If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The World Economic Forum (WEF) annual gathering of elected and unelected elites from around the world is once more under way in Switzerland’s Davos‚ and this year AI is unsurprisingly garnering a fair share of attention. More precisely‚ how to harness its power‚ including through new regulation‚ but as one participant‚ DeepLearning.AI founder Andrew Ng put it‚ not of the tech itself‚ but rather of its “applications.” Related: Bill Gates Hopes AI Can Reduce “Polarization‚” Save “Democracy‚” Ignores Censorship Implications A natural stance‚ some may say‚ for a person selling some version of AI. Ng told the WEF that while there is amplification of warnings about problems arising from AI‚ calling them hypothetical‚ and of risk assessments that are sensationalist – what he says as the real potential issues get overlooked. So let’s not vilify AI – but let’s still seek to control‚ i.e.‚ regulate it‚ via “applications.” And here Ng seems to go straight for the sensationalist‚ only under a different pretext‚ mentioning rather broadly defined “systems that can emotionally manipulate people for profit” as something that would be justified to regulate. DeepLearning.AI founder’s opposition to regulating AI tech itself is explained touching on all the right concerns (in terms of hypothetical new rules)‚ such as that they may stand in the way of open source‚ innovation‚ competitiveness. So – let the technology run free‚ supposedly for these noble reasons – but then tighten the screws when it comes to how it can be used. And here‚ Ng wants “AI applications‚” (uses) to be designated according to “degree of risk.” The way to do it is to make this designation “clear” – and at first‚ Ng was doing rather well‚ mentioning “actually risky” cases‚ such as medical devices. But then‚ his “clear” identification becomes muddier‚ and we finally meet our old friend “disinformation” again. According to him‚ “chat systems potentially spewing disinformation” is something that can not only be straight-forwardly identified‚ but is also “actually risky” – and needs to be censored‚ i.e.‚ regulated in a “tiered” manner. Ng is also not a fan of proposals to do this taking into account the size of a model used by an AI project‚ and believes that both small and large ones can be equally dangerous when it comes to the two things he seems “stuck” on – “bad medical advice” and‚ “generating disinformation.” The post Davos Attendee Calls for AI Regulation To Prevent Chatbots From “Potentially Spewing Misinformation” appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The Government Accountability Project‚ which bills itself as a leader in whistleblower protection‚ including advocacy and litigation‚ has announced a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request aimed at shedding light on alleged censorship involving online posts concerning the Norfolk Southern train derailment. The accident happened in East Palestine‚ Ohio‚ in early February 2023‚ and attracted attention online considering that as many as 38 train cars loaded with “hazardous” materials were involved – and some of them kept burning for several days. Finally extinguishing these poisonous flames brought trouble – the fumes released prompted the authorities to evacuate people from within a mile radius. It was pretty serious and it’s not entirely clear as in all the pertinent information – so‚ it’s something people might well be expected to try to learn more about and discuss online‚ in this day and age. Well‚ not so fast. Facebook (Meta) was‚ according to the Government Accountability Project‚ fairly quick to try to suppress – by means of deleting or flagging – posts that raised the issue of possible health risks related to the derailment. Another thing that ended up derailed here‚ the FOIA filing suspects and wants clarified‚ may have been the proper democratic process where the government keeps its citizens informed and aware. However‚ the FOIA requests suspect the opposite has happened – namely‚ the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Facebook engaging in “communication” – which eventually saw posts from personal accounts‚ and the “East Palestine Off the Rails” page‚ censored. The need for information sought via the request to be revealed is explained by whistleblower and scientist Scott Smith “(discovering) elevated dioxin levels in East Palestine” – and then when posting about it on Facebook‚ only to get his “public figure” account flagged. Resident Jami Rae Wallace previously tagged him as she was sharing a link to a mainstream media article. Prior to that‚ the advocacy group says Wallace “received a text from Mark Durno‚ EPA Region 5 leader on the ground and Homeland Security Advisor‚ telling her to remove her Facebook post where she posted to think critically about answers the EPA was giving residents regarding their health.” Facebook was not sure about the merit of any of this – but Facebook apparently no longer errs on the side of its own rules. “This post may go against our guidelines on suggested content‚” the notice