Whether due to generative AI hallucinations or human sloppiness, the internet is increasingly rife with bogus news content—and you can count EFF among the victims. 

WinBuzzer published a story June 26 with the headline, “Microsoft Is Getting Sued over Using Nearly 200,000 Pirated Books for AI Training,” containing this passage:  winbuzzer_june_26.png

That quotation from EFF’s Corynne McSherry was cited again in two subsequent, related stories by the same journalist—one published July 27, the other August 27. 

But the link in that original June 26 post was fake. Corynne McSherry never wrote such an article, and the quote was bogus. 

Interestingly, we noted a similar issue with a June 13 post by the same journalist, in which he cited work by EFF Director of Cybersecurity Eva Galperin; this quote included the phrase “get-out-of-jail-free card” too. 

winbuzzer_june_13.png

Again, the link he inserted leads nowhere because Eva Galperin never wrote such a blog or white paper.  

When EFF reached out, the journalist—WinBuzzer founder and editor-in-chief Markus Kasanmascheff—acknowledged via email that the quotes were bogus. 

“This indeed must be a case of AI slop. We are using AI tools for research/source analysis/citations. I sincerely apologize for that and this is not the content quality we are aiming for,” he wrote. “I myself have noticed that in the particular case of the EFF for whatever reason non-existing quotes are manufactured. This usually does not happen and I have taken the necessary measures to avoid this in the future. Every single citation and source mention must always be double checked. I have been doing this already but obviously not to the required level. 

“I am actually manually editing each article and using AI for some helping tasks. I must have relied too much on it,” he added. 

AI slop abounds 

It’s not an isolated incident. Media companies large and small are using AI to generate news content because it’s cheaper than paying for journalists’ salaries, but that savings can come at the cost of the outlets’ reputations.  

The U.K.’s Press Gazette reported last month that Wired and Business Insider had to remove news features written by one freelance journalist after concerns the articles are likely AI-generated works of fiction: “Most of the published stories contained case studies of named people whose details Press Gazette was unable to verify online, casting doubt on whether any of the quotes or facts contained in the articles are real.” 

And back in May, the Chicago Sun-Times had to apologize after publishing an AI-generated list of books that would make good summer reads—with 10 of the 15 recommended book descriptions and titles found to be “false, or invented out of whole cloth.” 

As journalist Peter Sterne wrote for Nieman Lab in 2022: 

Another potential risk of relying on large language models to write news articles is the potential for the AI to insert fake quotes. Since the AI is not bound by the same ethical standards as a human journalist, it may include quotes from sources that do not actually exist, or even attribute fake quotes to real people. This could lead to false or misleading reporting, which could damage the credibility of the news organization. It will be important for journalists and newsrooms to carefully fact check any articles written with the help of AI, to ensure the accuracy and integrity of their reporting. 

(Or did he write that? Sterne disclosed in that article that he used OpenAI’s ChatGPT-3 to generate that paragraph, ironically enough.) 

The Radio Television Digital News Association issued guidelines a few years ago for the use of AI in journalism, and the Associated Press is among many outlets that have developed guidelines of their own. The Poynter Institute offers a template for developing such policies.  

Nonetheless, some journalists or media outlets have been caught using AI to generate stories including fake quotes; for example, the Associated Press reported last year that a Wyoming newspaper reporter had filed at least seven stories that included AI-generated quotations from six people.  

WinBuzzer wasn’t the only outlet to falsely quote EFF this year. An April 19 article in Wander contained another bogus quotation from Eva Galperin: 

April 19 Wander clipping with fake quote from Eva Galperin

An email to the outlet demanding the article’s retraction went unanswered. 

In another case, WebProNews published a July 24 article quoting Eva Galperin under the headline “Risika Data Breach Exposes 100M Swedish Records to Fraud Risks,” but Eva confirmed she’d never spoken with them or given that quotation to anyone. The article no longer seems to exist on the outlet’s own website, but it was captured by the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. 

07-24-2025_webpronews_screenshot.png  

A request for comment made through WebProNews’ “Contact Us” page went unanswered, and then they did it again on September 2, this time misattributing a statement to Corynne McSherry: 

09-02-2025_webpronews_corynne_mcsherry.png
No such article in The Verge seems to exist, and the statement is not at all in line with EFF’s stance. 

Our most egregious example 

The top prize for audacious falsity goes to a June 18 article in the Arabian Post, since removed from the site after we flagged it to an editor. The Arabian Post is part of the Hyphen Digital Network, which describes itself as “at the forefront of AI innovation” and offering “software solutions that streamline workflows to focus on what matters most: insightful storytelling.” The article in question included this passage: 

Privacy advocate Linh Nguyen from the Electronic Frontier Foundation remarked that community monitoring tools are playing a civic role, though she warned of the potential for misinformation. “Crowdsourced neighbourhood policing walks a thin line—useful in forcing transparency, but also vulnerable to misidentification and fear-mongering,” she noted in a discussion on digital civil rights. 

muck_rack_june_19_-_arabian_post.png

Nobody at EFF recalls anyone named Linh Nguyen ever having worked here, nor have we been able to find anyone by that name who works in the digital privacy sector. So not only was the quotation fake, but apparently the purported source was, too.  

