๐ Exploring Web Reform, Navigating Meta Lawsuits, and Advancing Passkey Progress
Todayโs pick
We can have a different web. As a lifelong lover of the web, it's hard not to feel a little hopeless right now. Search engines โ the window into the web for many people โ top their results with pages containing thousands of words of auto-generated nothingness, perfectly optimized for search engine prominence and to pull in money via ads and affiliate links while simultaneously devoid of any useful information. By Molly White via Citation Needed
๐: Many yearn for the "good old days" of the web. We could have those good old days back โ or something even better โ and if anything, it would be easier now than it ever was. - Molly White (@molly0xFFF)
A Lawsuit Argues Meta Is Required by Law to Let You Control Your Own Feed. A lawsuit filed Wednesday against Meta argues that US law requires the company to let people use unofficial add-ons to gain more control over their social feeds. It's the latest in a series of disputes in which the company has tussled with researchers and developers over tools that give users extra privacy options or that collect research data. By Vittoria Elliott via WIRED
๐: This suit against Meta by @EthanZ w counsel from @knightcolumbia has everything. Section 230 interpretive fights galore, all on behalf of middleware providers, and with implications for researchers. And copyright and DMCA 1201 claims waiting in the wings! - Daphne Keller (@daphnehk)
The best way to reach new readers is through word of mouth. If you click THIS LINK in your inbox, itโll create an easy-to-send pre-written email you can just fire off to some friends.
Over 400 million Google accounts have used passkeys but our passwordless future remains elusive. Google is kicking off World Password Day by updating us on its efforts toward replacing the often hacked, guessed, and stolen form of authentication with passkeys. Their passwordless approach relies on device-based authentication instead, making in faster and more secure. By Jess Weatherbed via The Verge
Microsoft says April Windows updates break VPN connections. Microsoft has confirmed that the April 2024 Windows security updates break VPN connections across client and server platforms. The company explains on the Windows health dashboard that 'Windows devices might face VPN connection failures afterย installing the April 2024 security update or the April 2024 non-security preview update." "We are investigating user reports, and we will provide more information in the coming days," Redmond added. By Sergiu Gatlan via BleepingComputer
Hacker free-for-all fights for control of home and office routers everywhere. Cybercriminals and spies working for nation-states are surreptitiously coexisting inside the same compromised name-brand routers as they use the devices to disguise attacks motivated both by financial gain and strategic espionage, researchers said cases, the coexistence is peaceful, as financially motivated hackers provide spies with access to already compromised routers in exchange for a fee, researchers from security firm Trend Micro reported Wednesday. ย By Dan Goodin via Ars Technica
AI news
Nvidiaโs AI chatbot now supports Googleโs Gemma model, voice queries, and more
Google says immigration rules are making it hard to hire top AI talent
Khosla, VCs Plow $100 Million Into Blood Test Startup Using AI
Meta now has an AI chatbot. Experts say get ready for more AI-powered social media
US official urges China, Russia to declare only humans, not AI, control nuclear weapons
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