Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Benedict Garman @benedictgarman.com · 1h

Hamas seeks to reassert its authority in Gaza www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Trump demands Hamas disarm, as group moves against 'collaborators' in Gaza

BBC Verify analyses footage of Hamas fighters in Gaza, including one of an execution in the centre of Gaza City.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Benedict Garman

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 16h

Sam Altman went from “AI will cure cancer" to "ChatGPT porn" in less than a month

ChatGPT boss predicts when AI could cure cancer

We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.

Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases.

In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!). If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing).

In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our “treat adult users like adults” principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.
12:02 PM · Oct 14, 2025
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Dr Gary Fuller @drgaryfuller.bsky.social · 1d

"Little lungs are still paying for Dieselgate every day,” says Jemima Hartshorn, the founder of @mumsforlungs.bsky.social

Piece by @dpcarrington.bsky.social on the DieselGate scandal that continues to harm our air.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

‘Little lungs are paying’: 1.6m claimants head to high court as carmakers finally face punishment for Dieselgate

Carmakers accused of cheating air pollution rules have faced little punishment in UK but trial brought by 1.8m motorists is about to begin

www.theguardian.com

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Renee DiResta @noupside.bsky.social · 19h

I'm sorry, is the Trump Administration talking to a tech platform?

Is it...requesting content moderation?

Today following outreach from @thejusticedept, Facebook removed a large group page that was being used to dox and target @ICEgov agents in Chicago.
The wave of violence against ICE has been driven by online apps and social media campaigns designed to put ICE officers at risk just for doing their jobs. The Department of Justice will continue engaging tech companies to eliminate platforms where radicals can incite imminent violence against federal law enforcement.

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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 18h

Remember when Republicans got mad that the federal government might be CENSORING political content on social media? Remember when they spent three years holding hearings trying to prove it happened? And threatened to jail anyone involved?

How times change!

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 20h

Statement from AG Pam Bondi:

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Benedict Garman @benedictgarman.com · 1d

Can relate. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Vodafone down: Thousands of UK customers report broadband issues

Vodafone claims to have more than 18 million customers in the UK, including nearly 700,000 home broadband customers.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Benedict Garman @benedictgarman.com · 6d

On the virtues of regulation lithub.com/how-american...

How American Tech Cartels Use Apps to Break the Law

The death of competition spells doom for regulation. Competition is an essential component of effective regulation, for two reasons: First, competition keeps the companies within a sector from all …

lithub.com

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Jack Sapoch @jacksapoch.bsky.social · 6d

NEW: Since October 2023, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit has released dozens of 3D animations illustrating alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian sites

The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war

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Benedict Garman @benedictgarman.com · 7d

We might have thought a "post truth" world would stem from politicians presenting "alternative facts", or mis- and disinfo going viral. Turns out AI is doing the job more insidiously and comprehensively than that. Society has embraced a technology which is fundamentally incompatible with truth.

Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.bsky.social · 8d

And here we go. I never wrote this article, and yet it is cited here.

www.liberalbriefs.com/geopolitics/...

And of course, it sounds so plausible, I seriously checked whether I had forgotten it, or the footnote was slightly wrong.

#AIisnotresearch

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Benedict Garman @benedictgarman.com · 9d

Great line: "I am much more concerned about the decline of thinking people than I am about the rise of thinking machines." www.theargumentmag.com/p/you-have-1...

“You have 18 months”

The real deadline isn’t when AI outsmarts us — it’s when we stop using our own minds.

www.theargumentmag.com

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John Scott-Railton @jsrailton.bsky.social · 9d

NEW: breach of Discord age verification data.

Including some users passports & DLs

Age verification is a badly implemented data grab wrapped in a moral panic.

Mark my words, as age verification mandates expand, we'll end up more surveilled and less secure. 1/

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Brendan Gutenschwager @bgonthescene.bsky.social · 10d

Teargas deployed and multiple arrests made this afternoon in Chicago

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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 10d

A WILD ONE: A man broke his leg during an arrest by ICE at a car wash south of L.A.

