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Bill Maher & Bo Derek Get Candid About Vaccine Mandates on ‘Club Random’
Real Time host Bill Maher pivoted from a discussion about decriminalizing drugs to his issues with COVID-19 vaccine mandates during his latest edition of the Club Random podcast, while speaking with actress Bo Derek. “I want drugs to be decriminalized,” Derek said at one point in the conversation, per Mediaite. “On this show, I want it to happen!” Maher agreed while waving a blunt in the air. “Prohibition created the mafia!” Derek added. “We learn nothing!” “Of course,” Maher replied. “That’s because there’s money in it, honey.
There’s so much money in keeping it illegal… Do you think the liquor industry wants to compete with this? If only people would understand you can use them together and it’s fantastic!” Maher then went on a detour, asking, “I mean, why did everybody have to get a COVID shot? Even people with natural immunity. Natural immunity, which we always used to respect. But in COVID, no. ‘Just get our product in you.’”
The comedian stated that he’s “not an anti-vaxxer,” but “just someone who wants to decide which ones I want.” “Yeah, I remember the build-up to, ‘It’s coming, it’s coming, it’s coming,” Derek said. “And I think if they had just left it, ‘Here it is! This vaccine. It’s available to anybody who wants it,’ I think probably more people would have taken it. But when you tell Americans, ‘You must,’ that’s a problem.”
Boston Sues Social Media Companies Over ‘addictive’ Features, Joining Nationwide Litigation
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced Wednesday that the city is suing social media companies — including Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube — over their alleged deliberate targeting of minors with addictive features. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Boston Public Schools in federal court in California, will be consolidated with more than 1,500 similar complaints from school districts around the country, Wu’s office said.
The lawsuit seeks to force the companies to remove addictive features and compensate the city for the mental health support needed by students. It alleges the companies designed addictive features specifically to keep young people engaged. These features include endless scrolling, frequent notifications, and personalized algorithms, city officials said.
In a statement, Wu said that these companies have evidence of the harm they are causing to children. “Boston is taking legal action to protect children and youth and hold these companies accountable. Today, we are making it clear that social media companies must end exploitative practices and be accountable to standards of basic protection for children,” she said.
Meta Is Toying With the Idea of Smart Glasses That Record Everything, All the Time
Smart glasses ick people out for various reasons, and many have to do with cameras. In response to that ever-growing aversion, companies that make face computers with cameras on them have extended some small but helpful olive branches to people worried about privacy. For example, there’s the standardization of LED indicators that light up when wearers of smart glasses are recording or kits that block cameras for occasions where they shouldn’t be allowed.
Some companies are excluding cameras altogether in their hardware, opting instead for displays, voice assistants, and speakers. In Meta’s case, though, things may be swinging toward the polar opposite end of the spectrum. According to the Financial Times, Meta is testing prototype smart glasses that record literally everything, all the time. The so-called “super-sensing” glasses would reportedly capture photos “every few seconds,” according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to the Financial Times.
The idea here is that Meta’s AI glasses could act as a kind of always-on assistant and even remember things about your day like where you left your keys or specific things you said.
EU Moves Closer to Kicking Kids off Social Media
Restrictions on children’s use of social media in the European Union could come as early as this summer, as a long-awaited expert report next week is expected to recommend limiting minors’ access to online platforms. After Australia became the first country in the world to ban under-16s from social media, several EU nations, including Denmark and Greece, demanded a similar move.
The EU says all options are on the table, from a blanket ban on children using social media platforms to restrictions on certain services and features. It appears there is little appetite for a broad-brush approach, and EU officials insist no decisions have been taken before the panel tasked by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen delivers its recommendations on July 13. Von der Leyen has indicated in the past she supports restrictions, with a formal announcement expected in September — although that could change.
“It is not the question when children or teenagers would have access to social media, I would say it’s more the question when social media has access to our children and teenagers,” she said last week. She is under pressure as some European capitals, including Paris, have already drawn up their own legislation, although Brussels on Monday told France to amend its draft law because it encroached on the European Commission’s powers.
