♪ Tsk-tsk, TikTok

The company was just hit with a multi-million dollar fine

April 5, 2023 IN THIS ISSUE 🏛 TikTok fined millions for misusing children's data 🗣 President Biden speaks out on artificial intelligence 🚁 NASA's Mars helicopter just set two new flight records

UP FIRST TikTok fined millions for misusing children's data The popular app is facing growing pressure on multiple fronts TikTok has been hit with a $15.9 million fine for failing to protect children's data on the popular app.   Already under pressure in various countries over concerns that the app poses a national security risk, Chinese-owned TikTok was this week called out by U.K. regulators who fined the company for "a number of breaches of data protection law, including failing to use children's personal data lawfully," CNBC reported.   The regulator estimated TikTok allowed as many as 1.4 million U.K.-based children aged under 13 to use the platform in 2020, even though its own rules stipulate that accounts can only be created by people above that age.   It also accused the company of using the data without parental consent. John Edwards, the U.K. Information Commissioner, said that TikTok "did not do enough to check who was using their platform or take sufficient action to remove the underage children that were using their platform."   In response, TikTok said it's working constantly to keep underage children off its platform and is now reviewing the regulator's decision.   TikTok was fined $5.7 million by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for similar practices in 2019. Read more

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE President Biden says it remains to be seen if AI is dangerous He spoke briefly on the topic during a gathering of tech advisors President Biden has made his feelings known about the new wave of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that have garnered so much attention in recent months.   At a gathering of science and technology advisers at the White House on Tuesday, Biden said it "remains to be seen" if artificial intelligence is a dangerous technology, adding that tech companies "have a responsibility to make sure their products are safe" before releasing them for public use. The president added that while AI "can help deal with some very difficult challenges like disease and climate change," those behind the tools also have to address "the potential risks to our society, to our economy, to our national security."   Biden's concerns follow the emergence of powerful generative AI tools such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard, which can converse in an impressively complex and human-like way. Similar tools can also produce images and audio in response to text prompts, with the long-term impact of the technology not even clear to those creating the products.   One commentator told the Associated Press that President Biden's comments "set the stage for a national dialogue on the topic by elevating attention to AI, which is desperately needed." Read more

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT NASA Mars helicopter just set two new flight records on the red planet The aircraft achieved the records on its 49th flight NASA's remarkable Mars helicopter has been buzzing around the red planet for the last couple of years, zipping between various locations, and assisting the wheel-based Perseverance rover as it continues its search for evidence of ancient life.   Now we've learned that the drone-like aircraft, called Ingenuity, set two records during its 49th Mars flight a few days ago. First, it reached a speed of 15 mph (6.5 meters per second), beating its previous record of 13 mph (6 meters per second), set in February. Ingenuity also reached an altitude of 52.5 feet (16 meters), going well beyond its previous record of 46 feet (14 meters) during a flight in December.   The accomplishment is further confirmation of the amazing work that went into creating the 4-pound, 19-inch-tall helicopter, which entered the record books in April 2021 when it became the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on a planet other than Earth. Read more

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