Latest news with #ElonMusk
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First Post
2 minutes ago
- Business
- First Post
Elon Musk's X can't push unlawful content citing 'safe harbour' clause: Indian govt to court
In a submission to the Karnataka High Court, the Centre maintained that Elon Musk's X can't push unlawful content in the name of 'free speech' and under the garb of the 'safe harbour' clause under the IT Act read more A 3D-printed miniature model of Elon Musk and the X logo are seen in this illustration taken January 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration On Thursday, the Centre told the Karnataka High Court that allowing the proliferation of unlawful content on social media in the name of 'free speech' endangers the country's democracy. According to The Times of India, the Centre accused Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, of attempting to escape accountability. The authorities noted that Musk's company is doing so by sheltering itself under the IT Act's 'safe harbour' protection, The Times of India reported. In the letter to the Karnataka High Court, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the constitutional protection to freedom of speech under Article 19(1)(a) must not be misunderstood as absolute protection even of unlawful content. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Constitutional jurisprudence clearly differentiates between protected speech that contributes meaningfully to democratic discourse and unlawful speech that undermines societal stability and individual rights,' Mehta said in the letter, according to a report by the TOI. 'Safe Harbour is not a right but a privilege' The solicitor general noted that the 'Safe Harbour' provision in the IT Act is 'not an absolute right' but a 'privilege contingent upon strict adherence to statutory duties.' The statement from the Centre came after X moved the High Court seeking to restrain government departments from taking coercive action against the social media platform. 'Unlawful and unjustified orders harm the X platform and its ability to operate. The issuance of information blocking orders without following due process of law, and in violation of the IT Act and the Constitution, violates X's right to equality under Article 14 and detrimentally impacts its business," the Centre said in a written submission to the Karnataka High Court. 'Proliferation of what can be termed as unlawful content on social media platforms poses an unprecedented threat to public discourse, democracy and societal stability.' 'Social media intermediaries possess an unparalleled ability to amplify information instantaneously, without traditional barriers like language or geographical limitations, and thus carry significant responsibilities,' Mehta wrote in the submission. Why it matters The government's stance on the matter can have implications for all social media platforms operating in India. This also goes hand in hand with the calls to remove Section 230 of the US's Communications Decency Act, from which social media giants derive their immunity. In the submission, the government argued that X attempted to present 'safe harbour' as an absolute right, devoid of any corresponding duties. 'Such a stand fundamentally misconstrues the very basis of this legal protection. 'Safe harbour' is not a constitutional guarantee but a statutory privilege, specifically designed to foster responsible conduct,' the submission said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Centre said that social media platforms use 'amplification' mechanisms to push visibility of a particular type of view. 'The algorithms used by intermediaries actively curate and boost content, shaping public opinion and significantly influencing social harmony or disorder. This active role demands heightened accountability, necessitating robust regulation specifically tailored for social media, distinct from traditional media,' the submission reads. With inputs from agencies.
Business Recorder
31 minutes ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
US senators approve $9bn of Elon Musk's federal cuts
WASHINGTON: The US Senate approved early Thursday a package of spending cuts proposed by President Donald Trump that would cancel more than $9 billion in funding for foreign aid programs and public broadcasting. The upper chamber of Congress green-lit the measure in what was seen as the first test of how easily lawmakers could usher into law savings sought by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — in the aftermath of the tech mogul's acrimonious exit from the government. Despite the cutbacks' unpopularity in some sections of both parties, the Republican-led Senate passed the measure with 51 votes for and 48 against in a session that went more than two hours past midnight. The version of the text passed in June by the House of Representatives sought to eliminate $400 million in funding allocated to health programs, including the PEPFAR global AIDS relief fund created by then-president George W. Bush. But defunding PEPFAR — which has saved an estimated 26 million lives — was seen as a nonstarter among a handful of moderate Republican senators, and the proposal was dropped. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham told AFP the bill was consistent with Trump's promises to cut spending. 'I've been a big fan of the foreign aid accounts... I'm a big hawkish guy, but you need foreign aid. You need soft power,' he said. 'But when you start spending money on a bunch of junk, and liberal programs disconnected from the purpose of the aid package, it makes it difficult on a guy like me.'
