Africa’s New Data Dependency – Technology Colonialism
Data colonialism on the African continent has moved from abstraction into formal state policy through binding agreements signed without public consent, parliamentary scrutiny, or meaningful legal protection for citizens. Nigeria’s memorandum of understanding with France on tax administration data, alongside healthcare data-sharing agreements signed by Kenya and Rwanda with United States agencies, reflects a pattern of external control over sovereign information systems. These arrangements represent a transfer of strategic national assets rather than technical cooperation. Historical experience across former colonies shows that control over taxation, health records, and population data has always preceded deeper forms of domination, even when formal sovereignty remained intact.
Africa’s New Data Dependency – Technology Colonialism | naked capitalism
Data agreements are replacing armies as tools of colonialism and the return of external governanceYves Smith (naked capitalism)
Africa’s New Data Dependency – Technology Colonialism
Data colonialism on the African continent has moved from abstraction into formal state policy through binding agreements signed without public consent, parliamentary scrutiny, or meaningful legal protection for citizens. Nigeria’s memorandum of understanding with France on tax administration data, alongside healthcare data-sharing agreements signed by Kenya and Rwanda with United States agencies, reflects a pattern of external control over sovereign information systems. These arrangements represent a transfer of strategic national assets rather than technical cooperation. Historical experience across former colonies shows that control over taxation, health records, and population data has always preceded deeper forms of domination, even when formal sovereignty remained intact.
Africa’s New Data Dependency – Technology Colonialism | naked capitalism
Data agreements are replacing armies as tools of colonialism and the return of external governanceYves Smith (naked capitalism)
Google AI summaries are ruining the livelihoods of recipe writers: ‘It’s an extinction event’
Oh, no! Now how am I going to find 60" of irrelevant content about your grandma just to get a soup recipe?
This past March, when Google began rolling out its AI Mode search capability, it began offering AI-generated recipes. The recipes were not all that intelligent. The AI had taken elements of similar recipes from multiple creators and Frankensteined them into something barely recognizable. In one memorable case, the Google AI failed to distinguish the satirical website the Onion from legitimate recipe sites and advised users to cook with non-toxic glue.Over the past few years, bloggers who have not secured their sites behind a paywall have seen their carefully developed and tested recipes show up, often without attribution and in a bastardized form, in ChatGPT replies. They have seen dumbed-down versions of their recipes in AI-assembled cookbooks available for digital downloads on Etsy or on AI-built websites that bear a superficial resemblance to an old-school human-written blog. Their photos and videos, meanwhile, are repurposed in Facebook posts and Pinterest pins that link back to this digital slop.
Recipe writers have no legal recourse because recipes generally are not copyrightable. Although copyright protects published or recorded work, they do not cover sets of instructions (although it can apply to the particular wording of those instructions).
Google AI summaries are ruining the livelihoods of recipe writers: ‘It’s an extinction event’
AI Mode is mangling recipes by merging instructions from multiple creators – and causing them huge dips in ad trafficAimee Levitt (The Guardian)
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‘Our industry has been strip-mined’: video game workers protest at The Game Awards
Outside the lavish event, workers called out the ‘greed’ in the industry that has left games ‘being sold for parts to make a few people a lot of money’
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Grand Theft Auto: Game creator sacked us for trying to unionise
Former staff at the Grand Theft Auto creator are seeking an employment tribunal over alleged "union-busting".
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Denmark takes a Viking swing at VPN-enabled piracy
Minister insists 'modest' bill is not an assault on privacy-preserving tech
Denmark takes a Viking swing at VPN-enabled piracy
: Minister insists 'modest' bill is not an assault on privacy-preserving techConnor Jones (The Register)
Palestinian Medical Evacuees in Jordan Returned to Gaza Without Prior Warning
Dec 12, 2025
A group of Palestinian children evacuated from Gaza to Jordan for medical treatment with family members or caregivers were reportedly returned to Gaza earlier this month by Jordanian authorities without prior warning and had their belongings, including money and jewelry, confiscated by Israeli soldiers, according to multiple sources.The Palestinian children were evacuated from Gaza as part of an initiative first announced by Jordanian King Abdullah II during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in February. Dubbed the “Jordan Medical Corridor initiative,” Jordan pledged to treat a total of 2,000 child patients from Gaza in successive stages. The patients would receive medical care at private or public hospitals and return to Gaza once treatment was completed. Since March, hundreds of Palestinian children have received treatment in successive batches and have been returned to Gaza.