Now, EFF is all about having our words spread far and wide. Per our copyright policy, any and all original material on the EFF website may be freely distributed at will under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY), unless otherwise noted. 

But we don't want AI and/or disreputable media outlets making up words for us. False quotations that misstate our positions damage the trust that the public and more reputable media outlets have in us. 

If you're worried about this (and rightfully so), the best thing a news consumer can do is invest a little time and energy to learn how to discern the real from the fake. It’s unfortunate that it's the public’s burden to put in this much effort, but while we're adjusting to new tools and a new normal, a little effort now can go a long way.  

As we’ve noted before in the context of election misinformation, the nonprofit journalism organization ProPublica has published a handy guide about how to tell if what you’re reading is accurate or “fake news.” And the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions infographic on How to Spot Fake News is a quick and easy-to-read reference you can share with friends: 

how_to_spot_fake_news.jpg

This is the seventh installment in a blog series documenting EFF's findings from the Stop Censoring Abortion campaign. You can read additional posts here. 

For users hoping to promote or boost an abortion-related post on Meta platforms, the Community Standards are just step one. While the Community Standards apply to all posts, paid posts and advertisements must also comply with Meta's Advertising Standards. It’s easy to understand why Meta places extra requirements on paid content. In fact, their “advertising policy principles” outline several important and laudable goals, including promoting transparency and protecting users from scams, fraud, and unsafe and discriminatory practices. 

But additional standards bring additional content moderation, and with that comes increased potential for user confusion and moderation errors. Meta’s ad policies, like its enforcement policies, are vague on a number of important questions. Because of this, it’s no surprise that Meta's ad policies repeatedly came up as we reviewed our Stop Censoring Abortion submissions. 

There are two important things to understand about these ad policies. First, the ad policies do indeed impose stricter rules on content about abortion—and specifically medication abortion—than Meta’s Community Standards do. To help users better understand what is and isn’t allowed, we took a closer look at the policies and what Meta has said about them. 

Second, despite these requirements, the ad policies do not categorically block abortion-related posts from being promoted as ads. In other words, while Meta’s ad policies introduce extra hurdles, they should not, in theory, be a complete barrier to promoting abortion-related posts as boosted content. Still, our analysis revealed that Meta is falling short in several areas. 

What’s Allowed Under the Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Policy? 

When EFF asked Meta about potential ad policy violations, the company first pointed to its Drugs and Pharmaceuticals policy. In the abortion care context, this policy applies to paid content specifically about medication abortion and use of abortion pills. Ads promoting these and other prescription drugs are permitted, but there are additional requirements: 

• To reduce risks to consumers, Meta requires advertisers to prove they’re appropriately licensed and get prior authorization from Meta.  
• Authorization is limited to online pharmacies, telehealth providers, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.  
• The ads also must only target people 18 and older, and only in the countries in which the user is licensed.  

Understanding what counts as “promoting prescription drugs” is where things get murky. Crucially, the written policy states that advertisers do not need authorization to run ads that “educate, advocate or give public service announcements related to prescription drugs” or that “promote telehealth services generally.” This should, in theory, leave a critical opening for abortion advocates focused on education and advocacy rather than direct prescription drug sales. 

But Meta told EFF that advertisers “must obtain authorization to post ads discussing medical efficacy, legality, accessibility, affordability, and scientific merits and restrict these ads to adults aged 18 or older.” Yet many of these topics—medical efficacy, legality, accessibility—are precisely what educational content and advocacy often address. Where’s the line? This vagueness makes it difficult for abortion pill advocates to understand what’s actually permitted. 

What’s Allowed Under the Social Issues Policy?  

Meta also told EFF that its Ads about Social Issues, Elections or Politics policy may apply to a range of abortion-related content. Under this policy, advertisers within certain countries—including the U.S.—must meet several requirements before running ads about certain “social issues.” Requirements include: 

• Completing Meta’s social issues authorization process; 
• Including a verified "Paid for by" disclaimer on the ad; and 
• Complying with all applicable laws and regulations. 

While certain news publishers are exempt from the policy, it otherwise applies to a wide range of accounts, including activists, brands, non-profit groups and political organizations. 

