EU accuses Meta and TikTok of breaching transparency rules
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union says Meta and TikTok have breached transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act. The inquiry found both companies had violated the Digital Services Act, the EU’s trailblazing digital rule book that imposes a set of strict requirements designed to keep internet users safe online. Meta says it disagrees with the findings but will continue to negotiate with the EU. TikTok says it will review the findings but that the act's transparency obligations conflict with other European laws.
Watch those texts! Smartphones emerging as a new way for public figures to get into hot water
NEW YORK (AP) — Some public figures carry threats to their livelihood in the palms of their hands. In recent weeks, the Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general, a group of aspiring Republican leaders and one of President Donald Trump's nominees for an important job have all been knocked down by stories that showed them making crude and offensive comments in chat groups or text chains. Whether it's sloppiness or arrogance, poor choice in texting is leading politicians to put their careers at risk. For journalists, it's fertile territory to catch leaders revealing a private side to themselves, and a challenge to make sure they get their stories right.
Microsoft hopes Mico succeeds where Clippy failed as tech companies warily imbue AI with personality
Remember Clippy? Microsoft's infamous paper clip assistant might have been before its time. The software giant has introduced a new AI character called Mico (pronounced MEE'koh), designed to embody its Copilot virtual assistant. Mico, a floating cartoon face shaped like a flame or blob, aims to balance personality with functionality. This launch comes as AI developers navigate how to present chatbots in an engaging way without causing harm or annoyance. Unlike Clippy, which Microsoft pushed on desktop computer users at the turn of the 21st century, Mico is also easy to turn off.
Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, high-profile cryptocurrency figure
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who created the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Zhao served prison time after failing to stop criminals from using the platform to move money connected to child sex abuse, drug trafficking and terrorism. The pardon announced Thursday caps a monthslong effort by Zhao, a billionaire commonly known as CZ in the crypto world. He and Binance have been key supporters of some of the Trump family’s crypto enterprises. Zhao said in a social media post that he was “deeply grateful” to Trump. The president said he didn't believe he'd ever met Zhao, but that “a lot of people say that he wasn’t guilty of anything.”
In a California farming region, researchers are mapping rural heat to protect farmworkers
In some of the most agriculturally rich regions in the U.S., researchers from San Diego State University are working to understand how climate change is impacting heat in rural areas and the farmworkers who toil in them. They’re putting sensors on workers to measure their heart rates and core body temperatures while they work and evaluating environmental temperatures to assess occupational heat risk. Rising temperatures, decreased water supplies and shifting crop patterns are changing microclimates and increasing exposure to extreme heat for farmworkers, who are already among the most vulnerable to it. The project aims to map rural heat islands to better protect California farmworkers from scorching heat.
One Tech Tip: Keeping up with your Halloween trick-or-treaters with these tricks
NEW YORK (AP) — For little ghosts, witches, KPop Demon Hunters and superheroes, Halloween is one of the most exciting nights of the year. But it’s also one of the busiest for parents as they try to keep track of their trick-or-treaters, give out candy and watch over their homes. Fortunately, there are some tech tracking apps that can help families stay safe this Halloween, and have a little more fun too.
Intel posts profit even as it struggles to regain market share
NEW YORK (AP) — Intel posted profits in the latest quarter as the one-time America technology icon struggles to regain market share. The chipmaker reported net income of $4.1 billion, or 90 cents per share, in the three months through September, up from a loss of $17 billion, or $3.88 cents per share, a year earlier. Recently installed CEO Lip-Bu Tan has been cutting thousand of positions and mothballing projects to cut costs.
What to Stream: 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' Florence + the Machine, &TEAM, 'Sorry, Baby' and 'Hedda'
“Jurassic World Rebirth” roaring and snarling on Peacock and Florence + the Machine’s latest Halloween-ready album, “Everybody Scream,” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time for the week of Oct. 27 as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are Eva Victor’s “Sorry, Baby,” one of the most exciting movie debuts of the year, landing on HBO Max, the nine-member Japanese boy band &TEAM releasing their debut Korean album and a new “Robin Hood” reimagining on MGM+ and called “a romance adventure.”
What Americans think about the environmental impact of AI, according to a new poll
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll finds that as the United States rapidly builds massive data centers for the development of artificial intelligence, many Americans are concerned about the environmental impact. The AP-NORC/EPIC poll finds that worries about how AI will affect the environment surpass concerns about other industries that worsen climate change. The results suggest that as AI reshapes work, communication and culture, it’s also sparking anxieties about how the growing energy demands could further harm the environment. In many places, the electricity for data centers will come from burning fossil fuels, especially natural gas, which warms the planet.
Musk's rollercoaster year: From boycotts and plunging earnings to a potential trillion-dollar payday
NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk literally left a government job with a black eye, has seen profits at his car company sink and must worry about federal regulators disrupting his plans to unleash a fleet of driverless taxis on America's roads in the next few years. And he's still paying the bill for his messy of takeover of Twitter three years ago. Still one could argue he's doing alright. Tesla's rising stock price has added to his wealth and he's weeks away from shareholders signing off on a pay package that could reward him with up to a trillion dollars.
