Technology
Deepening Dependency on Technology Raises Risk of Breakdowns
Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, July 8, 2015. Hong Kong’s main stock index plummeted as much as 8.5 percent on Wednesday as a sell-off in mainland Chinese shares accelerated despite new measures to support the market; U.S. stocks were poised to open lower. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writers
BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writers
Technology has become so indispensable that when it breaks down, people’s lives go haywire, too.
Computer outages at United Airlines, the New York Stock Exchange and The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday delivered a reminder about our growing dependence on interconnected networks to get through each day.
For the most part, technology has worked smoothly while hatching innovations and conveniences that have made our lives easier and our jobs more productive. Computers, though, could bring more frequent headaches as they link together with billions of other electronic devices and household appliances— a phenomenon that has become known as the “Internet of things.”
This technological daisy chain will increase the complexity of the systems and raise the risks of massive breakdowns, either through an inadvertent glitch or a malicious attack.
“The problem is humans can’t keep up with all the technology they have created,” said Avivah Litan, an analyst at Gartner. “It’s becoming unmanageable by the human brain. Our best hope may be that computers eventually will become smart enough to maintain themselves.”
Technology already is controlling critical systems such as airline routes, electricity grids, financial markets, military weapons, commuter trains, street traffic lights and our lines of communications.
Now, computers are taking other aspects of our lives as we depend on smartphones to wake us up in the morning before an app turns on the coffee pot in the kitchen for a caffeine fix that can be enjoyed in a the comfort of a home kept at an ideal temperature by an Internet-connected thermostat designed to learn the occupant’s preferences.
Within the next few years, we may even be unlocking our doors with high-tech watches after being chauffeured home in robotic cars.
Technology’s relentless march demands better security measures to prevent hackers from breaking into system and more rigid programming standards to reduce the chances of crippling outages, said Lillian Ablon, a technology researcher for the Rand Corp.
“Instead of just letting the technology rush ahead of us and then trying to catch up in terms of privacy and security, we should be baking those things into the systems from the start,” she said. “We need to be a little smarter on how we are coding things.”
The sequence of Wednesday’s outages appears to have been a fluke. Sabotage isn’t suspected, FBI Director James Comey said during an appearance before Congress.
But a domino effect may have contributed to The Wall Street Journal’s outage. Comey believes the newspaper’s website buckled after the New York Stock Exchange’s problems caused alarmed investors looking for information to swamp the Journal’s website.
The length of Wednesday’s outages also is disconcerting, Gartner’s Litan said.
It took the New York Stock Exchange more than three-and-half hours to resume trading, slowing Wall Street’s usually furious pace. A “router issue” at United Airlines grounded its planes for nearly two hours, leading to 800 flight delays and 60 cancellations.
“Everyone needs to assume technology is going to go down sometimes, but you should be resilient enough to quickly recover from the outage within a half hour, if not a few minutes,” Litan said.
Wednesday’s breakdowns were minor inconveniences compared with what might happen if better security measures aren’t imposed to keep out intruders bent on wreaking havoc, said Jeff Williams, chief technology officer for Contrast Security.
Too often, the technology industry’s focus is on creating something cool and worrying about security later, Williams said. He said the lackadaisical attitude breeds a mindset like this: “Oh, we’ll just put your blender on the Internet, there are no security issues there. And hackers figure out a way to turn on your blender in the middle of the night and set your house on fire.”
Computers may get smarter through a combination of better programming, machine learning and more sophisticated chips. If computers can reach the still far-off goal of becoming artificially intelligent, they could be better equipped to prevent problems and fend off unauthorized users. Self-reliant and self-aware computers would still confront humans with a scary question, Litan said: “Are the computers going to be nice to us or are they going to take us out?”
___
Liedtke reported from San Francisco and Ortutay reported from New York. Jon Fahey in New York and Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this story.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Business
Newsom Signs Addictive Social Media Law to Protect Kids
Newsom said California’s approach focuses on the features that can encourage excessive social media use rather than taking the broader step of banning teenagers from the platforms altogether. He contrasted the measure with restrictions adopted in Australia and Malaysia that prevent teenagers from accessing social media or creating accounts.
Word Count: 391
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a new California law targeting addictive social media features that can keep children scrolling, giving the state new authority to restrict how platforms engage young users.
AB 1709, authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) prohibits social media companies from giving children under 16 access to personalized feeds, including “For You” pages, as well as other features designed to maximize screen time, such as infinite scrolling and video autoplay.