Meta defines “social issues” as “sensitive topics that are heavily debated, may influence the outcome of an election or result in/relate to existing or proposed legislation.” What falls under this definition differs by country, and Meta provides country-specific topics lists and examples. In the U.S. and several other countries, ads that include “discussion, debate, or advocacy for or against...abortion services and pro-choice/pro-life advocacy” qualify as social issues ads under the “Civil and Social Rights” category.

Confusingly, Meta differentiates this from ads that primarily sell a product or promote a service, which do not require authorization or disclaimers, even if the ad secondarily includes advocacy for an issue. For instance, according to Meta's examples, an ad that says, “How can we address systemic racism?” counts as a social issues ad and requires authorization and disclaimers. On the other hand, an ad that says, “We have over 100 newly-published books about systemic racism and Black History now on sale” primarily promotes a product, and would not require authorization and disclaimers. But even with Meta's examples, the line is still blurry. This vagueness invites confusion and content moderation errors.

What About the Health and Wellness Policy? 

Oddly, Meta never specifically identified its Health and Wellness ad policy to EFF, though the policy is directly relevant to abortion-related paid content. This policy addresses ads about reproductive health and family planning services, and requires ads regarding “abortion medical consultation and related services” to be targeted at users 18 and older. It also expressly states that for paid content involving “[r]eproductive health and wellness drugs or treatments that require prescription,” accounts must comply with both this policy and the Drugs and Pharmaceuticals policy. 

This means abortion advocates must navigate the Drugs and Pharmaceuticals policy, the Social Issues policy, and the Health and Wellness policy—each with its own requirements and authorization processes. That Meta didn’t mention this highly relevant policy when asked about abortion advertising underscores how confusingly dispersed these rules are. 

Like the Drugs policy, the Health and Wellness policy contains an important education exception for abortion advocates: The age-targeting requirements do not apply to “[e]ducational material or information about family planning services without any direct promotion or facilitation of the services.”  

When Content Moderation Makes Mistakes 

Meta's complex policies create fertile ground for automated moderation errors. Our Stop Censoring Abortion survey submissions revealed that Meta's systems repeatedly misidentified educational abortion content as Community Standards violations. The same over-moderation problems are also a risk in the advertising context.  

On top of that, content moderation errors even on unpaid posts can trigger advertising restrictions and penalties. Meta's advertising restrictions policy states that Community Standards violations can result in restricted advertising features or complete advertising bans. This creates a compounding problem when educational content about abortion is wrongly flagged. Abortion advocates could face a double penalty: first their content is removed, then their ability to advertise is restricted. 

This may be, in part, what happened to Red River Women's Clinic, a Minnesota abortion clinic we wrote about earlier in this series. When its account was incorrectly suspended for violating the “Community Standards on drugs,” the clinic appealed and eventually reached out to a contact at Meta. When Meta finally removed the incorrect flag and restored the account, Red River received a message informing them they were no longer out of compliance with the advertising restrictions policy. 

Screenshot submitted by Red River Women's Clinic to EFF

How Meta Can Improve 

Our review of the ad policies and survey submissions showed that there is room for improvement in how Meta handles abortion-related advertising. 

First, Meta should clarify what is permitted without prior authorization under the Drugs and Pharmaceuticals policy. As noted above, the policies say advertisers do not need authorization to “educate, advocate or give public service announcements,” but Meta told EFF authorization is needed to promote posts discussing “medical efficacy, legality, accessibility, affordability, and scientific merits.” Users should be able to more easily determine what content falls on each side of that line.  

Second, Meta should clarify when its Social Issues policy applies. Does discussing abortion at all trigger its application? Meta says the policy excludes posts primarily advertising a service, yet this is not what survey respondent Lynsey Bourke experienced. She runs the Instagram account Rouge Doulas, a global abortion support collective and doula training school. Rouge Doulas had a paid post removed under this very policy for advertising something that is clearly a service: its doula training program called “Rouge Abortion Doula School.” The policy’s current ambiguity makes it difficult for advocates to create compliant content with confidence.

Third, and as EFF has previously argued, Meta should ensure its automated system is not over-moderating. Meta must also provide a meaningful appeals process for when errors inevitably occur. Automated systems are blunt tools and are bound to make mistakes on complex topics like abortion. But simply using an image of a pill on an educational post shouldn’t automatically trigger takedowns. Improving automated moderation will help correct the cascading effect of incorrect Community Standards flags triggering advertising restrictions. 

With clearer policies, better moderation, and a commitment to transparency, Meta can make it easier for accounts to share and boost vital reproductive health information. 

This is the seventh post in our blog series documenting the findings from our Stop Censoring Abortion campaign. Read more at https://www.eff.org/pages/stop-censoring-abortion   

Affected by unjust censorship? Share your story using the hashtag #StopCensoringAbortion. Amplify censored posts and accounts, share screenshots of removals and platform messages—together, we can demonstrate how these policies harm real people. 

