present for NGOs, NPOs, charities and not-for-profits in the Asia-Pacific region.
New Zealand is subject to “increasingly aggressive activity” by unnamed states, according to an annual report published by the Security Intelligence Service this week. The report has said agents from one unnamed foreign government have cultivated “a range of relationships of significant concern.” Analysts said New Zealand’s strategic importance in the Pacific and the growing global awareness of its politics had attracted the ire of authoritarian leaders such as China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Charlotte Graham-McLay reports for the Guardian.
Australia
Labor under pressure to ban use of Israeli spyware in investigations of alleged welfare fraud The Guardian Josh Taylor and Stephanie Convery The Albanese government is facing pressure to ban Services Australia from using Israeli spyware that cracks the passcodes on people’s phones as part of investigations of alleged welfare fraud after Australia signed on to a White House statement agreeing to limit the use of the controversial technology. Cellebrite’s technology allows organisations to make a copy of the contents of the phone and potentially bypass the passcode used to prevent the data being accessed. It has been used in Australia over the past several years by government agencies including the Australian federal police, Victoria police, Asic, the ATO, the Department of Defence and Home Affairs.
Names, addresses and bank details potentially at risk after hack, TAS govt says ABC News Luke Bowden Financial data including names, addresses, invoices and bank account numbers may have been accessed in the cyber security breach affecting the Tasmanian government, the state's minister of technology says. On Wednesday, Ms Ogilvie said the investigations had found there was a risk financial data, held by the Department for Education, Children and Young People, had been accessed — but added there was "no confirmation such information has been stolen" and reiterated "no Tasmanian government IT systems have been hacked".
Why Australia is such a juicy target for cybercriminals The Australian Financial Review John Davidson In the time it takes you to read this story, one more Australian company or individual will have reported a cybercrime. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the branch of the Australian Signals Directorate cyber spy agency which coordinates the nation’s response to cybercrime, received more than 76,000 crime reports in its most recent reporting period: a shade more than one report every seven minutes. But that’s just the crimes that get reported.
Ukraine - Russia
NATO talks Russia-China alliance, fiscal rules, Serbia-Kosovo
POLITICO
Jakob Hanke Vela
“It seems inconceivable to me that Russia and China will be willing to share technology in the way our nations will be” in the AUKUS alliance of the UK, US and Australia, Lovegrove told an invite-only audience at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Sydney Dialogue, attended by Playbook’s own Zoya Sheftalovich. Lovegrove also pointed to the Five Eyes Alliance of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and US as an example of Western nations’ willingness to pool resources and intelligence — unlikely in the more-guarded Russia-China relationship.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda pledged to send 14 more MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraineyesterday. Once Poland receives the new Korean and U.S. fighter jets it has ordered, Duda said, “We will be able to transfer our entire remaining MiG fleet to Ukraine, should the need arise.” Christopher Miller, Raphael Minder, and Barbara Erling report for the Financial Times.
Belarus’ President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday to discuss expanding military and economic ties. Their close alliance has allowed Russia to bolster Belarus’ readiness to deploy nuclear weaponry. The Russian minister of defense, Sergei Shoigu, said on Tuesday that Russia had delivered to Belarus an Iskander-M missile system capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads. Neil MacFarquhar reports for the New York Times.
The U.K. and the United States yesterday said Russia is using its position as president of the U.N. Security Council to spread disinformation and propaganda. The United States, the U.K., and several other countries sent only junior representatives to a U.N. webcast of a Security Council meeting Moscow called to defend its removal of children from Ukraine. The representatives stood up and left the room as Maria Lvova-Belova, Moscow’s commissioner for children’s rights, spoke. The International Criminal Court last month issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lvova-Belova for the war crime of “unlawful deportation and … transfer” of children to Russia from Ukraine. Karen DeYoung reports for the Washington Post.
The United States is working through a formal process to determine whether the detention of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, by Russia is “wrongful,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday, adding that in his opinion, there was no doubt. Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk report for Reuters.
