Happy Tuesday, all! Here’s your Tuesday Tech Drop, the top stories from the last week involving politics and tech.
Musk makes a big announcement
Elon Musk claimed that his startup Neuralink has successfully implanted its first device in a human brain and that the person is “recovering well.” NBC News was unable to confirm the report, but the announcement suggests Musk may be one step closer to a device that, his company says, will allow people to control devices with their minds. Nightmare fuel.
Read more at NBC News.
Citywide social media advisory
New York City has officially declared social media to be a public health hazard, with New York Mayor Eric Adams classifying it in the same category as tobacco and guns. The announcement resulted in New York City’s health commissioner issuing a public health advisory on social media use.
Read more at The Washington Post.
For your eyes only (if you’re 18)
West Virginia is moving forward with a law that would require people to show some form of identification to verify they’re 18 or older before they can access pornography online. Several states have similar laws on the books; in addition to being difficult to enforce, a federal judge recently ruled that Texas’ version of the age-verification law violates the Constitution. An appeals court has allowed it to stay in effect while the case is pending.
Read more at The Associated Press.
Democrats demand a delay
A group of Democratic senators want the Department of Justice to stop helping local, state and tribal police buy so-called predictive policing tools until the DOJ can prove those tools won’t contribute to discriminatory practices. These tools rely on a variety of data to develop algorithms that allegedly determine where future crime might occur. Studies have shown predictive policing tools disproportionately identify people of color as potential criminals.
Read the senators’ letter to the DOJ here.
Warner’s misinformation warning
Sen. Mark Warner is…
Read the full article here