The law does not prevent children under 16 from using social media. Instead, platforms must deactivate the covered features for those users.
“This is about actually addressing the problem, the scrolling, the algorithms,” Newsom said Sept. 10 during a bill-signing event in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Newsom said California’s approach focuses on the features that can encourage excessive social media use rather than taking the broader step of banning teenagers from the platforms altogether. He contrasted the measure with restrictions adopted in Australia and Malaysia that prevent teenagers from accessing social media or creating accounts.
The law comes amid growing concerns about the impact of social media on children’s mental health and well-being. California lawmakers have increasingly focused on the design and business practices of technology platforms as part of efforts to protect young users.
AB 1709 is one of 13 youth online safety and privacy laws Newsom signed Sept.10. The package also includes measures regulating AI chatbots, increasing potential penalties for technology companies and establishing additional protections for children using digital services.
Lowenthal said the new rules represent a shift toward greater accountability for technology companies.
“We want oversight. We want accountability. We’re done asking nicely, and we’re demanding that there is a duty of care across these platforms — a duty that puts the wellness of our children ahead of profits,” Lowenthal said.
The law builds on California’s broader effort to regulate children’s online experiences. A separate law, AB 1043, will require users to provide their birth dates when setting up new phones or laptops beginning in January, with device manufacturers required to share users’ ages with apps.
Some youth online safety advocates have supported AB 1709 as a more targeted alternative to outright social media bans. Others have warned that the restrictions could make it harder for some LGBTQ+ young people to find support online and questioned how effectively age requirements can be enforced.
Commentary
OPINION: The New American Fear – From 9-11 to AI
The terrorists didn’t invent American racism, xenophobia or political paranoia. We shouldn’t give 19 hijackers that much credit. But after 9/11, America built an enormous security structure around fear. Surveillance expanded. Wars followed. Congress created the Department of Homeland Security. TSA transformed airports. Immigration enforcement was reorganized and ICE was created.
I was quiet about 9/11 until this week, when terrorism got an upgrade.
Artificial intelligence.
I have taken 9/11 seriously every year. Twenty-five years later, I was all “feeled out.”
I’ve gone to Ground Zero. I’ve written about the dead, the survivors, the first responders and those who survived that day only to become sick years later.
But this isn’t another column about where we were.
It’s about what America became.
For me, September 11, 2001, marks the beginning of a New America. Not the diverse, multicultural America I hoped was emerging.
This is the America that fear built.
I was 3,000 miles away in the Bay Area watching CNBC.
Then the planes hit.
The markets shut down.
And something else opened.
Fear.
At first, fear brought us together. We had a common enemy and, briefly, rediscovered a common good.
But fear is a terrible foundation for democracy.
The person we feared was initially the terrorist.
Then the Muslim.
Then the Arab.
Then the Sikh mistaken for an Arab.
Then the immigrant. The undocumented. The person at the border.
The category continues to expand.
Maybe that’s the real 25-year story of 9/11.
We went from finding common ground to looking for flaws that prove somebody doesn’t belong.
The terrorists didn’t invent American racism, xenophobia or political paranoia. We shouldn’t give 19 hijackers that much credit.
But after 9/11, America built an enormous security structure around fear.
Surveillance expanded. Wars followed. Congress created the Department of Homeland Security. TSA transformed airports. Immigration enforcement was reorganized and ICE was created.
Temporary emergency became permanent infrastructure.
Recently, Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon quit his job and warned that people building advanced AI genuinely believe it could kill humanity by the end of this decade.
He walked away two months before his Anthropic equity vested.
That’s credibility.
President Trump has taken a different view. On Sept. 14 he called fears of AI destroying humanity a “HOAX” and declared, “WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!” He said the only guardrail AI needs is a “STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT.”
We have built the threat.
We finance it. We feed it our words, photographs, voices, art and knowledge. We invite it into our homes and carry it in our pockets.
Americans are confronting something genuinely frightening.
AI could eliminate or transform jobs. And its increasingly powerful systems raise questions even some of their creators say they cannot fully answer.
So, the question what do we do with fear without surrendering our common humanity.
That requires real leadership and oversight from Congress, if not the president.
Trump insists Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. But on AI, his emphasis is winning the race, especially against China.
That’s the trap.
Fear of China becomes the argument for going full speed ahead.
Twenty-five years after 9/11, we have another chance to get fear right.
