“Google quietly rolled out a new program on Monday that will allow candidates, political parties and political action committees to more easily bypass Gmail’s spam filter and send fund-raising appeals to the inboxes of the company’s many millions of email users,” the New York Times reports.

“The change comes after years of complaints from Republicans that Gmail’s spam algorithm unfairly blocked their committees’ emails more than those of their Democratic counterparts, although those complaints were dismissed in court.”

“For campaigns and PACs that meet the terms of the program, it is expected to route an influx of cash solicitations into Gmail inboxes, helping campaigns raise millions of dollars more in the final sprint to the midterm elections.”

“Activists and citizens across the political spectrum are pushing back against license plate readers made by Flock and similar companies, fueled by privacy concerns and suspected police misuse,” Axios reports.

“Flock cameras are suddenly emerging as the next big target of populist anti-tech, pro-privacy sentiment, alongside the data centers fueling the AI boom.”

Wall Street Journal: “As the mood of the nation sours on Silicon Valley’s vision for the future, Flock cameras and data centers have become personae non grata in several communities. In many ways, they are physical manifestations of artificial intelligence—an incorporeal technology—that’s fueling both big dreams and new nightmares.”

“On Thursday, amid mounting public pressure, Flock announced changes aimed at addressing fears over access to license-plate data its cameras collect across the country for law-enforcement agencies and other customers.”

“That blowback comes as a rush to build out data centers for AI has sparked backlashes in several states, becoming a major political issue in elections that will decide gubernatorial races and control of Congress in November.”