PixelPioneers: Trekking through AI, Privacy, and Outdoor Endeavors

Signal users can share usernames instead of phone numbers.

Signal has rolled out support for usernames on its encrypted messaging service, so anyone can add an optional username to connect with others without sharing their phone number. 👍

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Google is updating the warning on Chrome’s Incognito mode to make it clear that Google and websites run by other companies can still collect your data in the web browser’s semi-private mode. 👎

The change is being made as Google prepares to settle a class-action lawsuit that accuses the firm of privacy violations related to Chrome’s Incognito mode. The expanded warning was recently added to Chrome Canary, a nightly build for developers. The warning directly addresses one of the lawsuit’s complaints: that the Incognito mode’s warning doesn’t make it clear that Google collects data from users of the private mode.

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FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for fraud tied to the collapse of his digital exchange, capping the onetime crypto king’s meteoric rise and fall.

Less than two years ago, the moptop millennial hobnobbed with heads of state, soaked up Caribbean views from his $30 million penthouse and vowed to use his wealth to better humanity. A jury last year found the 32-year-old guilty of stealing billions of dollars from FTX customers and defrauding investors and lenders to his crypto investment firm Alameda Research.

Federal prosecutors said Bankman-Fried committed one of the greatest financial frauds in U.S. history. Fueled by greed and hubris, he used other people’s money to fund his lavish lifestyle, make risky investments and pursue his political agenda, according to prosecutors.

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The United Nations General Assembly has unanimously adopted the first global resolution addressing the governance of AI. The non-binding resolution, proposed by the United States and co-sponsored by China and over 120 other nations, encourages countries to safeguard human rights, protect personal data, and monitor AI systems for potential risks.

The resolution specifically advocates for strengthening privacy policies and calls for regulations that can defeat malicious deployment of AI tools. The text reflects the growing influence, benign and otherwise, of generative AI models, deepfakes, synthetic media, and related developments.

The Assembly called on all Member States and stakeholders “to refrain from or cease the use of artificial intelligence systems that are impossible to operate in compliance with international human rights law or that pose undue risks to the enjoyment of human rights.”

The Assembly further recognized the “varying levels” of technological development between and within countries and that developing nations face unique challenges in keeping up with the rapid pace of innovation.

The Assembly highlighted the international community’s opportunity and responsibility to “govern this technology rather than let it govern us.”

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