said. Facebook also showed that its “guidelines” may now be next-level nonsensical: “This post may show content that is broadly disliked‚” the note further stated. At least Scott Smith seems to be able to put together a non-Orwellian newspeak sentence or two‚ to argue his case: “Anyone who cares about their constitutional rights and free speech needs to pay attention to what is happening in East Palestine‚ Ohio. That is why we need EPA records to shine light on any coordination with Facebook to suppress the free sharing of information on what is currently happening to residents there. The government should not be serving as a mechanism of censorship to protect multi-billion-dollar corporations.” The post Advocacy Group Seeks EPA Records on Facebook Censorship of East Palestine Train Derailment Posts appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Sign Up To Keep Reading This post is for Reclaim The Net supporters. Gain access to the entire archive of features and supporters-only content. Help protect free speech‚ freedom from surveillance‚ and digital civil liberties. Join Already a supporter? Login here The post The Biden Administration‚ an Alliance With the Censorship-Driven German Government‚ and the “Media Literacy” Programs Pushed in Schools appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

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An animation of an asteroid's close approach to Earth has attracted a lot of views over the last few days‚ largely because of just how close it appears. The animation‚ shared by Facebook page Cosmoknowledge on Sunday‚ shows asteroid 99942 Apophis's path‚ culminating in its closest approach on April 13‚ 2029. To be clear‚ there is nothing to fear from this asteroid‚ which is predicted by NASA not to hit Earth in 2029‚ nor in another close approach in 2036. However‚ the animation is still what is known as a nailbiter.        IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.In April 2029‚ Apophis is predicted by NASA to come within 32‚000 kilometers (20‚000 miles) of the Earth's surface. Closer than some satellites‚ it should be visible from the Eastern Hemisphere without the aid of a telescope or binoculars.It may sound close (in terms of space that is‚ not in terms of a jaunt) but astronomers are not concerned. In 2021‚ Apophis made a flyby of Earth‚ at which point astronomers made powerful radar observations in order to better define its orbit. Before that‚ NASA believed that it had a chance of impact later in the century‚ but the observations ruled that out.“A 2068 impact is not in the realm of possibility anymore‚" Davide Farnocchia of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies said of the asteroid‚ "and our calculations don’t show any impact risk for at least the next 100 years."Other animations‚ a little closer and from a different angle‚ are more reassuring. NASA's Eyes On Asteroids website also provides more detailed views of this and other asteroids‚ for anyone who has a bit of free time and fancies feeling at the mercy of random space rocks.    NASA is going to use the 2029 flyby to take a better look at the asteroid‚ named for the Egyptian serpent deity that wanted to devour the Sun‚ using the spacecraft that returned samples from asteroid Bennu. A little science cherry on top of the main treat? That we aren't going to be hit by a big rock from space.

It’s almost four years since COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic. Although the state of emergency has now passed‚ and vaccines and treatment advances have helped turn the tide‚ the virus is very much still out there. The latest variant‚ JN.1‚ has brought with it some unexpected new symptoms – but how worried should we be?JN.1 is a descendent of the “Pirola” variant‚ BA.2.86‚ that began to spread in late Summer 2023. In fact‚ it was only a single change in the virus’s spike protein that gave rise to JN.1. It’s now the dominant variant in the UK‚ responsible for around 60 percent of new COVID cases‚ as well as in the US according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. The fact that JN.1 has become so dominant has been taken as evidence that it is either more transmissible than previous variants‚ or better at evading the immune system. The latest UK figures at the time of writing‚ for the seven days up to and including January 3‚ 2024‚ show cases are up by 8.6 percent. At first glance‚ a variant that gets around the immune protection conferred by vaccines or prior infections sounds like bad news‚ but the number of people catching COVID is only part of the story. It’s also important to look at how sick they’re getting.There‚ at least‚ there may be some cause for cautious optimism. Paul Hunter‚ a professor at the University of East Anglia‚ took a look at the figures and told New Scientist that this wave of the pandemic is resulting in far fewer serious illness cases than before. “On average‚ someone catching COVID-19 in this wave is less likely to be admitted to hospital‚” Hunter said. “I think immunity is probably playing a big role‚ but it may be that the latest variant is also less virulent.”That’s not to say that the number of people being hospitalized with the virus is no longer an issue at all. In the US‚ admissions to hospital for COVID-19 saw increases for nine consecutive weeks up to the first week of January‚ predominantly in the 65 and over age group.As we’ve learned‚ hospitalization is not the only factor that should be taken seriously with COVID-19. Even mild infections carry with them the risk of long-lasting symptoms that can be very debilitating.  