News of the Cyber World

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Major Advertisers Are Not Spending Money on Elon Musk’s X/Twitter

A significant number of the world’s leading advertisers have withdrawn their ads from X, formerly known as Twitter, following its acquisition by Elon Musk. According to new market data from consulting firm Ebiquity, big brands have not returned to X/Twitter.

Business Insider reports that marketing data exclusively provided to the outlet reveals a drastic reduction in the number of major advertisers on X/Twitter following its takeover by Elon Musk. Ebiquity, a marketing consultancy firm, has provided insights that paint a concerning picture of advertiser participation on the platform.

“An overwhelming majority of the world’s biggest-spending advertisers have stopped advertising on X following Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company,” the data from Ebiquity states.

Ebiquity, which collaborates with 70 of the top 100 global advertisers, disclosed that a mere two of its clients purchased ads on X/Twitter last month. This is a stark contrast to the 31 brands that advertised on the platform before Musk’s involvement. “This is a drop we have not seen before for any major advertising platform,” explained Ruben Schreurs, Ebiquity’s chief strategy officer.

Statements from the platform’s leadership seem to be at odds with Ebiquity’s findings. X’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino, had previously asserted that “90% of the top 100 advertisers have returned to X in the last twelve weeks alone.” However, the data suggests a different narrative, leading to questions regarding the transparency and accuracy of the public statements made by the platform’s executives.

Feds Uncover $30 Million Bitcoin Laundering Scheme in New York City

404 Media reports that in New York City, a secretive group operated in the shadows running a sophisticated Bitcoin laundering ring. Their alleged operations were not the usual online transactions common in the cryptocurrency realm. Instead, they delved into the real world, involving bags filled with cash, discreet meetings with crooks, and communicating via encrypted chat apps.

It has been revealed through court records that a gang in New York has been operating a “cash-for-Bitcoin” service for several years, which generated a minimum of $30 million. The gang members would stand on street corners with plastic shopping bags full of money, conduct drive-by pickups, and even lay out hundreds of thousands of dollars on tables in restaurants and other meeting places.

The cyber crooks avoided conventional online Bitcoin exchanges, which often collaborate with law enforcement agencies. They opted for a more underground approach, where large sums of money, often ranging between $100,000 and $300,000, changed hands in prearranged locations, facilitating the conversion of Bitcoin into cash away from the eyes of the law. This type of service would be particularly useful for scammers who steal cryptocurrency from their targets and want to make it dificult for sleuths to follow their transactions.

Google Slapped with $1.1 Million Verdict in Gender Discrimination Lawsuit

The Verge reports that a courtroom battle has culminated in a million-dollar victory for Ulku Rowe, an executive at Google Cloud, who accused the tech giant of gender-based discrimination and retaliation. The jury sided with Rowe, awarding her $1.1 million in damages, recognizing the struggles she faced in the workplace due to inequality.

Rowe’s legal journey began with allegations that Google had fostered an environment where she was paid less than her less-experienced male counterparts. She also claimed that the company retaliated against her for voicing her concerns, hindering her career progression. Rowe claimed that her time at Google was marred by unfair gender-based compensation and treatment.

The jury’s decision underscored the validity of Rowe’s retaliation claims, although it did not fully support her allegations regarding pay discrimination. The legal findings indicated that Rowe was treated “differently than other employees because of her gender,” but it was not conclusively proven that this led to violations of New York’s pay equity laws.

Despite portraying itself as a leading light of progressive policies towards women, the woke company has struggled in the past to live up to its claims. Last year, Google paid out a massive settlement in a gender discrimination case:

Are you looking to buy a brand new car?
Well, why don't you go to the State of California?
There you could get one of the now infamous self-crashing cars that might go on sale any time soon thanks to California's DMV.

Self-Crashing Cars: California DMV Suspends Cruise Robotaxi Permit ‘Effective Immediately’

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) suspended the robotaxi permit of self-driving car company Cruise “effective immediately,” saying the General Motors-backed company’s driverless vehicles “are not safe for public operation.”

Additionally, Cruise “misrepresented” the safety of its vehicles, which could pose “an unreasonable risk to the public,” the California DMV said when citing why it is suspending the company’s robotaxi permit, according to a report by the Verge.

