The Verge - Policy Postshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52801/VER_Logomark_32x32..png2024-03-18T15:52:02-04:00https://www.theverge.com/policy/rss/index.xml2024-03-18T15:52:02-04:002024-03-18T15:52:02-04:00The Supreme Court is skeptical of restricting the White House from talking to social media platforms
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<figcaption>Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="40DUx2">During oral arguments on Monday, both liberal and conservative justices on the Supreme Court appeared wary of imposing broad limits on how the government can communicate with social media companies about problematic content it thinks should be removed.</p>
<p id="1Lv969"><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/15/24101298/supreme-court-murthy-missouri-speech-social-media">The case at issue is called <em>Murthy v. Missouri</em></a>, and it asks the court to determine whether the Biden administration’s communications with platforms coerced the companies to take down content, like misinformation about covid vaccines, thereby violating the First Amendment. It also asks the court to consider whether the government’s encouragement to take down such posts actually transformed the platforms themselves into state actors.</p>
<p id="gNGzPI">But several justices seemed skeptical of the arguments...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/18/24104892/justices-limiting-government-social-media-communication-murthy-v-missouri">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/18/24104892/justices-limiting-government-social-media-communication-murthy-v-missouriLauren Feiner2024-03-18T12:14:35-04:002024-03-18T12:14:35-04:00Homeland Security is testing AI to help with immigration, trafficking investigations, and disaster relief
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<img alt="Federal Agents Target Immigrant Gangs On Long Island" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tEScqynDj2RxdNoz9H1jDzh_IbM=/0x0:5472x3648/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73215430/939748010.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by John Moore/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="1shriw">The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is rolling out three $5 million AI pilot programs across three of its agencies, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/18/business/homeland-security-artificial-intelligence.html"><em>The</em> <em>New York Times </em>reports</a>. Through partnership with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta, DHS will test out AI models to help its agents with a wide array of tasks, including investigating child sex abuse materials, training immigration officials, and creating disaster relief plans.</p>
<p id="qLqVur">As part of the AI pilot, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will use generative AI to streamline the hazard mitigation planning process for local governments. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) — the agency within Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that investigates child exploitation, human trafficking, and drug smuggling —...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/18/24104843/dhs-ai-pilot-programs-chatgpt-openai-anthropic-meta">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/18/24104843/dhs-ai-pilot-programs-chatgpt-openai-anthropic-metaGaby Del Valle2024-03-18T11:04:59-04:002024-03-18T11:04:59-04:00Here’s the Elon Musk interview that got Don Lemon’s show canceled
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<img alt="A screenshot of Elon Musk during his interview with Don Lemon" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ehdYV34yIrPfPqR2SwASz3gSAbY=/0x22:1988x1347/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73215251/elon_musk_don_lemon_interview.0.png" />
<figcaption><em>Things started getting tense about halfway into the interview.</em> | Image: Don Lemon Show</figcaption>
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<p id="kMnRFI">Don Lemon <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhsfjBpKiTw">has published</a> the “tense” interview with Elon Musk that <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/13/24099677/don-lemon-elon-musk-x-canceled">got his show canceled on X</a>. During the interview, Lemon touches on various topics related to hate speech on X and Musk’s own views on right-wing conspiracy theories, with the billionaire becoming noticeably irritated by the interview’s end.</p>
<p id="XmhcI5">Things start to take a turn about halfway into the interview. Lemon asks Musk about his comments on <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/elon-musk-conspiracy-theory-immigration-terror-rcna141827">illegal immigration</a> and the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/16/technology/elon-musk-endorses-antisemitic-post-ibm.html">far-right “great replacement theory”</a> and then turns to the topic of content moderation. <a href="https://youtu.be/hhsfjBpKiTw?si=oZMF2pucxGjoe-7d&t=1804">Lemon asks</a> whether better content moderation on X would let Musk avoid some of the criticism of his posts about the great replacement theory.</p>
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<p id="iHYgKy">“I don’t have to answer questions from reporters,” Musk responds. “Don, the only...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/18/24104708/elon-musk-interview-don-lemon-show-canceled">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/18/24104708/elon-musk-interview-don-lemon-show-canceledEmma Roth2024-03-18T10:00:00-04:002024-03-18T10:00:00-04:00Why Figma CEO Dylan Field is optimistic about AI and the future of design