So‚ should we be worried?While the numbers of deaths from COVID-19 no longer make as disturbing a reading as they did at the height of the pandemic‚ the virus still has the potential to put enormous pressure on healthcare systems – which in the Northern Hemisphere are already trying to cope with the usual winter illnesses like flu and respiratory syncytial virus. On an individual level‚ people are still dying or developing life-altering complications.At a recent briefing‚ Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus‚ Director-General of the World Health Organization‚ encouraged world leaders not to take their foot off the gas when it comes to COVID-19 surveillance.    IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Vaccination‚ for those able to access it‚ remains key when it comes to protecting yourself. A study published just this week in The Lancet concluded that over 7‚000 hospitalizations and deaths in the UK during the summer of 2022 could have been avoided with better vaccine coverage.Ever-controversial mask mandates are also making a comeback in some quarters‚ and we can all do our part to try and limit the spread by doing our best to keep our distance from others when we're sick. While for many people‚ infection with JN.1 is likely to be mild and self-limiting‚ if the last four years have taught us one thing‚ it’s that you can never completely write off COVID-19 as a potential threat. So far‚ the data do not seem to suggest that we need to be especially worried about this variant. However‚ they do underline the importance of continuing to keep a close watch on this disease – it could still surprise us.All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text‚ images‚ and links may be edited‚ removed‚ or added to at a later date to keep information current. The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice‚ diagnosis‚ or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions. 

Somebody on the Internet has asked a question that comes up from time to time: "How did the human race survive for thousands of years without vaccines?"Well‚ the answer‚ as has been explained to the poster in X's (formerly known as Twitter) community note feature‚ is that the human race did survive without vaccines (hence you reading this)‚ but millions upon millions of people died from diseases that could have been prevented by vaccines.          IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.The question has a small whiff of survivor bias to it. If you haven't encountered survivor bias‚ think of a person (probably on Facebook) who tells you: "My gran smoked every day of her life and she made it to 95". Or Uncle Billy‚ who says‚ "I used to pound 35 cans of Budweiser before every commute‚ and not once did I die". These are all examples of "survivor bias"‚ which goes like this: these activities look less dangerous than they are because you are in the group of survivors. There's a reason you don't hear from people with similar stories‚ such as "I used to pound 35 cans of Budweiser before driving and died instantly‚ day one" from Uncle Billy (God rest his soul)‚ and it's because Uncle Billy is dead.Though overall the human species has survived every disease thus far‚ that doesn't mean that diseases of the past (ones named things like "the Black Death") were harmless. You are just the latest in a long line of people who have procreated without being killed by said diseases. In the case of the plague‚ 30 to 50 percent of the entire population of Europe was killed‚ sometimes to be catapulted at their enemies.  The disease resurged in pockets for centuries after the initial epidemics of the 1300s. We can now treat the plague‚ which occasionally spreads to humans from animal sources‚ with antibiotics‚ but vaccines are also available.Another example of a disease that we "survived" before vaccines is smallpox. Smallpox‚ to put it lightly‚ was extremely deadly‚ with about 30 percent of people infected with the variola virus succumbing to the disease. With no vaccines to fight it‚ and no other tools against it other than deliberately infecting people with pus from pustules‚ the disease was a constant threat to life.That is until the world's first vaccine was developed by Edward Jenner in 1796‚ after he heard rumors that milkmaids were immune to smallpox following previous infections with cowpox. Thanks to a successful global vaccination program‚ the World Health Organization (WHO) was able to declare it eradicated in 1979.Another disease we survived without vaccines‚ by dying in huge numbers until a vaccine was developed.