Palestinian Medical Evacuees in Jordan Returned to Gaza Without Prior Warning
Palestinian children and their families receiving medical treatment in Amman were poorly treated by Jordanian authorities and robbed by Israeli border guards.Drop Site News
Palestinian Medical Evacuees in Jordan Returned to Gaza Without Prior Warning
cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/40365262
Dec 12, 2025
A group of Palestinian children evacuated from Gaza to Jordan for medical treatment with family members or caregivers were reportedly returned to Gaza earlier this month by Jordanian authorities without prior warning and had their belongings, including money and jewelry, confiscated by Israeli soldiers, according to multiple sources.The Palestinian children were evacuated from Gaza as part of an initiative first announced by Jordanian King Abdullah II during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in February. Dubbed the “Jordan Medical Corridor initiative,” Jordan pledged to treat a total of 2,000 child patients from Gaza in successive stages. The patients would receive medical care at private or public hospitals and return to Gaza once treatment was completed. Since March, hundreds of Palestinian children have received treatment in successive batches and have been returned to Gaza.
Palestinian Medical Evacuees in Jordan Returned to Gaza Without Prior Warning
Dec 12, 2025A group of Palestinian children evacuated from Gaza to Jordan for medical treatment with family members or caregivers were reportedly returned to Gaza earlier this month by Jordanian authorities without prior warning and had their belongings, including money and jewelry, confiscated by Israeli soldiers, according to multiple sources.The Palestinian children were evacuated from Gaza as part of an initiative first announced by Jordanian King Abdullah II during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in February. Dubbed the “Jordan Medical Corridor initiative,” Jordan pledged to treat a total of 2,000 child patients from Gaza in successive stages. The patients would receive medical care at private or public hospitals and return to Gaza once treatment was completed. Since March, hundreds of Palestinian children have received treatment in successive batches and have been returned to Gaza.
Palestinian Medical Evacuees in Jordan Returned to Gaza Without Prior Warning
Palestinian children and their families receiving medical treatment in Amman were poorly treated by Jordanian authorities and robbed by Israeli border guards.Drop Site News
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This rugged phone lets you hot-swap batteries without turning it off
Ulefone has already made a name for itself in the rugged smartphone business. Now, it's got a sub-brand that's focused on more niche innovations for people who want more differentiated devices – and its first flagship product is quite something.
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China’s Fossil Fuel Power Output Set for First Drop in a Decade
China’s Fossil Fuel Power Output Set for First Drop in a Decade
China’s fossil fuel power plants are on track to chart their first annual drop in generation in a decade as renewables flood the grid to meet rising demand.Bloomberg
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[Article] 2,800 RGB drones turned into the world's largest-ever game of Tetris — Red Bull Tetris world final lights up Dubai night sky
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Kindle app now answers questions about the book you’re reading
The AI-powered ‘Ask this Book’ is a spoiler-free reading assistant.
Kindle app now answers questions about the book you’re reading
Amazon’s AI-powered ‘Ask this Book’ is a spoiler-free reading assistant for the Kindle app on iOS, though it’s only in the US for now.Dominic Preston (The Verge)
Jaguar Land Rover payroll data stolen in cybercrime that shook UK economy
Automaker admits raid that crippled its factories in August led to the theft of sensitive info
JLR: Payroll data stolen in cybercrime that shook UK economy
: Automaker admits raid that crippled its factories in August led to the theft of sensitive infoCarly Page (The Register)
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China Confronts the Cost of Dismantling the World’s Biggest Coal Sector
From the days of Mao Zedong, the fuel has underpinned economic growth, millions of jobs and the Communist Party’s founding myths.
Verizon refused to unlock man’s iPhone, so he sued the carrier and won
Verizon changed policy after he bought the phone, wouldn’t unlock it despite FCC rule.
Case file: cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content…
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Siemens and GlobalFoundries are working on AI-driven chip production
Siemens and GlobalFoundries have announced a strategic partnership focused on AI-driven automation of semiconductor production. The agreements are laid out in a memorandum of understanding and focus on chip factories, software, and digital production processes.
Siemens and GlobalFoundries are working on AI-driven chip production - Techzine Global
Siemens and GlobalFoundries have announced a strategic collaboration on AI-driven automation of semiconductor production.Mels Dees (Techzine)
Starlink VP confirms ‘dangerously close’ Chinese launch incident — close call saw satellite pass within 200 meters of Starlink travelling at over 17,400mph
Chinese satellite came within 200m of Starlink-6079, travelling at ~17,400mph.
