Maury Nichols found this one. Maybe I can buy one used?

https://www.thedrive.com/news/how-texas-police-spent-4-5-million-on-four-chevy-tahoes

How Texas Police Spent $4.5 Million on Four Chevy Tahoes

Ominous Israeli surveillance tech is now being deployed on American roads.  FalcoNet, brought to you by a company called Cognyte (Israel’s Palantir rival), secretly tracks people by intercepting the connection between your phone and the nearest cell tower. The idea is that you can strap this bad boy to a helicopter, backpack, or Chevy Tahoe and gobble up everybody’s data as you cruise around. It’s already in use in Florida. This year, Texas State Police bought a little fleet of FalcoNet-equipped SUVs for just under $4.5 million. I found the purchase receipt and FalcoNet user guide to learn a little more about it.

In March of 2026, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Criminal Investigations Division asked for approval to spend $4,487,500 on a Cognyte surveillance setup. Actually, what they requested was “approval for emergency purchase necessary to protect the safety and welfare of state personnel and property. Delaying the procurement process could result in unacceptable safety risks to personnel and compromise operational readiness.”

The request memo is chock-full of urgency and dramatic language—peppered with terms like “emergency” and “immediate.” But no specifics are mentioned. “Any delay in procuring would compromise employee safety, public safety, operational readiness, and overall mission success,” the memo states, without saying how or why this brand-new, very expensive technology is suddenly essential to operations.

“Forgetting” might be a mistake. Perhaps we should keep all data but flag that which is in dispute or clearly erroneous. How can we identify “new” copies of forgotten data?

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/18479790261468434

Can artificial intelligence forget? Reflections on the right to disappear in a world where algorithms remember everything

The development of artificial intelligence has profoundly reshaped the ways in which personal data are generated, processed, and retained, placing intelligent systems at the heart of debates on privacy and fundamental rights. This article examines, from a European Union legal perspective, the application of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to AI and assesses whether the principles and rights enshrined in European law—particularly the rights to erasure, to be forgotten, and to rectification—can be effectively exercised once information has been absorbed by machine learning models. The study examines the main legal and technical challenges arising from the nature of AI, which does not store data in a static form but transforms it into knowledge, thereby complicating its localisation, alteration, or deletion. It also analyses the relationship between the GDPR and the Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA), emphasising their complementary roles and the need to ensure coherence between the two regulatory frameworks. From a legal and ethical standpoint, the paper considers phenomena inherent to AI systems—such as hallucinations, algorithmic bias, and neurodata—to illustrate how they challenge essential principles such as accuracy, minimisation, and purpose limitation, and how they test the rights of individuals in contexts where information cannot truly be “forgotten”. Finally, it proposes alternative mechanisms, mitigation strategies, and emerging solutions aimed at preserving individuals’ effective control over their data in the algorithmic age, thereby reinforcing privacy protection and public trust in the responsible use of new technologies.

Well, he does impact the stock market, but access to the betting sites might be more valuable.

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-media-pitched-100000-monthly-fee-fast-feed-us-presidents-posts-ft-reports-2026-07-17/

Trump Media pitched $100,000 monthly fee for fastest feed of US president's posts, sources say

Are we learning to fear the drones?

https://thenextweb.com/news/pentagon-freezes-155-wind-projects-drone-threat

The Pentagon froze 155 wind projects in 24 states, claiming drones can hide in wind farms

The year-long freeze affects 44 gigawatts of capacity and has cost developers $2 billion. The wind industry says it is the latest political attack on renewables.

If something as simple as when the sun is directly overhead befuddles legislatures, what else are they getting wrong?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2026/07/16/daylight-saving-time-debate-reveals-science-literacy-hole/

Daylight Saving Time Debate Reveals Science Literacy Hole

The U.S. House recently passed the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill proposing permanent daylight saving time, though its passage in the Senate remains uncertain. This legislative debate has exposed a significant science literacy gap, with many mistakenly believing that adjusting clocks affects the actual amount of sunlight delivered to Earth. The article emphasizes that Daylight Saving Time and time zones are entirely human constructs. Clock changes simply shift daylight relative to our daily schedules, without altering natural factors like latitude, Earth's tilt, or seasons that truly determine daylight duration. A similar attempt at permanent DST in the 1970s was quickly abandoned, suggesting potential challenges ahead.

Still not ready for prime time.

https://www.axios.com/2026/07/18/ai-lawyers-judges-balancing-act

May (A)I approach the bench?

Judges are becoming AI firewalls, setting guidelines for lawyers and litigants entering their courtrooms and reprimanding those who fail to vet their research or cite fake AI-generated cases.

• But judges are also navigating how to use the tech themselves.

