Two 6.3 magnitude earthquakes struck Afghanistan on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of hundreds, according to a spokesperson for the country’s national disaster authority. The United States Geological Survey reported the 6.3 magnitude, with an epicenter located 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) northwest of Herat city. An aftershock measuring 5.5 magnitude was also recorded.
Residents of Herat reported at least five quakes around noon, local time, prompting them to evacuate their homes and seek safety. The World Health Organization dispatched ambulances. Videos shared on social media revealed hundreds of people gathered outside their homes and offices in Herat. Telephone connections have been disrupted, hampering communication. Local media reports the quakes were also felt in neighboring Afghan provinces of Farah and Badghis, as well as in parts of Iran.
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Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban-appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs, offered his condolences to the victims of the earthquakes in Herat and Badghis. This incident follows a powerful earthquake in June 2022, which resulted in the deaths of at least 1,000 people and injuries to approximately 1,500 more in eastern Afghanistan.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump has responded to China’s radical move to restrict rare earth mineral exports, in which the communist nation enacted extreme conditions on how countries can use the critical materials.
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, manufacturers and the semiconductor industry, China‘s Commerce Ministry, and the U.S. Department of War.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Trump’s response to the Chinese export restrictions was posted on Truth Social on Friday, October 10, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Dependent on what China says about the hostile ‘order’ that they have just put out, I will be forced, as President of the United States of America, to financially counter their move. For every Element that they have been able to monopolize, we have two.” — Donald Trump
🎯IMPACT: The move by China—which broke the terms of a prior trade truce with the United States—was largely interpreted as Xi Jinping believing Trump was quietly seeking a broader end to the trade conflict. Trump’s Friday post on Truth Social has likely thrown cold water on the Chinese reading of the situation.
IN FULL
President Donald J. Trump has responded to China’s radical move to restrict rare earth mineral exports, in which the communist nation enacted extreme conditions on how countries can use the critical materials. The move by China—which broke the terms of a prior trade truce with the United States—was largely interpreted as Xi Jinping believing Trump was quietly seeking a broader end to the trade conflict. Trump’s Friday post on Truth Social has likely thrown cold water on the Chinese reading of the situation.
“Some very strange things are happening in China! They are becoming very hostile, and sending letters to Countries throughout the World, that they want to impose Export Controls on each and every element of production having to do with Rare Earths, and virtually anything else they can think of, even if it’s not manufactured in China,” President Trump wrote before detailing the unprecedent export restrictions China is attempting to enact.
He continued: “Our relationship with China over the past six months has been a very good one, thereby making this move on Trade an even more surprising one. I have always felt that they’ve been lying in wait, and now, as usual, I have been proven right!”
Signalling likely further escalation in the U.S. trade war with China and noting that he has not spoken with Xi, Trump stated: “But the U.S. has Monopoly positions also, much stronger and more far reaching than China’s. I have just not chosen to use them, there was never a reason for me to do so—UNTIL NOW!”
“Dependent on what China says about the hostile ‘order’ that they have just put out, I will be forced, as President of the United States of America, to financially counter their move. For every Element that they have been able to monopolize, we have two,” Trump declared, adding: “I never thought it would come to this but perhaps, as with all things, the time has come. Ultimately, though potentially painful, it will be a very good thing, in the end, for the U.S.A. One of the Policies that we are calculating at this moment is a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States of America. There are many other countermeasures that are, likewise, under serious consideration.”
The National Pulse reported on Thursday that China imposed new restrictions on exporting rare earth minerals and other critical materials, likely impacting U.S. and. European manufacturers and defense industries. The new export controls were detailed in two notices from China‘s Commerce Ministry.
China, which dominates the global supply of rare earths, stated that the measures are necessary to “safeguard national security and interests.” Under the new rules, foreign exporters of products containing rare earths sourced from China must obtain licenses from Beijing’s commerce ministry. Licenses for products with “military use” will largely be denied, according to Chinese authorities.
The rules also bar Chinese firms from cooperating in specified fields and deny export licenses to foreign entities classified as dual-use or military end users. These restrictions could directly affect American companies that supply the U.S. Department of War. Export applications for advanced semiconductor-related items will now be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and hostage deal, prompting the White House to shift focus to expanding the Abraham Accords.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The former Biden government, Trump administration officials, Israel, Hamas, and various Arab states.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The Israel-Hamas ceasefire was signed earlier this week, and discussions on expanding the Abraham Accords are ongoing across the Middle East.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Hopefully this will lead to much better sentiment and the opportunity to expand the Abraham Accords — to really just change the tone in the region.” – Senior administration official
🎯IMPACT: The agreement may pave the way for further normalization between Israel and other Arab nations, but challenges remain due to regional mistrust.
