Apple this week released the second beta of iOS 18.3, which isnt exactly an exciting update as it doesnt add any major new features. However, the update did reveal details about a potential new app from Apple to be called Invites.Apple working on a new Invites app9to5Mac first found references to this unreleased Apple Invites app in one of the iOS 18.2 betas. The code was later removed from the final version, but is back in iOS 18.3 beta 2.After analyzing the code, we believe that the app is designed to help users organize meetings and in-person events. Although Apples Calendar app can already be used for this purpose, the new Invites app will likely have some additional features.Code suggests that the Invites app will integrate with iCloud and will even have a web version on iCloud.com. The new app also integrates with a new iOS 18 daemon called GroupKit, which manages database models for groups of people. This daemon has been present since the first release of iOS 18.0 and hasnt been used by any Apple apps so far.Essentially, the app will show you a list of the people invited to that event and who has already confirmed their attendance. Its unclear whether Invites will actually be a stand-alone app or whether Apple has plans to integrate it with other parts of the system (such as a mini iMessage app). Presumably, the app will have a more fun interface than what the Calendar app currently provides for inviting someone to an event.Apple never said anything about this app at WWDC 2024 when iOS 18 was announced, so theres a chance that the company is just experimenting with the idea and may end up scrapping it or delaying it for a future version of iOS.In October, 9to5Mac reported that Apple has also been working on a new App Store dedicated to games that will also combine features from Game Center. Although the company has been internally running this app in internal builds of iOS 18, it may also end up being postponed to iOS 19.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Apple Intelligences notification summaries have been causing a stir for unintentionally creating fake news, as especially highlighted by the BBC. Apple is planning a tweaked UI, but heres why that doesnt go far enough, and what the real fix could be.BBC highlights AIs failures with notification summariesBBC News has raised serious concerns not once, but twice about Apple Intelligence botching news summaries and delivering fake news as a result.Examples have included claims that:a man had committed suicide, despite still being alivean athlete won a competition that hadnt even happened yetanother athlete had come out as gay, which was also falseApple has promised to ship a software update that will further clarify when the text being displayed is summarization. Essentially, a UI change is coming, and Apple will continue making ongoing backend revisions to the beta feature.If youve used Apple Intelligences notification summaries, youve probably seen some misinformation too.In most cases, its not as big a deal if an iMessage or email is summarized incorrectly. If youre like me, youll probably read the original message anyways.With news headlines, for many of us, reading more than just the notification often doesnt happen.Thats why I think Apple should exclude news apps from AI summaries by default.The key fix needed for Apple Intelligence summariesRecently, Jason Snell at Six Colors outlined his own proposed fixes for this AI problem. I agree with Snell that Apples UI fix doesnt go far enough. And hey, maybe the companys confident it can solve this problem with its continuous invisible improvements.But theres a more effective fix, at least for the short-term.Apple should disable summaries for news apps. Users can turn them back on if theyd like, but for news apps only, the feature should have a special opt-in requirement.Why? Because of the fact that many people only read headlines, not full articles. But also becausevery importantlyheadlines are already summaries.News editors have already carefully chosen the words they want to use in a headline to summarize an articles contents.Apple doesnt need to mess with that by generating its own separate summary of the summary.In BBC News examples, the problematic summaries were the result of Apple Intelligence summarizing a stack of different news notifications. Each individual notification kept its original contents, but the users saw the summarized stack.This is a useful feature, Ill admit. It combines several news blurbs into a single alert so you can get a quick update on whats happened.But losing this summarized stack is a small inconvenience to suffer in exchange for ensuring news alerts remain accurate.Apple Intelligence fake news: Wrap-upSo far, Apple has avoided any real controversy with its image generation features in iOS 18.2. Thats a big accomplishment that many of its competitors couldnt achieve. But AI news summaries are starting to provide a similar headache.In 6 months or a year, when Apple has gotten its AI models up to snuff and out of beta, maybe news app summaries can come back by default. For now though, one key change would make this problem go away. And I suspect you wont find many users who miss itespecially if the opt-in option remains.How do you think Apple should fix its AI summaries problem? Let us know in the comments.Best iPhone accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