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<img alt="A stylized portrait of Figma CEO Dylan Field." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zw9YEekVgiDZK_M-KBbSOf-lyys=/0x0:2040x1360/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73215035/DCD_Dylan_Field.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Rick Kern / Getty Images for Vox Media</figcaption>
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<p>The leader of design toolmaker Figma on life after the failed Adobe deal and what comes next in a live interview from SXSW. </p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/24102160/figma-ceo-adobe-deal-design-ai-web-future-regulation-sxsw-decoder-interview">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/24102160/figma-ceo-adobe-deal-design-ai-web-future-regulation-sxsw-decoder-interviewNilay Patel2024-03-16T13:12:08-04:002024-03-16T13:12:08-04:00US prosecutors are investigating how Meta platforms played a part in illegal drug sales
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<img alt="Image of Meta’s logo with a red and blue background." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ib1cVaAoTjL4a0QPdqQVtc7frwY=/0x0:2040x1360/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73211876/STK043_VRG_Illo_N_Barclay_1_Meta.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge</figcaption>
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<p id="b8vCDF">Federal prosecutors asking questions about Meta are "looking into whether the company’s social-media platforms are facilitating and profiting from the illegal sale of drugs," according to unnamed sources in a report today by the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/u-s-is-investigating-meta-for-role-in-drug-sales-574944cb"><em>Wall Street Journal</em></a>. Prosecutors reportedly sent Meta subpoenas last year seeking records on “violative drug content on Meta’s platforms and/or the illicit sale of drugs via Meta’s platforms.” </p>
<p id="FAlK4s">A Meta spokesperson told the <em>Journal </em>that, “The sale of illicit drugs is against our policies and we work to find and remove this content from our services. Meta proactively cooperates with law enforcement authorities to help combat the sale and distribution of illicit drugs.” </p>
<p id="87lWEp">The <em>WSJ</em> said TikTok did not respond when...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/16/24103027/us-investigation-meta-drug-sales-profits">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/16/24103027/us-investigation-meta-drug-sales-profitsWes Davis2024-03-15T19:41:03-04:002024-03-15T19:41:03-04:00How the House revived the TikTok ban before most of us noticed
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<img alt="Photo illustration of the Capitol building next to the TikTok logo." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yZDk7RfEa5QXifBbnW_wAFOqYWw=/39x0:2040x1334/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73210822/STK051_TIKTOKBAN_CVirginia_A.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>An unusually fast process. A classified briefing. Phone lines clogged with teenagers ‘in near tears.’ The bill, meant to force the sale of TikTok, passed by a landslide.</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/15/24102472/house-tiktok-ban-bill-staffers-calls-congress">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/15/24102472/house-tiktok-ban-bill-staffers-calls-congressLauren Feiner2024-03-15T15:00:42-04:002024-03-15T15:00:42-04:00Supreme Court defines when it’s illegal for public officials to block social media critics
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<img alt="Photo illustration of the Supreme Court building with gavels behind." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qDcyAhagcgN_zrbQ8UmbSkIMLZQ=/20x0:2021x1334/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73210251/STK463_SCOTUS_A.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="rHfe8R">In an <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-611_ap6c.pdf">opinion signed by Justice Amy Coney Barrett</a>, the Supreme Court established a test to determine when a public official can be considered to be engaging in state action in blocking someone from their social media account. The official must have both “(1) possessed actual authority to speak on the State’s behalf on a particular matter, and (2) purported to exercise that authority when speaking in the relevant social-media posts.”</p>
<p id="fNZNNX">The court issued a unanimous decision in <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/lindke-v-freed/"><em>Lindke v. Freed</em></a>, a case about whether Port Huron, Michigan city manager James Freed violated the First Amendment by <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/24/23695910/supreme-court-first-amendment-government-officials-block-social-media-users">blocking and deleting comments</a> on his Facebook page from resident Kevin Lindke, who critiqued Freed’s pandemic policies. The test creates a new way to...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/15/24101983/supreme-court-public-officials-block-critics-social-media-lindke-v-freed">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/15/24101983/supreme-court-public-officials-block-critics-social-media-lindke-v-freedLauren Feiner2024-03-15T13:39:32-04:002024-03-15T13:39:32-04:00Zoomers are turning on the TikTok famous congressman who voted to ban the app
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<figcaption>Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="UgxORa">Until relatively recently, Rep. Jeff Jackson, a freshman Democratic congressman from North Carolina, had more than 2.5 million followers on TikTok. Jackson’s follower count dropped by over 100,000 virtually overnight — as did his esteem among some of TikTok’s young users — after he <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/13/24097125/house-bill-vote-tiktok-ban-china-bytedance-divestment">voted to ban the app</a>. </p>