Following sanctions and export controls, Russia has limited access to parts, software, and technical skills needed to perform critical maintenance on hundreds of commercial jets, raising safety concerns among industry executives and regulators. In a December interview, the chief executive of Aeroflot-Russian Airlines PJSC, the country’s flagship international carrier, said the company had enough spare parts to last two to six months. Benjamin Katz and Georgi Kantchev report for the Wall Street Journal.
UK
The UK company spreading Russian fake news to millions BBC Hannah Gelbart The BBC's Disinformation Team can reveal that a UK-registered media company is spreading Russian state disinformation to millions of people in the Arab-speaking world. Yala News claims to offer impartial news, but BBC analysis has shown most of its content directly mirrors stories on Russian state-backed media sites - and that it actually operates out of Syria.
London Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Mark Rowley, has said he expects hundreds of officers to be removed over the next two or three years after the force was branded institutionally racist, homophobic, and misogynist in a damning report last month. Four out of five investigations into officers accused of domestic abuse and sexual violence need to be reassessed, Rowley said. Of the 1,000 people surveyed in a BBC poll, almost half of the female respondents said they “totally distrusted” the force. BBC News reports.
World
Operation Cookie Monster': International police action seizes dark web market Reuters Michael Holden, James Pearson and Christopher Bing International law enforcement agencies have seized a sprawling dark web marketplace popular with cybercriminals, Britain's National Crime Agency said on Wednesday, in a multinational crackdown dubbed "Operation Cookie Monster." The NCA estimated that the service hosted about 80 million credentials and digital fingerprints stolen from more than 2 million people.
Disinformation, misinformation as bad as other digital crime
Economic Times
ETtech
Disinformation and misinformation on the internet rank as other forms of internet criminality and need stricter- than-ever provisions to be dealt with, the minister of state for electronics and information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Wednesday. “Our government and agencies have determined that the velocity of misinformation and disinformation can be 8-10, sometimes 20 times faster in reach and significance than normal information,” Chandrasekhar said while addressing The Sydney Dialogue, an annual summit for emerging, critical, cyber and space technologies.
The nexus between technology, geopolitics and national security The Strategist Michael C. Horowitz In the final session on Day 1 of ASPI’s Sydney Dialogue, Mike Horowitz from the US Department of Defense led a panel discussion on global technology trends. The US Department of Defense is thinking about the intersection of technological change in geopolitical competition and what it means for the security environment, particularly in the context of the Indo-Pacific, a vital region for the future of the world.
Sobering defence warning as Australia lags in tech race Yahoo News Australian Associated Press Australia's military would struggle to defend its bases from attack because it is lagging in the drone technology arms race, a senior defence figure warns. Retired major general Mick Ryan told the Sydney Dialogue on Wednesday that Australia has a long way to catch up in the development of counter-autonomy systems.
As defense tech goes commercial, does national security miss out? The Register Laura Dobberstein Insufficient attention has been paid to the national security implications of private enterprise taking over from government as the main source of innovation for defence and intelligence applications, according to a panel at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Sydney Dialogue on Tuesday. "I think we've seen a significant change in the last 15–20 years where we've really moved from where government was the owner and controller of the best technology because they had deep pockets and things cost a lot, to a far more democratized view of technology," summarized AWS chief technologist Simon Elisha.
Bridging the digital divide in Pacific island states The Strategist Fiame Naomi Mata‘afa Samoa’s prime minister, Fiame Naomi Mata‘afa, gave the opening keynote address on Day 2 of ASPI’s Sydney Dialogue. An edited version of her speech follows. Small island developing states are facing a range of challenges due to their size, isolation and vulnerability to external forces.
International cyber strategy rolls into national plan Innovation Aus Joseph Brookes “Pacific Islands governments understand that, as they increasingly digitalise and connect to the global economy, they are also increasingly exposed to cyber threats,” Mr Watts said in an address to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Sydney Dialogue event in Sydney. “We have come to find that, as nations become more reliant on these systems, cyber incidents can be similar in impact to a natural disaster.
