Latest news with #X.
Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
X slams French prosecutors' ‘political' probe over algorithm manipulation and data extraction, refuses data access
Elon Musk's social media platform X has accused French prosecutors of launching a "politically-motivated criminal investigation" that threatens free speech and violates legal norms. The platform, formerly known as Twitter, said it would not cooperate with the probe, denying all allegations of wrongdoing. 'X believes that this investigation is distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech,' the company posted via its Global Government Affairs account on Monday. Earlier this month, Paris prosecutors escalated their preliminary probe into a full criminal investigation. The focus: suspected algorithmic bias and fraudulent data extraction by X. This move gives police sweeping powers, including conducting searches, wiretaps, and placing executives under surveillance. Authorities can now summon Musk or X executives for testimony. Should they refuse, judges may issue arrest warrants. Prosecutors sent a judicial request on July 19 asking for access to X's recommendation algorithm and real-time data. X declined, asserting its legal right to do so. 'We refused the request as we have a legal right to do,' X said. The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed the request and stated that a secure channel was offered to protect data confidentiality. It has not yet received an official reply from the company. Refusal to comply could result in fines or charges of obstruction of justice. X has also objected to the case being investigated under organized crime statutes, which could allow French authorities to wiretap the personal devices of X employees. The prosecutor's office noted that the alleged offenses carry maximum penalties of up to 10 years in prison. Musk, a former ally of Donald Trump, has repeatedly accused European governments of suppressing free expression. The dispute is likely to intensify transatlantic tensions over content regulation. The European Commission has been investigating X since late 2023 for suspected violations of the Digital Services Act, a law aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in digital platforms. X claims the case was instigated by French MP Eric Bothorel, who accused the platform of algorithm manipulation for foreign interference — an allegation X called 'completely false.' Bothorel defended the probe: 'France is committed to free speech but not without limits. The absence of responsibility and oversight endangers freedom just as much as prohibitions and censorship do,' he said. X also criticised the involvement of researchers David Chavalarias and Maziyar Panahi, accusing them of hostility toward the platform. Panahi denied any involvement: 'My name was mentioned by mistake… I will not hesitate to pursue legal action for defamation should I receive any form of hate speech,' he said in an email. A spokesperson for X reiterated that the company stands by its statement and continues to oppose what it sees as a dangerous precedent for politically driven investigations into free expression.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Musk says xAI will make kid-friendly app 'Baby Grok'
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills MMLU-Pro: Multitask language understanding GPQA Diamond: Graduate-level problem solving Humanity's Last Exam: General and existential reasoning LiveCodeBench: Real-time programming SciCode: Scientific computation and modeling AIME: Olympiad-level math reasoning Math-500: Advanced mathematical problem-solving Elon Musk-led artificial intelligence company xAI is working on a kid-friendly version of its Grok chatbot , the billionaire said in a post on social media platform X.'We're going to make Baby Grok @xAI, an app dedicated to kid-friendly content,' Musk posted on Sunday. The new version is expected to launch as a separate application tailored for younger users, though further details are yet to be announcement comes days after X, also owned by Musk, temporarily disabled new Grok mentions on the platform to address spam-related Musk hinted at a new capability that would enable Grok to generate viral videos, further expanding its creative launched its latest flagship model, Grok 4, on July 10, positioning it as a significant upgrade following criticism over antisemitic responses from earlier versions. The backlash included concerns raised by users on X and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), after the chatbot was found praising Adolf Hitler in certain a livestream event, Musk and the xAI team also introduced a $300-per-month AI subscription called SuperGrok Heavy , featuring the company's multi-agent version of Grok 4. The upgrade aims to improve performance across advanced reasoning and creative 4 recently topped the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, a benchmark suite assessing models across a range of capabilities:Each of these benchmarks focuses on measuring the reasoning capabilities of next-generation AI also recently announced Grok for Government, a suite of its AI models made available for use by US federal agencies. The company said its inclusion in the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule will allow any federal department or agency to directly procure xAI the company is reportedly in talks to raise fresh capital at a potential valuation between $170 billion and $200 billion, according to the Financial Times. If finalised, this could make xAI one of the most valuable private AI companies US continues to lead the global AI race, producing 40 notable models in 2024 so far.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