… Case in point: Last month, a federal judge in Mississippi punished four lawyers and canceled a civil trial after both sides cited fake, AI-generated cases. And it's not just lawyers who have faced heat.

• Damien Charlotin, a senior research fellow at HEC Paris, has identified more than 1,700 cases where generative AI hallucinated.

• On Thursday, a federal judge in Michigan accused the government of likely citing an AI-generated case in an immigration-related filing.

• While Chief Judge Hala Jarbou, a Trump appointee, did not impose sanctions, she wrote that "the Government must ensure its future filings with this Court do not include nonexistent case law."

Did I miss this earlier?

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6985419

How to Maintain Our Privacy in the AI Age

This essay, written as part of the Wall Street Journal's USA250 series, argues that today's privacy laws aren't working because they put the onus on us to guard our data. This approach fails because digital technologies are too complicated for us to manage. Instead, to be effective, privacy laws must hold companies accountable. Whenever a company creates an unreasonable risk of harm through uses of data or through AI algorithms, the company must be held responsible. The essay proposes measures such as rigorous data minimization, fiduciary duties, liability for negligent or reckless technological design, liability for algorithms that cause harm, and multi-stakeholder review of technologies.

So where was the US? Is China winning by default?

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/twenty-nine-countries-sign-agreement-establish-global-ai-cooperation-body-2026-07-16/

Twenty-nine countries sign agreement to establish global AI cooperation body

Twenty-nine countries on Thursday signed an agreement to establish the World AI Cooperation Organization, ‌an intergovernmental body China says aims to promote international cooperation and global governance in artificial intelligence.

Probably a good thing, but what happens if the teens or adults flagged refuse to discuss it? Is there a mandatory psych hold?

https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/16/meta-now-alerts-parents-if-their-teen-discussed-suicide-or-self-harm-with-its-ai-chatbot/

Meta now alerts parents if their teen discussed suicide or self-harm with its AI chatbot

Meta announced on Thursday that it will now notify parents if their teen discusses suicide or self-harm with the company’s Meta AI chatbot. Meta says it’s also working on the ability to contact emergency services if someone’s conversations suggest they may be at imminent risk of suicide.

... Meta says it has built a dedicated AI system to identify conversations where a teen makes a clear reference to hurting themselves.

“We understand how distressing these alerts may be for a parent to receive,” Meta wrote in a blog post. “That’s why, as we continue to improve our detection, all chats flagged by our AI will be manually reviewed before an alert is sent. If a teen’s intent is ambiguous, we’ll err on the side of caution and alert the parent.

… Additionally, Meta says it will contact emergency services if someone’s conversation with Meta AI, whether the user is an adult or a teen, suggests someone is at risk of suicide.

Probably not the only country to try this. Should be amusing to watch…

https://thenextweb.com/news/south-korea-free-ai-chatbot-all-citizens-domestic-models

South Korea will give all 52 million citizens free AI access, becoming the first G20 nation to do so

South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT opened bidding on July 13 for a free, unlimited AI chatbot and public-service agent available to all 52 million residents.  The programme, called “AI for Everyone,” would make South Korea the first G20 nation to offer AI to its entire population as a public service. Two or three companies will be selected and given up to 512 Nvidia B200 GPUs from the government, with applications open through August 11 and a beta launch in September.

Apparently even lawyers see AI as a useful tool.

https://www.bespacific.com/ai-native-firms-are-luring-frustrated-lawyers-away-from-big-law/

AI-Native Firms Are Luring Frustrated Lawyers Away From Big Law

BloombergLaw  [no paywall ]: “AI-native firms may not be taking Big Law’s market share, but they are making incursions into a valuable asset: talent. “The AI-forward attorneys are chafing at the slow pace of firm adoption and archaic thinking,” said Sam Shaddox, 38, a co-founder of Seattle’s Talairis Law Group. “They’re migrating to the firms that are leading the way on AI, or leaving Big Law entirely to chart their own path.” Shaddox and Matt Souza met at the University of Washington School of Law, cut their teeth at Perkins Coie, and spent years inside legal departments of Seattle-area tech companies. In May, they launched Talairis Law Group to advise startups with the help of AI agents. The number of law firms branded as “AI-native” or “AI-powered” is growing quickly, backed by millions in venture capital. Many of their leaders left major law firms early in their careers to launch businesses aimed at young companies and entrepreneurs. Logan Brown, a 30-year-old Harvard graduate and former Cooley LLP associate, officially launched Soxton AI in New York in December. JP Mohler, 36, was an associate at WilmerHale and Cooley after Harvard Law School and tinkered with AI tools at Casetext and Reuters before forming General Legal through Y Combinator with two co-founders. Some Big Law veterans are also heeding the call. Norm Law appointed Mike Schmidtberger, the former Sidley Austin executive committee chair in January. Moritz, a San Francisco firm whose CEO and co-founder served as OpenAI counsel, has hired attorneys from Cooley, Goodwin Procter, and Fenwick & West. General Legal’s 14 full-time lawyers are almost entirely Big Law alumni. They were recruited in part because mid-level associates are “frustrated” by a partnership track that offers little control and years of deferred reward, Mohler said. All full-time lawyers receive equity in the company, which provides flat-fee contract and employment law services. General Legal has raised $11.5 million and reached $2 million in annualized revenue, Mohler said. That’s a speck of what large firms see in revenue each year and less than one-fifth of what the average Kirkland & Ellis partner earns in annual profits. Still, Mohler has lofty goals. “Ten years, it will be the biggest law firm in the world,” he said. Change will unfold “a lot faster than any previous kind of disruptive cycle.” He says he is aiming for “venture capital scale”—meaning a company ultimately valued between $10 billion to $100 billion…” AI-native law firms like Soxton and Talairis are built around artificial intelligence from the ground up—every workflow, pricing model, and staffing decision is designed assuming AI does the first pass of the work…”

