South Park Creators Have New Political Satire Series With AI-Generated Deepfakes

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: Trey Parker and Matt Stone, best known for their cartoon South Park, have created a new comedy deepfake series called Sassy Justice. The star of the show, Fred Sassy, is a local news reporter from Cheyenne, Wyoming, with the face of US President Donald Trump. Other notable characters include, erm, “Dialysis King”…

Russian Hackers Targeted California, Indiana Democratic Parties In Repeat of 2016 Attacks

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: The group of Russian hackers accused of meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election earlier this year targeted the email accounts of Democratic state parties in California and Indiana, and influential think tanks in Washington and New York, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The attempted intrusions, many of which were…

Poll Shows Bipartisan Support For Tech Antitrust Action

About half of Americans on both sides of the aisle back the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit against Google, while fewer than a third oppose it, according to a new poll from progressive groups Demand Progress and Data for Progress shared exclusively with Axios. From a report: There’s a growing pile of evidence that regulatory action against Big Tech has bipartisan support,…

Google Search Rivals Urge EU To Revisit Android Antitrust Case

A group of search engines from around the world are banding together to demand European Union regulators address Google’s dominance in the online search market. They are also urging the EU to take a closer look at Google’s controversial auction process. From a report: The news comes hot on the heels of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust case, which…

‘Iranian YouTube’ CEO Sentenced To 10 Years Over Video Uploaded By User

The founder and manager of Iran’s main video-sharing platform, referred to by some as Iran’s YouTube, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of “encouraging corruption” over a video posted by a user. Radio Free Europe reports: In the video posted on Aparat.com last year, children were asked whether they know how they were born, Iranian media…

‘Apple, Google and a Deal That Controls the Internet’

The New York Times’ looks at “a deal that controls the internet” — Apple’s agreement to feature Google as the preselected search engine for iPhones, saying America’s Justice Department views it “as a prime example of what prosecutors say are Google’s illegal tactics to protect its monopoly and choke off competition…” The scrutiny of the pact, which was first inked 15…

FCC Defends Helping Trump, Claims Authority Over Social Media Law

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The Federal Communications Commission’s top lawyer today explained the FCC’s theory of why it can grant President Donald Trump’s request for a new interpretation of a law that provides legal protection to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Critics of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s plan from both the left and right…

Former Google CEO Calls Social Networks ‘Amplifiers for Idiots’

Former Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt said the “excesses” of social media are likely to result in greater regulation of internet platforms in the coming years. From a report: Schmidt, who left the board of Google’s parent Alphabet in 2019 but is still one of its largest shareholders, said the antitrust lawsuit the U.S. government filed against the company on…

Mozilla Fears ‘Collateral Damage’ in Google Antitrust Case

Mozilla has responded to the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against Google, but rather than commending the DOJ’s action, the Firefox browser maker has voiced concerns that its commercial partnership could make it “collateral damage” in the fight against Google’s alleged monopolistic practices. From a report: The DOJ, with support from 11 U.S. states, confirmed yesterday that it is suing…

Google Locks In Search Monopoly With $1 Billion To Carriers

Google doled out more than $1 billion last year to U.S. mobile carriers to distribute its search engine, according to the landmark antitrust lawsuit from the Justice Department. From a report: The DOJ suit, filed Tuesday, details several methods Google uses to make its search the default service on browsers, smartphones and other devices. That includes deals with Apple and Android…