The DMV said it can revoke a permit “if a manufacturer is engaging in a practice in such a manner that immediate suspension is required for the safety of persons on a public road.”

“The DMV has provided Cruise with the steps needed to apply to reinstate its suspended permits, which the DMV will not approve until the company has fulfilled the requirements to the department’s satisfaction,” the agency said.

Lately, Cruise has been involved in a number of safety incidents, with the most recent episode being a hit-and-run by another driver earlier this month in San Francisco, which resulted in a pedestrian getting trapped underneath one of the company’s driverless vehicles.

After the hit-and-run launched a female pedestrian in front of a driverless Cruise vehicle, the Cruise vehicle braked with its rear tire on the woman’s leg, and rescuers had to use the jaws of life to get the vehicle off of her, police said.

Meta Sued by 42 States for Harming Young People with Addictive Facebook, Instagram Features

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, formerly Facebook, is being sued by 42 U.S. states in multiple lawsuits accusing the tech giant of harming young people’s mental health with addictive Facebook and Instagram features. The states, however, have not filed a similar complaint against the Chinese-owned app TikTok, which has shown itself to be a danger to young people.

In one lawsuit, 33 states accuse Meta of knowingly designing Facebook and Instagram features that addict children and teens to the platforms. In addition to the 33 states, nine other attorneys general are filing suits in their states, bringing the total number of states taking action against Meta to 42, according to a report by Associated Press.

The complaint, filed against Meta Platforms Inc. in federal court in California, claims the company consistently collects data on children under 13 years of age, without their parents’ consent, which is a violation of federal law. It also accuses the tech giant of damaging young people’s mental health and contributing to the youth mental health crisis.
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The complaint was reportedly filed after an investigation by a coalition of attorneys general.

“Kids and teenagers are suffering from record levels of poor mental health and social media companies like Meta are to blame,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said. “Meta has profited from children’s pain by intentionally designing its platforms with manipulative features that make children addicted to their platforms while lowering their self-esteem.”

Meta responded to the legal action, saying it shares “the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families.”

Identity Management Software Giant Okta Suffers Hack

Okta, an identity and authentication management software company whose products are widely used in business and education, has fallen victim to a security breach where hackers accessed sensitive customer information through its customer support management system.

Ars Technica reports that Okta announced that hackers infiltrated its customer support management system, gaining unauthorized access to private customer information. The breach was orchestrated by obtaining valid credentials, although the specifics of how these credentials were acquired remain undisclosed.

“The threat actor was able to view files uploaded by certain Okta customers as part of recent support cases,” said Okta Chief Security Officer David Bradbury. These files, known as HTTP archive (HAR) files, are utilized by support personnel to mimic customer browser activity during troubleshooting sessions, and they may contain sensitive data such as cookies and session tokens.

Bradbury further elaborated on the potential risks, stating, “HAR files can also contain sensitive data, including cookies and session tokens, that malicious actors can use to impersonate valid users.” In response to the breach, Okta has taken corrective actions, working closely with the impacted customers to investigate the incident and revoking embedded session tokens to bolster security.

The breach was initially spotted by security firm BeyondTrust, which noticed suspicious activities and alerted Okta. However, it took a considerable amount of time for Okta to confirm the breach and communicate it to the affected parties. BeyondTrust spotted the hack when an unauthorized user attempted to use information from the hack to access its own servers.

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‘Friendly’ Twitter Competitor Launched by Ex-Employees Shuts Down

Pebble, a social network that branded itself as a “friendly” alternative to Elon Musk’s X/Twitter, and built by a team primarily made up of former Twitter employees, has announced its decision to cease operations due to financial constraints and a challenging competitive landscape.

ZDNet reports that Pebble emerged on the social media horizon with a promise of refreshing authenticity in the wake of Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. Crafted by a team predominantly consisting of Twitter alumni, Pebble aimed to recapture the essence of early Twitter days, promoting genuine conversations in a friendly online environment.

Pebble was a social network similar to Twitter, but it was in its early stages of development. The platform aimed to become the ‘place to have the authentic conversations we’ve always wanted to have.’ With features reminiscent of the pre-Musk Twitter era, such as a 280-character limit and direct messaging, Pebble hoped to carve a niche in the crowded social media landscape.