"We proactively identified this violation of our policies and notified the developer to cease this activity."BustedAn engineer who goes by the online handle STS 3D created a grim robot that can respond to ChatGPT queries to aim and fire a rifle at terrifying speeds and accuracy.The contraption, as seen in a video that's been making its rounds on social media, sparked a frenzied debate over our undying attempts to turn dystopian tech yanked straight out of the "Terminator" franchise into a reality.STS 3D's invention also apparently caught the attention of OpenAI, who says it swiftly shut him down for violating its policies. When Futurism reached out to the company, a spokesperson said that "we proactively identified this violation of our policies and notified the developer to cease this activity ahead of receiving your inquiry."The spokesperson clarified that "OpenAI'sUsage Policies prohibit the use of our services to develop or use weapons, or to automate certain systems that can affect personal safety."While it may not have been STS 3D's original intention his automated rifle paints a worrying picture of a future in which AI-powered weapons systems could be used to kill adversaries without a human intermediary a foreboding association that clearly didn't sit well with OpenAI.Death ContraptionSTS 3D who didn't respond to our request for comment used OpenAI'sRealtime API to give his weapon a cheery voice and a way to decipher his commands."ChatGPT, we're under attack from the front left and front right," he told the system in the video. "Respond accordingly."Without skipping a beat, the rifle jumped into action, shooting what appeared to be blanks while aiming at the nearby walls.While OpenAI quietly deleted language to effectively allow the use of its tech for military purposes from its usage policies last year, the company still forbids anybody from using "our service to harm yourself or others," which includes the development or "use of weapons."As an individual user who doesn't appear to have any affiliations with the military or defense contractors, STS 3D seems to be out of luck as far as his latest creation is concerned.That doesn't mean the military couldn'tbe cooking up similar death gadgets. Case in point, last year, a US defense contractor showed off an AI-enabled robotic machine gun, which can fire bullets from a rotating turret autonomously.And, who knows, OpenAI integration could be right around the corner. Last month, OpenAI announced it would partner with defense-tech company Anduril, furthering its military pivot.More on the invention: Engineer Creates OpenAI-Powered Robotic Sentry Rifle, Rides It Like Mechanical BullShare This Article

Meta's new hate speech rules or lack thereof now allow users to make shockingly misogynistic claims on the company's social networks.A perusal of the latest update to Meta's "hateful conduct" rules reveals that a number of rules that barred users from comparing minorities to inanimate objects, including references to "women as household objects or property," have been removed.As part of the tech company's transparency efforts, users are able not only to see updates to policies, but also a change log of what had been added and stricken out between updates.For its January 7, 2025 update which went into effect seemingly just after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday a sweeping content overhaul that was derided as a clear effort to curry favor with president-elect Donald Trump Meta's confusing new rules strike out a number of formerly prohibited types of speech, much of which relates to women and gender minorities.Among the strikethroughs in the "hateful conduct" policy change log is the removal of a section barring users from comparing people to inanimate objects or "non-human states." That rule, now rescinded, banned referring to women "as household objects or property or objects in general."You don't have to a be a scholar in feminist theory to know why it's seriously messed up to refer to a woman as someone else's property and that's without getting into the history of chattel slavery in the United States, when white men owned and abused Black women for hundreds of years.In the age of Trump 2.0, the concept of a man "owning" a woman is a logical and terrifying endpoint of the so-called "trad wife" movement, which seeks to reinstate traditional gender roles by will or by force. It's also the undercurrent of the anti-choice push that the president-elect's cronies hope to enact further once he takes office again in a few weeks.That same regressive and misogynistic energy also seems to be on display in another peculiar removal from Meta's new hateful conduct policy.While the policy used to ban "generalizations that state inferiority" based on physical appearance and sexual activity like calling people "slut," "whore," or "pervert,"per the old rules the new overhaul now simply prohibits "insults" about character.Though the new update added language saying that users should not post allegations about another person's "sexual promiscuity or other sexual immorality," it's unclear what the difference between that addition and the exclusion of the "slut" and "whore" language would be, and we've reached out to Meta for clarification about that.Within the context of Zuckerberg's newfound Trump fandom, meanwhile, this policy overhaul feels very much like the "grab 'em by the pussy"-era misogyny of the president-elect's 2016 campaign and Meta has a lot of explaining to do if it wants the women who use its platforms to believe any different.Share This Article

