Perspective. Business-like to deflect suspicion from the countries that control them?

https://news.softpedia.com/news/u-s-gets-hit-by-more-than-7-ransomware-attacks-an-hour-533191.shtml

U.S. Gets Hit by More Than 7 Ransomware Attacks an Hour

… The increase in attacks has been seen for years. According to Recorded Future, a Boston-based cybersecurity firm, there were 65,000 ransomware attacks last year.

… DarkSide, the Russia-based criminal organization responsible for the Colonial Pipeline attack, even employs what some analysts call a "customer service contact" to answer questions from targets under attack.

The start of an avalanche or an aberration?

https://www.vice.com/en/article/93y3np/new-york-senate-passes-electronics-right-to-repair-legislation

New York Senate Passes Electronics Right-to-Repair Legislation

The legislation still has to pass the Assembly, but the Senate became the first legislative body in the US to pass a bill that would make it easier to fix your things.

Shouldn’t we have access to all (non-classified) data already? FOIA is spreading access, right?

https://www.zdnet.com/article/biden-administration-forms-new-ai-task-force/

Biden administration forms new AI task force

The Biden administration on Thursday announced the formation the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Resource Task Force, a group of 10 AI experts who will create a plan for giving AI researchers more access to data, computational resources and other tools.

I don’t think this is true, except in rare instances. Worth reading.

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/opinions/what-if-ai-is-the-problem-not-the-solution/

What if AI is the problem, not the solution?

Artificial intelligence is a kind of modern alchemy. It promises to put the spark of humanity into inanimate objects. It says it can transmute dross into gold - taking heaps of formless data and magically creating new insights from it.

Of course that is hype, and we know it.

Learning.

https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/webinar-proposed-eu-regulation-on-ai-1005030/

[Webinar] Proposed EU Regulation on AI - Impact and Ripple Effect - June 23rd, 9:00 am ET

Members of WLG's Artificial Intelligence Group will explore the proposed EU legal framework for AI - what businesses, institutions, and processes will be impacted; its implications; and the likely ripple effect to other jurisdictions.

This seems confusing. I see (suspect?) problems.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/09/house-democrats-announce-tech-bills-492703

House Democrats about to uncork 5-pronged assault on tech

House Democrats are set to introduce a package of five bills as soon as this week that would prohibit tech giants like Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google from discriminating against rivals or buying potential competitors, [hostile takeovers only? Bob] two individuals familiar with the discussions told POLITICO — the most serious effort yet to rein in Silicon Valley’s power after years of complaints from Congress.

The most controversial bill would let prosecutors sue to break up major tech companies by forcing the platforms to sell off lines of business if they represent a conflict of interest. POLITICO obtained drafts of all five bills.

… Democrats on the House Judiciary antitrust panel circulated the draft bills to potential co-sponsors this week. They hope to lure at least some GOP members into supporting the bills, particularly Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, a critic of the large tech companies and the top Republican on the panel.

… “This is not traditional antitrust law. This is a broader concept of competition policy that borrows some antitrust concepts, but relies on a broader notion on what behavior for individual firms is inappropriate.”

… Under four of the bills, the Justice Department or the FTC would first be required to designate "covered platforms" — those with at least 500,000 U.S. users, $600 billion in revenue or market cap and a “critical trading partner” for other businesses. Those platforms would then have limitations on their conduct, mergers and data use. [No need to show monopolistic practices? Bob]

… Conflicts of interest: takes aim at companies like Amazon that operate a dominant platform and promote their own goods or services on it.

… Mergers: The platform would be required to show “clear and convincing evidence” in court that the potential rival doesn’t compete with it or pose a competitive threat. [At what level? Could a railroad buy an airline? Bob]