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Australia has introduced voluntary AI safety standards aimed at promoting the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence, featuring ten key principles that address concerns around AI implementation.  The guidelines, released by the Australian government late Wednesday, emphasize risk management, transparency, human oversight, and fairness to ensure AI systems operate safely and equitably. While not legally binding, the country’s standards are modeled on international frameworks, part...

The U.S. Department of Justice has seized 32 internet domains connected to a Russian disinformation campaign that used artificial intelligence and fake influencers to target U.S. citizens ahead of the 2024 election, the agency said on Wednesday. According to the agency, Russian entities used cybersquatting and AI-generated content to spread disinformation targeted at Americans—an ongoing influence campaign designated “Doppelganger.” “Today’s announcement exposes the scope of the Russian governme...

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the massively popular Telegram messaging platform, said the actions of French authorities were “surprising for several reasons.” Durov was arrested when he landed at Paris–Le Bourget Airport on Aug. 25, and was subsequently indicted for the use of Telegram for illegal activities, including drug trafficking, organized fraud, and the distribution of child pornography. French officials said Durov’s company had not done enough to combat criminal activity on Telegr...

During a speech before the Economic Club of New York on Thursday, Republican candidate for U.S. president Donald Trump asserted that the country would be the “world capital of crypto and Bitcoin.” In addition to reiterating his stance on digital assets, Trump also proposed—at the suggestion of Telsa CEO Elon Musk—a new government efficiency commission that will audit the federal government. “I will create a government efficiency commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performa...

Crypto payments firm Mercuryo has released a Mastercard debit card for crypto holders in Europe.  The virtual payment method, called Spend, enables users to turn their crypto holdings into fiat to make purchases at more than 90 million merchants in the Mastercard network, Mercuryo said in a statement on Thursday. The digital card is issued by Polish fintech company Quicko.  Spend aims to become a widely accepted payment method, leveraging Mercuryo’s competitive off-ramp fees and security, the co...

The cryptocurrency exchange Figure Markets is mobilizing Ionic Digital shareholders, staging efforts through social media to shake up the Celsius-linked Bitcoin miner’s board of directors. Ionic, a Texas-based mining firm, emerged from Celsius’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a company owned entirely by the failed lender’s creditors. The company became operational in February, aiming to run 127,000 mining machines across five different sites in North America. After a week and a half of outreach, enough...

The son of a storied Hollywood producer is taking his father’s company where few in town have dared venture: into crypto. Pressman Film, an independent production house that helped create classic movies including “Wall Street” and “American Psycho,” announced on Thursday that it will use investment platform Republic—on blockchain network Avalanche—to launch a tokenized public fund that will allow members of the public to invest in a slate of upcoming films.  “My father, Edward R. Pressman, is wi...