IN FULL
Following the ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, the Trump White House is saying it will turn its attention to expanding the Abraham Accords, a historic agreement that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states during President Trump’s first term in office.
A senior administration official told the press on Thursday, “Hopefully this will lead to much better sentiment and the opportunity to expand the Abraham Accords — to really just change the tone in the region.” The Trump administration previously secured agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, with Saudi Arabia identified as a key target for future normalization.
Despite optimism, challenges remain. “A deal could have been done in six months,” an official noted, criticizing the Biden government’s delay in engaging Saudi Arabia. The war in Gaza and the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks have also created obstacles, though the mood has reportedly improved in recent days with both Israel and Hamas reaching an agreement on phase one of U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s peace proposal.
Israel has begun reducing its troop presence in Gaza under the agreement, which includes provisions for humanitarian aid and a 72-hour deadline for Hamas to release remaining hostages. Meanwhile, approximately 200 U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East will assist in monitoring the ceasefire and ensuring aid delivery.
Saudi Arabia continues to link normalization with Israel to progress toward Palestinian statehood, though specifics remain undefined. The U.S.-brokered 20-point ceasefire plan does not guarantee statehood but suggests conditions may eventually allow for Palestinian self-determination.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Fayaz Khan, a 26-year-old Afghan national, was found guilty of making a threat to kill Nigel Farage, leader of Britain’s Reform Party, in a TikTok video.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Fayaz Khan, Nigel Farage, prosecutor Peter Ratliff, and defence lawyer Charles Royle.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The threatening video was posted in October 2024 from Dunkirk; the trial took place at Southwark Crown Court in Fall 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Given his proximity to guns and love of guns, I was genuinely worried. He says he’s coming to England and he’s going to shoot me.” – Nigel Farage
🎯IMPACT: The jury deliberated for nearly 12 hours before convicting Khan.
IN FULL
Fayaz Khan, known on TikTok as Mada Pasa, was convicted of making a threat to kill Reform Party leader Nigel Farage in a video posted to his 340,000 followers from Dunkirk, France, in October 2024. In the video, Khan, who has an AK-47 tattoo on his face, stated: “Englishman Nigel… don’t talk shit about me. I come to England because I want to marry your sister. I want to come to England to go pop pop pop,” while making gun signals with his hand.
Farage described the video as “pretty chilling” during his testimony at Southwark Crown Court, adding, “Given his proximity to guns and love of guns, I was genuinely worried.” The Brexit champion said he interpreted the video as a direct threat that Khan was planning to come to England to harm him.
Khan, who attempted to enter the United Kingdom ten times before successfully arriving on a small boat on October 31, 2024, declined to give evidence in court. However, a transcript of his police interview from November 1, 2024, was read to the jury. In it, Khan claimed he “didn’t know who Nigel Farage was” and insisted he “was never going to hurt anyone.” He also stated that gun signals were a regular feature of his TikTok videos and part of his “character.”
Prosecutor Peter Ratliff argued that the video was “sinister and menacing,” dismissing the idea that it was an off-the-cuff comment. Defence lawyer Charles Royle countered that Khan’s actions were more “idiosyncratic, moronic, comedic, eye-catching, attention-seeking” than genuinely threatening.
The jury deliberated for 11 hours and 55 minutes before finding Khan guilty.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: A bill to ban Sharia law and mosque construction is being proposed in the Dominican Republic.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Deputy Elías Wessin, president of the Quisqueyano Christian Democratic Party (PQDC).
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Bill unveiled in October 2025, in the Dominican Republic.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The security of the Dominican state, and therefore of all Dominicans, is above any other interest or right.” – Elías Wessin
🎯IMPACT: The proposal is expected to face opposition from Muslims and the political establishment.
IN FULL
Elías Wessin, a Dominican legislator and president of the Quisqueyano Christian Democratic Party (PQDC), has announced plans to introduce a bill banning the practice of Sharia law and the construction of mosques within the Dominican Republic. He cites concerns over national security and social stability as the driving forces behind this proposal.