However, despite its hopeful approach and dedicated community, Pebble faced an uphill battle in attracting a substantial user base and necessary investment. “The painful truth, however, is that we were not growing quickly enough for investors to believe that we will break out,” Pebble conveyed in a message to its users, explaining the reasons behind the closure.

The platform, which nurtured a community of around 20,000 users, found it challenging to meet investor expectations in a digital landscape brimming with alternative platforms.

Lawsuit Claims Elon Musk’s Tesla Knew of Malfunctions in Autopilot 2 Years Before Fatal Crash

Elon Musk’s Tesla is currently facing a lawsuit that claims the company was aware of a steering malfunction in its Autopilot feature two years before a tragic fatal accident took place. The lawsuit has been brought forward by the victims of a crash that occurred when a Tesla Model 3 veered off a highway, collided with a palm tree, and caught fire. The crash resulted in the death of the car’s owner, Micah Lee, and left two passengers with severe injuries.

In the latest twist to the ongoing case, the plaintiffs cited an internal safety analysis conducted by the company. The analysis revealed that Elon Musk and his engineers were aware of a steering malfunction in its Autopilot driver assistant feature two years before the accident. They are seeking a substantial $400 million in damages, not including potential punitive damages. This case has garnered significant attention, as its outcome could set a precedent for similar cases across the nation.

Jonathan Michaels, representing the passengers, presented evidence from a 2017 internal Tesla safety analysis that identified an “incorrect steering command” as a potential defect. He stated, “They predicted this was going to happen. They knew about it. They named it.” On the other hand, Tesla’s attorney, Michael Carey, argued that the safety analysis was not indicative of a defect but was intended to address potential issues.

America First Legal: DHS Cybersecurity Agency Rushed to Discredit Hunter Biden ‘Laptop from Hell’ Story

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), immediately began a pressure campaign to discredit the Hunter Biden “Laptop from Hell” story in 2020, newly disclosed documents show.

The documents were obtained by America First Legal in the course of its lawsuit against CISA, and show the agency characterizing the story as a “QAnon conspiracy theory” despite the fact that the FBI, with whom CISA worked closely, knew the Biden laptop story was legitimate a year prior.

In an internal bulletin headlined “countering foreign disinformation,” CISA officials characterized the New York Post’s story as a magnet for QAnon.

The bulleting linked to an Axios article titled “QAnon Conspiracy Theory Explodes Ahead of the Election,” and claimed that reports about what was purported to be Hunter Biden’s computer hard drive have sparked renewed activity from Q.”

...CISA was at the center of the House Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government’s investigation into collusion between federal agencies, Silicon Valley tech companies, and the outside organizations pressuring them to censor Americans.

In particular, CISA worked closely with the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP), an organization which targeted Breitbart News, Fox News, the New York Post, and the Epoch Times, as well as the social media accounts of prominent conservatives Charlie Kirk, Tom Fitton, Jack Posobiec, Mark Levin, James O’Keefe, and Sean Hannity, amongst others, with false allegations of “disinformation.”

President Donald Trump was also frequently flagged for “disinformation” by the consortium, as well as his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.

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Automakers Realize Americans Are Not Buying Electric Vehicles

A comprehensive report in the Detroit Free Press details how the latest data reveals that while the Biden administration is pushing hard for automakers to turn out EVs, car companies are unable to sell the models.

Data from Edmunds.com shows that in September 2022, for example, EVs sat on dealership lots for just 21 days before they were sold. Today, EVs are sitting on dealership lots for 65 days.

Automakers, as Breitbart News reported, are well aware of the issue. Tesla, General Motors (GM), Mercedes-Benz, and Ford have all started slow-walking their rapid EV production plans.

In September, most notably, Ford announced it would be pausing construction of a $3.5 billion EV battery plant in Marshall, Michigan. Ford drew fierce backlash from locals and lawmakers because the plant would have the automaker collaborate with China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL), linked heavily to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

GM CEO Mary Barra told investors in October that the automaker is abandoning its goals to produce 400,000 EVs from 2022 through mid-2024. Similarly, GM will delay retooling its plant in Orion Township, Michigan, to build EV pickup trucks.

Meanwhile, Tesla has seen a dip in net income, which came in at $1.85 billion in the third quarter. At the same time in 2022, net income for the electric automaker was $3.29 billion. As a result, Tesla is planning to delay its production plant set for Mexico.