The successful test of SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle, following a series of engineering challenges and failed launches, has reignited excitement over the possibilities this massive rocket may unlock for humanity’s greatest ambitions in space. The largest rocket ever built, Starship and its 33-engine “super heavy” booster completed a full launch into Earth orbit on Aug. 26, deployed eight test prototype satellites, and survived reentry for a simulated landing before coming down, mostly intact, in the Indian Ocean. The 400-foot rocket is designed to carry up to 150 tons of cargo to low Earth orbit, dramatically increasing potential payload volume from rockets currently in operation. In addition to the planned Artemis III mission to the lunar surface and proposed missions to Mars in the near future, Starship also poses an opportunity for large-scale scientific missions throughout the solar system.

The National Academy of Sciences Planetary Science Decadal Survey published a recommendation in 2022 outlining exploration of Uranus as its highest-priority flagship mission. This proposed mission was envisioned for the 2030s, assuming use of a Falcon Heavy expendable rocket and anticipating arrival at the planet before 2050. Earlier this summer, a paper from researchers in MIT’s Engineering Systems Lab found that Starship may enable this flagship mission to Uranus in half the flight time. 

In this 3Q, Chloe Gentgen, a PhD student in aeronautics and astronautics and co-author on the recent study, describes the significance of Uranus as a flagship mission and what the current trajectory of Starship means for scientific exploration.

Q: Why has Uranus been identified as the highest-priority flagship mission? 

A: Uranus is one of the most intriguing and least-explored planets in our solar system. The planet is tilted on its side, is extremely cold, presents a highly dynamic atmosphere with fast winds, and has an unusual and complex magnetic field. A few of Uranus’ many moons could be ocean worlds, making them potential candidates in the search for life in the solar system. The ice giants Uranus and Neptune also represent the closest match to most of the exoplanets discovered. A mission to Uranus would therefore radically transform our understanding of ice giants, the solar system, and exoplanets. 

What we know about Uranus largely dates back to Voyager 2’s brief flyby nearly 40 years ago. No spacecraft has visited Uranus or Neptune since, making them the only planets yet to have a dedicated orbital mission. One of the main obstacles has been the sheer distance. Uranus is 19 times farther from the sun than the Earth is, and nearly twice as far as Saturn. Reaching it requires a heavy-lift launch vehicle and trajectories involving gravity assists from other planets. 

Today, such heavy-lift launch vehicles are available, and trajectories have been identified for launch windows throughout the 2030s, which resulted in selecting a Uranus mission as the highest priority flagship in the 2022 decadal survey. The proposed concept, called Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP), would release a probe into the planet’s atmosphere and then embark on a multiyear tour of the system to study the planet’s interior, atmosphere, magnetosphere, rings, and moons. 

Q: How do you envision your work on the Starship launch vehicle being deployed for further development?

A: Our study assessed the feasibility and potential benefits of launching a mission to Uranus with a Starship refueled in Earth’s orbit, instead of a Falcon Heavy (another SpaceX launch vehicle, currently operational). The Uranus decadal study showed that launching on a Falcon Heavy Expendable results in a cruise time of at least 13 years. Long cruise times present challenges, such as loss of team expertise and a higher operational budget. With the mission not yet underway, we saw an opportunity to evaluate launch vehicles currently in development, particularly Starship. 

When refueled in orbit, Starship could launch a spacecraft directly to Uranus, without detours by other planets for gravity-assist maneuvers. The proposed spacecraft could then arrive at Uranus in just over six years, less than half the time currently envisioned. These high-energy trajectories require significant deceleration at Uranus to capture in orbit. If the spacecraft slows down propulsively, the burn would require 5 km/s of delta v (which quantifies the energy needed for the maneuver), much higher than is typically performed by spacecraft, which might result in a very complex design. A more conservative approach, assuming a maximum burn of 2 km/s at Uranus, would result in a cruise time of 8.5 years. 

An alternative to propulsive orbit insertion at Uranus is aerocapture, where the spacecraft, enclosed in a thermally protective aeroshell, dips into the planet’s atmosphere and uses aerodynamic drag to decelerate. We examined whether Starship itself could perform aerocapture, rather than being separated from the spacecraft shortly after launch. Starship is already designed to withstand atmospheric entry at Earth and Mars, and thus already has a thermal protection system that could, potentially, be modified for aerocapture at Uranus. While bringing a Starship vehicle all the way to Uranus presents significant challenges, our analysis showed that aerocapture with Starship would produce deceleration and heating loads similar to those of other Uranus aerocapture concepts and would enable a cruise time of six years.

In addition to launching the proposed spacecraft on a faster trajectory that would reach Uranus sooner, Starship’s capabilities could also be leveraged to deploy larger masses to Uranus, enabling an enhanced mission with additional instruments or probes.