More ‘suicide' posts over ‘inaction' surface on social media
Bhubaneswar: In the wake of the 20-year-old student setting herself on fire in Balasore after alleged inaction over her sexual harassment complaint, other individuals have begun voicing their grievances on social media platforms. On Friday, a minor girl in Sambalpur district threatened to take her own life, citing police inaction over her sexual harassment complaint against her brother-in-law. The complaint comes at a crucial time, following the govt's directive on Thursday to all departments to vigilantly monitor grievances on Facebook and X. The directive was issued after criticism over the alleged failure of authorities to address the Balasore student's social media complaint on July 1, which led to her self-immolating on the college campus on July 12. "I was abused by my sister's husband from my childhood. Though I filed a complaint at the police station, the inspector in-charge did not register my case. Without inquiring, she said that it was a false accusation. If I die by suicide, my sister's husband and the police will be responsible," her X post stated. She tagged the Sambalpur DIG, SP and other officials, seeking justice. SP (Sambalpur), Mukesh Bhamoo, told TOI: "We have promptly intervened and launched an inquiry to verify her charges." This marks the fourth public complaint on social media recently where individuals threatened suicide over unresolved issues. On July 16, the Balasore girl's family had filed a police complaint, threatening suicide over offensive social media comments about her death. Subsequently, a person posted on X on Wednesday about a man in Kendrapada district who tried to kill himself by consuming poison, allegedly due to police inaction in locating his missing son. Following the Balasore student's death, the X accounts of the home department, DGP and Balasore police have been flooded with public complaints about police inaction over the past two days. The home department has forwarded more than 50 complaints to appropriate authorities within the past two days.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Taxes, immigration and locker rooms: Manufacturer Bill Berrien enters 2026 GOP primary for governor
Bill Berrien is the second Republican to officially launch his campaign for governor and criticized Gov. Tony Evers in his ad for wanting to raise taxes, his actions handling the Trump administration's deportation efforts, vetoing a bill that would have banned transgender girls from participating on sports teams in an ad posted to YouTube and X. (Screenshot from campaign ad) Bill Berrien, a Republican businessman and former Navy SEAL, officially launched his campaign for governor Wednesday, comparing himself to President Donald Trump and declaring his support for cutting taxes, deportation efforts and barring transgender girls from locker rooms. Berrien is the second Republican to officially launch his campaign for governor. He joins Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann who announced in May and has already been on the road pitching himself to fellow Republicans. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany has also been considering a run for the office. 'Just like President Trump, I'm a political outsider and a businessman. It's time that we fire the bureaucrats and hire a businessman to fix the problems and take our state back,' Berrien said in a statement. It's a shift for Berrien, who supported Nikki Haley in the 2024 Republican presidential primary and donated over $30,000 to her campaign — a track record that led to pushback against his candidacy from some Wisconsin conservatives. In an ad, Berrien spoke over a clip of Trump pumping his fist after last year's assassination attempt. 'A Navy SEAL is never out of the fight,' Berrien said as the clip played. 'We've seen that fighting spirit from President Trump. It's the same fight it takes to run a Wisconsin manufacturing business.' 'I'll shake up Madison like he's shaking up D.C.,' Berrien added. For the last 13 years, Berrien has worked as the owner and chief executive officer of Pindel Global Precision Inc. and Liberty Precision New Berlin contract manufacturers that make machined parts for an array of industries including aerospace, agricultural products, medical and firearms. A December 2024 report from WUWM details Berrien's recent role as vice chair of the Wisconsin Defense Industry Council, a collaboration of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, that seeks to push for more weapons production in Wisconsin. At the time, Berrien said he wanted to figure out how to encourage companies to supply directly to the Department of Defense and also connect businesses with 'defense primes' — companies including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Prior to working in the private sector, Berrien served as a Navy SEAL for nine years. He currently lives in Whitefish Bay with his wife and is the father of three. The Republican hopefuls have bashed incumbent Gov. Tony Evers, who hasn't decided whether he'll run for a third term. Evers said he would decide after the state budget process, which was completed last week, and this week said at a visit to Milwaukee to highlight the budget that he expects to announce a decision in a 'couple weeks.' Berrien criticized Evers in his ad for wanting to raise taxes, his actions handling the Trump administration's deportation efforts, vetoing a bill that would have banned transgender girls from participating on sports teams and locker rooms that align with their gender identity and for using the term 'inseminated person' in a section of his budget proposal on artificial insemination. Berrien also criticized the movement of manufacturing jobs to China by 'globalists' and took a swipe at 'career politicians.' 