archive.is link

More than 200 contractors who worked on evaluating and improving Google’s AI products have been laid off without warning in at least two rounds of layoffs last month. The move comes amid an ongoing fight over pay and working conditions, according to workers who spoke to WIRED.

In the past few years, Google has outsourced its AI rating work—which includes evaluating, editing, or rewriting the Gemini chatbot’s response to make it sound more human and “intelligent”—to thousands of contractors employed by Hitachi-owned GlobalLogic and other outsourcing companies. Most raters working at GlobalLogic are based in the US and deal with English-language content. Just as content moderators help purge and classify content on social media, these workers use their expertise, skill, and judgment to teach chatbots and other AI products, including Google’s search summaries feature called AI Overviews—the right responses on a wide range of subjects. Workers allege that the latest cuts come amid attempts to quash their protests over issues including pay and job insecurity.

These workers, who often are hired because of their specialist knowledge, had to have either a master’s or a PhD to join the super rater program, and typically include writers, teachers, and people from creative fields.

https://www.wired.com/story/hundreds-of-google-ai-workers-were-fired-amid-fight-over-working-conditions/

Rep. Sarah McBride [D], the only openly trans member of Congress, voted in support of "Honoring the Legacy" of Charlie Kirk

"scratch a liberal and a fascist bleeds" isn't some saying born out of ignorance or a failure to understand nuance, it is painfully accurate. when McBride won her election i lost a friendship after scoffing over her victory because of her Zionism and commitment to Israel. apparently, as a non-binary trans person, i should simply shut up and count her win as a trans goal reached.

today i am vindicated. didn't take long, did it? not even a full year in office and she has shown her true colors. she is incapable of protecting us from Christian authoritarianism because she is a willing participant in its takeover. Charle Kirk spent the last few years demonizing people like her and myself, dehumanizing LGBT Americans, and encouraging the spread of theocratic interpretation of our laws and allegiance to Trump. the rise in younger sycophants and MAGA loyalists can be directly attributed to Charlie Kirk's popularity and closeness to the Trump administration. Kirk was not a mere mouthpiece or figurehead; he wasn't some YouTuber or online guy popular with the kiddos. he was a massive political organizer, and the amount of lies Kirk spread about trans people was immoral, irresponsible, violent, deadly, and deserving of reaction.

Kirk blamed transgender Americans for everything from inflation to moral decay. while appearing on a radio show he wrapped up a comment involving queer people with the following: “someone should’ve just took care of it the way we used to take care of things in the 1950s and '60s." Kirk also referred to Leviticus 18 as "God's perfect law" when attempting to point out how another Christian was cherry-picking which passages of the Bible to follow (Leviticus 18 calls for stoning gay people to death if you read it as such which Kirk does). and here, transgender Rep. McBride [D], is voting to honor this man; a man who would have her killed through violent stochastic actors operating within the MAGA cult and general conservative fascists at large.

the fear and outrage Charlie Kirk was directly responsible for has done incalculable damage nationwide. McBride is offering the genocide of her own minority group if it keeps her protected and in power. she cannot be trusted and should be shunned by all. she is cowardly and will not help you. i have to leave my state because of the validity people like her are giving transphobic bigots like Kirk.

Heathrow, Dublin and Brussels report gradual recovery from outage

https://www.euractiv.com/news/european-airports-getting-back-online-after-cyberattack/

From public demands to go after his political enemies to reportedly closing $50,000 bribery investigations into Tom Homan.

The Justice Department is basically Trump's personal law firm now

^{Mother Jones}

Germany argues groups such as Apple and Meta are excluded to protect Europe’s ‘digital sovereignty’

Archived version: archive.ph/YFnzh

EU to block Big Tech from new financial data sharing system

^{Barbara Moens (Financial Times)}

People in territory call for symbolism of imminent move by UK and others to be translated into practical measures

Archived version: archive.is/newest/theguardian.…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

‘Not enough in itself’: wary welcome in West Bank over recognition of Palestine

^{Jason Burke (The Guardian)}

They may be fictional characters, but they are voiced by real people, the court says.

Plave: Can you be sued for defaming virtual K-pop stars? South Korea court says yes

^{Koh Ewe (BBC News)}

Exclusive: Sarah Wynn-Williams faces $50,000 fine every time she breaches order banning her from criticising Meta

Meta exposé author faces bankruptcy after ban on criticising company

^{Michael Savage (The Guardian)}

Industry researchers dispute DeepSeek's unusually low training cost claims

https://www.techspot.com/news/109542-rare-disclosure-deepseek-claims-r1-model-training-cost.html

A 3.5-inch AIDA64 compatible model at under $11 seems more useful.

PC second screen costs just $2.57 on AliExpress — but this sub-1-inch USB-connected display won’t be for everyone

^{Mark Tyson (Tom's Hardware)}

Police said the victims were shot dead by unidentified assailants in the southern city of Karachi.