Be smart enough to know what to be afraid of.
And make sure we stay in control of the tech.
We’ve got to be smarter than the machines.
About the Author
Emil Amok Guillermo is an award-winning journalist, commentator and comic monologist. He hosts a micro-talk show on YouTube. See him at Comedy Day at Robin Williams Meadow in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, on Sept. 20, around 2:45 p.m. Free.
Business
Oakland Launches Aerbits Program to Identify, Report Abandoned Trash
“Aerbits, which was approved by the Privacy Advisory Commission, uses modern technology and best practices to help our crews clear trash faster and more efficiently, while our targeted outreach and enforcement strategies address the root causes of dumping. Together, we are going to get the job done.”
On Tuesday, the City of Oakland launched Aerbits, an innovative new program that deploys AI-assisted aerial imaging technology to proactively detect and report abandoned trash on streets and sidewalks – to support timely and effective removal of illegal dumping.
By shifting from a reactive, complaint-based system to data-driven proactive detection, the City can deploy cleanup resources faster, more efficiently, and more equitably to the areas in greatest need.
Approved by both the Privacy Advisory Commission and the Oakland City Council, Aerbits is the latest addition to Oakland’s comprehensive strategy to eliminate illegal dumping from the Town.
“Oakland residents and businesses deserve clean streets and today we are one step closer to a safer, cleaner, and greener Oakland,” said Mayor Barbara Lee. “Our strategy strengthens eradication, education, and enforcement efforts across every neighborhood.
“Aerbits, which was approved by the Privacy Advisory Commission, uses modern technology and best practices to help our crews clear trash faster and more efficiently, while our targeted outreach and enforcement strategies address the root causes of dumping. Together, we are going to get the job done.”
The impacts of illegal dumping on Oakland are profound, disproportionately burdening historically disinvested communities while threatening public health, safety, and economic vitality.
The City is united in taking action to remedy it – with the mayor, Council, administration, Public Works Department, community groups and more coming together to make change.
In May, the City Council approved the Illegal Dumping Expenditures Action Plan, which approves and funds multiple actions – including Aerbits – to help remedy illegal dumping.
This past June, Oakland secured $9.2 million from the Crankstart Foundation to scale up operations like Aerbits and break the cycle of illegal dumping across Oakland.
The Aerbits aerial imaging system photographs public rights-of-way to pinpoint exact locations, estimate waste volumes, and classify types of debris. This enables City dispatchers to understand the problem and efficiently deploy the appropriate crew and equipment to each site.
Built with privacy at its core, the technology contains no facial recognition, no license plate readers, and uses no personally identifying information. Aerbits takes pictures of trash – not of people.
“I founded Aerbits because I saw a major gap in the data that was available to City crews on the streets, and I wanted our children to have a cleaner environment” said Aerbits Founder Brian Johnson.
“Aerbits enables cleanups to be timelier, more effective, and more equitable. By providing real-time comprehensive data, automating the creation of work orders, and improving closure of cleared tickets, we are removing the problems that occur when relying primarily on a complaint-based system,” he said.
Aerbits is the latest milestone in the series of actions the City is taking to implement the City Council-approved Illegal Dumping Expenditures Action Plan. Recent actions taken by the City include:
- Stricter Enforcement: Enacted a new Illegal Dumping Enforcement Ordinance increasing penalties and holding vehicle owners responsible; hired additional Environmental Enforcement Officers equipped with updated citation technology; and worked alongside State Senator Jesse Arreguin on legislation that allows the City to boot vehicles tied to repeat dumping offences.
- Community Resources: Reinstated the popular “Bulky Block Parties” offering residents free, convenient ways to get rid of bulky waste, alongside expanded public education campaigns.
- Expanded Fleet Equipment: Obtained new heavy-duty Lightning Loader trucks that allow us to clean up more volumes of debris faster than ever before.
Rebecca Kaplan is a former City Councilmember-at-large for the City of Oakland.
