US Supreme Court appears inclined to uphold TikTok ban | Zuckerberg's Meta dismantles diversity programs ahead of Trump's presidency | Musk examines how to oust UK PM before next election
Good morning. It's Monday 13th of January.
The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest focuses onĀ the topics we work on, including cybersecurity, critical technologies, foreign interference & disinformation.
Follow us on X, on LinkedIn, and on BlueSky.
During about 2-1/2 hours of arguments, the nine justices pressed lawyers representing TikTok, its Chinese parent company ByteDance and app users about the risk of China's government exploiting the platform to spy on Americans and carry out covert influence operations - while also probing free speech concerns.Ā Reuters
Meta is dismantling its employee diversity and equity programs, reversing a years-long approach to creating a more inclusive and equitable environment for women and underrepresented groups.Ā The Washington Post
Musk, the worldās richest man and key confidant of US president-elect Donald Trump, is probing how he and his rightwing allies can destabilise the UK Labour government beyond the aggressive posts he has issued on his social media platform X. The Financial Times
Australia
OāBrien in South Korea on nuclear technology fact-finding mission
The Australian
Ted OāBrien said Australia could ālearn a lotā from South Korea, which for the first time in 2024 generated more electricity from nuclear energy than coal and natural gas.
China
Chinese spies targeting new Ivanti [remote work] vulnerability, Mandiant says
The Record by Recorded Future
Jonathan Greig
Mandiant published a blog post detailing its examination of CVE-2025-0282 ā a vulnerability Ivanti announced on Wednesday that affects the companyās popular Connect Secure VPN appliance.
Xiās answer on energy: everything, everywhere, all at once
The Australian
Will Glasgow
To travel around China is to witness a rollout of renewables on a scale beyond anywhere else in the world. You can see it from the window of every domestic flight or fast train trip. Yet all this new solar, wind, hydro and nuclear power is still not enough to meet the growing electricity demands of Chinaās 1.4 billion people and its economy that remains for so many products the āfactory of the worldā. New thermal coal-fired power stations continue to make up the difference. āForget about kicking thermal [coal] out of the mix,ā David Fishman, a Shanghai-based energy consultant, says. āChina is just trying to cover its demand growth with renewables.ā
Shanghai and Beijing aim to become global players in brain computer interface industry
South China Morning Post
Mandy Zou
Two of Chinaās biggest cities have rolled out ambitious action plans for the brain computer interface industry, aiming to make China a global leader in the field by 2030. The technology enables direct communication between the brain and external devices through neuroengineering and it could help treat conditions such as blindness and paralysis among other applications.
USA
Supreme Court appears inclined to uphold TikTok ban in US
Reuters
Andrew Chung, John Kruzel and David Shepardson
During about 2-1/2 hours of arguments, the nine justices pressed lawyers representing TikTok, its Chinese parent company ByteDance and app users about the risk of China's government exploiting the platform to spy on Americans and carry out covert influence operations - while also probing free speech concerns.
The TikTok ban is also about hiding pro-Palestinian content. Republicans said so themselves, The Intercept
How Watch Duty became the go-to wildfire app to track L.A. wildfires
The Washington Post
Shira Ovide and Heather Kelly
A nonprofit mostly run by volunteers and on a shoestring budget, Watch Duty has become one of the most trusted sources of information about wildfires, according to users. In addition to providing real-time alerts, its app and site are filled with maps that show information to help people in danger zones, like active fire perimeters, evacuation warnings and power outages. Even emergency responders use it.
Boeing and Google each give $1m for Trump inauguration
BBC News
JoĆ£o da Silva
US aviation giant Boeing has told BBC News it is donating $1m (Ā£812,600) to an inauguration fund for President-elect Donald Trump. Google and Microsoft have also confirmed they have made similar donations as the firms join a growing list of major American companies contributing to the fund. The list also includes oil producer Chevron and technology giants Meta, Amazon and Uber.
Americas
Colombia: Labor violations, sexual exploitation in webcam studios
Human Rights Watch
Erin Kilbride
Webcam models in Colombia report serious abuses by studios producing content for the billion-dollar adult webcam industry, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Models report unhygienic conditions, 18-hour shifts without breaks, and coercion to do sexual performances they find degrading, traumatizing, or physically painful.
North Asia
The sovereign AI debate and prospects of āKoreanā AI
Korea Economic Institute of America
Haeyoon Kim
These limitations of English-centric AI models have driven South Korea, alongside many other countries, to pursue AI ambitions that align more closely with Koreaās linguistic and cultural nuances. Yet, the rise of sovereign AI also raises serious concerns such as state-driven manipulation, most clearly evidenced by Chinese LLMs, as well as the risks of promoting techno-nationalism and protectionist AI policies amid escalating US-China competition.
Europe
Zuckerberg urges Trump to stop the EU from fining US tech companies
POLITICO
Aitor HernƔndez-Morales
Zuckerberg complained that the EU had forced U.S. tech companies operating in Europe to pay "more than $30 billion" in penalties for legal violations over the past two decades. Last November, the tech chief's Meta conglomerate, which operates Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other social media and communications platforms, was fined ā¬797 million for breaching EU antitrust rules by imposing unfair trading conditions on ads service providers.
Musk, Meta fuel far-right attack against EU tech ācensorshipā
POLITICO
Pieter Haeck
For the European far right, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerbergās crusade against perceived European Union ācensorshipā is a welcome gift. European far-right lawmakers have long opposed the EUās Digital Services Act and other efforts to regulate online content. The tech tycoonsā recent rally against the rules has empowered lawmakers to step up their attacks, too.
