randomname

joined 2 days ago
 

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1847841

Archived link

Ai Weiwei has addressed Chinese-owned AI DeepSeek’s refusal to answer questions about the artist, telling Hyperallergic that the AI chatbot’s responses recall the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) strategy of “denying universally accepted values while actively rejecting them in practice.”

The Chinese-owned AI assistant sent shockwaves through the global stock market this week as it dethroned ChatGPT as the number-one free application on Apple’s App Store. But its tendency to churn out responses evading historically censored topics has also become apparent. Responding to a series of questions asked by Hyperallergic about dissident artists, cultural institutions in Taiwan and Tibet, and the destruction of mosques in the Xinjiang region, DeepSeek expressed faith in China’s “judicial organs” and said that artistic endeavors were “thriving under the leadership of the Party and government.”

“Ultimately, no matter how much China develops, strengthens, or even hypothetically becomes the world’s leading power, which is likely, the values it upholds will continue to suffer from a profound and inescapable flaw in its ideological immune system: an inability to tolerate dissent, debate, or the emergence of new value systems,” Ai said in an e-mailed statement to Hyperallergic, which is reproduced in its entirety at the end of this article.

...

 

Archived link

Ai Weiwei has addressed Chinese-owned AI DeepSeek’s refusal to answer questions about the artist, telling Hyperallergic that the AI chatbot’s responses recall the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) strategy of “denying universally accepted values while actively rejecting them in practice.”

The Chinese-owned AI assistant sent shockwaves through the global stock market this week as it dethroned ChatGPT as the number-one free application on Apple’s App Store. But its tendency to churn out responses evading historically censored topics has also become apparent. Responding to a series of questions asked by Hyperallergic about dissident artists, cultural institutions in Taiwan and Tibet, and the destruction of mosques in the Xinjiang region, DeepSeek expressed faith in China’s “judicial organs” and said that artistic endeavors were “thriving under the leadership of the Party and government.”

“Ultimately, no matter how much China develops, strengthens, or even hypothetically becomes the world’s leading power, which is likely, the values it upholds will continue to suffer from a profound and inescapable flaw in its ideological immune system: an inability to tolerate dissent, debate, or the emergence of new value systems,” Ai said in an e-mailed statement to Hyperallergic, which is reproduced in its entirety at the end of this article.

...

 

Euro zone manufacturers are more worried about cheap imports from China than tariffs from the United States, a European Central Bank (ECB) survey showed on Friday.

Only half of the manufacturers contacted by the ECB in a regular poll thought their business in the euro area would be affected by U.S. tariffs.

Many pointed out they were already producing "local for local" and some were only exporting highly sophisticated, hard to substitute products to the United States.

The "overriding concern", however, was about the indirect impact, with more imports coming to the European Union from China if trade with the United States is curtailed.

"In the absence of protective EU measures, this led more contacts to expect a negative effect on prices in their sector in the euro area than a positive one," the ECB said.

"In the event of protective measures and retaliation leading to a more generalised tariff war, it was much more likely that costs and prices would rise."

The quarterly telephone survey also showed manufacturers were laying off staff or hiring fewer as they tried to cut costs. It pointed to stable prices in manufacturing and at most moderate increases in services.

[...]

 

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1840283

European law enforcement conducted raids at 14 properties across Barcelona (4), Madrid (9), and Toledo (1) in Spain, and one property in Zagreb in Croatia. These operations resulted in 30 arrests, among which were the leaders of the criminal network. In addition, EUR 180 000 in cash was also seized, alongside weapons, 70 passports, equipment to falsify passports and visas, narcotic substances, 10 high-end vehicles and 33 mobile phones. A total of 33 victims – Chinese and Vietnamese nationals – were also safeguarded.

This investigation builds on the dismantling of Europe’s largest Chinese prostitution ring in February 2023. Digital evidence seized during that operation has since then been meticulously analysed, including at a forensic sprint held at Europol’s headquarters in March 2023. During this sprint, experts from nine countries extracted tens of terabytes of data from hundreds of confiscated mobile phones.

The new intelligence provided unprecedented insights into the methods used by Chinese criminal networks in Europe, revealing a sophisticated division of labour and reliance on crime-as-a-service actors.

...

 

European law enforcement conducted raids at 14 properties across Barcelona (4), Madrid (9), and Toledo (1) in Spain, and one property in Zagreb in Croatia. These operations resulted in 30 arrests, among which were the leaders of the criminal network. In addition, EUR 180 000 in cash was also seized, alongside weapons, 70 passports, equipment to falsify passports and visas, narcotic substances, 10 high-end vehicles and 33 mobile phones. A total of 33 victims – Chinese and Vietnamese nationals – were also safeguarded.

This investigation builds on the dismantling of Europe’s largest Chinese prostitution ring in February 2023. Digital evidence seized during that operation has since then been meticulously analysed, including at a forensic sprint held at Europol’s headquarters in March 2023. During this sprint, experts from nine countries extracted tens of terabytes of data from hundreds of confiscated mobile phones.

