The Week in Internet News: Companies Encouraged to Conduct Q & AI Thumbnail
Technology 11 March 2019

The Week in Internet News: Companies Encouraged to Conduct Q & AI

Grant Gross
By Grant GrossGuest AuthorTechnology Reporter

Uncomfortable AI: Inc.com has a story asking 16 “uncomfortable” questions that companies should ask about Artificial Intelligence. Among them: Are your reasons for deploying AI in the best long-term interests of humanity? And, how can we ensure that our behavior is inclusive?

Russia attacks fake news: Russian lawmakers have passed two bills, one that outlaws the spreading of fake news, at least as determined by the government there. Another bill makes it illegal to “disrespect” authorities in Russia, the BBC reports. Both bills come with heavy fines, and critics said the laws will limit the ability of journalists to report critical information.

The way forward: Facebook believes encrypted communications and privacy are its future, Recode reports. CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined the website’s commitments to private messaging in a lengthy blog post.

The way backward: A teen who decided to get himself vaccinated said his mother got misinformation about the dangers of vaccines on Facebook, USA Today says. Ethan Lindenberger, an 18-year-old from Ohio, asked Reddit users if he should get vaccinated as an adult. There’s never misinformation on Reddit, of course.

Break ‘em up: U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is running for president in 2020, wants to break up tech giants like Facebook, Amazon, and Google, the New York Times reports. Warren, a Massachusetts Democrats, argues those tech companies have become too powerful and too ubiquitous.

Blockchain elections: The city of Denver is planning to use blockchain technology to track and secure voting by smartphone in a municipal election, Coindesk says. Smartphone voting in the pilot program would be available for overseas voters, including members of the military.

Encrypted negotiations: Arguments between many tech companies and U.S. law enforcement agencies about encrypted devices have been less public in recent months, but are still going on behind closed doors, Gizmodo reports. FBI Director Christopher Wray called for ways for law enforcement agencies to work around encrypted devices, and a Silicon Valley crowd at the recent RSA conference often cheered him.

It’s not over: Democrats in the U.S. Congress have introduced a bill that would restore the net neutrality rules the Federal Communications Commission passed, then later rescinded, Ars Technica reports. The net neutrality fight at the FCC and in Congress has been going on for more than a decade now.

How will consolidation impact the Internet’s technical evolution and use? Explore this question in the Global Internet Report: Consolidation in the Internet Economy.

Disclaimer: Viewpoints expressed in this post are those of the author and may or may not reflect official Internet Society positions.

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