Asm. Corey Jackson Announces Launch of 24-Hour Childcare in His District
IN MEMORIAM: The Rev. Leon “Sonny” Clark, Longtime Orange County Pastor and Community Leader, Dies at 72
Poll: Becerra Widens His Lead Over Hilton; Californians Split on Wealth Tax
From Historic Memories to New Possibilities: Oakland Celebrates Coliseum 60
County Office of Education Says OUSD Finances Are Getting Healthier, Materially Stronger
LIVE FREE Sunday Dinner Brings Faith, Fellowship and Civic Conversation to Oakland
Remembering Chauncey Bailey as Student Journalists Face Threats to Truth-Telling
BLACspace Cooperative Invites Bay Area to Experience Oakland’s Black Cultural Ecosystem Through a BLAC Map Tour + Party
In Wake of Death on Doorstep, Williams Chapel Baptist Church Calls for Better Care, Funding for Unhoused
Oakland Centenarian Nuna McKee Honored!
Caribbean Nations Produce Action Plan Calling for UK Reparations Over Slavery
Oakland Post: Week of September 23 – 29, 2026
Doulas Are Helping Black California Moms Navigate Pregnancy–Even as High Mortality Rates Persist
Newsom Signs Addictive Social Media Law to Protect Kids
On Your November Ballot: Prop 38 Would Allocate $8.4 Billion to Immunology and Immunotherapy Funding
Less Affluent School Districts, Including Sacramento City, Face Threat of State Takeover
ESSAY: California Can Close Its Colorectal Cancer Gap
California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Unveils: ‘Powering the Future’ Theme for 47th Annual Statewide Convention
Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race
Oakland Post: Week of August 12 – 18, 2026
From Blueprint to Breakthrough: Tackling Affordable Housing in Oakland
Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops
COMMENTARY: Why Local School Tax Measure G1 Will Not Be on the November Ballot
Standoff for Justice: Our Homes Are Worth Fighting For
Returning to Its Roots, the Oakland Black-Eyed Pea Festival Partners with the Freedom Farmers Market Sept. 12
Oakland Post: Week of August 26 – September 1, 2026
NPRC Scores First Advocacy Victory: David Shaw Finally Gets His Wish to ‘Go Home’
Frontier Airlines’ Return to Oakland Airport Brings Flights, Jobs and Opportunity
Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Blasts California New Tire Rules; Newsom Hits Back
Chef Sharon Lee Blends Culinary Excellence, Education and Empowerment
The Conversation With Al McFarlane 6/23/26
Media Monday 6/22/26
LIVE! ASK ALMA! — TUES. 6.23.26 7PM EST
Car Buying Secrets: 4 Hidden Checks Before You Sign!
Is This 550 HP Charger Worth YOUR Money? AutoNetwork Review
Celebrating Juneteenth – Frederick Douglass on education and resistance
LIVE! — ASK ALMA! — TUES. 6.19.26 7PM EST
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Parking, Safety, and 360 View #shorts
2025 Ioniq 5 New Wiper & Powerful Performance! #shorts
Electric SUV Range: Is 259 Miles Enough? #shorts
EV Charging: How Fast Can You Charge an Electric Vehicle? #shorts
Biometric Cooling… Messaging Seats…Come on! 2025 Infiniti QX80 Autograph 4WD
Charged Up: Witness the Magic of a Fully Electric Car! #shorts
Range Rover Sport PHEV Included…: See What’s Inside This Luxury SUV! #shorts
Invisible Hood View: Perfect Parking with X-Ray Vision! #shorts
-
Commentary4 weeks agoStandoff for Justice: Our Homes Are Worth Fighting For
-
Activism4 weeks agoOakland Post: Week of August 26 – September 1, 2026
-
Business4 weeks agoFrontier Airlines’ Return to Oakland Airport Brings Flights, Jobs and Opportunity
-
Business4 weeks agoGubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Blasts California New Tire Rules; Newsom Hits Back
-
Business4 weeks agoChef Sharon Lee Blends Culinary Excellence, Education and Empowerment
-
Community4 weeks agoBig City Mayors Ask for “Yes” Vote on Housing Bond Measure; Conservatives Say “No”
-
Black History4 weeks agoJackie Wright Champions Bay Area Stories, Filmmakers and Cultural Institutions
-
Education4 weeks agoGov. Newsom’s Latest Appointees Include Sacramento Advocate for Formerly Incarcerated Students; State’s New Tech Chief
Technology
Deepening Dependency on Technology Raises Risk of Breakdowns
Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, July 8, 2015. Hong Kong’s main stock index plummeted as much as 8.5 percent on Wednesday as a sell-off in mainland Chinese shares accelerated despite new measures to support the market; U.S. stocks were poised to open lower. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writers
BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writers
Technology has become so indispensable that when it breaks down, people’s lives go haywire, too.