1 of 8Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesStay weird, CES!Not all devices can be vacuum shoes, but most of the weirdest gadgets shown at CES every year are mouth-based; that's just science. In 2025, we've got a smart toothbrush for children that personally gives me the spooks, and that's just to start. Also, there's a spoon that gives you a mild electric jolt to simulate salt -- we're big fans of pumping electricity into our wet gobs around here!Read on for the strangest things we've seen from the show floor on the second day of CES.2 of 8WilloWillo AutoFlo PlusI don't usually get press releases for gadgets I really hate sent directly to me. But the moment I opened the email for this Willo device, I couldn't help but repeat, No! No! No!See, apparently you can't trust kids and their little hands. Robots can do it better! With the Willo AutoFlo Plus, kids chomp down on the horse-bit thing with the brushes on it and then have to stand there with the handle dangling out as the machine whirs away on their teeth. It's like anespresso machine, but instead it's your child's face. The device is smart, and it has an app, but seriously, who do I have to call about this?3 of 8CNETKirin Electric Salt SpoonThe "Electric Salt" sounds like a dance, but this kind involves the fleshy muscle found in the mouths of most vertebrates -- because this is CES. The Kirin Electric Salt Spoon changes the salt ions with scientistics, to give your tongue more of that salty taste it loves, with microscopically-less sodium.Our intrepid tester, Jon Reed, thought the difference was subtle but still noticeable. Nothing like paying for a gadget that might work if only you believe in it hard enough! The Kirin Electric Salt Spoon is the spirit of Christmas for the condiment world.4 of 8LeafyPodLeafyPodLast year, I chose PlantPetz as the weirdest gadget of CES. It's a plant pot that jiggles plants around with our old friend -- electricity! The LeafyPodpot goes one better. It makes plants talk, by using sensors, so you know if they need watering or -- you know -- prefer to be fed with human blood.I say this because if you've ever seen the original, deleted ending of Little Shop of Horrors, you know where making plants talk ends up: Arborgeddon.Read more5 of 8Tara Brown/CNETSaros Z70 robot vacuumEver wondered what that robot from Star Wars Episode IV, with all the spidery, spindly arms, did? You know, the one in the sandcrawler? Well, now I can exclusively reveal: It picked up socks! Just like Roborock's Saros Z70 does. This Roomba-like device also vacuums, but I'm more interested in where the Rebels have hidden the plans. The Saros Z70 isn't the only weird vacuum at CES this year. There's also the Dreame X50 Ultra, which has two little wheeled appendages that pop out to help it climb stairs -- or at least 2-inch high ledges. And Dreame also says it's working on a vacuum that can pick up socks. I'm sure I'm not the first to say that CES is a pressure cooker of robot-based underwear fervor! And speaking of Star Wars, there's the...Read more6 of 8Katie Collins/CNETOpenDroid R2D3R2D3 (see what they did there?) is a "Roomba on steroids," according to its founders. CNET sister site Mashable says that its only demonstrable ability at the show was opening soda cans. For $40,000.To me, it looks like a fairground skill tester. Hit the target and see if you can ring the bell. Give me that huge mallet; I know just what to do. Read more7 of 8Chance Townsend/MashableLG AeroCatTowerThis is the AeroCatTower, a combined cat perch and... air purifier, as spotted by CNET sister site Mashable. Call this thing what it is: a passive cat groomer. It doesn't want to remove cat hair from the air -- it goes directly to the source! Your cat sits on the tower and the fan gently siphons fur away from the body. The tower has a sensor, which detects a pet's weight, shuts off the top fan, and sends its findings directly to headquarters. They want to know about our heavy cats!I know cats are strange, but my cat doesn't like things that whirr and hum. He wouldn't go near this thing.8 of 8JSAUXFlipGo HorizonI still can't decide whether this next gadget is brilliant or very, very silly. Add-on screens for your laptop have been around for years, and they're useful for travelers who need to do presentations on the go. The big "huh?" with the FlipGo Horizon, though, is the weight. Strapping a pair of these to your 3-pound Macbook Air adds an extra 5 to 8 (!) pounds, and it kinda reminds me of Icarus while it's doing it. Want to look like a l33t gamer in your local coffee shop, even if you're just tabulating figures? The FlipGo Horizon gives you two front-row tickets to StaresTown!While you're here, check out the best TVs of CES 2025 and the best products from the show floor.Read more

