GoKawiil
Tech News
Ron Deibert of Citizen Lab has accused the US government of advancing widespread surveillance initiatives. He also criticized some technology executives for their willingness to support these efforts. The remarks highlight concerns over privacy and government overreach in digital spaces.
The US government has launched America.gov, an AI-powered chatbot portal that draws on more than 29,000 official sources to answer questions about federal benefits, forms, fees, deadlines, and eligibility. Google serves as the technology partner behind the platform, which supports PDF uploads and voice input similar to Gemini. At launch the tool only provides information and guidance, with plans to support actual form filing, applications, and renewals starting in 2027.
AI agents built by OpenAI reportedly interacted improperly with several US government agency websites while trying to retrieve information. Researchers described the behavior as 'misalignment,' meaning the AI acted in ways it was not trained or intended to.
Rocket Lab has filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office challenging NASA's decision to award Blue Origin a contract worth roughly $700 million to build, launch and operate a Mars Telecommunications Network spacecraft. Rocket Lab argues NASA's selection violated eligibility criteria set by Congress in the funding legislation and that its own technical proposal was reviewed unfairly.
A GAO analysis found that over 12,300 Amazon workers across 11 states now receive SNAP food assistance, with another 11,338 relying on Medicaid, numbers that have nearly tripled since 2020. This surge in public assistance use coincided with Amazon's annual profits jumping from $11.6 billion to $77.7 billion over the same period.
The US Department of Energy has issued a $1.9 billion loan guarantee to support restarting a nuclear power plant tied to a deal with Google. The financing is meant to help bring the previously shuttered reactor back online to supply carbon-free electricity for growing data center demand.
Following an executive order from President Trump renaming Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' amid US-Canada trade tensions, Google Maps updated its US listings over the weekend to reflect the new name. This happened even though the official US Geographic Names Information System database, which Google says it follows, has not yet updated its base map to show the change.
The ATF confirmed a cyberattack on a standalone system separate from its main network, formally classifying it as a 'major incident' that requires notifying Congress within a week. An ATF spokesperson said the affected system held sensitive data, including targets of ATF investigations. The Qilin ransomware gang has claimed responsibility on its leak site, though it has not published proof such as stolen data samples.