š Appleās Encryption Battle, Muskās Gov AI, IoT vs Welfare
Good morning. Itās Friday, February 07. Today we are covering:
Apple ordered to open encrypted user accounts globally to UK spying
Elon Musk's DOGE Is Working on a Custom Chatbot Called GSAi
Why the internet of things could destroy the welfare state
Microsoft says attackers use exposed ASP.NET keys to deploy malware
Donald Trump's memecoin copycats spark fears for investors
Letās dive in
Quick note for our loyal readers: Weāre thrilled to keep bringing you Newslit Daily, ad-free and focused on the stories that matter most. To keep it that wayāand dream even biggerāwe need your support.
Your pledge helps us stay independent and deliver high-quality insights while exploring exciting new ideasālike a daily podcast or deeper story dives.
What would you love to see next? Share your thoughts and help shape the future of Newslit Daily. Thank you for being part of this journey!
Apple ordered to open encrypted user accounts globally to UK spying
By Dominic Preston via The Verge
Apple has reportedly been ordered by the UK government to create a backdoor for encrypted iCloud backups, granting British security services access to any user's data worldwide, under the Investigatory Powers Act (Snoopersā Charter).
To comply, Apple may remove its Advanced Data Protection feature in the UK, but this would not satisfy the governmentās demand for global access. Apple can appeal on cost and proportionality grounds, but the order remains enforceable during the appeal process.
If Apple grants access, other countries like the US and China may demand the same, setting a precedent that could impact Google, Meta, and other tech firms offering end-to-end encryption.
š: Apple has been secretly ordered to create an encryption back door for UK spying. If implemented, the secret order would give the UK access to encrypted backups belonging to any user ā not just Brits - Tom Warren (@tomwarren)
Elon Musk's DOGE Is Working on a Custom Chatbot Called GSAi
By Paresh Dave via WIRED
Elon Muskās Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is rapidly developing GSAi, a generative AI chatbot for the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), as part of President Donald Trumpās AI-first agenda to modernize federal operations.
The chatbot aims to boost productivity for GSAās 12,000 employees, assist with contract analysis, and streamline government spending insights; Googleās Gemini AI was considered but deemed insufficient.
The initiative reflects Trumpās push for AI dominance, sparking concerns from federal employees and watchdogs, while DOGE also explores AI-driven coding tools like GitHub Copilot to cut costs and accelerate government processes.
š: AI all over our govāt, courtesy of DOGE - Dr. Naomi Wolf. 8 NYT Bestsellers. DPhil, Poetry. (@naomirwolf)
The best way to reach new readers is through word of mouth. If you click THIS LINK in your inbox, itāll create an easy-to-send pre-written email you can just fire off to some friends.
Why the internet of things could destroy the welfare state
By Evgeny Morozov via The Guardian
Evgeny Morozov warns that the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and algorithmic regulation could shift governance away from democratic institutions, replacing laws with automated, data-driven enforcement mechanisms controlled by corporations and bureaucrats.
The increasing reliance on real-time data trackingāfrom smart cities to self-monitoring health appsārisks shifting responsibility from the welfare state to individuals, reinforcing surveillance capitalism while punishing those who fail to meet algorithmic expectations.
Silicon Valleyās vision of a "lean startup" government, driven by constant feedback loops and efficiency metrics, could dismantle public services and replace social safety nets with personalized, reputation-based systems, reinforcing economic inequalities under the guise of innovation.
š: In 2014, I wrote an essay on the rise of "algorithmic regulation" / "lean start-up" imaginary in government circles. Silicon Valley's recipe for government efficiency, I argued, would - at best - yield the "Singaporization" of liberal democracy. - Evgeny Morozov (evgenymorozov.bsky.social) (@evgenymorozov)
Microsoft says attackers use exposed ASP.NET keys to deploy malware
By Sergiu Gatlan via BleepingComputer
Microsoft warns that attackers are exploiting publicly disclosed ASP.NET machine keys to inject malware via ViewState code injection attacks, granting them remote code execution (RCE) on vulnerable IIS web servers.
Over 3,000 exposed machine keys have been identified, allowing threat actors to craft malicious payloads, including deploying the Godzilla post-exploitation framework, which enables command execution and shellcode injection.
To mitigate risks, Microsoft urges developers to securely generate machine keys, avoid using default or public keys, encrypt sensitive configurations, upgrade to ASP.NET 4.8, and enforce attack surface reduction rules to block webshell creation
Donald Trump's memecoin copycats spark fears for investors
By Nikou Asgari via Financial Times
Donald Trumpās memecoin launch has triggered the creation of over 700 copycat tokens, with many falsely implying official endorsement, raising concerns about investor deception and speculation.
Scammers exploit Solanaās token mechanics to deposit fake Trump-themed coins into his official wallet, making it difficult for uninformed investors to distinguish legitimate projects from fraudulent schemes.
Crypto experts warn that the flood of imitation coins could lead to market instability, with illiquid tokens misleadingly valued in the billions, while regulatory oversight remains limited.
Trending in AI
OpenAI now reveals more of its o3-mini modelās thought process
Amazon plans to spend $100 billion this year to capture āonce in a lifetime opportunityā in AI
Google starts testing new Search āAI Modeā internally ā Hereās an early look at it
AI chip firm Cerebras partners with France's Mistral, claims speed record
Thanks for reading to the bottom and soaking in our Newslit Daily fueled with highlights for your morning.
I hope you found it interesting and, needless to say, if you have any questions or feedback let me know by hitting reply.
Take care and see you on Monday!
How was todayās email?