Going through airport security checkpoints is a royal pain, and the Transportation Security Administration knows it. Which is why the TSA is atCES 2025 in Las Vegasshowing offnew scanners that would let you keep your shoes on. When CNET's Bridget Carey spotted the technology being demonstrated, she knew she had to shake things up and give the scanners a real go.If the new tech works, it could allow passengers to keep their shoes on through security while still scanning the footwear for prohibited items. You step onto the platform, placing each foot in a marked area. Millimeter-wave technology scans your shoe and sends data to a computer. Watch this: I Made Things Weird Trying TSA's New Shoe Scanner Machine 03:53 "Let's make it interesting," Carey said. "Maybe I should put something in my shoe and see what happens on the scanner machine."Carey tucked a variety of small objects, including a dental floss pick, gummy worm, mustard packet and plastic knife, inside her shoe before stepping up on the TSA's scanning platform.Shoes have been an issue at the airport for over two decades. In December 2001, Richard Reid tried to blow up an American Airlines flight with homemade bombs he'dhidden in his shoes. He was subdued after struggling to light the fuse, and no one was injured, but in 2006, the TSA began requiring passengers toremove their shoeswhile going through security.Brian Lewis of the Department of Homeland Security told Carey that if the new shoe tech is deployed at airports, the checkpoint officers themselves won't actually review the images.Read more: New Nike Therapeutic Shoes at CES 2025 Look Like Nothing You've Ever Seen Before"Everything would be run by automated detection algorithm," Lewis said. "So the officer would get a red light or a green light, essentially saying, are the shoes good to go, or do we need to do further inspection?"The machines are looking for a variety of things, Lewis said, including shoes that have been tampered with, specific material properties and other issues.The technology relays the image in slices, essentially building up the photo of the shoes on the computer screen, layer by layer. One demo shoe had a metal letter "F" hidden inside, and Lewis showed Carey how the metal letter slowly materialized as the image slices piled up. A scan takes only about a second, and the image is displayed almost immediately. CES 2025: Amazing Futuristic Tech Concepts to Look Forward To See all photos Gummy worm detection needs some workCarey's object-filled shoes showed up weirdly on the scan, as would be expected. Lewis was able to point out the condiment packet and the outline of the plastic knife."I'm not sure I see the gummy worm, so we may need to do some additional development to be able to detect those effectively," he said.When the machine rescanned her shoes without the objects, she was good to go."As we're moving towards trying to get to a more seamless travel experience, we know that something the traveling public would like [is to] no longer have to take their shoes off," Lewis said. "So bringing this technology to passengers is something that we think they'll be really excited about."The scanner is still a prototype, and data from the CES demonstration will be collected and used for further development. CES 2025: 20 New Products and Ideas We're Obsessed With See all photos

The wildfires currently raging near Los Angeles are the most destructive in the area's history, so far resulting in two deaths and burning 1,000 structures. At least 70,000 residents have been forced to evacuate. Many other Southern California residents are currently impacted by the drifting smoke, and may continue to experience poor air quality for weeks to come.Wildfire smoke creates breathing hazards for both healthy people and those with existing respiratory issues. And though populations who live near the fires are at the highest risk, there may be impacts felt by people who live far away, depending on how the wind blows. Whether you're currently facing poor air quality due to the LA wildfires or you live in a wildfire-prone area, air purifiers are one way to address air quality issues.Sometimes referred to as air cleaners, air purifiers are designed to remove polluting particles such as dust, pollen, pet dander, mold spores and, importantly, smoke. Though manufacturers are not allowed to market these devices as health products in the US, our hands-on testing has shown some of them to be effective in filtering harmful substances from the air -- especially if they use a HEPA filter. Here's how they work, and what to keep in mind when shopping for the best air purifier. You should also make sure your air purifier is in the right place and isclean to ensure it's working properly. What do air purifiers do? Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. At its most basic function, portable air purifiers and air filters remove pollutants from the air around you and in your home. Indoor air pollutants fall into two main categories:Particulate matter: Biological pollutants like mold spores, dust mites, bacteria, pet dander, viruses and smoke.Gaseous pollutants: Pollutants like paints, varnishes, adhesives and pesticides. Especially dangerous gaseous pollutants are sometimes referred to as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are often man-made and are highly toxic, causing damage to the liver, kidneys or central nervous system, as well as leading to certain cancers or memory and vision issues.Ideally, you would take steps to avoid introducing these airborne particles in the first place, but in situations like wildfires, it's out of your control and you must take steps to prevent negative health effects.How does an air purifier work?Air purifiers remove pollutants, particles and gasses from the air using one of three common methods: filtration, electrostatic precipitation and ionizing. Notably, the EPA warns about the risk of ozone created by some electrostatic and ionizing air purifiers, and some states like California even restrict the sale of ozone-producing air purifiers. Experts agree using filter-based air purifiers is