Zuckerbergās censorship claims were āmisleadingā ā EU tech chief
POLITICO
Eddy Wax and Pieter Haeck
The Finnish commissionerās rebuttal is the strongest yet from an EU official, as U.S. tech giants such as Zuckerberg move to ingratiate themselves with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump.
UK
Musk examines how to oust Starmer as UK prime minister before next election
Financial Times
Anna Gross and Joe Miller
Musk, the worldās richest man and key confidant of US president-elect Donald Trump, is probing how he and his rightwing allies can destabilise the UK Labour government beyond the aggressive posts he has issued on his social media platform X, the people said.
UK can be āAI sweet spotā: Starmerās tech minister on regulation, Musk, and free speech
The Guardian
Michael Savage
Britain is well positioned to be an AI āsweet spotā, he said, adding that getting it right could see the technology cut the costs of the state, as well as deliver higher tax revenues and precious economic growth.
Tech giants told UK online safety laws ānot up for negotiationā
The Guardian
Michael Savage
Britainās new laws to boost safety and tackle hate speech online are ānot up for negotiationā, a senior government minister has warned, after Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg vowed to join Donald Trump to pressure countries they regard as ācensoringā content.
Africa
Franco-Algerian influencer to stand trial in March
LeMonde
A Franco-Algerian influencer, arrested as part of an investigation into online hate videos, appeared before French prosecutors on Saturday, January 11, and will stand trial in March, authorities said.
Algeria wants to āhumiliateā us in row over influencer, says Franceās interior minister
POLITICO
Clea Caulcutt
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau accused Algeria on Friday of trying to āhumiliateā France when it refused to accept an Algerian national expelled from French territory by Paris. The individual, an influencer who goes by āDoualemn,ā was returned to his home country on Thursday after he was detained for sharing videos on TikTok calling on his followers to harm a critic of the Algerian regime. The videos have since been taken down. But instead of taking him in, the north African country simply sent him back.
Big Tech
Mark Zuckerberg says corporate culture was āneuteredā as Meta scraps DEI
The Washington Post
Naomi Nix and Julian Mark
Meta is dismantling its employee diversity and equity programs, reversing a years-long approach to creating a more inclusive and equitable environment for women and underrepresented groups.
Meta Deletes Trans and Nonbinary Messenger Themes
404 Media
Jason Koebler
Amid a series of changes that allows users to target LGBTQ+ people, Meta has deleted product features it initially championed.
āItās Total Chaos Internally at Meta Right Nowā: Employees Protest Zuckerbergās Anti LGBTQ Changes
404 Media
Jason Koebler
Meta employees are furious with the companyās newly announced content moderation changes that will allow users to say that LGBTQ+ people have āmental illness,ā according to internal conversations obtained by 404 Media and interviews with five current employees.
Artificial Intelligence
LinkedIn is in danger of being swamped by AI-generated slop
The Australian Financial Review
Tess Bennett
Facebook has Shrimp Jesus, Kindle its nonsense books. But a wave of computer-generated content is coming for a platform long seen as different to the others.
Research
Misinformation on TikTok: How Documented Examined Hundreds of Videos in Different Languages
Documented
Lam Thuy Vo
Documented used a mix of AI and machine learning to sift through TikTok's vast digital platform. We share our methodology here, hoping it will be valuable to others.
Events & Podcasts
The AI revolution in comms
GovComms
David Pembroke and Stephen Waddington
In this episode of GovComms, David Pembroke sits down with PR expert Stephen Waddington to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the way we work. From streamlining tasks to offering new ways to tackle big challenges, Stephen explains how AI can act as a "clerk, colleague, and coach" for communicators.
The case for human-centered AI
McKinsey Digital
Lareina Yee
Over the past two years, generative AI (gen AI) has been a rapidly evolving trend that has touched the lives of many around the globe. Which is why the design of these formidable systems must include experts from diverse backgrounds, says James Landay, a professor of computer science at Stanford University. On this episode of the At the Edge podcast, Landay talks with McKinsey senior partner Lareina Yee about how to develop safe, inclusive, and effective AI.
Jobs
Job opportunities at the European AI Office for Legal and Policy backgrounds
European Commission
The role entails various responsibilities, such as contributing to the formulation of policies and procedures for EU AI policy, monitoring the development of AI markets and technologies, as well as collaborating with stakeholders to collect knowledge and evidence for the implementation of AI policies. Policy Officers will also contribute preparing policy papers, briefings and different policy events. The main purpose of this position to navigate political challenges and ensure a comprehensive understanding and implementation of AI policies in the EU and beyond.
ASPI Deputy Director ā Cyber, Technology & Security Program
ASPI
ASPI is seeking a talented leader for the Deputy Director of Cyber, Technology & Security (CTS) Operations. This is an exceptional opportunity to contribute to one of the Indo-Pacificās leading think tanks, focused on advancing policy and research at the intersection of cyber, technology, and national security. The CTS Program is ASPIās largest program, and includes ASPIās China Investigations and Analysis team. The closing date for applications is Friday, 17 January 2025 ā an early application is advised as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if suitable applications are received.
ASPI Analyst ā Hybrid Threats ā Cyber, Technology & Security Program
ASPI
ASPI is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented individual to join the Cyber, Technology & Security (CTS) program as an Analyst ā Hybrid Threats. This role involves contributing to the analysis of hybrid threats and information manipulation, including election integrity, resilience of critical technologies, and cybersecurity. The closing date for applications is Friday, 17 January 2025 ā an early application is advised as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if suitable applications are received.
The Daily Cyber & Tech Digest is brought to you by the Cyber, Technology & Security team at ASPI.