Q: What does the recent successful test of Starship tell us about the viability and timeline for a potential mission to the outer solar system?

A: The latest Starship launch marked an important milestone for the company after three failed launches in recent months, renewing optimism about the rocket’s future capabilities. Looking ahead, the program will need to demonstrate on-orbit refueling, a capability central to both SpaceX’s long-term vision of deep-space exploration and this proposed mission.

Launch vehicle selection for flagship missions typically occurs approximately two years after the official mission formulation process begins, which has not yet commenced for the Uranus mission. As such, Starship still has a few more years to demonstrate its on-orbit refueling architecture before a decision has to be made.

Overall, Starship is still under development, and significant uncertainty remains about its performance, timelines, and costs. Even so, our initial findings paint a promising picture of the benefits that could be realized by using Starship for a flagship mission to Uranus.

The Center for International Studies (CIS) empowers students, faculty, and scholars to bring MIT’s interdisciplinary style of research and scholarship to address complex global challenges. 

In this Q&A, Mihaela Papa, the center's director of research and a principal research scientist at MIT, describes her role as well as research within the BRICS Lab at MIT — a reference the BRICS intergovernmental organization, which comprises the nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. She also discusses the ongoing mission of CIS to tackle the world's most complex challenges in new and creative ways.

Q: What is your role at CIS, and some of your key accomplishments since joining the center just over a year ago?

A: I serve as director of research and principal research scientist at CIS, a role that bridges management and scholarship. I oversee grant and fellowship programs, spearhead new research initiatives, build research communities across our center's area programs and MIT schools, and mentor the next generation of scholars. My academic expertise is in international relations, and I publish on global governance and sustainable development, particularly through my new BRICS Lab. 

This past year, I focused on building collaborative platforms that highlight CIS’ role as an interdisciplinary hub and expand its research reach. With Evan Lieberman, the director of CIS, I launched the CIS Global Research and Policy Seminar series to address current challenges in global development and governance, foster cross-disciplinary dialogue, and connect theoretical insights to policy solutions. We also convened a Climate Adaptation Workshop, which examined promising strategies for financing adaptation and advancing policy innovation. We documented the outcomes in a workshop report that outlines a broader research agenda contributing to MIT’s larger climate mission.

In parallel, I have been reviewing CIS’ grant-making programs to improve how we serve our community, while also supporting regional initiatives such as research planning related to Ukraine. Together with the center's MIT-Brazil faculty director Brad Olsen, I secured a MITHIC [MIT Human Insight Collaboration] Connectivity grant to build an MIT Amazonia research community that connects MIT scholars with regional partners and strengthens collaboration across the Amazon. Finally, I launched the BRICS Lab to analyze transformations in global governance and have ongoing research on BRICS and food security and data centers in BRICS. 

Q: Tell us more about the BRICS Lab.

A: The BRICS countries comprise the majority of the world’s population and an expanding share of the global economy. [Originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, and China, BRICS currently includes 11 nations.] As a group, they carry the collective weight to shape international rules, influence global markets, and redefine norms — yet the question remains: Will they use this power effectively? The BRICS Lab explores the implications of the bloc’s rise for international cooperation and its role in reshaping global politics. Our work focuses on three areas: the design and strategic use of informal groups like BRICS in world affairs; the coalition’s potential to address major challenges such as food security, climate change, and artificial intelligence; and the implications of U.S. policy toward BRICS for the future of multilateralism.

Q: What are the center’s biggest research priorities right now?

A: Our center was founded in response to rising geopolitical tensions and the urgent need for policy rooted in rigorous, evidence-based research. Since then, we have grown into a hub that combines interdisciplinary scholarship and actively engages with policymakers and the public. Today, as in our early years, the center brings together exceptional researchers with the ambition to address the world’s most pressing challenges in new and creative ways.

Our core focus spans security, development, and human dignity. Security studies have been a priority for the center, and our new nuclear security programming advances this work while training the next generation of scholars in this critical field. On the development front, our work has explored how societies manage diverse populations, navigate international migration, as well as engage with human rights and the changing patterns of regime dynamics.

We are pursuing new research in three areas. First, on climate change, we seek to understand how societies confront environmental risks and harms, from insurance to water and food security in the international context. Second, we examine shifting patterns of global governance as rising powers set new agendas and take on greater responsibilities in the international system. Finally, we are initiating research on the impact of AI — how it reshapes governance across international relations, what is the role of AI corporations, and how AI-related risks can be managed.

As we approach our 75th anniversary in 2026, we are excited to bring researchers together to spark bold ideas that open new possibilities for the future.

A Saab 340 aircraft recently became a permanent fixture of the fleet at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory Flight Test Facility, which supports R&D programs across the lab. 

