The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee approved a NASA authorization bill this week, which could influence the agency's strategic direction, while the European Union warned TikTok about its "addictive design" features. Meanwhile, Google employees are urging the company to cancel contracts with US immigration authorities, and an AI company is grappling with safety concerns.
The NASA authorization bill, which was approved on Wednesday, includes policy guidelines intended to give lawmakers a voice in the space agency's strategic direction, according to Ars Technica. The committee added more than 40 amendments to the bill before a unanimous vote to refer the legislation to the full House of Representatives. The bill must pass a vote on the House floor, win approval from the Senate, and then go to the White House for President Donald Trump's consideration before becoming law.
In other news, the European Commission issued preliminary findings on Friday, warning TikTok that its endlessly scrolling feeds may breach Europe's new content rules, according to Ars Technica. Regulators are pressing ahead with efforts to rein in the social effects of big online platforms. The commission believes TikTok has failed to adequately assess and mitigate the risks posed by addictive design features that could harm users' physical and mental wellbeing, particularly children and other vulnerable groups. This marks one of the most advanced tests yet of the EU's Digital Services Act.
Also this week, more than 880 Google employees and contractors signed a petition calling on the company to disclose and cancel any contracts it may have with US immigration authorities, according to Wired. The workers are vehemently opposed to Google's dealings with the Department of Homeland Security, which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). "We object to the technology we build being used to power state violence around the world," a Google software engineer, who declined to give their name out of fear of retaliation, told reporters on Friday.
In the realm of artificial intelligence, Anthropic, a leading AI company, is grappling with a paradox, according to Wired. The company is "most obsessed with safety" and leads in researching how models can go wrong, but it is also pushing aggressively toward the next level of artificial intelligence. Last month, Anthropic released two documents acknowledging the risks associated with its path.
In a lighter vein, NASA has a new character helping to promote its deep space exploration plans, according to Ars Technica. "Fraggle Rock: A Space-y Adventure" has taken over the same theater the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida previously used for "All Systems Are Go." The new stage show stars the Jim Henson Company's subterranean Muppets as they discover outer (outer) space for the first time.
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