At Mercedes-Benz, EVs are so hard to sell that the automaker is having to effectively put them on clearance at enormously discounted prices to get them off dealership lots, according to Business Insider.

General Motors: Sorry Your EV May Have a Defective Battery, Here’s $1,400

General Motors is offering $1,400 to owners of the 2020-2022 Chevy Bolt to entice them to install a diagnostic program that will determine if their battery is defective. The move is reportedly part of an anticipated class action settlement related to the battery problems that have plagued GM’s all-electric car.

In exchange for installing diagnostics software that GM says will detect whether batteries require a full replacement, the company is offering $1,400 yo ’20-’22 Chevy Bolt owners, according to a report by Electrek.

GM was forced to recall all of its Chevy Bolts after some of the electric vehicles were found to have a battery defect from supplier LG. The company now has to take the model out of production for a number of months, and later promise battery replacements to all affected owners.

Over the summer, GM said it would stop replacing 2020-2022 Chevy Bolt Batteries and instead verify the battery’s durability with software that monitors the battery over 6,200 miles, during which time Chevy Bolt owners are only allowed to charge the batteries up to 80 percent, further limiting the range of their EVs.

Hertz Blames Profit Miss on Dismal Tesla Resale Value, Sky High Repair Costs

Bloomberg reports that Hertz, the popular car rental company, has encountered significant challenges that have caused it to miss its quarterly profit estimates. The company has been caught in the crosswinds of Tesla’s aggressive price-cutting strategies and the soaring repair costs associated with electric vehicles (EVs). Tesla has lowered its prices to boost sales, which has decreased the resale value of Hertz’s EV fleet by about one-third, according to Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr.

The repair expenses for EVs have also thrown a wrench in the gears of Hertz’s financial machinery. The costs have been almost double that of repairing traditional gasoline cars. Scherr revealed that these unexpected costs have been a significant factor affecting the company’s profits.

In response to these challenges, Hertz has decided to tap the brakes on the acquisition of new EVs. This strategic slowdown aims to allow the company to better manage and navigate through the prevailing cost-related challenges. Despite the current hurdles, Hertz remains steadfast in its commitment to electrifying its fleet. The company has ambitious plans to purchase a substantial number of EVs from automotive giants such as Tesla and General Motors. “Hertz remains committed to buying 100,000 cars from Tesla and 175,000 EVs from General Motors Co.,” affirmed Scherr.

Elon Musk: Starlink Will Provide Internet Connectivity to ‘Aid Organizations’ in Gaza

Elon Musk has said that Starlink will provide connectivity to “internationally recognized aid organizations” in the territory of Gaza, where communications have been cut amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Israel is intensifying its military campaign against Gaza, which began in response to an attack by Hamas militants into Israeli territory earlier this month, claiming the lives of over 1,300 civilians and leading to the capture of hundreds more.

Amid this campaign, news organizations report that communications to Gaza have been almost entirely cut off. Elon Musk has promised to restore some level of connectivity using Starlink, his satellite internet company.

“Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza,” said Musk in response to a tweet from Democrat congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a staunch pro-Palestinian.

In the tweet Musk responded to, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez condemned Israel for cutting off communications in the first place.
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While Musk has pledged the use of Starlink services, it is unclear if there are even any Starlink terminals in the Gaza Strip, meaning it may be some time before the aid organizations referenced by Musk are able to restore connectivity.

Israel and its supporters reacted negatively to Musk’s message.

Communists Grease Palms: China’s TikTok Spends Big Bucks Lobbying Washington

ByteDance is pouring record sums of money into federal lobbying while efforts to crack down on TikTok continue to mount, according to an analysis of new lobbying disclosures by OpenSecrets.

The Chinese company spent more in federal lobbying in the first three quarters of 2023 than it did any other year to date, spending roughly $7.4 million each quarter, after only spending $4.9 million in 2022, the disclosures showed.

ByteDance, which first reported payments to federal lobbyists in 2019, has spent more than $19.9 million on lobbying to date, and now ranks thirteenth among all federal lobbying clients spending during the third quarter of 2023.

The Chinese company has even spent more in federal lobbying in the third quarter of 2023 than Silicon Valley giants like Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc., Apple, and X, formerly known as Twitter.

The company, owned by a hostile foreign country, reportedly spent more than $3.7 million on federal lobbying in the last three months alone, surpassing what it spent in the entire years of 2019 and 2020 combined.

