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Google refuses to integrate fact checks despite new European law
Google has informed the European Union that it will not embed fact-checks in its search results or on YouTube, or use them to rank or remove content, despite the requirements of a new law European. In a letter to Renate Nikolay, deputy director-general of the European Commission, Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, said this approach “is not suitable or effective for our services.” The company plans to withdraw from all fact-checking engagements ahead of their inclusion in the Digital Services Act (DSA) Code of Conduct.
Kent Walker defended Google’s current content moderation practices, citing its success in handling information during the 2023 global elections. He also highlighted tools like contextual annotations on YouTube and SynthID watermarking.
Meta ends its DEI policy after exchanges between Zuckerberg and Stephen Miller
In a New York Times article, dedicated to Stephen Miller, former senior advisor to Donald Trump, a lot of information is revealed about the elimination of the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policy at Meta.
comes after a decisive meeting between Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, and Stephen Miller, former senior advisor to Donald Trump, on November 27 at Mar-a-Lago. This exchange illustrates a significant change of direction for the company, marking both an evolution in its internal strategy and the growing influence of conservative circles on large technology companies.
A strategic readjustment at Meta
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, and Stephen Miller, former senior advisor to Donald Trump, met on November 27 at Mar-a-Lago. During the meeting, Stephen Miller reportedly expressed his expectations for Meta to support the Trump administration’s priorities. This includes a toughening of migration policies and a rejection of DEI culture, which Mr. Miller sees as incompatible with the conservative agenda. According to the New York Times, Mark Zuckerberg would have marked his alignment and affirmed that he would do nothing to hinder this agenda. He also reportedly blamed his former COO, Sheryl Sandberg, for initially adopting initiatives to promote inclusiveness within the company.
In the weeks following this meeting, Meta initiated major changes. A new internal directive and a series of layoffs were presented as a strategic “reset”. These adjustments were previewed to Stephen Miller during a briefing in early January. On January 10, Meta officially announced the abolition of its DEI policy
Meta and Community Notes: a challenge for the content creator economy?
By excluding paid advertising from its Community Notes program, Meta could shake up the content economya pillar of its platform. Content creators and influencers, who rely on sponsored organic content to generate a significant portion of their revenue, are likely to face increased scrutiny. These publications historically represent between 25% and 50% marketing campaigns on Meta and TikTok.
Meta, of which 96% of revenue come from advertising, generated 40.59 billion euros in the third quarter of 2024, up 19% from the previous year. This lucrative model pushes the platform to protect its paid advertising formats, to the detriment of the diversity of organic content.
Mistral signs a partnership with the AFP to improve its AI
French startup Mistral has reached an agreement with Agence France-Presse (AFP) to integrate its content into Le Chat, its artificial intelligence-based assistant.
Mira Murati recruits key AI talent
The artificial intelligence startup founded by Mira Murati recently poached around ten researchers and engineers from its competitors. Among them is Jonathan Lachman, former head of special projects at OpenAI.
Block reaches $175M settlement with CFPB
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced a $175 million settlement with Block, including $120 million to reimburse consumers. The agency accuses Cash App, a subsidiary of Block, of having enabled massive fraud while misleading its users.
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Cybersecurity: an Executive Order to protect American critical infrastructure
President Joe Biden signed a new Executive Order aimed at strengthening the cybersecurity of U.S. federal systems and critical infrastructure. This text imposes strict rules for software suppliers, who will have to attest to their secure development practices by submitting technical evidence to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). The results of these checks will be publicly available to ensure transparency.
Among the key measures:
- Software Supply Chain : establishment of a register of software security certificates used by federal agencies.
- Post-quantum cryptography : preparation for the adoption of cryptographic algorithms resistant to quantum computers by 2030.
- Artificial intelligence : Launch of pilot programs using AI to automate threat detection and patch deployment.
- Securing communications : Mandatory deployment of advanced encryption protocols for email, DNS and Internet routing.
A minor suspected of a major cyberattack against Free
A 17-year-old teenager, already known to the police, was arrested on January 13 in Essonne. He is suspected of being the author of a cyberattack that compromised the personal data of 19.2 million Free subscribers between October 8 and 21, 2024. Among the hacked information was 5 million IBANs. According to investigators, the stolen file was resold for 20,000 euros on an underground forum, half of which was received by the young hacker. The minor also allegedly tried to extort 10 million euros from Xavier Niel, president of the Iliad group, in exchange for the files. Already placed under judicial control for previous hackings, in particular those of the BFMTV and RMC accounts, the suspect is the subject of an investigation led by the Paris prosecutor’s office.
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eToro targets US IPO with $5 billion valuation
Online trading platform eToro has confidentially filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States, targeting a valuation of $5 billion. The company, specializing in trading for individuals, was valued at $3.5 billion in 2023.
Tech&Fest, the new flagship innovation festival not to be missed on February 5 and 6, 2025
🥐 Previous editions of GOOD MORNING FRENCHWEB:
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- Summit for action on Artificial Intelligence, we don’t know more… / François Chollet co-founded NDEA / The TikTok saga continues.
- Zuckerberg calls for Trump to intervene against EU antitrust fines / UBISOFT considers all opportunities / Jean Michel Billaut has left us.
- EU rejects criticism from Mark Zuckerberg / US authorized to liquidate 69,370 BITCOINS / new cybersecurity label in the United States
- META aligns with X in moderation / UK plans to criminalize deepfakes / series of acquisitions in Frenchtech
- META gets closer to TRUMP / The Pentagon targets TENCENT / Donald Trump finally supports Silicon Valley…
- APPLE settles a dispute over SIRI confidentiality / AI is coming to places of worship / HUAWEI trains 300,000 engineers per year
🚀 To read on FRENCHWEB.FR:
- The Swedish EasyPark absorbs Flowbird (formerly Parkeon) to find the right place on the chessboard of urban mobility solutions
- Hyperline raises 9.4 million euros to administer customer invoicing for SaaS startups
- 5 essential tools to optimize your customer relations
- TikTok: Trump and Biden, unexpected allies to save the dark screen application?
- What trends for venture capital in 2025? the analysis of Jean David Chamboredon, CEO of ISAI
- Shippeo raises 29 million euros to improve the quality of logistics data
- Loft Orbital raises 170 million euros to develop its satellite sharing solution
- Bioptimus raises €41 million to develop multi-scale AI in biotechnology
- 26 million euros for Maki: the AI that redefines recruitment KPIs
- TikTok: a boon for Elon Musk, on track to buy American activities?