Over the past five years, the facility leased and operated the twin-engine turboprop, once commercially used for the regional transport of passengers and cargo. During this time, staff modified the aircraft with a suite of radar, sensing, and communications capabilities. Transitioning the aircraft from a leased to a government-owned asset retains the aircraft's capabilities for present and future R&D in support of national security and reduces costs for Lincoln Laboratory sponsors. 

With the acquisition of the Saab, the Flight Test Facility currently maintains five government-owned aircraft — including three Gulfstream IVs and a Cessna 206 — as well as a leased Twin Otter, all housed on Hanscom Air Force Base, just over a mile from the laboratory's main campus.

"Of all our aircraft, the Saab is the most multi-mission-capable," says David Culbertson, manager of the Flight Test Facility. "It's highly versatile and adaptable, like a Swiss Army knife. Researchers from across the laboratory have conducted flight tests on the Saab to develop all kinds of technologies for national security."

For example, the Saab was modified to host the Airborne Radar Testbed (ARTB), a high-performance radar system based on a computer-controlled array of antennas that can be electronically steered (instead of physically moved) in different directions. With the ARTB, researchers have matured innovative radio-frequency technology; prototyped advanced system concepts; and demonstrated concepts of operation for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. With its open-architecture design and compliance with open standards, the ARTB can easily be reconfigured to suit specific R&D needs.

"The Saab has enabled us to rapidly prototype and mature the complex system-of-systems solutions needed to realize critical warfighter capabilities," says Ramu Bhagavatula, an assistant leader of the laboratory's Embedded and Open Systems Group. "Recently, the Saab participated in a major national exercise as a surrogate multi-INT [intelligence] ISR platform. We demonstrated machine-to-machine cueing of our multi-INT payload to automatically recognize targets designated by an operational U.S. Air Force platform. The Saab's flexibility was key to integrating diverse technologies to develop this important capability."

In anticipation of the expiration of the Saab's lease, the Flight Test Facility and Financial Services Department conducted an extensive analysis of alternatives. Comparing the operational effectiveness, suitability, and life-cycle cost of various options, this analysis determined that the optimal solution for the laboratory and the government was to purchase the aircraft.

"Having the Saab in our permanent inventory allows research groups from across the laboratory to continuously leverage each other's test beds and expertise," says Linda McCabe, a project manager in the laboratory's Communication Networks and Analysis Group. "In addition, we can invest in long-term infrastructure updates that will benefit a wide range of users. For instance, my group helped obtain authorizations from various agencies to equip the Saab with Link 16, a secure communications network used by NATO and its allies to share tactical information."

The Saab acquisition is part of a larger recapitalization effort at the Flight Test Facility to support emerging technology development for years to come. This 10-year effort, slated for completion in 2026, is retiring aging, obsolete aircraft and replacing them with newer platforms that will be more cost-effective to maintain, easier to integrate rapidly prototyped systems into, and able to operate under expanded flight envelopes (the performance limits within which an aircraft can safely fly, defined by parameters such as speed, altitude, and maneuverability).

Longtime Crypto-Gram readers know that I collect personal experiences of people being scammed. Here’s an almost:

Then he added, “Here at Chase, we’ll never ask for your personal information or passwords.” On the contrary, he gave me more information—two “cancellation codes” and a long case number with four letters and 10 digits.

That’s when he offered to transfer me to his supervisor. That simple phrase, familiar from countless customer-service calls, draped a cloak of corporate competence over this unfolding drama. His supervisor. I mean, would a scammer have a supervisor?...

The EPA administrator's aggressive timeline would be undermined by the agency shuttering for a prolonged period.

The administration's plan to boost coal may provide modest relief to existing plants but likely won't prompt new investment, analysts say.

A federal judge rebuffed the fossil fuel industry's bid to move the case to a more favorable court.

The Trump administration has sought to purge climate programs from NASA and other federal agencies.

The department insists it's not blocking staff using certain terms, even as the administration moves to gut climate regs and refute the science.

Democrats criticized the bill for not including subsidies for e-bikes or electric vehicles.

The states allege that tech giants like Meta and Amazon are misleading consumers about their energy use.

The lawsuit filed in circuit court in Tallahassee asserts that the new law is “the largest incursion into local home rule authority” since 1968.

Accommodations in Belém are scarce. Sky-high prices have leaders from developing countries considering scaling back their presence.

Scientists say Suriname is one of only three countries worldwide that absorb more carbon dioxide than they emit.

Nine of the 12 reported deaths occurred in the scenic province of Ninh Binh, where strong winds collapsed houses.

The following article is adapted from a joint press release issued today by MIT and the Giant Magellan Telescope.

