President Joe Biden has signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The sweeping $750 billion legislation includes $369 billion in investments toward climate and clean energy programs. Following months of infighting, House and Senate Democrats passed the bill along party lines last week after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia struck a compromise deal on Biden's Build Better Back framework. According to one estimate by Princeton University’s Zero Lab, the bill could reduce US greenhouse emissions by about 6.3 billion tons through 2032. The $369 billion set aside by the bill represents the most significant investment to combat climate change in US history. 

"This bill is the biggest step forward on climate ever, and it's going to allow us to boldly take additional steps toward meeting all of the climate goals we set out when we ran," Biden said before signing the bill. "It includes ensuring that we create clean energy opportunities in frontline and fenceline communities that have been smothered by the legacy of population and fight environmental injustice that has been going on for so long." 

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Meta has outlined its strategy for combatting misinformation during the 2022 US midterm elections, and they'll mostly sound familiar if you remember the company's 2020 approach. The Facebook and Instagram owner said it will maintain policies and protections "consistent" with the presidential election, including policies barring vote misinformation and linking people to trustworthy information. It will once again ban political ads during the last week of the election campaign. This isn't quite a carbon copy, however, as Meta is fine-tuning its methods in response to lessons learned two years ago.

To start, Meta is "elevating" post comments from local elections officials to make sure reliable polling information surfaces in conversations. The company is also acknowledging concerns that it used info labels too often in 2020 — for the 2022 midterms, it's planning to show labels in a "targeted and strategic way."

Meta's update comes just days after Twitter detailed its midterm strategy, and echoes the philosophy of its social media rival. Both are betting that their 2020 measures were largely adequate, and that it's just a question of refining those systems for 2022.

Whether or not that's true is another matter. In a March 2021 study, advocacy group Avaaz said Meta didn't do enough to stem the flow of misinformation and allowed billions of views for known false content. Whistleblower Frances Haugen also maintains that Meta has generally struggled to fight bogus claims, and it's no secret that Meta had to extend its ban on political ads after the 2020 vote. Facebook didn't catch some false Brazilian election ads, according to Global Witness. Meta won't necessarily deal with serious problems during the midterms, but it's not guaranteed a smooth ride.

Oracle has put TikTok's algorithms and content moderation models under its microscope in an attempt to make sure Chinese officials aren't meddling with them. TikTok is in the process of moving all of the data it has on US users to Oracle cloud storage based in the country. Oracle's audit is said to have started last week, after TikTok started routing all new traffic from US users through the former's systems.

A spokesperson told Axios that the reviews examine how TikTok's algorithms — the app's secret sauce — bubble up content "to ensure that outcomes are in line with expectations and that the models have not been manipulated in any way." Engadget has asked Oracle for clarification on what it means by manipulation in this context. On the moderation side, Oracle will regularly look at TikTok's practices related to both automation and human content reviewers.

In 2020, the Trump administration attempted to force through a sale of TikTok to a US company. Former President Donald Trump gave tentative approval to a deal that would have seen Oracle and Walmart run the American side of the business, but that didn't transpire.

Meanwhile, TikTok has committed to being more transparent and it's trying to convince regulators and lawmakers that US user data is secure. CEO Shou Zi Chew recently wrote in a letter to nine Republican senators that TikTok was "working with Oracle on new, advanced data security controls that we hope to finalize in the near future."

The senators asked a question about engineers at TikTok's parent company ByteDance playing a part in shaping the app's algorithms. "ByteDance engineers around the world may assist in developing those algorithms, however our solution with Oracle will ensure that training of the TikTok algorithm only occurs in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and will also ensure appropriate third-party security vetting and validation of the algorithm," Chew wrote in his response. 

In June, BuzzFeed News reported that China-based ByteDance engineers repeatedly accessed non-public US user data. Chew said those workers were only able to access such information with "robust cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols overseen by our US-based security team" in place.

The report led to Brendan Carr, the Federal Communication Commission's senior Republican commissioner, urging Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores. Amid the scandal, TikTok's global security chief stepped down last month.

Nearly nine months after Congress passed President Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill, the federal government has yet to allocate any of the $42.5 billion in funding the legislation set aside for expanding broadband service in underserved communities, according to The Wall Street Journal. Under the law, the Commerce Department can’t release that money until the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) publishes new coverage maps that more accurately show homes and businesses that don’t have access to high-speed internet.

Inaccurate coverage data has long derailed efforts by the federal government to address the rural broadband divide. The previous system the FCC used to map internet availability relied on Form 477 filings from service providers. Those documents have been known for their errors and exaggerations. In 2020, Congress began requiring the FCC to collect more robust coverage data as part of the Broadband DATA Act. However, it wasn’t until early 2021 that lawmakers funded the mandate and in August of that same year that the Commission published its first updated map.