'Enough,' Berrien said. 'I will cut taxes, increase wages and make Wisconsin the manufacturing powerhouse to the world, again.' He also said he would use law enforcement to keep 'criminal illegal' immigrants out of Wisconsin and 'keep boys out of our daughters' sports and locker rooms.' 'President Trump is taking back Washington for the American people,' Berrien said at the end of the ad — naming Trump for the fourth time during the 99 second spot. 'Now it's time to take back our state.' Berrien launched his 'Never Out of The Fight' PAC in April to help 'further' conservative causes and push Republican candidates to 'get back to winning.' It reported raising $1.2 million in its first three months, according to WisPolitics. Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Devin Remiker criticized Berrien, saying he was 'rich enough to buy himself some attention and clueless enough to think that's going to work — just like Elon Musk did this past April only to see his political career end.' The state party is 'already building on our playbook that helped take down Brad Schimel, Tim Michels, and Eric Hovde,' Remiker said. 'We have no doubt we'll be in an even stronger position to defeat whoever Trump hand picks to do his bidding in the primary and emerges as the nominee.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
International Business Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- International Business Times
FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Trump Standing Next to Ghislaine Maxwell and Pointing at Underage Girls?
A video has gone viral on social media that claims to show U.S. President Donald Trump pointing at a young girl while standing next to Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker and former associate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The video started circulating days after Trump closed the Epstein case, putting an end to conspiracy theories. Several users have since been trying to find out the authenticity of the video and photos given that Trump was one of the many high-profile names who was acquainted to the convicted pedophile. However, this video is completely fake and is nothing but an attempt to spread misinformation among the people. Viral Video after Epstein Files Closed The afke photo of Trump standing enxt to Maxwell and pointing at a girl Facebook The video over the past few days has been posted on several social media platforms. For example, on July 12, a Facebook user posted the video, and it had garnered over 2 million views. The same footage—or still images from it—was also circulated on platforms like Threads, TikTok, and X. The Threads post alone garnered more than 690,000 views. However, both the video and images featuring Trump, Maxwell, and two young girls are not authentic. The fake video was created by an unidentified user with the help of an artificial intelligence tool that generates fake video from an authentic decades-old still image. The original image did not include any children. A reverse-image search on revealed that the original photo was first published by the British tabloid The Sun in a November 23, 2019 article. The caption described it as, ""Party girl Ghislaine with Trump and Ann Jones at a party in NYC in 1997," and the photo was credited to Alpha Press. The fake video appears to show Trump pointing at a minor girl Facebook The same genuine photo—without any children—was later circulated by several users on Instagram, Reddit, Threads, and X. Not the First One The TikTok account @lackofintelligence0 features several AI-created videos similar to the one in question, altering still images or video frames of Trump or Bill Clinton with Epstein and/or Maxwell into fake videos. For example, one fake video posted on July 15, 2025, falsely depicts Trump with Epstein alongside three young girls who were not present in the original footage. That video has racked up 358,000 views. Another AI-generated video, created from a still image or video frame, showed Trump pointing at one of two young girls. This clip, also uploaded on July 15, amassed nearly 825,000 views. The misleading video began circulating during a period of heightened public tension surrounding Epstein in the summer of 2025. It followed unverified claims by tech billionaire and former Trump adviser Elon Musk, who suggested—without offering any proof—that Trump appears in incriminating, unreleased documents linked to Epstein's criminal activities. Around the same time, in early July 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI released a memo saying that no "client list" linked to Epstein existed—despite Attorney General Pam Bondi previously telling Fox News in February 2025 that such a list was sitting on her desk for review.
