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Russian parliament bans gender reassignment surgery for trans people

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Russia’s lower house of parliament has passed a law that bans gender reassignment surgery and prevents individuals from changing their genders on state documents. The bill, which also needs approval from the upper house and President Vladimir Putin, was justified by the Speaker of the Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, as a means to protect citizens and children and preserve traditional values.

The legislation includes additional amendments such as prohibiting individuals who have undergone gender changes from adopting children and annulling marriages where one party has undergone gender reassignment. LGBT rights groups have criticized the law, stating that it will negatively impact the health and rights of transgender individuals.

Critics view the law as an infringement on basic human rights and an attempt to further discriminate against an already marginalized group. This law follows previous legislation passed last year that banned the public expression of LGBT culture and propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations. President Putin has expressed opposition to LGBT lifestyles, aligning with the Orthodox Church’s conservative social views.

Additionally, a transgender rights activist was recently arrested on charges of treason for supporting Ukraine, further raising concerns about human rights in the country.

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News Technology Trending

ChatGPT banned in Italy over privacy concerns

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Italy has become the first Western nation to obstruct ChatGPT, an intelligent chatbot. The model, developed by US start-up OpenAI and supported by Microsoft, raised privacy issues, according to the Italian data protection authorities.

With “immediate effect,” the agency said it will forbid OpenAI and launch an investigation. Since its debut in November 2022, ChatGPT has been used by millions of users.

With the internet as it was in 2021 as its database, it can replicate different writing styles and respond to queries in a manner that is natural and human-like. It was included to Bing last month after Microsoft invested billions in it.

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook will all have a version of the technology integrated into them, according to the company.

Concerns have been raised about the possible downsides of artificial intelligence (AI), including the threat it poses to employment and the spread of bias and false information. Elon Musk and other prominent industry heavyweights called for the suspension of these AI systems earlier this week over concerns that the race to develop them was out of control.

In addition to blocking OpenAI’s chatbot, the Italian watchdog declared that it will look into whether it complies with the General Data Protection Regulation. The GDPR sets rules for the collection, use, processing, and storage of personal data.

The data breach involved user communications and payment details, the watchdog reported on March 20.

It claimed that there was no legal justification for “the widespread collecting and storage of personal data for the purpose of ‘training’ the platform’s operating algorithms.”

It added that the software “exposes minors to utterly improper replies relative to their degree of development and knowledge” because there was no method to confirm the users’ ages.

Due to the same worries, Bard, Google’s competing artificial intelligence chatbot, is currently only accessible to select persons above the age of 18.

The Italian data-protection authority said OpenAI had 20 days to say how it would address the watchdog’s concerns, under penalty of a fine of €20 million ($21.7m) or up to 4% of annual revenues.

Elsewhere, the Irish data protection commission – responsible for upholding the fundamental right of individuals in the EU to have their personal data protected – told the BBC it is following up with the Italian regulator to understand the basis for their action and “will coordinate with all EU data protection authorities” in connection to the ban.

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Food News Trending

Italy’s Quest to Preserve Culinary Tradition: Controversy Surrounds Ban on Lab-Grown Meat

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A plan that would outlaw laboratory-produced beef and other synthetic foods has the support of Italy’s right-wing government, underlining the country’s culinary tradition and commitment to public health.

A violation of the ban might result in fines of up to €60,000 (£53,000) if the plans are approved.

The minister of agriculture and food sovereignty under a new name, Francesco Lollobrigida, spoke on the value of Italian cuisine. The measure was applauded by the farmers’ group.

But, it was a setback for certain animal welfare organisations, who had promoted lab-produced meat as a solution to problems like preserving food safety and the environment from carbon emissions.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is one of the 500,000 signatories to a petition that Coldiretti and other agriculture advocacy groups have gathered in recent months to safeguard “natural food vs. synthetic food.”

She addressed a “flash mob” assembled by Coldiretti outside her office in Rome, saying, “We could only rejoice with our farmers a legislation that puts our farmers in the vanguard, not just on the topic of safeguarding quality… but also in defending consumers.”

The proposed bill came hard on the heels of a series of government decrees banning the use of flour derived from insects such as crickets and locusts in pizza or pasta.

Both initiatives were initiated by ministers who cited Italy’s renowned Mediterranean diet as their inspiration.

“Laboratory products can not guarantee quality, well-being, or the safeguarding of the Italian food and wine culture and tradition, to which part of our tradition is related,” said Mr. Lollobrigida, a member of the far-right Brothers of Italy party.

The measures, which were adopted by the ministers on Tuesday, aim to outlaw lab-produced fish and synthetic milk as well as other synthetic meals made from animal cells without harming the animal.

After “careful review,” the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last November approved cell-cultured chicken for human consumption. Singapore’s regulatory body approved the use of lab-grown chicken meat in nuggets in 2020.

Although the European Union has not yet approved any cell-based agriculture practises, such as cultured meat, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has stated that such practises “could be considered as a promising and innovative solution… for healthy and environmentally friendly food systems.”

Commentators noted that due to the free flow of goods and services, Italy would not be able to object to the sale of synthetic beef made within the EU once it receives EU clearance.

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