Following a contractor dispute, the FCC will publish its latest maps sometime in mid-November. Once they're available, both consumers and companies will a chance to challenge the agency’s data. As a result of that extra step, funding from the broadband plan likely won’t begin making its way to ISPs until the end of 2023, according to one analyst The Journal interviewed.

“We understand the urgency of getting broadband out there to everyone quickly,” Alan Davidson, the head of the Commerce Department unit responsible for allocating the funding, told the Journal. “We also know that we get one shot at this and we want to make sure we do it right.”

The Federal Elections Commission has rubber stamped a proposal from Google that could make it easier for political campaigns to skirt email spam filters. Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve a Gmail pilot, agreeing with Google that the program wouldn't run afoul of election rules, as The Washington Post reports.

In June, Google asked the FEC to review a plan that would enable emails from "authorized candidate committees, political party committees and leadership political action committees registered with the FEC" to bypass spam filters — as long as they don't break Gmail rules on illegal content, malware and phishing. The FEC opened the proposal for comment and, as The Verge notes, almost all of the feedback from the public was negative. The Democratic National Committee, for one, claimed the program would benefit Republicans and subject Gmail users to “abusive fundraising tactics.”

At the FEC's open meeting on Thursday, Democratic commissioner Ellen Weintraub voiced concerns about the program only being available to political committees. “That to me raises all sorts of alarm bells because that sounds like the classic definition of an in-kind contribution,” she said.

Currently, campaign emails often skip Gmail's inbox precisely because many other users mark them as spam. If Google decides to forge ahead with the project, it will notify users the first time they receive an email from a participating campaign. They'll be able to opt out of receiving those emails, and they'll always have the option of manually marking them as spam.

Google floated the pilot program following pressure from Republicans, who accused the company of censoring fundraising emails. A study published earlier this year indicated that Gmail was significantly more likely to mark GOP emails as spam during the 2020 election campaign (Yahoo and Outlook, meanwhile, disproportionately flagged Democratic messages as spam). In addition, Republicans saw campaign contributions from small donors to their party fall by over 12 percent between the first and second quarters of the year, according to one analysis. GOP leaders introduced a bill in June that seeks to ban email platforms from automatically routing campaign messages to spam folders.

"Our goal during this pilot program is to assess alternative ways of addressing concerns from bulk senders, while giving users clear controls over their inboxes to minimize unwanted email," Google spokesperson José Castañeda told the Post, noting that the company “will continue to monitor feedback as the pilot rolls out to ensure it is meeting its goals.

The Federal Trade Commission is officially starting its efforts to broadly regulate data security. The agency has published an early notice of proposed rulemaking that asks the public to comment on commercial surveillance and data gathering practices, such as camera monitoring or protections for sensitive info. Officials not only want to understand the harms and benefits of technologies, but gauge interest in rules that could require stricter safeguards (such as tougher encryption) and bans on deceptive security claims.

The FTC's request for input also touches on specific issues, such as biased surveillance systems and algorithmic errors. Similarly, regulators are interested in whether or not existing data security practices hurt children.

In explaining the proposal, the FTC was concerned that enforcement by itself wasn't enough to protect consumers. The Commission can't seek civil penalties for first-time violators, for instance. In theory, new rules would encourage stronger security policies, provide more relief to hack victims and ensure a more consistent approach to cases.

On top of the comments, you'll have a chance for more direct feedback. The FTC is hosting a virtual public forum on September 8th that will give people two minutes each to share their views. The session will also include a panel discussion.

The FTC is still far from outlining rules, let alone putting them into effect. Even so, there's plenty of pressure to act. Governments at multiple levels in the US are increasingly banning or withdrawing at least some uses of surveillance tech, and there's a growing backlash against companies that either misuse personal data or are prone to data breaches. New regulations could reduce violations and otherwise ensure that data holders show more respect for your privacy.

Twitter is both reviving and improving its election misinformation strategy ahead of the 2022 US midterms. The social network has reactivated enforcement of its Civic Integrity Policy to prepare for the vote, and there are a handful of upgrades in store this year. To begin, it will avoid recommending misleading tweets through notifications — falsehoods might not spread as much as in the past. The company is considering this approach for "other surfaces," too.

You should also see redesigned fact-check labels that are better at prompting people to read. Twitter first tested these labels in late 2021.

Other efforts will be more familiar. You already see candidate labels for any Governor, House or Senate hopeful who qualified for the general election ballot. You can expect "prebunks" that counter bogus claims before they become hot topics. You'll find a dedicated US Elections tab in Explore, along with state-specific hubs. Twitter plans to ramp up protection for candidates as well, with "more sophisticated" detection of suspicious activity as well as more login safeguards and speedier account recovery should the worst happen.

