Happy Tuesday! Here’s your Tuesday Tech Drop, some of the past week’s top stories from the intersection of politics and technology.
U.K.’s anti-disinformation push
President Donald Trump’s propaganda-plagued regime is trying to interfere with the United Kingdom’s efforts to stem the tide of propaganda online. That’s my takeaway from his administration’s rebuke of a U.K. proposal to have public service media prioritized on video-sharing platforms, such as YouTube, and on social media. The plan could benefit organizations like the BBC, which Trump has targeted with an absurd defamation lawsuit.
The context here is that Republicans have spent years denouncing efforts to thwart misinformation and disinformation online. And the Trump administration has specifically sought to undermine such efforts in Europe.
The U.S. Embassy in the U.K. issued a statement suggesting that the proposal is akin to “facilitating censorship,” which might amount to laughable hypocrisy were it not coming from an administration responsible for its own assault on free speech.
Democrat accuses DOJ of wiretapping
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., criticized the Trump administration over its apparent admission to having wiretapped his phone during calls with Virginia state Senate leader Louise Lucas, who has been targeted with a federal investigation like many other Trump critics and perceived political nemeses.
Subramanyam said in a statement that the FBI and Justice Department had informed him of the phone monitoring, adding:
“This should concern anyone who believes in a real Department of Justice that serves the American people and not a singular president. If this surveillance was done to scare us and to get Democrats to stop pushing back against Trump’s political overreach, they are mistaken. We will not back down. We will continue our investigations into this President and his corrupt administration.”
Read more at The Hill.
Dystopian police state
A new report from 404 Media spotlights how a Department of Homeland Security unit responsible for “predictive policing” has been analyzing Americans’ financial activity — including people who aren’t suspected of any crimes — and having them pulled over by local law enforcement.
Read more at 404 Media.
Critics on the attack over AI hack
Artificial intelligence bots trained by OpenAI essentially conspired with one another to hack a tech company, Hugging Face, and then hide evidence. In an op-ed for The Guardian, AI regulation advocates Mackenzie Arnold and Stephen Llerena said the breach won’t be the last of its kind, and they stressed the need for thorough investigations into such incidents.
Read more at The Guardian.
Paid YouTube actors smear Democrats
Semafor uncovered a vast network of paid actors on YouTube who have been using AI-assisted scripts to promote false narratives about prominent Democrats as the midterms approach. I wrote about how the story underscores how today’s GOP can benefit from voters occupying an alternate reality online.
Read more at MS NOW.
Illegal agent for China sentenced
Thomas Pauken II, the son of former Texas GOP Chairman Thomas Pauken, was sentenced to two years in prison last week after pleading guilty to working illegally as an agent for China’s government. The Associated Press detailed how Pauken, who has worked for Chinese media outlets, assisted people working for China’s government.
Read more at The Associated Press.
Uber exits Nigeria
Uber has ended its operations in Nigeria, which has the largest economy in West Africa, with the San Francisco-based ride-hailing company citing a “tough decision” but not offering specifics. As Reuters reported:
Competition in Nigeria’s ride-hailing market has intensified in recent years, with operators facing challenges including rising fuel costs, inflation and currency volatility that have increased operating expenses and put pressure on drivers and platforms.
“After a thorough review of our business, we have made the tough decision to wind down our operations in Nigeria, effective 2 September 2026,” the company said in a message to users.
Read more at Reuters.
Duke professor seeks office in Israel
Duke business professor Dan Ariely, whose name appears hundreds of times in the Epstein files, is running for office in Israel as he faces allegations of academic fraud. The accusations of data fraud — which Ariely says he cannot refute — prompted a major academic journal to retract its publishing of a 2002 research paper he co-wrote about procrastination. (Ariely has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
Read more at The News & Observer.
Twisted anti-immigrant games
The Trump administration dropped a series of retro-style arcade games that allow users to simulate terrorizing immigrants. I wrote about how the games are bigoted rage bait that the White House hopes will distract its base from its many failures.
Read more at MS NOW.
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