Tech Official Pushing TikTok Ban Could Reap Windfall From U.S.–China Cold War
From his perch on a government commission, Jacob Helberg fearmongered about TikTok in Congress. He also works for a giant defense contractor.
Sam Biddle
Sam Biddle is a technology reporter focusing on issues of surveillance, privacy, and corporate power. He was previously a senior writer at Gawker, and his work has also appeared in GQ, Vice, and the New York Times magazine, among other outlets.
Contacts:
- sam.biddle@theintercept.com
- @sambiddle.99 on Signal
- @sambiddle.com on Bluesky
- @samfbiddle on X
Posts:
Israel’s War on Gaza
Meta Considering Increased Censorship of the Word “Zionist”
“I think it may actually harm the fight against antisemitism,” said the head of a Palestinian digital rights group briefed on the potential change.
Israel’s War on Gaza
Erik Prince Claims His Vaporware Super-Phone Could Have Thwarted October 7 Hamas Attack
The special features of the Blackwater founder’s Unplugged device can be replicated on most phones by adjusting the settings.
OpenAI Quietly Deletes Ban on Using ChatGPT for “Military and Warfare”
The Pentagon has its eye on the leading AI company, which this week softened its ban on military use.
Israel’s War on Gaza
Israeli Group Claims It’s Working With Big Tech Insiders to Censor “Inflammatory” Wartime Content
Iron Truth members have flagged thousands of posts for removal, from clearly racist or false content to posts that are merely sympathetic to Palestinians.
Drones From Company That “Strongly Opposes” Military Use Marketed With Bombs Attached
Chinese-made Autel drones, which have been widely used in Ukraine, are shown for sale carrying what appear to be explosive shells.
Israel’s War on Gaza
Sen. Elizabeth Warren Questions Meta Over Palestinian Censorship
Facebook and Instagram’s wartime content moderation practices have “exacerbated violence and failed to combat hate speech,” the senator says.
Facebook Approved an Israeli Ad Calling for Assassination of Pro-Palestine Activist
After the ad was discovered, digital rights advocates ran an experiment testing the limits of Facebook’s machine-learning moderation.
LexisNexis Sold Powerful Spy Tools to U.S. Customs and Border Protection
The data brokerage giant sold face recognition, phone tracking, and other surveillance technology to the border guards, say government documents.
Israel’s War on Gaza
Google Activists Circulated Internal Petition on Israel Ties. Only the Muslim Got a Call from HR.
Employees are internally protesting Google’s Project Nimbus, which they fear is being used by Israel to violate Palestinians’ human rights.