🚨 Judge blocks US from sharing data with DOGE

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Greetings! Your latest quick tech update is here:

☀️ On this day: On February 25, 1925, the first "electrical recording" of a phonograph record was made by Art Gillham. This innovation marked a significant advancement in sound recording technology, transitioning from acoustic to electrical methods and improving audio fidelity.

What’s happening:

• 🚨 Judge blocks US from sharing data with DOGE

• 🤖 AI to decide which federal jobs are necessary

• 💰 Apple to invest $500B, add 20K jobs in the US

• 🧠 Anthropic unveils AI that "thinks" before answering

• 🔒 Gmail replacing SMS codes with QR authentication

• + 📊 Daily poll and results

• + 📈 Trending tools and resources

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Hand-picked news:

🚨 Judge blocks US from sharing data with DOGE ↗️LINK

• What: A federal judge ruled that the US Department of Education and OPM violated the Privacy Act by disclosing personal data to DOGE affiliates without consent. The court issued a temporary restraining order blocking further disclosures until March 10. A similar ruling last week halted DOGE's access to Treasury records.

• Why: The plaintiffs, including unions and veterans, argued that DOGE's broad data access lacked legal justification. The government failed to prove a "need-to-know" basis for the disclosures.

• Impact: The ruling highlights privacy concerns in Trump's data-sharing policies and could lead to further legal challenges. If upheld, it may limit DOGE’s role in federal oversight.

🤖 AI to decide which federal jobs are necessary ↗️LINK

• What: Federal workers were instructed to email five bullet points summarizing their workweek, with responses fed into an AI system to determine job necessity. The directive, linked to Elon Musk’s efforts to reduce government size, sparked backlash from agencies and unions.

• Why: The AI review aligns with Musk and Trump’s push to streamline the federal workforce. Critics argue the process is coercive and lacks legal grounding, with lawsuits challenging its legality.

• Impact: The move raises concerns about AI-driven job cuts, worker rights, and data privacy. Some agencies resisted the order, and lawsuits may hinder DOGE’s authority to reshape government operations.

💰 Apple to invest $500B, add 20K jobs in the US ↗️LINK

• What: Apple announced a $500 billion US investment over four years, including 20,000 new jobs and a new server factory in Texas. The move follows a meeting between CEO Tim Cook and President Trump, as Apple navigates potential 25% tariffs on Chinese-made chips.

• Why: The investment could help Apple secure tariff exemptions, similar to its 2018 strategy under Trump. It also boosts US manufacturing, R&D, and AI development.

• Impact: Apple strengthens its US presence while reducing reliance on China. The move may ease trade tensions but raises questions about how much was already planned before Trump’s return.

🧠 Anthropic unveils AI that "thinks" before answering ↗️LINK

• What: Anthropic launched Claude 3.7 Sonnet, an AI model that allows users to choose between instant answers or more in-depth reasoning. It's the industry’s first “hybrid AI reasoning model” and aims to improve accuracy while maintaining speed.

• Why: As AI performance improvements slow, reasoning models like Claude 3.7 Sonnet are designed to break problems into steps, enhancing reliability. Anthropic also wants to simplify AI use by removing complex model selection.

• Impact: Claude 3.7 Sonnet outperforms rivals in coding and real-world tasks, reducing unnecessary refusals by 45%. It positions Anthropic as an AI leader, though OpenAI is expected to launch a similar hybrid model soon.

🔒 Gmail replacing SMS codes with QR authentication ↗️LINK

• What: Google is phasing out SMS-based two-factor authentication (2FA) for Gmail, replacing it with QR codes. Users will scan a QR code instead of entering a six-digit SMS code.

• Why: SMS 2FA is vulnerable to phishing, SIM swapping, and fraud schemes like traffic pumping. QR codes reduce these risks by eliminating interceptable numeric codes.

• Impact: The change enhances security while keeping authentication simple. Though not as secure as authenticator apps or physical security keys, QR codes offer a safer alternative to SMS. Google will roll out the change in the coming months.

🧠 Keep your mind sharp with these newsletters!

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• The AI Report - AI solutions you can use to work smarter and achieve results. Join & get 200+ AI-powered income ideas!

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Looking for even more options? Explore our curated section below:

Today’s Poll:

Vote and find out about the result tomorrow.

Yesterday’s Poll Result:

Do you think the UK’s demand for backdoor access to iCloud backups is justified?

• A) Yes – It helps fight crime and terrorism - 35%

• B) No – It’s a massive privacy violation - 65% 🏆

Reader’s opinions:

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Prompt Engineering Repository: Covers the history, strategies, guidelines, and safety recommendations for working with LLMs.

ElevenLabs: The ElevenLabs voice generator can deliver high-quality, human-like speech in 32 languages. Perfect for audiobooks, video voiceovers, commercials, and more.

Gamma: Create unlimited presentations, websites, and more—in seconds. Everything you need to quickly create and refine content with advanced AI.

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