The new intelligence provided unprecedented insights into the methods used by Chinese criminal networks in Europe, revealing a sophisticated division of labour and reliance on crime-as-a-service actors.

...

 

Archived

There have been protests against alleged corruption and deadly negligence after a railway station collapse in November killed 15.

Vucevic was mayor of Novi Sad before becoming prime minister in elections last April. His successor as mayor also resigned on Tuesday. Protesters claim the Chinese consortium responsible for renovating parts of Novi Sad station had bypassed safety regulations with the ­assistance of corrupt officials.

...

There is a growing perception that the president [Vucic, who is now about to decide whether to form a majority government or hold a snap parliamentary election] is trying to quash democratic freedoms in Serbia and turn the country back towards Moscow, despite ­Belgrade’s formal efforts to join the European Union. Serbia is a candidate to join the bloc but must first normalise relations with its neighbour Kosovo, which broke away from Serbia after a Nato intervention in 1999 that brought an end to Slobodan Milosevic’s brutal crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists.

...

There's a related report focusing on the Serbian prime minister's resignation:

Serbia’s PM Milos Vucevic resigns amid Chinese contractor controversy -- [unpaywalled link]

Vucevic was mayor of Novi Sad before becoming prime minister in elections last April. His successor as mayor also resigned on Tuesday. Protesters claim the Chinese consortium responsible for renovating parts of Novi Sad station had bypassed safety regulations with the ­assistance of corrupt officials.

...

There is a growing perception that the president [Vucic, who is now about to decide whether to form a majority government or hold a snap parliamentary election] is trying to quash democratic freedoms in Serbia and turn the country back towards Moscow, despite ­Belgrade’s formal efforts to join the European Union. Serbia is a candidate to join the bloc but must first normalise relations with its neighbour Kosovo, which broke away from Serbia after a Nato intervention in 1999 that brought an end to Slobodan Milosevic’s brutal crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists.

 

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1840090

Archived

Germany is under attack from China, a senior German opposition MP has warned, as Berlin grapples with a fresh wave of cyber attacks and espionage plots.

Roderich Kiesewetter, the crisis prevention spokesman for the centre-Right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said Germans needed to stop thinking of China as a “partner”.

“Many in Germany are turning a blind eye … China is no longer a partner, but a systemic rival that is attacking us,” Mr Kiesewetter, a former colonel in the Bundeswehr, told The Telegraph.

“Germany is at the centre of Chinese hybrid influence operations in Europe – it uses all the tools in its toolbox; espionage, sabotage, lawfare, repression and disinformation,” added Mr Kiesewetter, who is also the deputy chairman of the German parliament’s intelligence committee.

His comments are a major intervention in Germany, where China wields immense influence over the economy despite rising tensions over Beijing’s tacit support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and apparent plans to invade Taiwan.

...

 

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1840090

Archived

Germany is under attack from China, a senior German opposition MP has warned, as Berlin grapples with a fresh wave of cyber attacks and espionage plots.

Roderich Kiesewetter, the crisis prevention spokesman for the centre-Right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said Germans needed to stop thinking of China as a “partner”.

“Many in Germany are turning a blind eye … China is no longer a partner, but a systemic rival that is attacking us,” Mr Kiesewetter, a former colonel in the Bundeswehr, told The Telegraph.

“Germany is at the centre of Chinese hybrid influence operations in Europe – it uses all the tools in its toolbox; espionage, sabotage, lawfare, repression and disinformation,” added Mr Kiesewetter, who is also the deputy chairman of the German parliament’s intelligence committee.

His comments are a major intervention in Germany, where China wields immense influence over the economy despite rising tensions over Beijing’s tacit support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and apparent plans to invade Taiwan.

...

 

Archived

Germany is under attack from China, a senior German opposition MP has warned, as Berlin grapples with a fresh wave of cyber attacks and espionage plots.

Roderich Kiesewetter, the crisis prevention spokesman for the centre-Right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said Germans needed to stop thinking of China as a “partner”.

“Many in Germany are turning a blind eye … China is no longer a partner, but a systemic rival that is attacking us,” Mr Kiesewetter, a former colonel in the Bundeswehr, told The Telegraph.

“Germany is at the centre of Chinese hybrid influence operations in Europe – it uses all the tools in its toolbox; espionage, sabotage, lawfare, repression and disinformation,” added Mr Kiesewetter, who is also the deputy chairman of the German parliament’s intelligence committee.

His comments are a major intervention in Germany, where China wields immense influence over the economy despite rising tensions over Beijing’s tacit support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and apparent plans to invade Taiwan.

...

 

Archived

The sanctions reportedly entail a complete ban on broadcasting, distributing, and promoting the content of these outlets. E.U. Internet providers will be required to block access to these resources.

  • RT and Sputnik are already under sanctions in Europe. Several other pro-Kremlin media outlets are banned in specific E.U. countries, mainly in the Baltic states.

