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Here's the latest tech news from the last 24 hours:

👁 Google launches an invisible AI watermark
🗳 X opens the floodgates on political ads
🏴‍☠️ FBI dismantles a major botnet
⚖ Meta rejects own board’s request to suspend account of Cambodian strongman
♻️ Ex-Tesla CTO raises $1 billion to expand recycling operations in US

👁 Google launches an invisible AI watermarkLINK

AI-generated images pose potential issues due to their realistic nature and potential misuse.

Google introduced SynthID, a tool embedding imperceptible watermarks into AI-generated images for identification.

SynthID's watermark is resistant to removal, changes, and resizing, and Google plans to expand its use to other models and products.

🗳 X opens the floodgates on political adsLINK

X will allow political advertising in the US from candidates and parties, reversing a previous ban.

The company aims to expand its safety and elections team and establish a global advertising transparency center.

This change could aid revenue growth and address concerns over content manipulation and false information ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

🏴‍☠️ FBI dismantles a major botnetLINK

The FBI, along with international partners, dismantled the Qakbot botnet, a major malicious network used by cybercriminals for widespread attacks.

Qakbot facilitated over 40 ransomware attacks, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, and operated more than 700,000 endpoints, including 200,000 in the US.

During the operation, the FBI redirected the botnet's traffic, sent an uninstall command to affected devices, and retrieved important documents, exposing communication and ransomware details.

⚖ Meta rejects own board’s request to suspend account of Cambodian strongmanLINK

Meta rejects Oversight Board's recommendation to suspend Cambodia's former Prime Minister's Facebook and Instagram accounts for inciting violence.

The company states that a long-term suspension wouldn't align with its policies on public figures during civil unrest.

Meta declines other recommendations as well, including clarification of rules for public figures and explicit prohibition of incitement of violence.

♻️ Ex-Tesla CTO raises $1 billion to expand recycling operations in USLINK

Redwood Materials, a battery and e-waste recycling startup founded by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel, has raised $1 billion in funding and secured a $2 billion loan commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy to expand its operations in the U.S., including a new Battery Materials Campus in South Carolina.

The company recycles spent electric vehicle batteries to produce new components for EV batteries, aiming to reduce global trade and geopolitical risks, environmental impacts, and the dependence on fossil fuels in the auto industry.

The recent funding round was led by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Capricorn’s Technology Impact Fund, and T. Rowe Price Associates, bringing Redwood's total capital raised to nearly $2 billion, with additional investments from Caterpillar, Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, and Deepwater Asset Management.

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ISRO's lunar rover, Pragyaan, discovers sulfur and other elements at Moon's south pole, aiding water ice exploration.LINK

A California judge rejects X's bid to dismiss a lawsuit alleging age bias in layoffs after Elon Musk's acquisition.LINK

British officials warn about the security risks of integrating AI-powered chatbots into businesses due to potential vulnerabilities and harmful tasks they can be tricked into performing.LINK

YouTube introduces new enforcement policies allowing creators who violate rules to take training courses to remove warnings from their account.LINK

iFixit appeals to Congress to circumvent copyright law preventing the repair of McDonald's ice cream machines, aiming to address right-to-repair issues.LINK

Brazilian startup Solinftec plans to ramp up deliveries of its farming robot in Brazil and the United States to meet increasing demand for "precision agriculture" tools, aiming to deliver 40 units this year and 250 next year.LINK

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