Martin Ruskov @mapto@qoto.org

With agentic AI embedded at the OS level, databases storing entire digital lives accessible to malware, tasks whose reliability quickly breaks down at each step, and being opted-in without consent, @signalapp leadership, @Mer__edith and Udbhav Tiwari, are sounding the alarm for the industry to pull back until threats can be mitigated.

https://coywolf.com/news/productivity/signal-president-and-vp-warn-agentic-ai-is-insecure-unreliable-and-a-surveillance-nightmare/

#AI #Privacy #InfoSec

@metin

Curiosity can lead to either support of science or conspiracies. A recent study found that what matters is how people are curious. Those who dislike uncertainty and want quick answers tend toward conspiracy theories. Those who enjoy exploration and open-ended thinking tend to trust science.

<em>British Journal of Social ...

With electric vehicles becoming a realistic option for Japanese consumers, battery recycling holds the key to the further spread of EVs. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/10/battery-recycle-japan-ev/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #batteries #electricvehicles #cars #carmakers #recycling

HRANA – Iran’s nationwide protests continued into their thirteenth day amid a widespread internet shutdown. According to HRANA reports, over the past 13 days at least 65 people have been killed, 2,311 individuals have been arrested, and protests have been recorded at 512 locations across 180 cities in 31 provinces. On this day, despite severe […]

For the nation’s first president, friendliness was strategy, not concession: the republic would treat other nations with civility in order to remain independent of their appetites and quarrels. https://theconversation.com/george-washingtons-foreign-policy-was-built-on-respect-for-other-nations-and-patient-consideration-of-future-burdens-272934

The 6-7 craze that disrupted classrooms and sports events worldwide was more than just nonsense.

Media scholars from 3 countries say the fad reveals how children use meaningless language and games to carve out spaces where they hold the power and adults don't make the rules. https://theconversation.com/the-6-7-craze-offered-a-brief-window-into-the-hidden-world-of-children-272327

When reputable local news outlets close, fewer people vote and get involved in local politics, and misinformation, corruption and polarization increase, an expert on the U.S. media and its role in democracy explains. https://theconversation.com/why-the-pittsburgh-post-gazettes-closure-exposes-a-growing-threat-to-democracy-272992

EU is calling for comments on open source strategies. MAKE YOURSELF HEARD!

Even non-EU citizens have a voice here.

NOW is a time to stand up and stand out! YOU want to help the Fediverse? Here's just one way today that YOU can REALLY make a difference:

The European Open Digital Ecosystem Strategy will set out:

a strategic approach to the open source sector in the EU that addresses the importance of open source as a crucial contribution to EU technological sovereignty, security and competitiveness
a strategic and operational framework to strengthen the use, development and reuse of open digital assets within the Commission, building on the results achieved under the 2020-2023 Commission Open Source Software Strategy.

ec.europa.eu/info/law/better...

#EU #open #foss #openSource #source #linux #activitypub #AP #fedi #fediverse

#iran right now

@cstross and this is the fedi handle for the primary source media seems to cite most often
@en-hrana.org
#iran

Most Americans actually like wolves, no matter their politics.

But when researchers reminded people of their political identities, Democrats became more friendly to wolves and Republicans far more opposed. It’s an interesting study in how politics and social identity can fuel partisan polarization.

https://theconversation.com/americans-generally-like-wolves-except-when-were-reminded-of-our-politics-267511

“Environmental amnesia” lets critics focus on costs of laws, while forgetting why these laws were needed and the real benefits they delivered, according to an environmental law professor.

The “Documerica” project shows in clear photographic evidence how dirty the U.S. used to be. https://theconversation.com/the-us-used-to-be-really-dirty-environmental-cleanup-laws-have-made-a-huge-difference-271277

92% of adults view museums as nonpartisan sources of education.

This rare level of confidence gives museums both an opportunity and a responsibility to model how people might think and listen together, explains one museum director. https://theconversation.com/how-museums-can-help-rebuild-trust-in-a-divided-america-268466

Pronouncing Copilot as copy-lot

Finnish learn media literacy since pre-school to resist Russian disinfo

My highly educated family needs to do it too:
"students have been learning about fake news and disinformation for years, beginning with reading headlines and short texts... the fourth graders were tasked with coming up with five things to look out for when consuming online news to ensure it’s trustworthy. Now they are moving onto AI literacy, which is quickly becoming a vital skill"

https://apnews.com/article/fake-news-classrooms-finland-russia-194b32d8829838bfe47469d6ff357689
@nepravda

Today’s voters don’t evaluate scandal as citizens: they evaluate it as fans. Democrats and Republicans both seek to punish misdeeds by the other side but rationalize them for their own team, explains a professor who has written a book on how politicians survive scandal. https://theconversation.com/voters-shrug-off-scandals-paying-a-price-in-lost-trust-271077