Does AI really cause population decline?

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2026/07/14/2003860695

China can ban AI boyfriends, but cannot make men listen

A man who listens with empathy, offers emotional support and is available whenever you need him? Sounds ideal. As Elon Musk’s Grok serves up pig-tailed, scantily clad anime-girl companions, China’s artificial intelligence romance boom has found a different audience: women.

That might explain why Beijing is moving to rein it in. At a time of plunging marriage and birth rates, China is set to become the first country to impose comprehensive rules aimed at curbing the harms of anthropomorphic AI, with a new regulation taking effect next week.

Too logical to survive?

https://thenextweb.com/news/australia-ai-policy-copyright-energy

Australia tells AI data centres to put back more power than they take out

Anthony Albanese has told the AI industry that Australian books, music, and journalism are not free training data, and that any large data centre built in the country will have to put more electricity into the grid than it draws out. Neither of those things is law yet.

… The energy obligation is the sharpest thing in the speech. Operators of the next generation of large data centres would be required to underwrite new power supply, pay their full share of grid connection so that no costs land on homes or businesses, and put at least as much energy into the grid as they take out of it.

It’s kind of a person for AI that can’t be a person.

https://thenextweb.com/news/delaware-aic-ai-agent-legal-entity-sandbox

Delaware wants to give AI agents their own legal identity

Delaware wants to give AI agents something no one has offered them before: a legal identity of their own. The proposed Delaware AIC would let an autonomous system run a company, sign contracts, and face lawsuits in its own name, all inside a supervised sandbox.

Of course, I don’t agree. Probably because I don’t understand.

https://thenextweb.com/news/economists-ai-transformation-we-must-act-now

200 economists just admitted they can’t see where AI is taking the economy

… On Monday a group of the world’s most decorated economists and AI researchers published a statement called We Must Act Now. It runs to just 88 words. It carries 16 Nobel laureates, the chief economists of both OpenAI and Anthropic, and a supporting cast that includes Eric Schmidt, Reid Hoffman, Yoshua Bengio and Yann LeCun.

The message is blunt. AI “may become radically more powerful over the next 10 years”, the letter says. It could drive “an unprecedented transformation of our economy, larger than the Industrial Revolution, but unfolding over a vastly shorter time frame”. That might mean large-scale job losses, or major gains in living standards. The signatories want economists, policymakers and technology leaders to act now and build the guardrails.

Oh goody, something for nothing.

https://thenextweb.com/news/most-americans-now-say-the-public-should-own-half-of-the-big-ai-companies

Most Americans now say the public should own half of the big AI companies

A Verasight survey of 1,690 US adults found 69% support forcing AI companies to transfer 50% of their stock to a public sovereign wealth fund, the policy at the heart of Bernie Sanders’s American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act. The shift tracks a labour market where tech made up nearly a third of US layoffs in H1 2026 while the same firms raised AI capex. The article presents the counterarguments too: property-rights objections, chilled investment, disputed displacement forecasts, and survey-wording effects.

Something I read about…

https://www.npr.org/2026/07/11/nx-s1-5886268/are-we-living-through-the-end-of-reading

Are we living through the end of reading?

… Just the statistics showing how much of a decline there's been in the share of people who read. In America, the share of people who read a book or even an article on any given day has declined by 40% in the past two decades. And currently, gambling is a more popular leisure activity than reading is.

… So it's not just that people are reading less than they used to. It's that the books that they do read, the sentences are much shorter, and the prose is much simpler. We know that New York Times bestsellers have sentences that are about a third shorter than they were a century ago. And in reporting this piece, I spoke with the head of the New York Public Library, and he said that the library's most popular offerings are young adult fiction. And that's even among people who are not young adults.