ByteDance lobbyists have reportedly begun focusing on internet technology and machine-learning-enabled content platforms that use artificial intelligence (AI) to customize feeds based on users’ preferences.
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ByteDance lobbying has recently involved “trade issues affecting internet companies including legislation related to cross-border data transfers and legal frameworks for foreign-based applications and services.”

ByteDance lobbyists have even pushed against the bipartisan bill, Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, which seeks to ban kids under the age of 13 from using social media, and require that platforms verify the age of their users.

So why are they so interested in not verifying their users' age all of a sudden?  Highly suspicious indeed.

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Meta to offer ad-free Facebook, Instagram subscriptions in EU

US tech giant Meta says it will offer Facebook and Instagram users in Europe the option of paying a monthly fee for no ads on the platforms from November.

Meta announced on Monday that it is introducing the new subscription option in the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland to comply with evolving European regulations. The EU is tightening regulations on how users' data is collected for the purpose of displaying ads.

Meta says people who reside in these regions will be offered the choice to continue using Facebook or Instagram for free with ads, or subscribe and stop seeing ads.

The subscription for no ads will be available for people aged 18 and older. The monthly fee for the web version will be 9.99 euros, or about 10.60 dollars.

Biden issues executive order to ensure AI safety

US President Joe Biden's administration has issued an executive order to implement safety measures on artificial intelligence systems.

The administration released the order on Monday to ensure the public's safety and security isn't adversely affected by the rapidly evolving AI technology.

The directive calls on federal agencies to set "rigorous standards for extensive red-team testing to ensure safety before public release," and requires AI developers to share safety test results and other critical information with the government.

The executive order also says companies developing any foundation model that poses a serious risk to national security and other areas must notify the federal government when training the model.

The document says the government will develop guidance for content authentication and watermarking to clearly label AI-generated content, and will expand grants for AI research in vital areas such as healthcare and climate change.

It seems like the US, especifically in California, is not the only country in the world having issues with AI-driven vehicles as of late.

Central Japan town suspends use of driverless vehicle after bicycle collision

A driverless vehicle has been taken off the roads in a town in central Japan after it collided with a parked bicycle.

The collision occurred on Sunday morning in the town of Eiheiji in Fukui Prefecture. Police and town officials say four people were in the vehicle but no one was injured.

Under a law that was revised in April, so-called Level-4 autonomous vehicles can operate on limited routes at restricted speeds.

In May, Eiheiji became the first municipality in Japan to operate this type of vehicle. It is used by tourists and local residents on a roughly two-kilometer route. The vehicle has a maximum speed of 12 kilometers per hour.

The vehicle is equipped with sensors and radar to avoid obstacles.

The operator -- a company funded by the town and private firms -- says it will determine the cause of the accident and take steps to prevent a recurrence.

Elon Musk's X valued at $19 billion one year after $44 billion purchase

The company's value was revealed based on its employee equity compensation plan, according to documents reviewed by Fortune. The value dropped by $1 billion since the last time the company offered employees stocks in March.

Employees were given access to X's equity at $45 a share.

The banks who helped Musk with the purchase expect to take a hit of at least 15%, or $2 billion, when they attempt to sell the debt. This would lead to the loss of hundreds of millions for those who hold the largest pieces of the debt, including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Barclays, and MUFG. Some involved expect the company to be rated as being at higher risk of defaulting.
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X has also cut down on staff by 80% since Musk's initial purchase. It also lost 60% of its revenue over the summer.

US tech giants eye slice of Japan's generative AI market

American IT giants Microsoft and Amazon have set their sights on winning a share of Japan's growing generative AI market. They are offering financial incentives for businesses that adopt their technologies.

Microsoft says it is setting aside 100 million dollars to support its corporate clients worldwide. About 40 percent of that is expected to benefit Japanese firms.

Microsoft will use the funds to help companies introduce its generative AI program, including costs to verify performance.
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Amazon is offering a total of 6 million dollars to assist Japanese companies that develop their own generative AI programs based on Amazon's technology.

Google CEO testifies that Chrome, not monopoly, is behind search dominance

Google CEO Sundar Pichai defended Google from allegations of dominance of the search engine market by connecting its success to the popularity of the Chrome web browser.