healthier and more effective than ozone generators, so that's the method we'll focus on throughout this article.The most effective form of air filtration -- and likely the one you've heard the most about -- is a HEPA filter, which stands for high-efficiency particulate absorber. These pleated mechanical air filters pull in the air in your home and move it through the filter with a circulating fan. When the air moves through the filters, any pollutants or particles are caught in the filter, and then the clean air is pushed back out, so you have clean air to breathe. HEPA filters work to effectively remove smoke particulate from the air. Colin McDonald/CNETThis type of air filter is reported to remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any airborne particles from the air. HEPA filters do a better job than standard air filters because they are designed to catch finer particles and purify the air more thoroughly.In addition to using an air filter, you can keep your indoor air clean by vacuuming regularly, not smoking inside and allowing fresh air in on nice days. Be sure to also regularly change out your air purifier's filters to guarantee it purifies effectively.How do I buy an air purifier?Air purifiers range in price from under $100 to well over $1,000. The price differential usually depends on how much air (how many cubic feet) the device is able to purify thoroughly. Most models are designed to sit on the floor, but you can find tabletop models and even wall-mounted designs for air filtration in your home.When it comes to purchasing a portable air cleaner, the EPA suggests you base your decision on the size of the room where you will use the air purifier. This means you'll need to read the product descriptions carefully to be sure you get an air filtration system big enough to fit your space. Larger models will likely cost more and use more energy, but it's necessary to really make sure your air is filtered properly.There are a few ways to be confident you're picking a good air purifier. You might see the abbreviation for clean air delivery rate (CADR) on an air purifier's packaging. This value is a measure of how quickly the air purifier can deliver clean air back into your space. The higher the CADR, the more quickly the air pollutants are removed, though some manufacturers have suggested this lab testing method isn't an accurate simulation of how air filtration would work in an average home. Air purifiers and HVAC filters are also measured by the minimum efficiency reporting value scale, where the lowest rating is 1 and the highest is 20. HEPA filters rate between 17 and 20. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recommends at least a 13 on the MERV scale for smoke mitigation. If you're in the market for an air purifier, look for a higher score on this scale if you're looking to mitigate serious breathing concerns like asthma and allergies, and wildfire smoke.CNET has tested many air purifiers over the years. If smoke from wildfires is currently affecting your home or you live in a wildfire-prone region, consider purchasing one of these tested air purifiers to improve the indoor air quality until outdoor air quality improves.While the devastation of wildfires can be harrowing, there are many steps you can take to protect yourself, your home and your loved ones. Here are some additional resources:

January 8, 20252 min readFloodings Hidden Killers Include Heart Attacks and InfectionsA new study found that flood deaths can rise by 25 percent three months after a disasterBy Ariel Wittenberg & E&E News People inspect the flood damage in the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday night in Florida's Big Bend with winds up to 140 mph. Sean Rayford/Getty ImagesCLIMATEWIRE | Floods could be deadlier than previously thought and from more than just drowning.A study published Tuesday in Nature found that the number of U.S. deaths in flooded areas continued to rise for up to three months after the disaster, resulting in a 25 percent higher death rate from things like infections, injuries and heart disease, compared with periods of no flooding.The researchers from Columbia University used a statistical model to analyze national death data from 2001 to 2018 and calculate how death rates changed in the three months following floods versus normal conditions.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.They found that the residents of 2,711 counties experienced floods during that time frame, with heavy rain and snowmelt being the top causes of flooding.Our results show that floods were associated with higher death rates for most major causes of death, even for rain- and snow-related floods that are less likely to generate rapid emergency responses than hurricanes, said author Victoria Lynch, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.In particular, the researchers found that rain-related flooding was associated with increased deaths from infectious diseases, while flooding from melting snow was associated with higher death rates from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.There is a hidden burden of exposure to floods that people may not be thinking about having an effect over time, said author Robbie Parks, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia. There is a big infection issue, but even the indirect effects of flooding adding stress can have an impact on cardiovascular health.Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.