The Sydney Dialogue underway to discuss emerging cyber and space tech ABC News News Radio A summit focusing on emerging cyber and space technologies is taking place in Sydney. It is being hosted by The Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank - and will feature speeches from the Federal Defence and Home Affairs Ministers, as well as a host of international speakers.The event is looking at how technology can be used to enhance national security, economic prosperity, as well as human and climate security. Bec Shrimpton is the Director of The Sydney Dialogue, she spoke to ABC NewsRadio's Glen Bartholomew.
Singapore pushes greater action against ransomware gangs after Optus hack ABC News Andrew Greene Without specifically mentioning the Optus data breach, Singapore's visiting Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo has warned that ransomware gangs are able to operate across various jurisdictions. "What happens when a ransomware attack happens is that there is a need to stop the payment to the ransomware actor," Ms Teo told the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Sydney Dialogue on Wednesday.
Democracies can be best protected by de-risking, not decoupling The Strategist Wopke Hoekstra Wopke Hoekstra is the deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of the Netherlands. This is an edited version of his address to ASPI’s 2023 Sydney Dialogue. All our countries have long benefited from open economies. We trade freely, exchange ideas and innovate across borders. But as we’re all aware, the geopolitical climate is rapidly changing.
Big Tech
Twitter adds ‘state-affiliated media’ label to NPR, putting it on par with Russia Forbes Matt Novak Twitter added a warning to NPR’s Twitter account on Tuesday, declaring it as “state-affiliated media,” a label that’s typically been reserved for foreign media outlets that represent the official views of the government, like Russia’s RT and China’s Xinhua. The explanation on Twitter’s website went on to call out NPR as an outlet that didn’t deserve the state-affiliated label. At least until recently.
Musk expands feud with media by labeling NPR account “state-affiliated” ArsTechnica Jon Brodkin Twitter has branded NPR with the "state-affiliated media" tag applied to news organizations controlled by governments, contradicting a Twitter policy that cites NPR as an example of a state-financed media organization that retains editorial independence. The move continues Twitter-owner Elon Musk's feud with media organisations. He publicly endorsed the new label for NPR, claiming the outlet falls under policy language that defines state-affiliated media "as outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content."
Twitter Adds ‘State-Affiliated Media’ Label to NPR GIZMODO Nikki Main NPR’s Twitter account received a state-affiliated media label on Wednesday for reportedly being an entity with editorial independence although the outlet receives some funding from the government. The state-affiliated media label has historically been applied to foreign media outlets providing official government views.
Worst-case scenario, Twitter's API changes threaten research tools Digital Investigations Craig Silverman It appears Twitter’s roughly decade-long position as the most open and research-friendly social platform is coming to an end. Last Wednesday, the company announced its new free and paid API tiers. The bottom line is Twitter is killing off the free API that offered the ability to pull a significant amount of tweets and related data.
Artificial Intelligence
China will win AI race if research paused: ex-Google chief The Australian Financial Review Andrew Tillett Former Google boss Eric Schmidt has rejected fellow tech leaders’ call for a six-month pause on research into artificial intelligence, saying such a freeze would only advantage China. But in an exclusive interview with The Australian Financial Review, Dr Schmidt agreed there were legitimate worries over AI, and urged tech sector leaders to immediately come together and set standards on its use.
Instant videos could represent the next leap in AI technology The New York Times Cade Metz A start-up in New York is among a group of companies working on systems that can produce short videos based on a few words typed into a computer. The new video-generation systems could speed the work of moviemakers and other digital artists, while becoming a new and quick way to create hard-to-detect online misinformation, making it even harder to tell what’s real on the internet.
Thanks for reading.
Photo: La Cina di Xi Jinping - Verso un nuovo ordine mondiale sinocentrico?
Gabriele e Nicola Iuvinale
ASE 2023
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