"California could soon deploy generative artificial intelligence tools to help REDUCE TRAFFIC JAMS, make ROADS SAFER and PROVIDE TAX GUIDANCE, among other things"
yeah... that'll end well 🙄
Google & Microsoft will be paid $1 for the services but handed a fuckton of personal information linked to taxes and car ownership. that in itself is worth billions to the corrupt techbros running this new AI-is-labor-without-people scam.
#Conservatives are typically loath to sign off on any #government spending patch aimed at averting a #shutdown, slamming those stopgaps as further evidence of a broken Washington [as they cause the breakage] stuck on a woeful fiscal trajectory.
1/2 Today in, "Chris writes to Politicians” 🤣
I wrote to the British Columbia Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness today in relation to this news that she was negotiating with Meta to try to get access to Facebook to post emergency updates. How did we allow ourselves to be so beholden to these corporations for basic communication!
Here is my letter:
Dear Minister Ma (EMCR.Minister@gov.bc.ca)
CC: My Local MLA Minister Josie Osborne
I understand and agree with why you feel you must try to get Meta to allow you to post Emergency messages on that platform, especially during the fire season when we all now face so much uncertainty.
However, you must also acknowledge that:
Meta has made it clear its concern is curating its own content and “news” for its own financial benefit separate from any public benefit consideration.
You will never be able to control the algorithm on any Meta platform, so while you may post, you are still never guaranteed that your message can reach 100% of the people 100% of the time.
You as a Minister and as a representative of the Government of British Columbia cannot rely on third parties to get timely messaging out to communities and citizens. You are government, you have the means and responsibility to get the message out directly.
The question is how do you, as government, use social media directly? This has not been possible before, but it is now.
The answer is the Open Social Web. You may cringe at this example (and rightly so), but the pioneer and most famous person using the Open Social Web tools for public communication is Donald Trump with his “truth.social”.
For people who claim to be the ultimate champions of the #Constitution, #Republicans sure do hate the Constitution. The federal #government cannot punish or discriminate against people for their beliefs or their speech. It doesn't matter if they're #citizens or not. If they're under the jurisdiction of the #UnitedStates, they benefit from all the protections enumerated in the Constitution. This latest move is a blatant violation of the #FirstAmendment.
I understand the need to fund cybersecurity efforts to thwart criminals. However, this latest levy conveniently exempts the affluent by focusing on select transactions.
Following the enactment of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) (amendment) Act 2024 and pursuant to the provision of Section 44 (2)(a) of the Act, “a levy of 0.5% (0.005) equivalent to a half percent of all electronic transactions value by the business specified in the Second Schedule of the Act”, is to be remitted to the National Cybersecurity Fund (NCF), which shall be administered by the Office of the National Security Advisor (ONSA). […]
The levy shall be applied at the point of electronic transfer origination, then deducted and remitted by the financial institution.
The deducted amount shall be reflected in the customer’s account with the narration: “Cybersecurity Levy”. (Central Bank of Nigeria 🇳🇬, PDF here)
The Premium Times provides reactions from Nigerians 🇳🇬, which is unfavorable as no one wants an increase in expenses during this age of inflation we are living in.
Although I do not desire to pay extra fees when conducting transactions, I understand the levy’s necessity, even if I do not appreciate the expense.
While it is understandable that there would be exemptions to the new Levy (for charities, payroll, school, transactions within the bank, government, etcetera), one exemption did capture my attention.
SCHEDULE OF EXEMPTIONS FROM CYBERSECURITY LEVY […]
Savings and deposits including transactions involving long-term investments such as Treasury Bills, Bonds and Commercial Papers. (Central Bank of Nigeria 🇳🇬)
Usually, the affluent invest long-term in bonds & treasury bills, so its appearance here as an exception is suspicious. Like any other nation, Nigeria 🇳🇬 needs investors, but they should not cater to their interests while asking the public to increase their burden.
Nigerians 🇳🇬 are threatening lawsuits against the Cybersecurity Levy. However, I doubt the government will suspend a new source of revenue when nations seek extra cash to maintain the upkeep of their respective countries.
Does #tories latest bad idea include a #cure for #longcovid or any of a thousand other debilitating conditions?
Of course not.
Luckily I don't have to claim #benefits as I 'languish' at home with #trigeminalneuralgia after 7 yrs training to get my #job. But just like those who have to claim, I'd jump at the chance to have my #health & #working life back.
More than any other #Government, this one is so deluded they all think they're #medical experts.
Pro-Palestine student protesters are being smeared as puppets of shadowy “outside agitators.” The presence of community members and experienced activists in the protests is nothing to be ashamed of: we need outside agitators to build a better world.
Ten Years After the Flint #Water Crisis, Distrust and Anger Linger
A city is forever changed, and so is residents’ relationship with their water.
The betrayal of trust by the institutions meant to protect Flint’s residents has made some of them extra cautious as they look to keep themselves and their community safe.
#AI#Government#PublicAdministration#PublicSector: "The public should have opportunities to offer input into what technologies are introduced in public administration, since they interface with these agencies and could be adversely impacted by the AI systems they deploy. Ultimately, it’s an issue of trust: If the public can’t trust their democratically elected governments to know their rights — and these technological intermediaries are representative of those governments — it is unlikely they will trust those same institutions to protect their rights.
With governments on pace to adopt more technology, it’s imperative that any new tools are thoroughly evaluated and tested before they are released into the world. AI has the potential to dramatically improve many government processes and could help the cities provide better services. But if technologies are poorly designed, without attention to how they are integrated into society, they could change power relations and how people relate to their governments. In this case, the more likely outcome is the further erosion of trust in public institutions — and undermining the very laws and rules the city is responsible for clarifying and protecting." https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/4624114-ai-chatbot-government-public-sector-silicon-valley-new-york-city/
👉🏾 @EDPS announced EU voice is closing
👉🏾 @EU_Commission has 100,000 followers
👉🏾 #EuropeanCommission social #ActivityPub account will primarily be on Threads
👉🏾 EU Voice should ask citizens & local businesses in #Europe for instance funding help
Gotta say that EC's messaging is quite confusing. Hope there'll be more follow-up soon.
Yesterday I attended a @commonsnetwork organized event in The Hague about #Government and building #DigitalCommons, and among the crowds of representatives of many different institutions there, there was A TON of interest for decentralized #SocialWeb technologies.
City of Thousand Oaks: Celebrate Public Works Week with us by taking a guided tour of the Municipal Service Center on May 21 or 22, 2024! 🌳🌟 Space is limited. Be sure to RSVP today by visiting http://toaks.co/pww#ThousandOaks#California#government
Not surprisingly, I see from the city meeting I attended virtually last night, local city government only has the usual suspects in their social media outreach list (Facebook, Twitter/X, and Nextdoor)... Although some of our council members are with the times, it seems local government is not. #socialmedia#government
Ryan Millsap’s apology for his messages, which were revealed by a ProPublica and Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation, comes as influential #government and #entertainment officials said they were disappointed by his derogatory rhetoric.
Marjorie Taylor Greene fails to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson (www.bbc.com)
The House killed the far-right Republican's motion to remove Mike Johnson over support for Ukraine aid.