MIT is lending its support to the Giant Magellan Telescope, joining the international consortium to advance the $2.6 billion observatory in Chile. The Institute’s participation, enabled by a transformational gift from philanthropists Phillip (Terry) Ragon ’72 and Susan Ragon, adds to the momentum to construct the Giant Magellan Telescope, whose 25.4-meter aperture will have five times the light-collecting area and up to 200 times the power of existing observatories.

“As philanthropists, Terry and Susan have an unerring instinct for finding the big levers: those interventions that truly transform the scientific landscape,” says MIT President Sally Kornbluth. “We saw this with their founding of the Ragon Institute, which pursues daring approaches to harnessing the immune system to prevent and cure human diseases. With today’s landmark gift, the Ragons enable an equally lofty mission to better understand the universe — and we could not be more grateful for their visionary support."

MIT will be the 16th member of the international consortium advancing the Giant Magellan Telescope and the 10th participant based in the United States. Together, the consortium has invested $1 billion in the observatory — the largest-ever private investment in ground-based astronomy. The Giant Magellan Telescope is already 40 percent under construction, with major components being designed and manufactured across 36 U.S. states.

“MIT is honored to join the consortium and participate in this exceptional scientific endeavor,” says Ian A. Waitz, MIT’s vice president for research. “The Giant Magellan Telescope will bring tremendous new capabilities to MIT astronomy and to U.S. leadership in fundamental science. The construction of this uniquely powerful telescope represents a vital private and public investment in scientific excellence for decades to come.”

MIT brings to the consortium powerful scientific capabilities and a legacy of astronomical excellence. MIT’s departments of Physics and of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, and the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, are internationally recognized for research in exoplanets, cosmology, and environments of extreme gravity, such as black holes and compact binary stars. MIT’s involvement will strengthen the Giant Magellan Telescope’s unique capabilities in high-resolution spectroscopy, adaptive optics, and the search for life beyond Earth. It also deepens a long-standing scientific relationship: MIT is already a partner in the existing twin Magellan Telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile — one of the most scientifically valuable observing sites on Earth, and the same site where the Giant Magellan Telescope is now under construction.

“Since Galileo’s first spyglass, the world’s largest telescope has doubled in aperture every 40 to 50 years,” says Robert A. Simcoe, director of the MIT Kavli Institute and the Francis L. Friedman Professor of Physics. “Each generation’s leading instruments have resolved important scientific questions of the day and then surprised their builders with new discoveries not yet even imagined, helping humans understand our place in the universe. Together with the Giant Magellan Telescope, MIT is helping to realize our generation’s contribution to this lineage, consistent with our mission to advance the frontier of fundamental science by undertaking the most audacious and advanced engineering challenges.”

Contributing to the national strategy

MIT’s support comes at a pivotal time for the observatory. In June 2025, the National Science Foundation (NSF) advanced the Giant Magellan Telescope into its Final Design Phase, one of the final steps before it becomes eligible for federal construction funding. To demonstrate readiness and a strong commitment to U.S. leadership, the consortium offered to privately fund this phase, which is traditionally supported by the NSF.

MIT’s investment is an integral part of the national strategy to secure U.S. access to the next generation of research facilities known as “extremely large telescopes.” The Giant Magellan Telescope is a core partner in the U.S. Extremely Large Telescope Program, the nation’s top priority in astronomy. The National Academies’ Astro2020 Decadal Survey called the program “absolutely essential if the United States is to maintain a position as a leader in ground-based astronomy.” This long-term strategy also includes the recently commissioned Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. Rubin is scanning the sky to detect rare, fast-changing cosmic events, while the Giant Magellan Telescope will provide the sensitivity, resolution, and spectroscopic instruments needed to study them in detail. Together, these Southern Hemisphere observatories will give U.S. scientists the tools they need to lead 21st-century astrophysics.

“Without direct access to the Giant Magellan Telescope, the U.S. risks falling behind in fundamental astronomy, as Rubin’s most transformational discoveries will be utilized by other nations with access to their own ‘extremely large telescopes’ under development,” says Walter Massey, board chair of the Giant Magellan Telescope.

MIT’s participation brings the United States a step closer to completing the promise of this powerful new observatory on a globally competitive timeline. With federal construction funding, it is expected that the observatory could reach 90 percent completion in less than two years and become operational by the 2030s.

“MIT brings critical expertise and momentum at a time when global leadership in astronomy hangs in the balance,” says Robert Shelton, president of the Giant Magellan Telescope. “With MIT, we are not just adding a partner; we are accelerating a shared vision for the future and reinforcing the United States’ position at the forefront of science.”

Other members of the Giant Magellan Telescope consortium include the University of Arizona, Carnegie Institution for Science, The University of Texas at Austin, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, University of Chicago, São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Texas A&M University, Northwestern University, Harvard University, Astronomy Australia Ltd., Australian National University, Smithsonian Institution, Weizmann Institute of Science, Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Arizona State University.