Archived version: archive.is/newest/bbc.com/news…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

Bodies of three transgender people found in Pakistan

^{George Wright (BBC News)}

cross-posted from: lemmy.eco.br/post/16738576

É imprescindível à classe trabalhadora se organizar.
3/13 livros lidos em 2025

Exclusive: White House only realized afterwards that clearances at the CIA and in Congress had been rescinded

Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, did not inform the White House that her office was revoking the security clearances of 37 people – including top deputies to the CIA director, John Ratcliffe – before it happened last month, according to three people familiar with matter.

The move caused consternation because it resulted in the White House not having an opportunity to closely vet the list before it became public and there appeared to be no paper trail from the president directing the effort, the people said.

As a result, officials only realized after the fact that Gabbard had managed to pull the security clearances of career CIA officials, at least one of whom was a top adviser to Ratcliffe and had worked on some of the US’s most sensitive military operations, the people said.

Tulsi Gabbard did not alert White House before revoking 37 security clearances

^{Hugo Lowell (The Guardian)}

Legalising assisted suicide would open a Pandora’s Box of horrors

https://thecritic.co.uk/embrace-hope-reject-assisted-suicide/

Arrangement follows big tech tie-ins claiming to offer £31B investment

Britain jumps into bed with Palantir in £1.5B defense pact

: Arrangement follows big tech tie-ins claiming to offer £31B investment

^{Lindsay Clark (The Register)}

Child safety watchdog calls for child protection guidelines to be built into AI models from the outset

Chatbot site depicting child sexual abuse images raises fears over misuse of AI

^{Dan Milmo (The Guardian)}

An Allegiant Air passenger got arrested after getting angry over the carrier's $5 fee for printing a boarding pass at the airport.

Angry Man Arrested Over Allegiant’s $5 Boarding Pass Printing Fee

^{Ben Schlappig (One Mile at a Time)}

Cruz is chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has oversight jurisdiction over the FCC.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz says FCC Chairman Brendan Carr sounded like an organized crime boss threatening the ABC network’s broadcasting licenses over comments by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

The Texas Republican also emphasized how much he hates what Kimmel said about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk — and how much he likes and works closely with Carr.

Having high-ranking federal officials threaten a network in such a way, however, is “dangerous as hell” because it presents a slippery slope that could end with conservatives facing government censorship down the road, Cruz said.

Ted Cruz says FCC chair sounded like a mafia boss in threats against ABC over Jimmy Kimmel

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz says FCC chairman Brendan Carr sounded more like an organized crime boss than a federal regulator when he threatened to yank ABC’s license...

^{Joseph Morton (The Dallas Morning News)}

L’Italvolley di Ferdinando De Giorgi rialza la testa e vola ai quarti di finale dei Mondiali di pallavolo 2025 nelle Filippine. Dopo la sconfitta con il Belgio che aveva fatto tremare le certezze degli azzurri, la nazionale italiana ha battuto l’Argentina con un netto 3-0. Una prestazione di carattere, trascinata dal talento di Alessandro Michieletto, dall’esperienza di Simone Giannelli e dalla concretezza di Yuri Romanò.

CRONACA DELLA PARTITA: Italvolley-Argentina 3-0: Italia ai quarti di finale dei Mondiali di pallavolo 2025

Italvolley-Argentina 3-0: Italia ai quarti di finale dei Mondiali di pallavolo 2025

L’Italia batte l’Argentina 3-0 e vola ai quarti dei Mondiali di volley 2025. Michieletto, Giannelli e Romanò protagonisti della vittoria.

^{Redazione (Atom Heart Magazine)}

There’s a new iPhone. Again. Improbably, we are on the 17th iteration (give or take) of the product that single-handedly ruins our lives every day with incessant vibrations alerting us to some horrifying calamity, plus every song in the Bruce Springsteen back catalog. Coming up with new features for the never-ending information machines we all keep in our pockets isn’t easy, but this time, Apple managed to develop a big (or should I say small) one. There’s now a thinner iPhone Air, which is being marketed as the thinnest iPhone ever. These gadgets have never exactly been gargantuan, so it’s kind of like identifying the tiniest grain of sand in the desert. Still, people around the world are fascinated by the sheer lack of phone here.

Technology, design, and art are all trending toward a certain scarcity model, prepping us for a lack of bells and whistles, as though both your parents are unemployed and they want you to expect fewer trips to Disneyland. Life on Earth feels more and more like the experience of entering a Sweetgreen – beige, spartan and unobtrusive. Sure, iPhones haven’t gotten cheaper, but they have certainly gotten … lesser. The iPhone Air is so small, I feel like I’ll sit on it and it will slide seamlessly up my rectum, never to be seen again. For some, I’m sure losing your device inside your bowels might be a feature, but I think it’s a rather uncomfortable bug.

The new iPhone is an emblem of our miserable minimalist era

The barely there iPhone Air is in line with trends in tech, design and art – unsullied by thought, risk or humor

^{Dave Schilling (The Guardian)}