<p id="gt7WOk">The bill passed with 352 votes, but to the legions of TikTokers who <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/7/24093308/tiktok-congress-ban-push-notification">called their representatives</a> to urge them not to ban the app, Jackson’s vote feels like a unique betrayal.</p>
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<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@noahglenncarter/video/7346291613947186475" data-video-id="7346291613947186475" data-embed-from="oembed" style="max-width:605px; min-width:325px;"> <section> <a target="_blank" title="@noahglenncarter" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@noahglenncarter?refer=embed">@noahglenncarter</a> <p>An update on Jeff Jackson. Hes losing everything right now because he boted yes <a title="keeptiktok" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/keeptiktok?refer=embed">#keeptiktok</a> <a title="jeffjackson" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/jeffjackson?refer=embed">#jeffjackson</a> <a title="tiktokban" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tiktokban?refer=embed">#tiktokban</a> <a title="foryou" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/foryou?refer=embed">#foryou</a> </p> <a target="_blank" title="♬ Stargazing (Slowed + Reverb) - Marcelo De Carvalho" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Stargazing-Slowed-Reverb-7221312697249531906?refer=embed">♬ Stargazing (Slowed + Reverb) - Marcelo De Carvalho</a> </section> </blockquote>
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<p id="2x31GH">On Wednesday, Jackson posted a video on X laying out the...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/15/24101851/tiktok-ban-vote-jeff-jackson-sell-bytedance">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/15/24101851/tiktok-ban-vote-jeff-jackson-sell-bytedanceGaby Del Valle2024-03-15T12:14:39-04:002024-03-15T12:14:39-04:00Uber and Lyft to leave Minneapolis over ‘deeply flawed’ pay rules
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<img alt="Uber company name written on a multicolored background." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/O6GRXLzYMSHtZfvE982hb1v3olc=/0x0:2040x1360/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73209741/acastro_STK106__01.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge</figcaption>
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<p id="TqD504">Uber and Lyft are pulling their services out of Minneapolis after the city council passed an ordinance that will increase drivers’ pay. Both companies say they will no longer offer ridesharing services in the city when the ordinance goes into effect on May 1st.</p>
<p id="PqTda0">The ordinance, which guarantees drivers a minimum rate of $1.40 per mile and 51 cents per minute while carrying a rider, was <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minneapolis-city-council-uber-lyft-rideshare-ordinance-vote/">first passed last week</a> but <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minneapolis-mayor-vetoes-minimum-wage-rideshare-ordinance/">later vetoed</a> by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. The City Council <a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/03/14/minneapolis-council-overrides-mayors-veto-of-uber-and-lyft-minimum-rates/">voted 10–3 to override</a> the veto on Thursday.</p>
<p id="xms1gF">Lyft spokesperson CJ Macklin calls the ordinance “deeply flawed,” as <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minneapolis-mayor-discusses-recently-passed-rideshare-ordinance/">the rates were determined</a> before the state released a study detailing how much drivers would have to be paid to earn Minneapolis’ $15.57 per hour minimum...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/15/24101774/uber-lyft-leave-minneapolis-minimum-pay">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/15/24101774/uber-lyft-leave-minneapolis-minimum-payEmma Roth2024-03-15T10:58:12-04:002024-03-15T10:58:12-04:00FCC clamps down on confusing ‘hidden fees’ in your cable TV bill
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<img alt="Dollars float through pillars, as if to exit a bank" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9zq22Yj8b76DwgrNB9z3hVeOpjk=/0x0:2040x1360/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73209464/STK417_H_Herrera_Money_03.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><em>The ruling aims to make it easier to accurately compare subscription prices against other providers.</em> | Illustration by Hugo Herrera / The Verge</figcaption>
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<p id="aT5hLP">Cable and satellite TV providers will need to ensure they show the total price of subscription plans as a “prominent single line item” — including costs described as extra fees — under a rule adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday. The FCC says the <a href="https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-401215A1.pdf">new rule (pdf)</a> for “all-in” pricing will make it easier for customers to compare prices against competing providers and streaming services by eliminating the “misleading practice of describing video programming costs as a tax, fee, or surcharge.”</p>
<p id="ZPotRN">“No one likes surprises on their bill,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a <a href="https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-401215A2.pdf">separate statement (pdf)</a>. “The advertised price for a service should be the price you pay when your bill arrives. It shouldn’t include a...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/15/24101802/cable-tv-bill-fee-satellite-tv-providers-subscription-price-fcc">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/15/24101802/cable-tv-bill-fee-satellite-tv-providers-subscription-price-fccJess Weatherbed