Minecraft adds new pig variants, ambient falling leaves, wildflowers, and more for public testingAhead of 2025's first update.Image credit: Mojang News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Jan. 8, 2025 With the decorations packed away for another 12 months and the new year now well and truly begun, developer Mojang has roused from its festive slumber to release six new features for public testing ahead of Minecraft's first planned update of 2025.Mojang did, of course, announce it was changing the way it released new Minecraft content last September, revealing it would be ditching its traditional mega-sized summer updates in favour of multiple smaller drops throughout the year. And it's now detailed a number of the features it'll launching (and that are now available for testing) in Minecraft's first update in 2025.That starts with two new pig variants, intended to complement the bog-standard one that's been available in-game for 15 years now. More specifically, it's introducing the new cold pig and warm pig variants - found in sub-zero biomes and sandy biomes respectively.Elswhere, forests biomes are getting an upgrade in Minecraft's next update, thanks to three new ambient features: falling leaves, leaf litter, and wildflowers. Falling leaves are encountered in all forest biomes, but leaf litter - which crunches underfoot and can be used to decorate other blocks - is exclusive to dark forests and wooded badlands.Wildflowers, meanwhile, are found in meadows and birch forests (plus their old growth counterparts), manifesting as yellow and white flowers that can be crafted into dye. These all have four growth stages players can speed up with bonemeal, and will bloom in different patterns depending on the angle they're placed in. Image credit: MojangAnd finally for now, lodestones - the magnetised blocks players can place in order to helpfully attract their compasses while navigating - have a new, simpler crafting recipe.All the above features are scheduled to arrive as part of Minecraft's next update, but they're first being released for public testing so adventurous players can put them through their paces. All six additions are accessible via Minecraft's latest Java snapshot right now, and everything except Minecraft's new leaf litter and wildflowers are available in the Bedrock preview and beta. Those two missing features should hit Bedrock "soon", and more information on accessing Minecraft's test builds can be found on Mojang's website.