Commenting on The National Pulse’s reporting on Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposing laws to prevent “Islamic separatism” in her country, Wessin said, “Meloni in Italy is doing the right thing and what every authority must do to preserve its nation.”
Elsewhere, he warned that “A mixture of Islam and voodoo is a time bomb, worse than a nuclear one for our country,” referring also to the influx of Haitian illegal immigrants into Dominica. “Believe me, I’m not exaggerating!” he added.
The lawmaker said he fears for “the future of our children and grandchildren,” asking: “What kind of country will they inherit?” He recalled the 1994 Rwandan genocide, where “in just four months (from April to July of that year), more than a million people were massacred.”
Haiti, infamously, conducted a genocide of most of its white population in 1804, shortly after it became independent—likely setting back the abolition of slavery in the United States by decades, with anti-abolitionists often citing the genocide as a major reason for their stance.
Wessin has criticized the Dominican government’s decision to allow the construction of a mosque in Punta Cana, warning that Islamism cannot be allowed to proliferate in a Christian nation like the Dominican Republic, despite the complaints of “progressive anti-imperialists, left-wing liberals, and even the obsequious ‘little right,'” arguing that “the security of the Dominican State, and therefore of the Dominicans, is above any other interest or right.”
❓WHAT HAPPENED: María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote democratic rights in her country.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: María Corina Machado, Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, President Donald J. Trump, and the Nobel Committee.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded on October 10, 2025, in Norway.
💬KEY QUOTE: “We have risked everything — our families, our lives, everything. The people of Venezuela have desperately asked for real, strong support. Finally, it’s reaching us.” – María Corina Machado
🎯IMPACT: The award highlights the ongoing struggle for democracy in Venezuela and the international support for efforts to counter Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
IN FULL
María Corina Machado, a prominent opposition leader in Venezuela, received the Nobel Peace Prize on October 10 for her efforts in promoting democratic rights in her country. The Nobel Committee recognized her continued fight against Nicolás Maduro‘s regime, which has been accused of human rights abuses, including allegations of torture and killings. After winning the peace prize, Machado stated: “We have risked everything—our families, our lives, everything. The people of Venezuela have desperately asked for real, strong support. Finally, it’s reaching us.”
Machado, who has been in hiding due to Maduro’s crackdown on opposition leaders, is also an outspoken supporter of U.S. President Donald J. Trump—himself a Nobel finalist. She has called Trump a “visionary” and the “biggest opportunity we’ve ever had” for ending Maduro’s dictatorial rule over Venezuela. Machado supported Trump’s decision to revoke licenses for energy companies operating in Venezuela, claiming it weakened Maduro’s regime, which she accused of profiting from illicit activities such as drug trafficking and smuggling. Machado has urged the U.S. to increase pressure on Maduro, asserting that his government is nearing collapse.
The Trump administration, which has brokered a number of peace deals in recent months, most recently the Israel-Gaza ceasefire, regards the President being overlooked as political, saying, “President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives.”
“He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will. The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace,” the White House added.
Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela escalated in recent months. The U.S. military, under the orders of President Trump, has begun conducting strikes against Venezuelan drug cartel smuggling boats in the Caribbean. Notably, Senate Democrats—along with Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)—attempted to curtail the strikes by invoking the War Powers Act earlier this week, but that measure failed. Additionally, the U.S. has shifted deployment of a significant number of air and sea military assets to the Caribbean and South American coast, a potential prelude to a larger operation aimed at removing Maduro from power.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Authorities in Belgium arrested three people plotting a jihadist-inspired attack using drone-mounted explosives.
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Three young adults were arrested, with Prime Minister Bart De Wever among the potential targets.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Arrests occurred in Antwerp, Belgium, and were announced on Thursday, October 9, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Drones are a big problem. Islamism is too, but we’ve known that for a while.” – Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken
🎯IMPACT: The plot highlights the ongoing threat of Islamic terrorism and the potential misuse of drones in major Western cities.
IN FULL
Belgian authorities have arrested three suspects in Antwerp suspected of planning a jihadist-inspired attack involving drone-mounted explosives. The suspects were detained as part of an investigation into what federal prosecutors described as “attempted terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.”
Federal prosecutor Ann Fransen confirmed the arrests but did not provide details on the intended targets. However, Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad reported that Prime Minister Bart De Wever was among those intended to be targeted in the attack.
During a search of one suspect’s residence, investigators discovered an improvised explosive device. At another location, a 3D printer was found, which is believed to have been used to produce parts for the planned attack.