  • A day earlier, on January 28, Bloomberg reported that the next E.U. sanctions package could cut more Russian banks off from the SWIFT banking system and impose new restrictions on more than 70 “shadow fleet” tankers involved in shipping Russian oil.

 

Archived

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1835428

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1835375

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1835374

DeepSeek-R1 is a blockbuster open-source model that is now at the top of the U.S. App Store.

As a Chinese company, DeepSeek is beholden to CCP policy. This is reflected even in the open-source model, prompting concerns about censorship and other influence.

Today we’re publishing a dataset of prompts covering sensitive topics that are likely to be censored by the CCP. These topics include perennial issues like Taiwanese independence, historical narratives around the Cultural Revolution, and questions about Xi Jinping.

...

 

Archived link

Human rights activists criticize China's AI platform DeepSeek for enabling state propaganda, suppressing discussions, and collecting personal data. Concerns rise over ethical risks and digital repression, with fears that the Chinese Communist Party could misuse the platform to silence dissent.

...

Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of the Campaign for Uyghurs, condemned the AI platform on social media, warning of its implications. “It collects sensitive data that would benefit the CCP, a regime known for human rights abuses,” she stated. “Chinese AI platforms and apps fuel threats, including digital transnational repression. We can't afford to overlook this.”

...

[Swiss digital law specialist Jan] Czarnocki recounted how the AI avoided acknowledging reports of genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, instead offering pre-formulated responses that downplayed concerns. He urged that DeepSeek’s open-source framework be retrained using verified information to ensure accuracy and reduce reliance on Chinese-controlled APIs.

...

‘So what?’: Privacy warnings about DeepSeek fall on deaf ears

Privacy activists are warning about the invasive nature of DeepSeek, which collects a trove of personal user information that could be handed over to the Chinese government

People, however, just don’t care.

Luke de Pulford, co-founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), shared screenshots from the Chinese AI chatbot’s privacy policy, which stated data it collects is stored in “secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China.”

...

“Just fyi, @deepseek_ai collects your IP, keystroke patterns, device info, etc etc, and stores it in China, where all that data is vulnerable to arbitrary requisition from the [Chinese] State,” said de Pulford, leader of IPAC, a global group of lawmakers who seek to hold China accountable for democratic abuses.

“Anticipating tedious whataboutery: the difference between this and free-world social media apps is that you can enforce your data rights in rule of law countries. This is not the case in China,” said de Pulford. >

[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

‘So what?’: Privacy warnings about DeepSeek fall on deaf ears

Privacy activists are warning about the invasive nature of DeepSeek, which collects a trove of personal user information that could be handed over to the Chinese government

People, however, just don’t care.

Luke de Pulford, co-founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), shared screenshots from the Chinese AI chatbot’s privacy policy, which stated data it collects is stored in “secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China.”

...

“Just fyi, @deepseek_ai collects your IP, keystroke patterns, device info, etc etc, and stores it in China, where all that data is vulnerable to arbitrary requisition from the [Chinese] State,” said de Pulford, leader of IPAC, a global group of lawmakers who seek to hold China accountable for democratic abuses.

“Anticipating tedious whataboutery: the difference between this and free-world social media apps is that you can enforce your data rights in rule of law countries. This is not the case in China,” said de Pulford. >

[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 0 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

The guys at HF (and many others) appear to have a different understanding of Open Source.

As the Open Source AI definition says, among others:

Data Information: Sufficiently detailed information about the data used to train the system so that a skilled person can build a substantially equivalent system. Data Information shall be made available under OSI-approved terms.

  • In particular, this must include: (1) the complete description of all data used for training, including (if used) of unshareable data, disclosing the provenance of the data, its scope and characteristics, how the data was obtained and selected, the labeling procedures, and data processing and filtering methodologies; (2) a listing of all publicly available training data and where to obtain it; and (3) a listing of all training data obtainable from third parties and where to obtain it, including for fee.

Code: The complete source code used to train and run the system. The Code shall represent the full specification of how the data was processed and filtered, and how the training was done. Code shall be made available under OSI-approved licenses.

  • For example, if used, this must include code used for processing and filtering data, code used for training including arguments and settings used, validation and testing, supporting libraries like tokenizers and hyperparameters search code, inference code, and model architecture.

Parameters: The model parameters, such as weights or other configuration settings. Parameters shall be made available under OSI-approved terms.

  • The licensing or other terms applied to these elements and to any combination thereof may contain conditions that require any modified version to be released under the same terms as the original.

These three components -data, code, parameter- shall be released under the same condition.

Clearly, however, there are concerns about censorship, democracy and security. One of the drivers of the Chinese AI industry has been access to extraordinary amounts of data, which is more difficult to get hold of in the West.

This is a very brief paragraph about real issues. The whole article basically says that "China is better because it's cheaper," but it doesn't say exactly why it's cheaper. You'll find a lot of reliable information about slavery-like labour in China and the absence of any workers' rights. This BBC article ignores that completely.

view more: next ›