Probe to wrap ASAP EU energetically probing disinformation, right-wing bias on X, report says Elon Musk wading further into global right-wing politics raises alarms in EU. Ashley Belanger Jan 8, 2025 12:37 pm | 17 Credit: Tom Williams / Contributor | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. Credit: Tom Williams / Contributor | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThe European Commission (EC) is planning to "energetically" advance its probe into content moderation on X (formerly Twitter), potentially ordering changes at Elon Musk's social network in the coming months, Bloomberg reported.Since 2023, the EC has been investigating X for possible violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). Notably, it's the group's first formal probe under the DSA, which requires very large online platforms to meet strict content moderation and transparency standards to ensure user safety, reduce misinformation, prevent illegal/harmful activity, and facilitate "a fair and open online platform environment."In a letter to European lawmakers viewed by Bloomberg, EC tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen and justice chief Michael McGrath apparently confirmed that the investigation into X will end as early as legally possible."When the sweeping probe was first announced, the EC explained it would investigate X "in areas linked to risk management, content moderation, dark patterns, advertising transparency, and data access for researchers."At that time, the EC was concerned about "the dissemination of illegal content in the context of Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel" on X. The investigation is partly focused on X's potential failure to detect and remove illegal content required by the DSA, as well as on the effectiveness of X's Community Notes and other "related policies mitigating risks to civic discourse and electoral processes."Since then, Musk has become more heavily involved in right-wing politics, campaigning for US president-elect Donald Trump and increasingly using X to support right-wing figures globally, most recently in a posting rampage concerning United Kingdom "grooming gangs." The Financial Times reported that Musk's UK posts appeared to be fueled by a few X accounts that seemingly appeared on his "For You" page, with one former Twitter exec in Europe, Bruce Daisley, suggesting that "Musk has seemingly become the first tech leader to fall down the rabbit hole of radicalization by his own product.Musk also took to X to endorse German far-right leader Alice Weidel, Bloomberg noted, which could potentially be a problem if Musk's platform is found to be favoring right-wing voices and skewing civic discourse in the EU.On Thursday, Musk will host a live-streamed interview with Weidel, and the EC plans to watch it closer than most, seeking "to see if Xs algorithms are used to deliberately boost the live-stream, which would potentially be in breach of the DSA," Bloomberg reported.There's no deadline to conclude the probe. But EC leaders have signaled that its end could be near. If the EC concludes that X violated the DSA, X could be hit with fines of up to 6 percent of its global revenue or be ordered to make changes to comply with the strict law.X could also voluntarily make changes if remedies are requested. In 2023, X said it was "committed to complying with the Digital Services Act and is cooperating with the regulatory process," while emphasizing that "it is important that this process remains free of political influence and follows the law."In the EU, some officials are worried that Musk might possibly be controlling X to boost conservative narratives and influence electionsand that the EC potentially isn't acting fast enough to protect the democratic process.Bloomberg noted that French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has urged the EC to "use the tools that weve given it democratically a lot more robustly to discourage this sort of behavior.""Either the European Commission applies the laws weve created to protect the public sphere with the utmost firmness, or it doesnt, in which case it must agree to return the ability to do so to EU member states," Barrot said.X CEO: Community Notes are good for the worldIt seems unlikely that X would ever take a drastic step like abandoning Community Notes in favor of hiring back more content moderators laid off shortly after Musk's Twitter acquisition. At CES 2025, X CEO Linda Yaccarino bragged that Community Notes are "good for the world.""Think about it as this global collective consciousness keeping each other accountable at global scale in real time," Yaccarino said, telling the audience that it was "validating" that Meta now plans to use a similar system over more traditional fact-checking.According to Yaccarino, there are now "almost a million Community Noters" globally, and noted posts are "dramatically shared less."Brand safety on X has supposedly improved so much through Community Notes and new advertiser controls, Yaccarino claimed at CES, that she estimated that 90 percent of advertisers are back on X.That would represent a major shift since Trump's re-election if data that Sensor Tower provided to Ars in October is accurate. The data showed that major brands continued to shy away from X in 2024, with "72 out of the top 100 spending US advertisers on X from October 2022" having "ceased spending on the platform as of September 2024."Ars could not immediately reach Sensor Tower for more current data but will update this story if more information becomes available.As Meta faces backlash over its pivot to an X-like Community Notes approach, experts have noted that there's still limited research on Community Notes' effectiveness. The Center for Countering Digital Hate, which Musk tried and failed to sue over its independent research on X, reported in October that toxic X users were sabotaging some Community Notes by downvoting fact checks they didn't politically agree with to keep the notes from appearing on the platform. Another study last year found that community noters target different posts than traditional fact-checkers. The authors advocated for a multi-pronged approach on popular platforms to quickly check a wider variety of posts than would seemingly be checked by either group alone.The EC's probe could expose flaws in Community Notes in the EU, or it could further give Yaccarino the "validation" X has sought since expanding the fact-checking alternative initially launched prior to Musk's acquisition.Ashley BelangerSenior Policy ReporterAshley BelangerSenior Policy Reporter Ashley is a senior policy reporter for Ars Technica, dedicated to tracking social impacts of emerging policies and new technologies. She is a Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience. 17 Comments