Ticker: US aid office says Facebook page hacked; George Carlin estate sues over AI fake 

The Colombia office of the U.S. government agency that oversees foreign aid and development funding said its Facebook page was hacked and asked the public to ignore any posts or links from the account.

The United States Agency for International Development and the U.S. Embassy in Bogota said in a statement over the weekend that staff members “identified an unauthorized access, resulting in a potential risk.”

The statement did not identify the risk or explain if the breach involved ransomware.

The Facebook page of USAID’s Colombia program displayed the message: “This content isn’t available right now.” The agency did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press on the impact and status of the hack.

George Carlin estate sues over AI fake

The estate of George Carlin is suing the media company behind a fake hourlong comedy special that purportedly uses artificial intelligence to recreate the late standup comic’s style and material.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday asks that a judge order the podcast outlet Dudesy to immediately take down the audio special, “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead,” in which a synthesis of Carlin delivers commentary on current events. Carlin died in 2008.

Carlin’s daughter, Kelly Carlin, said in a statement that the work is “a poorly-executed facsimile cobbled together by unscrupulous individuals to capitalize on the extraordinary goodwill my father established with his adoring fanbase.”

The Carlin estate and its executor, Jerold Hamza, are named as plaintiffs in the suit, which alleges violations of Carlin’s right of publicity and copyright. The named defendants are Dudesy and podcast hosts Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen.

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