IT & Technology News
Reporting on information technology, cybersecurity, and tech policy. The Daily Signal includes analysis, commentary, and opinion on technology’s impact.
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news
Ohio Family Group Celebrates Ruling on Social Media Age Verification Law
The Center for Christian Virtue is celebrating last week’s decision by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that allows an Ohio law on age verification and parental consent for those under 16 using social media to go into effect. Ohio’s Parental Notification by Social Media Operators Act, signed into law in 2023, was supposed… -
news
Data Center Policy Divides State Democrats
The fate of Virginia’s two-year state budget, which is scheduled to take effect on July 1, is in the hands of Democrats who control both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s mansion, even as the party remains divided over the tax treatment of data centers. State Sen. L. Louise Lucas vowed that “there is… -
analysis
2 Surveillance Worlds Collide: FISA vs. Arctic Frost Probe of Americans
The senators who exposed the Biden administration’s snooping on Republicans and conservative groups have differing views on extending a surveillance provision for foreign intelligence gathering. The two matters are distinct, to be sure, as the latter involves intelligence, while the former was primarily a criminal investigation targeting President Donald Trump, expanded to include supporters. Still,… -
news
Republicans Face Last Chance Before Midterms to Protect Kids From Online Threats
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., will soon introduce a bill encompassing her deal with the White House to pass kids’ safety legislation in exchange for preempting state AI laws. This could be Republicans’ last chance before the midterm elections to pass legislation to protect kids online and defend their claim of the pro-family party. “This is… -
opinion
The Art of the Deal
Like they all had read President Donald Trump’s seminal tome “Art of the Deal,” Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, state Sen. Louise Lucas, and Speaker of the House Don Scott had us all believing that the Virginia Democrats were in disarray. Then, as Lee Corso used to say on ESPN “College GameDay,” “Not so fast, my… -
news
Data Center Civil War Leaves Virginia on the Verge of a Shutdown
Virginia is on the verge of its first shutdown in modern history, and it all comes down to data centers and Democratic Party infighting. Democrats control the governor’s mansion, the state Senate, and the House, yet the party can’t get on the same page. “Virginia has to have a budget by June 30,” Republican Virginia… -
news
Agreement on Data Centers Falters as Ohio Lawmakers Go on Recess
While the Ohio Legislature has made strides this week in key areas before summer recess, it was unable to come to an agreement on the hot-button issue of data centers. Lawmakers have been debating the level of regulation and tax breaks for data centers, while a joint committee is also studying the effects of data… -
opinion
The Political Minefield Beneath SpaceX’s IPO
Elon Musk may be one of the greatest entrepreneurs in modern American history, but when SpaceX finally launches its long-anticipated IPO, investors would be wise to look beyond the hype and the typical financial and risk analysis to assess the potentially significant political risk attached to the company. Retail investors will undoubtedly rush toward a… -
news
Virginia Budget Debate Turns Public Amid Data Center Dispute
THE CENTER SQUARE—Virginia budget negotiations spilled into public view last week as top Democrat leaders publicly clashed over data center policy ahead of the June 30 budget deadline. Senate Finance and Appropriations Chairwoman Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, publicly criticized Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger and House of Representatives leaders Friday as negotiations continued without a final agreement…. -
news
Eugenics Is Trending Again: YouTube Influencer Aborts Baby With Down Syndrome
Popular YouTuber Jesse Ridgway and his wife, Ashley, aborted their unborn baby because of a Down syndrome diagnosis. Ridgway runs a YouTube account called McJuggerNuggets with 4.34 million subscribers, where he makes videos featuring scripted stories. His “Psycho Series” alone has earned over 2 billion views. Last Wednesday, Ridgway went to X to announce the “very difficult” abortion decision to his large following…. -
news
Meta Accused of Discriminating Against Non-Chinese Workers
On May 20, Jeremy Bernier was laid off from his software engineering job at Meta. He immediately took to social media to accuse the Big Tech giant of discrimination against non-Chinese. Starting that day, he posted on social media about Meta and the discrimination he allegedly experienced and watched. “At Meta, 90% of my coworkers were Chinese, and non-Chinese were routinely excluded, disadvantaged, and targeted for layoffs,” he said… -
breaking
Trump Signs Scaled-Back Executive Order on Preventing AI Cyber Threats
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday asking some artificial intelligence companies to give the federal government 30 days to review their frontier models before release. Trump had been scheduled to sign a broader version of the order on May 21, but he delayed the signing, saying he did not like “certain aspects” of… -
news
Hegseth: US and China Agreed to Keep Talking About AI Guardrails
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says the United States and China agreed in Beijing to keep discussing if the two countries should team to set guardrails on AI. ”You wanna be able to set guardrails,” Hegseth told the Daily Signal Saturday evening. “Given the innovation capabilities of the United States of America, we also wanna… -
analysis
Republicans Warned Everyone About TikTok for Years—Now They’re Going Viral on It
GOP members in Congress are joining TikTok after years of speaking out against the app and are going viral. Following in the footsteps of Democrat lawmakers who have been on the app for years, Republican lawmakers are gaining millions of views and reaching the younger generation of voters. Last year, TikTok, the social media platform… -
news
DeWine Announces Tax Exemption Pause on Data Centers
As lawmakers study the impact of data centers in Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday announced a pause in consideration of new tax exemptions for data centers. Despite the directive, DeWine’s statement praised data centers, including how they have contributed to Ohio’s success. “Data centers are a critical component to today’s technology-driven economy, which… -
news
Vance Echoes Pope Leo’s Message on AI in AF Commencement Address
Vice President JD Vance delivered a speech about morality in advanced war technology to the 931 candidates at the U.S. Air Force Academy commencement May 28, but he cloaked it with humor, including a quip about the weather, a reference to being a former Marine surrounded by members of the Air Force, and a chest… -
news
Is Instagram Designed to Be Addictive? Supreme Court Rejects Meta’s Appeal
The Supreme Court rejected Meta Platforms’ attempt to block a lawsuit from Vermont’s attorney general accusing the company of designing the social media app Instagram to be addictive for young users. Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark, a Democrat, sued Meta in 2023, alleging violations of the state’s consumer protection laws. Meta sought to have the… -
opinion
Pope Leo’s Message in ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ Is One We All Need to Hear
Pope Leo XIV‘s first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” is perfectly timed. In the document, signed on the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s “Rerum Novarum,” the pope takes up the question that now looms over every sector of modern life: What happens to human dignity when artificial intelligence reshapes how we work, think, and relate to… -
opinion
Data Centers and the Sale of Dominion Energy
My inclination when learning about the proposed mega-utility company that would be created when NextEra Energy acquires Dominion Energy—and yes, that is what is proposed—was that this is the predictable growing distance from the consumer of companies that expand and merge and acquire in order to keep up with a federal regulating body that is… -
opinion
News Aggregators’ Left-Wing Bias Reinforces Political Ignorance
The other day, a young lady got on the elevator and promptly whipped out her smartphone and began scrolling. “Excuse me,” I said, “can I ask you where you get your news?” She said, “You mean like news about what’s going on in the world?” “Yes.” “Oh, TikTok.” This reminded me of a dinner conversation…