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Amazon accidentally shows film with 15 rating to child who rented PG movie
The child's was trying to watch Diary of a Wimpy Kid - but a film with "strong sex and sex references" played instead.
Nutanix launches Distributed Sovereign Cloud for greater control and flexibility
You can easily make a cloud sovereign by simply blocking all access. In reality, however, organizations want control, flexibility, and advanced features.
Nutanix launches Distributed Sovereign Cloud for greater control and flexibility - Techzine Global
Nutanix wants to make it easy to bring data and applications close together, regardless of the requirement to run sovereign infrastructure.Erik van Klinken (Techzine)
LG TV users baffled by unremovable Microsoft Copilot installation — surprise forced update shows app pinned to the home screen
LG smart TV owners are reporting that a recent webOS software update has added Microsoft Copilot to their TVs, with no apparent way to remove it. Reports first surfaced over the weekend on Reddit, where a post showing a Copilot tile pinned to an LG TV home screen climbed to more than 35,000 upvotes on r/mildlyinfuriating, accompanied by hundreds of comments from users describing the same behavior.
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Nvidia reportedly weighs ramping up H200 production to meet surging demand in China
After successfully lobbying the Trump administration to approve the sales of its H200 chips to China, Nvidia is now thinking of adding capacity to produce more of the chips.
Snapchat rolls out its end-of-year Recaps
The Recap is a short video that offers a personalized look at highlights from Snaps, Stories, and Chats, showing how users connected and expressed themselves throughout the year.
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Tesla starts testing robotaxis in Austin with no safety driver
It's one of the last big steps before the company can truly claim it's operating a robotaxi service, and start to take on Waymo.
Google is killing off dark web reports
Google's dark web report was initially a feature that was available only to paid subscribers of its Google One program, but last year, it was made available for free to all Google account holders. As the name suggests, the tool allowed users to set up a profile which would constantly monitor the dark web and notify users if their breached information was located online. Although this seems quite useful on paper, the company has decided to kill off dark web reports, with the feature being axed early next year.
https://www.neowin.net/news/google-is-killing-off-dark-web-reports/
The Government Is Withholding Data On Labour Relations
ESDC removed data tables reporting ‘work stoppages’ from its website several months ago.
French Interior Ministry confirms cyberattack on email servers
The French Interior Minister confirmed on Friday that the country's Ministry of the Interior was breached in a cyberattack that compromised e-mail servers.
[Patch Notes] 0.4.0 Hotfix 10
0.4.0 Hotfix 10
- Fixed a client crash caused by the chickens in Clearfell Encampment.
- Fixed a client crash on Vulkan renderer when resizing the window.
Early Access Patch Notes - 0.4.0 Hotfix 10 - Forum - Path of Exile
Path of Exile is a free online-only action RPG under development by Grinding Gear Games in New Zealand.Path of Exile
[Patch Notes] 0.4.0 Hotfix 9
0.4.0 Hotfix 9
- Improved texture streaming for users with low available VRAM.
- Fixed 2 common client crashes.
- Fixed a client crash that could occur in the Fortress Map.
- Fixed a client crash that could occur with Ember Fussilade.
- Fixed a client crash that could occur in party play.
- Fixed a bug where reward rooms in the Temple were not Destabilising after completion.
Early Access Patch Notes - 0.4.0 Hotfix 9 - Forum - Path of Exile
Path of Exile is a free online-only action RPG under development by Grinding Gear Games in New Zealand.Path of Exile
Israel assassinates Qassam commander in Gaza; RSF shell military hospital and advance in South Kordofan; Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast wins Chile’s presidential election.
Israel assassinates Qassam commander in Gaza; RSF shell military hospital and advance in South Kordofan; Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast wins Chile’s presidential election.
cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/40364057
Israel carries out more strikes near Gaza City. Israeli navy seizes at least four Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Khan Younis. Israel employs drones to smuggle narcotics into Gaza, Al Jazeera reports. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reportedly kidnapped thousands of fleeing civilians in El-Fasher and attempted to extract ransoms from them. Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed by a drone in Sudan’s border region. RSF shelling of a military hospital kills 9, wounds 17. The RSF committed sexual violence in Kordofan, a Sudanese rights group documents. A mass shooting kills at least 15 at Australia’s Bondi Beach. Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Sunday. A 26-year-old Palestinian detainee dies in Israeli custody. Two people are killed and nine wounded in a shooting at Brown University. U.S. administration figures are vying to control the billions in revenue that might accompany dominion over Gaza’s aid distribution. A federal appeals court rules in favor of the Trump administration’s attempt to stop federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast wins Chile’s presidential election. An ISIS attack kills three U.S. military personnel in Syria.
