China Offers Global South Role In AI Governance Push - 1

Image by Denys Nevozhai, from Unsplash

China Offers Global South Role In AI Governance Push

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

China called for a new international AI cooperation body, warning that the technology risks becoming monopolized by a restricted number of powerful players.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • China proposed a global AI cooperation organization at the WAIC in Shanghai.
  • Premier Li warned AI risks becoming exclusive to powerful nations and companies.
  • China released a 13-point AI action plan focused on global cooperation.

China proposed establishing a new international organization to promote AI global cooperation through inclusive governance and open-source development. Reuters notes how this announcement comes just days after the U.S. announced its plans to expand its AI dominance.

At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Premier Li Qiang cautioned that AI development risked becoming a privileged domain for a limited number of nations and corporations unless proper regulation and sharing mechanisms were put into place.

“Only by upholding openness, sharing, and equitable access to AI can we ensure that more countries and communities benefit from its advancements,” Li said, as reported by SCMP .

The proposed organization, which could be headquartered in Shanghai, aims to address what Li called the “fragmented” current state of global AI governance. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu reported that thirty-plus nations, including Russia, Germany, South Korea, and South Africa, participated in discussions about this initiative.

SCMP says that the Chinese government published a 13-point strategic plan, which emphasizes partnerships with nations from the Global South. The proposed action plan promotes joint research activities alongside AI education initiatives and high-quality training data development.

“We should enhance coordination and alignment to establish a widely accepted global governance framework for AI at an early date,” Li urged, as reported by SCMP.

The announcement by China occurred shortly after Donald Trump presented his low-regulation AI strategy, which aims to enhance U.S. exports and reduce what his administration calls “woke” AI models, as observed by The Guardian .

“The two camps are now being formed,” said George Chen, of the Asia Group, as reported by CNBC . “China clearly wants to stick to the multilateral approach while the U.S. wants to build its own camp,” he added.

China maintains its semiconductor innovation through domestic technology development despite U.S. export restrictions on advanced AI chips, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang shows admiration for these efforts.

As the global tech race intensifies, AI emerges as the latest battleground between the world’s two largest economies.

Tea Dating App Leaks 72,000 User Photos and IDs In Major Breach - 2

Image by Vardan Papikyan, from Unsplash

Tea Dating App Leaks 72,000 User Photos and IDs In Major Breach

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

A serious data breach has hit Tea, a women’s dating safety app that recently reached the top of the App Store.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • Tea app leaked 72,000 user images, including selfies and photo IDs.
  • The breach was caused by an unsecured Firebase database.
  • Hackers posted sensitive data on 4chan, including private messages.

Hackers on 4chan accessed an exposed database from Tea, and later started sharing online users’ selfies and ID photos, as first reported by 404Media.

The breach was possible due to an unsecured Google Firebase database used by Tea. “Yes, if you sent Tea App your face and drivers license, they doxxed you publicly! No authentication, no nothing. It’s a public bucket,” read a 4chan post, reports 404Media .

It added, “DRIVERS LICENSES AND FACE PICS! GET THE FUCK IN HERE BEFORE THEY SHUT IT DOWN!”

Tea confirmed the breach to 404 Media, saying it affected older data from more than two years ago and included 72,000 images, 13,000 selfies and photo IDs, and 59,000 other images from posts and messages.

“This data was originally stored in compliance with law enforcement requirements related to cyber-bullying prevention,” the company explained.

The leaked data also includes direct messages. 404 Media verified the exposure by decompiling the Android app and locating the same storage URL shared on 4chan.

“The images in the bucket are raw and uncensored,” one user wrote. Others on 4chan even created scripts to automatically collect the leaked data.

The verification process for Tea requires users to upload both a selfie and ID picture to confirm their female identity before joining the platform. The platform enables women to share anonymous warnings about men through a system that functions like “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” Facebook groups.

After discovering the breach, Tea stated it is working with cybersecurity experts and said in an email to 404Media that , “Protecting our users’ privacy and data is our highest priority.”

404Media notes that the original 4chan thread has since been taken down, but archived versions continue to circulate.