Two suspects are currently being held for questioning by federal police and are expected to appear before an investigating judge. The third has been released. The alleged plan involved using drones to carry out attacks, raising alarms about the growing use of drones in terrorism.
Belgium’s defence minister, Theo Francken, responded to the news by posting on X, “Drones are a big problem. Islamism is too, but we’ve known that for a while.” His comments reflect broader concerns in Belgium, which has faced a series of high-profile terrorism cases in recent years. In 2023, for instance, a radicalized gunman killed two Swedish soccer fans in Brussels before being shot dead by police. The country has also seen instances of extremist rhetoric in public, including a rally in which an Islamist preacher shouted, “Allah, burn the Jews.”
The use of drones in terror plots is part of a growing trend worldwide. In the Sahel region of Africa, al-Qaeda-linked militants have carried out dozens of attacks using commercially available drones modified to carry explosives. Similarly, in Mexico, drug cartels have increasingly adopted drones as tools for both surveillance and combat, with hundreds of bomb-dropping drone attacks recorded over the past year. Cartels have even developed specialized drone units and first-person view (FPV) drone systems capable of precision strikes.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: The European Commission has proposed a new ‘LGBTIQ+ equality strategy 2026-2030’ allowing children across the European Union (EU) to choose their gender at any age and removing therapy requirements or age limits for gender recognition, regardless of the wishes of national governments.
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The European Commission, EU member states, and anti-gender ideology campaigners such as Maya Forstater of Sex Matters.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The proposals were published on Wednesday and would apply across the European Union, with conservative-led member countries subject to sanctions for resisting.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Gender activists have entrenched their ideology in European institutions with devastating consequences for women and girls, vulnerable children, and gay and lesbian people.” – Maya Forstater
🎯IMPACT: Critics warn of devastating consequences for women, children, and other vulnerable groups, with potential funding penalties for non-compliant EU member states.
IN FULL
The European Commission—the unelected body that serves as the European Union’s executive—has introduced its draft LGBT Equality Strategy for 2026–2030, including proposals that would allow children to legally change their gender at any age without medical or psychological approval. The document states the Commission will “support the development of legal gender recognition procedures based on self-determination that are free from age restrictions.”
This approach contrasts with the current laws in most European Union (EU) countries. Only nine out of 27 member states permit legal gender changes based on self-identification without requiring medical procedures or evaluations. Twelve countries still mandate medical prerequisites, such as hormone therapy or surgery.
The Commission also criticized countries like the United Kingdom—despite no longer being an EU member following Brexit—for requiring a doctor’s approval for legal gender recognition, signaling that EU member states unwilling to align with radical gender ideology could face financial penalties. The strategy warns that “discriminating regions” could lose access to EU funds for non-compliance with the bloc’s principles.
Maya Forstater, chief executive of United Kingdom-based campaign group Sex Matters, described the proposals as “chilling,” warning, “Gender activists have entrenched their ideology in European institutions with devastating consequences for women and girls, vulnerable children, and gay and lesbian people.”
In the U.S., hospital data between 2019 and 2023 shows that more than 14,000 minors received gender-related medical interventions, including hormone therapy and mutilating surgeries, generating an estimated $120 million in hospital revenue. Critics of gender ideology argue this data disproves the claim that gender transition in youth is rare, and also raises questions about profit motives and long-term health outcomes.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Typhoon Halong, which narrowly missed Japan, is expected to influence weather patterns across the Pacific and western United States, potentially causing hazardous conditions.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Meteorologists, the National Weather Service (NWS), and residents in Japan, Alaska, and the western U.S. are monitoring the storm’s effects.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The typhoon formed in the Northwest Pacific Ocean this week, with potential impacts expected in the western U.S. starting early next week.
🎯IMPACT: Heavy rain, snow, and potential flooding are expected in California and other western states, with ongoing weather model uncertainties.
IN FULL
A super typhoon named Halong, which narrowly missed Japan this week, is expected to detrimentally influence weather patterns across the Pacific and western United States. While Tokyo avoided what could have been the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane, meteorologists warn that the storm’s remnants could drive heavy rain and snow in California by early next week.
As Typhoon Halong moves into the North Pacific, it is predicted to energize the jet stream, intensifying storms along its path. The National Weather Service (NWS) noted that the storm could produce hurricane-force winds in Alaska’s Bering Sea, drawing comparisons to Typhoon Merbok in 2022, which caused significant damage in the region.