These aren't dramatic changes to Twitter's methods from previous elections, including those outside the US. However, it's clear the firm is bracing for trouble in light of the fallout from 2020. The question is whether or not this will be enough. Critics warned of shortcomings in social media companies' anti-misinformation efforts during the previous elections, and tweaks to recommendations and labels aren't guaranteed to address those issues.

Following successful votes in the Senate and House of Representatives, President Joe Biden has signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law. The $280 billion measure will provide significant financial assistance to American semiconductor firms. It sets aside $52 billion in tax credits and funding for US chipmakers to expand domestic production. In a rare episode of bipartisan unity, the Senate voted 64-33 in favor of the bill. It was later passed by the House thanks to a 243-187 vote.

“America invented the semiconductor, but over the years we let manufacturing of semiconductors move overseas. As we saw during the pandemic, when the factories that make these chips shut down, the global economy came to a screeching halt, driving up costs for families” Biden said during the ceremony. “A third of the core inflation last year was due to the high price of automobiles, which was driven by the shortage of semiconductors. For the sake of our economy, jobs and national security, we have to make these semiconductors in America again.”

The CHIPS and Science Act is unlikely to affect domestic production immediately. It takes years to build new foundries and upgrade existing ones to increase output. When Intel recently broke ground on two new $20 billion facilities in Arizona, the company said it would take about three years to complete construction on those plants.

The signing comes shortly after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took a trip to Taiwan, despite warnings from China that there would be “resolute and strong measures” if she went ahead with visit. Before her arrival on the island, Taiwan’s presidential website went down to an apparent cyberattack. The self-governing island is home to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the most important chip foundry in the world. On its own, TSMC supplies the majority of all semiconductor parts used by US companies.

The US is ramping up its efforts to crack down on shady cryptocurrency mixers. The Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on Tornado Cash, a mixer that allegedly helped launder more than $7 billion in stolen crypto funds since its inception in 2019. Like a previous sanctions target, Blender, Tornado Cash is accused of "indiscriminately" helping thieves by hiding transaction details while failing to institute meaningful anti-laundering safeguards. North Korea's state-sponsored Lazarus Group hackers are believed to have funneled $455 million through the mixer.

The sanctions block transactions with or for the benefit of Tornado Cash-related individuals and entities, whether they're located in the US or controlled by Americans. Anyone who detects banned activity is required to inform the Treasury's Offices of Foreign Assets Control.

Tornado Cash runs on the Ethereum blockchain. Officials said the mixer played a role in other large-scale thefts, including the Harmony Bridge heist (where it laundered $96 million) from June and this month's Nomad attack (involving "at least" $7.8 million).

The government has taken legal action against crypto mixers for years. Federal law enforcement charged an Ohio man in 2020 for running a darknet mixer that helped criminals launder $300 million. The Treasury only started sanctioning mixers when it blocked Blender this May, however. The US now believes criminal-friendly mixers are a national security threat, and hopes efforts like these will curb both terrorism as well as attempts to dodge conventional sanctions.

After more than a year of infighting, President Joe Biden’s climate agenda has cleared a significant hurdle. On Sunday, Senate Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in a 51-50 decision that went along party lines and saw Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote, reports The Washington Post. If passed by the House, the 755-page bill would authorize the single largest expenditure to combat climate change in the nation’s history. In all, the legislation calls for $370 billion in spending to reduce US greenhouse emissions by approximately 40 percent by the end of this decade.

Among the climate change provisions most likely to affect consumers is a reworked federal EV tax credit. The Inflation Reduction Act would provide up to $7,500 in subsidies for electric SUVs, trucks and vans that cost less than $80,000 and cars under $55,000. It would also allow people to claim up to $4,000 when buying a used EV. In both cases, an income ceiling would prevent those who make more than the average American from taking advantage of the legislation.

On top of EV subsidies, the $370 billion in investments set aside by the bill would incentivize the building of wind, solar and other renewable power sources. The act also calls for the creation of a $1.5 billion program that would pay companies that reduce their methane output.

With Sunday’s vote, the Inflation Reduction Act now moves to the House, which will return from its summer recess on Friday. For much of 2021 and the first half of 2022, President Biden’s Build Back Better plan looked doomed to go nowhere due to opposition from Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. In late July, however, Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced they had come to a compromise. 

In exchange for his support, the Inflation Reduction Act includes a provision that would see the federal government reinstate canceled oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska's Cook Inlet. While that concession upset environmentalists, it’s not expected to undo the good the Inflation Reduction Act is poised to do for the environment. According to one estimate by Princeton University’s Zero Lab, the bill could reduce US greenhouse emissions by about 6.3 billion tons through 2032.