Anthropic is rolling back spyware-like code it implemented to track whether users are affiliated with Chinese AI labs. A cybersecurity newsletter reported that the Claude Code feature covertly tracked and transmitted information based on a user’s timezone and potential connection to Chinese tech companies accused of illicitly training their own ...
Category: Semafor
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Renewed oil flows give US leverageRenewed oil flows give US leverage
The recent surge in commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could give the US additional leverage in talks with Iran, analysts said. More than 10 million barrels of oil are flowing through the waterway daily, a US official told Bloomberg, adding that the jump underscores Tehran’s limited ability to ...
Global chaos isn’t spreading, report saysGlobal chaos isn’t spreading, report says
Global chaos isn’t spreading, but is highly localized, a new report argued. The impression in foreign policy circles, a former US ambassador to NATO wrote, is that “the erosion of the international rules-based order is a uniform, global trend.” But the reality, according to the Atlas of Impunity report, is ...
Russia imports gas from IndiaRussia imports gas from India
Russia is starting to import gasoline from India, Reuters reported, in a sign of the severity of Moscow’s fuel shortages. The shipments mark a shift in the countries’ energy dynamic: Earlier this year, India turned to Russia to mitigate a disruption to oil supplies spurred by the Iran war. Russian ...
Amazon’s rising carbon footprint ‘not a one-year story,’ CSO saysAmazon’s rising carbon footprint ‘not a one-year story,’ CSO says
The Scoop Amazon’s carbon footprint is rising because of its data center buildout, and will continue to do so for years to come, the company’s sustainability chief told Semafor. The tech giant’s global greenhouse gas emissions increased in 2025 for the second consecutive year, from 69.5 million metric tons in ...
Meta cashes in on its excessesMeta cashes in on its excesses
It turns out that while companies are trying to be the biggest and the fastest in AI, selling the leftovers is where a lot of the money is. Meta is building a cloud computing business and plans to sell excess compute to its competitors, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. The move is ...
Gavin Newsom treads the lineGavin Newsom treads the line
As California Governor Gavin Newsom inks a deal with Anthropic to expand the use of its chatbot Claude across state agencies, he’s also rolling out a plan to start tracking AI-related job losses. The dichotomy points to a political conundrum sweeping state capitols: As politicians attempt to rein in the ...
The decline of the impeachment voter, and other midterm lessons so farThe decline of the impeachment voter, and other midterm lessons so far
David’s view Last month, Colorado Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette sat next to her challengers and explained why she deserved a 16th term in Washington. “Who is going to be the best choice to stand up to Donald Trump and the real threat he poses to our democracy?” DeGette asked at ...
Europe should build AI – and fear it, tooEurope should build AI – and fear it, too
Tom’s view There are apocalyptic scenarios, and there are scenarios. Right now, Europe has just one AI firm, Mistral, anywhere near the frontier — and only a fraction of the 25 gigawatts of AI compute that the US has. If Europe doesn’t change course, it risks becoming an economic backwater, ...
Qatar reviews workers’ rightsQatar reviews workers’ rights
Qatar overhauled its labor laws, adding for the first time provisions that allow for part-time and freelance work to be regulated, and others that make it harder to launch strikes. In changes the government said were aimed at “reinforcing the balance between the rights of workers and employers,” the maximum ...