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by skissane 2 hours ago
> They could ban payment processors from processing payments to any hosts of GML 5.2

Can they actually though? Do they have legal authority to tell a payment processor that it has to block transactions of a legal US company, just because the company is hosting a Chinese-developed open source model? I’m sceptical

And what about companies (e.g. AWS) that let you “bring your own model”?
2 comments
bardak 2 hours ago
It would be extremely heavy handed but the administration has sanctioned the International Criminal Court judges such that they basically have no access to the Wests modern financial system. I think domestic US providers would have to deal with different ways but someone like Herzner could easily be cut off from the financial system if the administration doesn't feel that they are adequately blocking the model
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skissane 1 hour ago
> It would be extremely heavy handed but the administration has sanctioned the International Criminal Court judges

That's sanctioning specific individuals for specific acts they performed which the US claims contravene its interests and those of its allies.

I don't agree with the ICC sanctions, but it really can't be compared with the proposal "sanction any company, even US domestic entities, which use a Chinese-developed open source model".

In fact, I think part of what enables the US to sanction them (under US law) is the fact they are neither US citizens nor residents; if they were US citizens living in the United States, I don't think the President would have the legal authority to impose those kinds of sanctions.

They could sanction Hetzner–because it is a German firm based in Germany. I don't see how they could sanction a US firm based in the US whose owners and staff were US citizens.

Also, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeal decision Van Loon v Treasury (Nov 2024) is relevant–it held that IEEPA (the law used to sanction ICC officials) couldn't be used to sanction the Tornado Cash smart contract system, since open source code wasn't "foreign property" under IEEPA.

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phs318u 1 hour ago
Swapping the footgun for a huge long-range boomerang doesn’t mean it’s not going to eventually swing around and whack you in the back of the head.
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bardak 1 hour ago
100% agree and don't think it will come to that but I won't completely put it past this administration
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addandsubtract 1 hour ago
Label AI as porn and the payment processors will cut their ties automatically.
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