Computer outages at United Airlines, the New York Stock Exchange and The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday delivered a reminder about our growing dependence on interconnected networks to get through each day.
For the most part, technology has worked smoothly while hatching innovations and conveniences that have made our lives easier and our jobs more productive. Computers, though, could bring more frequent headaches as they link together with billions of other electronic devices and household appliances— a phenomenon that has become known as the “Internet of things.”
This technological daisy chain will increase the complexity of the systems and raise the risks of massive breakdowns, either through an inadvertent glitch or a malicious attack.
“The problem is humans can’t keep up with all the technology they have created,” said Avivah Litan, an analyst at Gartner. “It’s becoming unmanageable by the human brain. Our best hope may be that computers eventually will become smart enough to maintain themselves.”
Technology already is controlling critical systems such as airline routes, electricity grids, financial markets, military weapons, commuter trains, street traffic lights and our lines of communications.
Now, computers are taking other aspects of our lives as we depend on smartphones to wake us up in the morning before an app turns on the coffee pot in the kitchen for a caffeine fix that can be enjoyed in a the comfort of a home kept at an ideal temperature by an Internet-connected thermostat designed to learn the occupant’s preferences.
Within the next few years, we may even be unlocking our doors with high-tech watches after being chauffeured home in robotic cars.
Technology’s relentless march demands better security measures to prevent hackers from breaking into system and more rigid programming standards to reduce the chances of crippling outages, said Lillian Ablon, a technology researcher for the Rand Corp.
“Instead of just letting the technology rush ahead of us and then trying to catch up in terms of privacy and security, we should be baking those things into the systems from the start,” she said. “We need to be a little smarter on how we are coding things.”
The sequence of Wednesday’s outages appears to have been a fluke. Sabotage isn’t suspected, FBI Director James Comey said during an appearance before Congress.
But a domino effect may have contributed to The Wall Street Journal’s outage. Comey believes the newspaper’s website buckled after the New York Stock Exchange’s problems caused alarmed investors looking for information to swamp the Journal’s website.
The length of Wednesday’s outages also is disconcerting, Gartner’s Litan said.
It took the New York Stock Exchange more than three-and-half hours to resume trading, slowing Wall Street’s usually furious pace. A “router issue” at United Airlines grounded its planes for nearly two hours, leading to 800 flight delays and 60 cancellations.
“Everyone needs to assume technology is going to go down sometimes, but you should be resilient enough to quickly recover from the outage within a half hour, if not a few minutes,” Litan said.
Wednesday’s breakdowns were minor inconveniences compared with what might happen if better security measures aren’t imposed to keep out intruders bent on wreaking havoc, said Jeff Williams, chief technology officer for Contrast Security.
Too often, the technology industry’s focus is on creating something cool and worrying about security later, Williams said. He said the lackadaisical attitude breeds a mindset like this: “Oh, we’ll just put your blender on the Internet, there are no security issues there. And hackers figure out a way to turn on your blender in the middle of the night and set your house on fire.”
Computers may get smarter through a combination of better programming, machine learning and more sophisticated chips. If computers can reach the still far-off goal of becoming artificially intelligent, they could be better equipped to prevent problems and fend off unauthorized users. Self-reliant and self-aware computers would still confront humans with a scary question, Litan said: “Are the computers going to be nice to us or are they going to take us out?”
___
Liedtke reported from San Francisco and Ortutay reported from New York. Jon Fahey in New York and Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this story.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Business
Newsom Signs Addictive Social Media Law to Protect Kids
Newsom said California’s approach focuses on the features that can encourage excessive social media use rather than taking the broader step of banning teenagers from the platforms altogether. He contrasted the measure with restrictions adopted in Australia and Malaysia that prevent teenagers from accessing social media or creating accounts.
Word Count: 391
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a new California law targeting addictive social media features that can keep children scrolling, giving the state new authority to restrict how platforms engage young users.
AB 1709, authored by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) prohibits social media companies from giving children under 16 access to personalized feeds, including “For You” pages, as well as other features designed to maximize screen time, such as infinite scrolling and video autoplay.
The law does not prevent children under 16 from using social media. Instead, platforms must deactivate the covered features for those users.
“This is about actually addressing the problem, the scrolling, the algorithms,” Newsom said Sept. 10 during a bill-signing event in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Newsom said California’s approach focuses on the features that can encourage excessive social media use rather than taking the broader step of banning teenagers from the platforms altogether. He contrasted the measure with restrictions adopted in Australia and Malaysia that prevent teenagers from accessing social media or creating accounts.
