| Did you know: Utah has become ground zero for a major digital rights battle. Following months of intense legal wrangling, Utah’s Senate Bill 73 (SB 73) comes into effect … September 3. Anyone physically in Utah is legally treated as a resident, even if they use a VPN to mask their location. Utah becomes the first US state to target VPNs with a strict age verification law, but top providers refuse to budge _____ Did you know: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is looking to spend up to $2 million on robot dogs, according to a federal procurement notice. The Boston Dynamic SPOT Robots will help “support public safety and law enforcement operations by providing a remotely operated robotic capability for inspection, situational awareness, and hazard assessment in environments that may pose risks to personnel,” according to the notice. ICE plans to purchase robot dogs _____ Did you know: Flock is best known for the roadside cameras now operating in more than 6,000 US communities. But the company is increasingly betting on drones that can be dispatched to emergency scenes before police officers arrive. Flock’s fastest-growing business is 60 mph police drones that can read license plates from the sky |
| _____ Did you know: Opposition to local data centers jumped from 49% to 61% in just four months, according to the Annenberg Public Policy Center. That shift represents a fast-moving, bipartisan wall of public resistance — and it’s closing in on the $700 billion in planned AI infrastructure spending that depends on communities saying yes. This is not a niche zoning dispute confined to rural county commissions. It is a live midterm election issue, and Silicon Valley just decided to fight back. AI Billionaires Are Spending Millions to Change Your Mind About Data Centers _____ Did you know: The 20 biggest donors so far in the midterm elections — some of whom are grouped together because of close familial or business relationships — have combined to shovel a staggering $1.2 billion into federal races this cycle, according to a New York Times analysis of the latest contribution data available. Meet the Megadonors Who Have Poured $1.2 Billion Into the Midterms _____ Did you know: Utah lawmakers spent $10 million on a race car with no public debate |