Israel assassinates Qassam commander in Gaza; RSF shell military hospital and advance in South Kordofan; Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast wins Chile’s presidential election.
Israel carries out more strikes near Gaza City. Israeli navy seizes at least four Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Khan Younis. Israel employs drones to smuggle narcotics into Gaza, Al Jazeera reports. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reportedly kidnapped thousands of fleeing civilians in El-Fasher and attempted to extract ransoms from them. Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed by a drone in Sudan’s border region. RSF shelling of a military hospital kills 9, wounds 17. The RSF committed sexual violence in Kordofan, a Sudanese rights group documents. A mass shooting kills at least 15 at Australia’s Bondi Beach. Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Sunday. A 26-year-old Palestinian detainee dies in Israeli custody. Two people are killed and nine wounded in a shooting at Brown University. U.S. administration figures are vying to control the billions in revenue that might accompany dominion over Gaza’s aid distribution. A federal appeals court rules in favor of the Trump administration’s attempt to stop federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast wins Chile’s presidential election. An ISIS attack kills three U.S. military personnel in Syria.
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Announcing Key Transparency for the Fediverse - Dhole Moments
Announcing Key Transparency for the Fediverse - Dhole Moments
I’m pleased to announce the immediate availability of a reference implementation for the Public Key Directory server. This software implements the Key Transparency specification I’ve be…Dhole Moments
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Jimmy Carr on Why Everyone Is Wrong About AI
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.www.youtube.com
Court battle begins over California's new congressional map designed to favor Democrats
The fight over California’s new congressional map designed to help Democrats flip congressional House seats will go to court Monday as a panel of federal judges considers whether the district boundaries approved by voters last month can be used in elections.
The hearing in Los Angeles sets the stage for a high-stakes legal and political fight between the Trump administration and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who’s been eyeing a 2028 presidential run. The lawsuit asks a three-judge panel to grant a temporary restraining order by Dec. 19 — the date candidates can take the first official steps to run in the 2026 election.
Voters approved California’s new U.S. House map in November through Proposition 50. It’s designed to help Democrats flip as many as five congressional House seats in the midterm elections next year. It was Newsom’s response to a Republican-led effort in Texas backed by President Donald Trump.
Indiana says it’s retiring two coal plants, but is it making other plans? |The Trump administration has already ordered a Michigan coal plant to run past its retirement date.
Indiana says it’s retiring two coal plants, but is it making other plans?
The Trump administration has already ordered a Michigan coal plant to run past its retirement date. Two polluting, inefficient plants in Indiana may be…Canary Media
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bcovertigo
in reply to BrikoX • • •BrikoX
in reply to bcovertigo • • •gsmarena.com/rugone_xever_7_pr…
Ulefone's new brand RugOne debuts with Xever 7 rugged phones with swappable batteries
Sagar (GSMArena)Crozekiel
in reply to BrikoX • • •Seems cool and all, but if it stops getting OS and security updates 2 years later, then I don't really give a shit about the removable battery. My last 2 phones were replaced because the OS was SUPER old and no longer getting updates, and the batteries would still last long enough to get through the work day.
Really, the swappable battery is not the "headline" feature imo.
BrikoX
in reply to Crozekiel • • •gsmarena.com/rugone_xever_7_pr…
Ulefone's new brand RugOne debuts with Xever 7 rugged phones with swappable batteries
Sagar (GSMArena)Crozekiel
in reply to BrikoX • • •That's kinda my point. Android 18 is likely to come out in or around 2028. So you'll get 4-ish years of updates. I know batteries got headlines a few years back, but the complete lack of software support is the real "planned obsolescence" pandemic.
Also, this is not an gripe specifically about this phone, but the phone markets in general. 4 versions of Android is on the high side for a lot of Android phones... I've seen several that only get 2 and its disgraceful.
BrikoX
in reply to Crozekiel • • •It's definitely an issue, but there is some push to address it:
- Fairphone promises 8 years
- Google/Samsung promises 7 years for flagship lines
- Huawei via Honor brand promises 6 years for flagship lines
Mid-tier lines usually get minus 1 or 2 years with the exception of Fairphone, but the recent price increase starts to skirt the line of a flagship.