ICE has held him under 24/7 guard at a hospital, registering him under a pseudonym, for *37 days* without telling him why.

A judge has ordered his immediate release.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

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Benedict Garman @benedictgarman.com · 12d

Two tanks, gunfire and smoke plumes from explosions in a video filmed from IDF position in western Gaza City, 400m from the (no-longer operational) Al Quds hospital building. This area is now an IDF stronghold as they continue to advance in the city. Video uploaded 30 Sept. POV 31.507616, 34.435320

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Benedict Garman @benedictgarman.com · 12d

Six excavators moving on Gaza City from IDF held Netzarim Corridor. Smoke from distant explosions rises over the cityscape. (Uploaded 30 Sept. POV 0-10s: 31.491255, 34.434879, 10s-end: 31.492520, 34.435776)

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Benedict Garman @benedictgarman.com · 13d

Important investigation from BBC Panorama uncovering attitudes of some in the Met police www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Secret BBC filming exposes hidden culture of racism and misogyny inside Met Police

Panorama undercover investigation captures evidence that

www.bbc.co.uk

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Benedict Garman @benedictgarman.com · 13d

Ukraine's strategic attacks on oil refineries causing problems for Russia, from @olgar.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Surge in Ukrainian oil refinery attacks sparks Russian fuel shortages

Ukraine has attacked refineries deep inside Russia, with Zelensky vowing to continue the strikes.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Benedict Garman @benedictgarman.com · 13d

Maxar has become Vantor. New logo etc. Still apparently not on Bluesky though. vantor.com/blog/vantor-...

Reposted by Benedict Garman

Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 13d

feels like we're living through some kind of cultural gas leak

The Verge @theverge.com · 15d

Microsoft launches ‘vibe working’ in Excel and Word

Vibe working is all about Office’s new Agent Mode.

buff.ly

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RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 13d

'Partners will need to be prepared for the use of US military power in a way that is deeply uncomfortable' writes @mtsavill.bsky.social in the latest RUSI Commentary.

Not Business as Usual: Why Trump’s War Department Rhetoric Matters

Much of the language coming out of the gathering of US military leaders this week could be dismissed as political spectacle. But international partners of the US should take seriously the US Administr...

www.rusi.org

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Mike Wendling @wendling.bsky.social · 15d

Donald Trump posted a weird fake video about medbeds not because he believes what was in it, but because the people who are into conspiracy theories like medbeds are at the core of his movement.
Also: I used a medbed! It was not good.
open.substack.com/pub/thedayof...

The reason Donald Trump posted a fake video about a fictional technology called 'medbeds'

And what happened when I spent 20 sad minutes lying down on one of them

open.substack.com

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Merlyn Thomas @merlynthomas.bsky.social · 15d

BBC Verify tasked new satellite imagery to track the Israeli military offensive in Gaza City in near real time. What we found was Israeli military presence deep into the city and closing in on its last remaining residents.

Reporting with @benedictgarman.com @mesutersoz.com @herdjemimah.bsky.social

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 17d

Trump says he’s authorized Hegseth to use “Full Force” against Antifa in “War ravaged” Portland

At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists. I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

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The Onion @theonion.com · 18d

Talk Of Fascism Dangerous, Warns Ministry Of Compliance

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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 18d

ICYMI: A viral app called Neon, which pays you to record your phone calls so your audio can be used to train AI, has gone offline after I discovered a security lapse that allowed any user to access the phone numbers, call recordings, and call transcriptions of any other user.

Exclusive: Neon takes down app after exposing users' phone numbers, call recordings, and transcripts

Call recording app Neon was one of the top-ranked iPhone apps, but was pulled offline after a security bug allowed any logged-in user to access the call recordings and transcripts of any other user.

techcrunch.com

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