Over 50 organizations are mobilizing against the EU’s “Going Dark” group and their surveillance list. Their approach is “disconnected from technical realities,” as the EU’s concept would require the systematic weakening of all digital security systems, including but not limited to encryption. Meanwhile, Google has combined its Project Astra with Gemini 2.0 to create a universal and multimodal AI assistant for smartphones and smart glasses. This assistant can access other Google services like Search, Maps, and Lens to assist users, but is currently only available for testing.
Meta Platforms, on the other hand, faced difficulties. Last night, all services of the company were functioning at best in a limited capacity. This primarily affected Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, but WhatsApp was also not 100% reliable. Most of these issues now seem to be resolved.
Numerous civil rights organizations, like the Chaos Computer Club and about 50 others, warn against EU plans to grant law enforcement the greatest possible access to personal data. The recommendations from the EU’s working group pose “fundamental risks of mass surveillance and significant dangers to security and privacy.” Activists criticize the working group’s “Lawful Access by Design” concept, which suggests embedding access for investigators to unencrypted communication data directly into technology. They expressed this in an open letter: EU investigators want to bypass encryption and mathematics.
Besides the new AI model Gemini 2.0, Google also announced progress with “Project Astra.” This involves the work on a universal, multimodal AI assistant on smartphones or smart glasses that can support users both visually and verbally. The AI assistant can now remember various things, allowing users to utilize the system as a memory aid. Although Project Astra is currently only accessible to a limited group of testers, the AI assistant can now understand and respond in different languages. Additionally, it can remember things for longer periods.
Yesterday, all services of the US company Meta were limited or not usable. This affected Instagram, Threads, and Facebook—WhatsApp was intermittently functional but not 100% reliable. Messages often arrived with significant delays or not at all. Profiles appeared either not at all or only after a long wait. Tens of thousands of reports were submitted on disruption reporting portals. These issues seemed to be worldwide or at least not confined to Germany. Meta confirmed the problems and later announced that services seem to be functioning again.
Three-quarters of German citizens (76%) are concerned about the credibility of media when Artificial Intelligence (AI) is involved. They believe that the technology leads to a decline in trust in news and media content. This is a core result of the “Transparency Check” study on the “Perception of AI Journalism,” published by the state media authorities. 56% of over 3000 participants even see AI as a threat to democracy in Germany. At the same time, over 90% consider clear rules for the use of technology in media and labeling as indispensable.
Due to ongoing attacks on current Windows desktop and Windows server versions, admins should ensure that Windows Update is active and the latest security patches are installed. Developers have also closed several vulnerabilities through which malicious code can enter systems. The currently exploited vulnerability, classified as “high” risk, affects various Windows 10 and Windows 11 editions. Windows Server is threatened in several versions like 2008 and 2022. Successful attacks allow attackers to gain higher user rights and usually cause extensive damage. This is to be prevented with the Patchday.
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