The law comes amid growing concerns about the impact of social media on children’s mental health and well-being. California lawmakers have increasingly focused on the design and business practices of technology platforms as part of efforts to protect young users.
AB 1709 is one of 13 youth online safety and privacy laws Newsom signed Sept.10. The package also includes measures regulating AI chatbots, increasing potential penalties for technology companies and establishing additional protections for children using digital services.
Lowenthal said the new rules represent a shift toward greater accountability for technology companies.
“We want oversight. We want accountability. We’re done asking nicely, and we’re demanding that there is a duty of care across these platforms — a duty that puts the wellness of our children ahead of profits,” Lowenthal said.
The law builds on California’s broader effort to regulate children’s online experiences. A separate law, AB 1043, will require users to provide their birth dates when setting up new phones or laptops beginning in January, with device manufacturers required to share users’ ages with apps.
Some youth online safety advocates have supported AB 1709 as a more targeted alternative to outright social media bans. Others have warned that the restrictions could make it harder for some LGBTQ+ young people to find support online and questioned how effectively age requirements can be enforced.
Commentary
OPINION: The New American Fear – From 9-11 to AI
The terrorists didn’t invent American racism, xenophobia or political paranoia. We shouldn’t give 19 hijackers that much credit. But after 9/11, America built an enormous security structure around fear. Surveillance expanded. Wars followed. Congress created the Department of Homeland Security. TSA transformed airports. Immigration enforcement was reorganized and ICE was created.
I was quiet about 9/11 until this week, when terrorism got an upgrade.
Artificial intelligence.
I have taken 9/11 seriously every year. Twenty-five years later, I was all “feeled out.”
I’ve gone to Ground Zero. I’ve written about the dead, the survivors, the first responders and those who survived that day only to become sick years later.
But this isn’t another column about where we were.
It’s about what America became.
For me, September 11, 2001, marks the beginning of a New America. Not the diverse, multicultural America I hoped was emerging.
This is the America that fear built.
I was 3,000 miles away in the Bay Area watching CNBC.
Then the planes hit.
The markets shut down.
And something else opened.
Fear.
At first, fear brought us together. We had a common enemy and, briefly, rediscovered a common good.
But fear is a terrible foundation for democracy.
The person we feared was initially the terrorist.
Then the Muslim.
Then the Arab.
Then the Sikh mistaken for an Arab.
Then the immigrant. The undocumented. The person at the border.
The category continues to expand.
Maybe that’s the real 25-year story of 9/11.
We went from finding common ground to looking for flaws that prove somebody doesn’t belong.
The terrorists didn’t invent American racism, xenophobia or political paranoia. We shouldn’t give 19 hijackers that much credit.
But after 9/11, America built an enormous security structure around fear.
Surveillance expanded. Wars followed. Congress created the Department of Homeland Security. TSA transformed airports. Immigration enforcement was reorganized and ICE was created.
Temporary emergency became permanent infrastructure.
Recently, Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon quit his job and warned that people building advanced AI genuinely believe it could kill humanity by the end of this decade.
He walked away two months before his Anthropic equity vested.
That’s credibility.
President Trump has taken a different view. On Sept. 14 he called fears of AI destroying humanity a “HOAX” and declared, “WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!” He said the only guardrail AI needs is a “STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT.”
We have built the threat.
We finance it. We feed it our words, photographs, voices, art and knowledge. We invite it into our homes and carry it in our pockets.
Americans are confronting something genuinely frightening.
AI could eliminate or transform jobs. And its increasingly powerful systems raise questions even some of their creators say they cannot fully answer.
So, the question what do we do with fear without surrendering our common humanity.
That requires real leadership and oversight from Congress, if not the president.
Trump insists Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. But on AI, his emphasis is winning the race, especially against China.
That’s the trap.
Fear of China becomes the argument for going full speed ahead.
Twenty-five years after 9/11, we have another chance to get fear right.
Be smart enough to know what to be afraid of.
And make sure we stay in control of the tech.
We’ve got to be smarter than the machines.
About the Author
Emil Amok Guillermo is an award-winning journalist, commentator and comic monologist. He hosts a micro-talk show on YouTube. See him at Comedy Day at Robin Williams Meadow in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, on Sept. 20, around 2:45 p.m. Free.