A boon for astrophysics research and education

Access to the world’s best optical telescopes is a critical resource for MIT researchers. More than 150 individual science programs at MIT have relied on major astronomical observatories in the past three years, engaging faculty, researchers, and students in investigations into the marvels of the universe. Recent research projects have included chemical studies of the universe’s oldest stars, led by Professor Anna Frebel; spectroscopy of stars shredded by dormant black holes, led by Professor Erin Kara; and measurements of a white dwarf teetering on the precipice of a black hole, led by Professor Kevin Burdge. 

“Over many decades, researchers at the MIT Kavli Institute have used unparalleled instruments to discover previously undetected cosmic phenomena from both ground-based observations and spaceflight missions,” says Nergis Mavalvala, dean of the MIT School of Science and the Curtis (1963) and Kathleen Marble Professor of Astrophysics. “I have no doubt our brilliant colleagues will carry on that tradition with the Giant Magellan Telescope, and I can’t wait to see what they will discover next.”

The Giant Magellan Telescope will also provide a platform for advanced R&D in remote sensing, creating opportunities to build custom infrared and optical spectrometers and high-speed imagers to further study our universe.

“One cannot have a leading physics program without a leading astrophysics program. Access to time on the Giant Magellan Telescope will ensure that future generations of MIT researchers will continue to work at the forefront of astrophysical discovery for decades to come,” says Deepto Chakrabarty, head of the MIT Department of Physics, the William A. M. Burden Professor in Astrophysics, and principal investigator at the MIT Kavli Institute. “Our institutional access will help attract and retain top researchers in astrophysics, planetary science, and advanced optics, and will give our PhD students and postdocs unrivaled educational opportunities.”

As the first copyright cases concerning AI reach appeals courts, EFF wants to protect important, beneficial uses of this technology—including AI for legal research. That’s why we weighed in on the long-running case of Thomson Reuters v. ROSS Intelligence. This case raises at least two important issues: the use of (possibly) copyrighted material to train a machine learning AI system, and public access to legal texts.  

ROSS Intelligence was a legal research startup that built an AI-based tool for locating judges’ written opinions based on natural language queries—a competitor to ubiquitous legal research platforms like Lexis and Thomson Reuters’ Westlaw. To build its tool, ROSS hired another firm to read through thousands of the “West headnotes” that Thomson Reuters adds to the legal decisions it publishes, paraphrasing the individual legal conclusions (what lawyers call “holdings”) that the headnotes identified. ROSS used those paraphrases to train its tool. Importantly, the ROSS tool didn’t output any West headnotes, or even the paraphrases of those headnotes—it simply directed the user to the original judges’ decisions. Still, Thomson sued ROSS for copyright infringement, arguing that using the headnotes without permission was illegal.  

Early decisions in the suit were encouraging. EFF wrote about how the court allowed ROSS to bring an antitrust counterclaim against Thomson Reuters, letting them try to prove that Thomson was abusing monopoly power. And the trial judge initially ruled that ROSS’s use of the West headnotes was fair use under copyright law. 

The case then took turns for the worse. ROSS was unable to prove its antitrust claim. The trial judge issued a new opinion reversing his earlier decision and finding that ROSS’s use was not fair but rather infringed Thomson’s copyrights. And in the meantime, ROSS had gone out of business (though it continues to defend itself in court).  

The court’s new decision on copyright was particularly worrisome. It ruled that West headnotes—a few lines of text copying or summarizing a single legal conclusion from a judge’s written opinion—could be copyrighted, and that using them to train the ROSS tool was not fair use, in part because ROSS was a competitor to Thomson Reuters. And the court rejected ROSS’s attempt to avoid any illegal copying by using a “clean room” procedure often used in software development. The decision also threatens to limit the public’s access to legal texts. 

EFF weighed in with an amicus brief joined by the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, the Internet Archive, Public Knowledge, and Public.Resource.Org. We argued that West headnotes are not copyrightable in the first place, since they simply restate individual points from judges’ opinions with no meaningful creative contributions. And even if copyright does attach to the headnotes, we argued, the source material is entirely factual statements about what the law is, and West’s contribution was minimal, so fair use should have tipped in ROSS’s favor. The trial judge had found that the factual nature of the headnotes favored ROSS, but dismissed this factor as unimportant, effectively writing it out of the law. 

This case is one of the first to touch on copyright and AI, and is likely to influence many of the other cases that are already pending (with more being filed all the time). That’s why we’re trying to help the appeals court get this one right. The law should encourage the creation of AI tools to digest and identify facts for use by researchers, including facts about the law. 

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 30 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41558-025-02427-6

River floods that occur simultaneously in multiple locations can lead to higher damages than individual events. Here, the authors show that the likelihood of concurrent high river discharge has increased over the last decades.