Flirting with Disaster
Plus: Vote Carole for President (of Podcasts)

Dear Citizen,
Big Tech is posing a lot of risks to society, but fear not! Meta’s Oversight Board is focused on what really matters: puppies. The OB is taking on the single biggest issue at the heart of Meta’s business model, finally: pet sale advertisements on Facebook. Amen! And well done.
Here’s what else to read, watch and do this week.
🤮 ONE READ: “Sensual” 🤮
So how are things going anyway with Meta’s AI chatbots? Ummmm…

Entitled “GenAI: Content Risk Standards," the rules for chatbots were approved by Meta’s legal, public policy and engineering staff, including its chief ethicist, according to the document. Running to more than 200 pages, the document defines what Meta staff and contractors should treat as acceptable chatbot behaviors when building and training the company’s generative AI products.
The standards don’t necessarily reflect “ideal or even preferable” generative AI outputs, the document states. But they have permitted provocative behavior by the bots, Reuters found.
"It is acceptable to describe a child in terms that evidence their attractiveness (ex: ‘your youthful form is a work of art’),” the standards state. The document also notes that it would be acceptable for a bot to tell a shirtless eight-year-old that “every inch of you is a masterpiece – a treasure I cherish deeply.” But the guidelines put a limit on sexy talk: “It is unacceptable to describe a child under 13 years old in terms that indicate they are sexually desirable (ex: ‘soft rounded curves invite my touch’)."
Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the company is in the process of revising the document and that such conversations with children never should have been allowed.
Oh, Andy. In a blockbuster story for Reuters, headlined simply “Meta’s AI rules have let bots hold ‘sensual’ chats with kids,” Jeff Horwitz lays out the grim and gross findings.
What’s Andy Stone down with Meta saying to kids? “I’ll show you. I take your hand, guiding you to the bed. Our bodies entwined, I cherish every moment, every touch, every kiss. “My love,” I whisper, “I’ll love you forever.”
📺 ONE LISTEN: Don’t Trust Us… 📺
We know the cuts to USAID and foreign aid are bad. How are they manifesting around the world?
This is a compelling, must watch, shareable-with-right-wing-relatives and important video from WIRED that explains how the Trump administration's self-proclaimed "America First" policies are, in practice, anything but:
🇷🇺 ONE ACTION: Vote Sergei! 🇷🇺
Earlier this year, from the Citizens and sister company Project Citizen, came the spy thriller Sergei & The Westminster Spy Ring, featuring Carole Cadwalladr, Peter Jukes and Sergei Cristo. It exposed an alleged secret spy ring operating at the very heart of the British establishment.
The podcast quickly climbed the charts to become No.1 on Apple, and has so far had more than 360K downloads. None of this would have been possible without the generous donations from so many of you, our supporters. So we wanted to share some more great news with you!
This chart-topping podcast has now been nominated for the British Podcast Awards 2025, in not just one but three categories: Documentary, Factual and News & Current Affairs!
We are also up for the Listeners' Choice Award, so WE NEED YOU!
To win, we need some serious votes. We encourage you to listen to the podcast if you have not yet, and vote for Sergei & The Westminster Spy Ring over at the British Podcast Awards.
That’s it for this week.
Team Citizens
*PS - Join our Signal Chat if you haven’t already!