Business
Oakland Launches Aerbits Program to Identify, Report Abandoned Trash
“Aerbits, which was approved by the Privacy Advisory Commission, uses modern technology and best practices to help our crews clear trash faster and more efficiently, while our targeted outreach and enforcement strategies address the root causes of dumping. Together, we are going to get the job done.”
On Tuesday, the City of Oakland launched Aerbits, an innovative new program that deploys AI-assisted aerial imaging technology to proactively detect and report abandoned trash on streets and sidewalks – to support timely and effective removal of illegal dumping.
By shifting from a reactive, complaint-based system to data-driven proactive detection, the City can deploy cleanup resources faster, more efficiently, and more equitably to the areas in greatest need.
Approved by both the Privacy Advisory Commission and the Oakland City Council, Aerbits is the latest addition to Oakland’s comprehensive strategy to eliminate illegal dumping from the Town.
“Oakland residents and businesses deserve clean streets and today we are one step closer to a safer, cleaner, and greener Oakland,” said Mayor Barbara Lee. “Our strategy strengthens eradication, education, and enforcement efforts across every neighborhood.
“Aerbits, which was approved by the Privacy Advisory Commission, uses modern technology and best practices to help our crews clear trash faster and more efficiently, while our targeted outreach and enforcement strategies address the root causes of dumping. Together, we are going to get the job done.”
The impacts of illegal dumping on Oakland are profound, disproportionately burdening historically disinvested communities while threatening public health, safety, and economic vitality.
The City is united in taking action to remedy it – with the mayor, Council, administration, Public Works Department, community groups and more coming together to make change.
In May, the City Council approved the Illegal Dumping Expenditures Action Plan, which approves and funds multiple actions – including Aerbits – to help remedy illegal dumping.
This past June, Oakland secured $9.2 million from the Crankstart Foundation to scale up operations like Aerbits and break the cycle of illegal dumping across Oakland.
The Aerbits aerial imaging system photographs public rights-of-way to pinpoint exact locations, estimate waste volumes, and classify types of debris. This enables City dispatchers to understand the problem and efficiently deploy the appropriate crew and equipment to each site.
Built with privacy at its core, the technology contains no facial recognition, no license plate readers, and uses no personally identifying information. Aerbits takes pictures of trash – not of people.
“I founded Aerbits because I saw a major gap in the data that was available to City crews on the streets, and I wanted our children to have a cleaner environment” said Aerbits Founder Brian Johnson.
“Aerbits enables cleanups to be timelier, more effective, and more equitable. By providing real-time comprehensive data, automating the creation of work orders, and improving closure of cleared tickets, we are removing the problems that occur when relying primarily on a complaint-based system,” he said.
Aerbits is the latest milestone in the series of actions the City is taking to implement the City Council-approved Illegal Dumping Expenditures Action Plan. Recent actions taken by the City include:
- Stricter Enforcement: Enacted a new Illegal Dumping Enforcement Ordinance increasing penalties and holding vehicle owners responsible; hired additional Environmental Enforcement Officers equipped with updated citation technology; and worked alongside State Senator Jesse Arreguin on legislation that allows the City to boot vehicles tied to repeat dumping offences.
- Community Resources: Reinstated the popular “Bulky Block Parties” offering residents free, convenient ways to get rid of bulky waste, alongside expanded public education campaigns.
- Expanded Fleet Equipment: Obtained new heavy-duty Lightning Loader trucks that allow us to clean up more volumes of debris faster than ever before.
Rebecca Kaplan is a former City Councilmember-at-large for the City of Oakland.
-
Commentary4 weeks ago
Standoff for Justice: Our Homes Are Worth Fighting For
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of August 26 – September 1, 2026
-
Business4 weeks ago
Frontier Airlines’ Return to Oakland Airport Brings Flights, Jobs and Opportunity
-
Business4 weeks ago
Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Blasts California New Tire Rules; Newsom Hits Back
-
Business4 weeks ago
Chef Sharon Lee Blends Culinary Excellence, Education and Empowerment
-
Community4 weeks ago
Big City Mayors Ask for “Yes” Vote on Housing Bond Measure; Conservatives Say “No”
-
Black History4 weeks ago
Jackie Wright Champions Bay Area Stories, Filmmakers and Cultural Institutions
-
Education4 weeks ago
Gov. Newsom’s Latest Appointees Include Sacramento Advocate for Formerly Incarcerated Students; State’s New Tech Chief
Leave a Reply