Forecasts suggest that the typhoon’s energy could push subarctic air southward into Washington, Oregon, and California by Monday. If this coincides with a coastal storm, Northern California might experience significant rainfall in the Bay Area and several feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains. However, meteorologists caution that recurving typhoons make weather predictions less precise, and forecasts are subject to change.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Priscilla is moving north in the Pacific, with its path expected to affect southern California and Arizona. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued warnings for several southwestern states, including New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada, which could see heavy rain and flash flooding from the storm’s moisture.
After approaching close to Japan from the south, Typhoon Halong is pulling away to the east of the island country. pic.twitter.com/AwYjBeXfFS
❓WHAT HAPPENED: A North Dakota judge upheld a law banning transgender “treatments” for minors, ruling it does not violate the state constitution.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: District Judge Jackson Lofgren, Republican state Rep. Bill Tveit, and North Dakota children and their parents.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: North Dakota, ruling issued Wednesday, law effective since April 2023.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The evidence presented at trial establishes there is a legitimate concern regarding the capacity of minors to understand and appreciate the long-term consequences of the practices prohibited by the Health Care Law.” – Judge Jackson Lofgren
🎯IMPACT: The ruling allows the law to stand while permitting minors already receiving transgender medical interventions before its enactment to continue them.
IN FULL
A state district court judge in North Dakota has ruled that the state ban on transgender procedures for minors does not violate the North Dakota state constitution. Judge Jackson Lofgren stated that he found no evidence of an “invidious discriminatory purpose” by the legislature and that the law discriminates based on age and medical purpose rather than sex, the former being permissible under state law.
The law, which took effect in April 2023, makes performing transgender surgeries on minors a felony and prescribing or administering hormones or puberty blockers to minors to facilitate so-called gender transitions a misdemeanor. Judge Lofgren emphasized the ongoing debates and concerns surrounding these medical practices, writing, “The evidence presented at trial establishes there is a legitimate concern regarding the capacity of minors to understand and appreciate the long-term consequences of the practices prohibited by the Health Care Law.”
Republican state Representative Bill Tveit, who introduced the legislation, expressed satisfaction with the ruling. “It’s a law that needs to be there. We need to protect our youth, and that’s what the whole goal of this thing was from the beginning,” Tveit said.
The lawsuit was brought by several families and a pediatric endocrinologist. However, Judge Lofgren dismissed some of their claims, leaving only the physician as a plaintiff. He also granted a request allowing minors already receiving transgender “treatments” prior to the law’s enactment to continue them.
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states have the authority to ban transgender treatments for minors. North Dakota is among at least 27 states that have enacted laws restricting or banning such treatments.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) fined a Chinese toymaker for illegally obtaining data on American children from its robotic toys.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The DOJ, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Apitor Technology Co., Ltd.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Last week in a federal court in San Francisco.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The Justice Department will vigorously work to ensure businesses respect parents’ rights to decide when their children’s personal information can be collected and used.” – Brett A. Shumate
🎯IMPACT: The court order requires Apitor to cease data collection on children without parental consent and imposed a $500,000 penalty.
IN FULL
The Department of Justice (DOJ), in collaboration with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is fining Apitor Technology Co., Ltd., a Chinese toymaker, for illegal privacy violations involving American children. The company was charged with violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting data through its programmable toy robots without parental consent.
A civil complaint filed in San Francisco federal court outlined how Apitor’s app, used to operate these toys, secretly collected geolocation data on children under 13. This unauthorized data collection compromised the sensitive personal information of minors, the complaint noted.
The court order mandates that Apitor stop collecting data on children without direct parental notification and consent. Although a $500,000 civil penalty was imposed, it was suspended as the company claimed inability to pay. The agreement also requires Apitor to delete all personal data collected from children.
“The Justice Department will vigorously work to ensure businesses respect parents’ rights to decide when their children’s personal information can be collected and used,” said Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division Brett Shumate. He added: “We will continue to work with the FTC to stop unlawful intrusions on children’s privacy.”
China has a history of accumulating vast amounts of data from American networks, raising concerns about its intentions, especially in developing AI for espionage or information warfare. In the case of Apitor, the DOJ complaint notes, “Ultimately, defendant’s surreptitious collection of underage users’ geolocation information causes injury by compromising sensitive personal information of children.”
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