Indian Express
32 minutes ago
- Indian Express
In Grok's Ani companion, a regression
A Frankenstein redux it was not, but reports of one of the 'companions' launched by Elon Musk's GrokAI describing the billionaire as having 'more money than brains' come close to the creator-vs-creation trope first encountered in Mary Shelley's classic novel. That, however, is the least of the problems posed by the GrokAI companions unveiled this week by Musk. These companions include, for now, two animated characters: A 'rude' red panda named Rudi — who dissed the billionaire after being prompted by users — and a 'flirty' Japanese anime woman named Ani. Of the two, Ani represents the far thornier challenge. Already, it has been flagged as potentially promoting objectification of women. If it feels like regression, it's because it was not so long ago that public outcry forced Big Tech to roll back or modify the heavily gendered aspects of early AI voice assistants like Siri (Apple), Alexa (Amazon) and Cortana (Microsoft). Bestowed with feminine names and programmed with women's voices, the initial versions of these assistants were heavily criticised for reinforcing harmful stereotypes about 'submissive' or 'eager-to-please' women. While Apple and Amazon added male personas in response to the outcry, allowing users a greater degree of choice in how they interacted with the digital assistants, Cortana was eventually phased out in favour of the gender-neutral Copilot. Ani, with her servile manner, offering to make users' lives 'sexier', takes several steps back from that moment of accountability by Big Tech. LLMs like Grok become 'intelligent' by trawling through vast amounts of data. That they've absorbed not just facts and figures but also human attitudes has already been widely documented — for example, a study of five popular LLMs published in June showed chatbots routinely suggesting that female applicants for a job ask for lower pay than male applicants for the same position. If the internet has long been unkind to and about women, creations like Ani will only make it harder to root out the sexism coded into it.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Won't Recommend A Special Prosecutor In Epstein Case, White House Says
President Donald Trump will not recommend a special prosecutor in the investigation of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing Thursday. 'The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That's how he feels,' Leavitt told reporters, as she confirmed that the idea had been floated to him by someone in the media. (A special prosecutor is usually relied on in instances where the main prosecutor has a conflict of interest or other issue that would prevent them from being unbiased in a particular case.) Epstein's death and his criminal trial, numerous investigations and lawsuits (collectively known as 'the Epstein files') have been the subject of debate for many right-wingers for years. Many have called for the files to be released — and some have — and for an additional investigation into Epstein and who was involved in his alleged sex trafficking. Trump previously had a relationship with the late disgraced financier, who died in a jail cell in 2019 as he awaited a trial on sex trafficking charges. Last year, while on the campaign trail, Trump claimed at least twice that he would release the Epstein files, but he has since reversed course. Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whom Trump has had a rocky relationship with over the years, blasted Trump on his social media platform X over the Epstein files last month. 'Time to drop the really big bomb,' Musk said. '[Trump] is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.' Last week, the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a memo that they did not find any evidence that Epstein had a so-called 'client list' he had been rumored to have used as blackmail. It also said they would not release any additional information in the future. When prompted by a reporter at Thursday's press briefing, Leavitt rejected the idea that the White House could release the Epstein files with redactions protecting sensitive information. 'In terms of redactions or grand jury seals, those are questions for the Department of Justice. Those are also questions for the judges who have that information under a seal. And that would have to be requested and a judge would have to approve it. That's out of the president's control,' Leavitt said. Trump has largely tried to move away from the publicity surrounding the Epstein case, calling it a 'hoax.' Still, he's drawn the ire of some of his supporters and many of his Republican colleagues who continue to call for more transparency about the Epstein files. Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich asked Leavitt Thursday to 'clarify which part of the Epstein 'hoax' is the 'hoax'' that Trump has referred to. 'The president is referring to the fact that Democrats have now seized on this as if they ever wanted transparency when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein, which is an asinine suggestion for any Democrat to make,' Leavitt said. 'The Democrats had control of this building, the White House, for four years, and they didn't do a dang thing when it came to transparency in regards to Jeffrey Epstein and his heinous crimes.' While authorities said in the memo that they 'did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,' they also confirmed that Epstein harmed more than 1,000 victims and that DOJ officials reviewed included more than 10,000 'downloaded videos and images of illegal child sex abuse material and other pornography.' It also included 10 hours worth of video footage — with one minute missing — of Epstein's prison cell before his death to prove that he died by suicide. Right-wing conspiracy theorists — including Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino — have argued that Epstein did not commit suicide, but was instead killed by powerful figures attempting to keep secrets hidden. 'One of our highest priorities is combatting child exploitation and bringing justice to victims,' the memo read. 'Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.' The memo directly clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi's claim to Fox News in February that she obtained the list and planned to review it following 'a directive by President Trump.' Related... Fired Jeffrey Epstein Prosecutor Warns Fear Is The 'Tool Of A Tyrant' Gavin Newsom Mocks Trump's Epstein Diversion With His Sweetest Jab Yet Rep. Jasmine Crockett Has 1 'Very Interesting' Question About Trump's Link To Epstein Trump Melts Down Over 'Jeffrey Epstein Hoax' — And The Internet Explodes
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
How Sam Altman Outfoxed Elon Musk to Become Trump's AI Buddy
Just two weeks after Elon Musk's spectacular breakup with President Trump, the tech billionaire's nemesis strode into the dining room of the president's New Jersey golf club wearing a suit and a wide smile. Sam Altman, the 40-year-old chief executive of OpenAI, had just finished a long one-on-one meeting with Trump, and the two men were about to dine with the president's top donors. Trump introduced Altman to the club's applauding members as 'a very brilliant man,' adding: 'I hope he's right about AI.'