Pichai appeared as a witness during Google's presentation of its defense to the judge in the D.C. District Court on Monday as part of one of the most significant technology antitrust trials in a generation. The CEO defended Google from the Department of Justice's claims that Google maintains an illegal monopoly through its control of the search engine market and its agreements with mobile phone makers and web browsers to make Google the default search engine. Pichai claimed that Google's search engine prominence arose due to it investing in Chrome in the early years after its 2008 release.
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Pichai's appearance comes in the eighth week of the trial, after testimony from other executives of Google as well as executives of Apple and Microsoft.

The core of the DOJ's case has focused on whether or not Google's decadeslong partnership with Apple allowed the search engine to hold a monopoly over search, District Court Judge Amit Mehta said. If Google's deal had blocked Apple from developing its own search engine, then that would make the arrangement anti-competitive and potentially a violation of antitrust law.

The notion that search engine users have any meaningful ability to choose their search engine is "bogus," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testified during the trial.

His argument blows up the very moment one ask him this question: then why is Google's search engine present in other web browsers by default? Most of the time it's the primary search engine there.

UK to Introduce Artificial Intelligence ChatBot Interface for Taxes and Government Services

Continuing his push for a more digital future, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to fundamentally change how the public interfaces with the government, with his government preparing to launch an AI service dubbed “Gov.uk Chat”, The Telegraph reported.

According to the paper, a government document describes the system as a “natural language interface” that would be able to give a “human-like response” to people with inquiries about government services.

“Gov.uk Chat is designed to help users to navigate information on Gov.uk, similar to a search function, so in order to provide answers to users it needs all the data it has to provide the most accurate answer,” it stated.

The chatbot, which is currently being tested with businesses, would allow the public to ask it questions and request information about their taxes, student loans, pension benefits, and legal questions.

The Artificial Intelligence chatbot will be based on technology provided by OpenAI, the U.S.-based tech firm behind the ChatGPT chatbot...

 I just hope this won't become one of those cases where they'll blame the chatbot for any mistake it makes. Normally, you can accuse a specific official of providing false information or making you pay more than ever needed. How can you do the same with AI? The decision wouldn't be made by any human being so how can you take your case to a supervisor or manager? There's no clear resolution process you can rely on to deal with all those kinds of issues at a certain point in the (near) future.

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FTC: Amazon Boosted ‘Junk Ads’ for Quick Profit

A recently unredacted FTC complaint levels serious allegations against Amazon, accusing the retail giant of deceptive ad practices and using private messaging to dodge the discovery process.

Bloomberg reports that Amazon has come under fire from the FTC for allegedly doubling down on the number of low-quality advertisements, known as “junk ads,” it served to consumers in an effort to boost its profit margins. These ads, which the company itself had previously identified as “defects” due to their irrelevance to consumer searches, were reportedly increased under the directive of Amazon founder and former CEO, Jeff Bezos.

The FTC’s allegations suggest that this surge in advertisements not only lined Amazon’s pockets but also created a thorny shopping experience for consumers and a challenging marketplace for sellers. The regulatory body quoted Amazon executives, highlighting their aggressive stance on ad proliferation. One communication explains, “We’d be crazy not to” increase the number of advertisements shown to shoppers.

The latest allegations are part of the FTC’s complaint against Amazon that were previously redacted.
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Further complicating Amazon’s position is the accusation that the company engaged in secretive communication practices. The FTC claims that Amazon employees used the “disappearing message” feature on the messaging app Signal, leading to the destruction of over two years’ worth of internal communications. This action is seen as a potential obstruction to the federal antitrust probe.

According to the FTC, Amazon is willing to do practically anything to increase its profits. For example, the lawsuit alleges that the company’s “Project Nessie” manipulated the market to allow Amazon to line its pockets:

Uber and Lyft Pay $328 Million to Settle Charges They Stole Wages from Drivers

ABC News reports that Uber and Lyft have consented to a combined settlement of $328 million. This settlement addresses the long-standing issue of withheld wages from drivers, a practice that has been under scrutiny for years.

The settlement was spearheaded by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who called it the “largest wage-theft settlement” ever secured by her office. The agreement mandates that the two companies compensate drivers with back pay and additional benefits, including mandatory paid sick leave.

Drivers who have been affected by the wage deductions are now eligible to file claims to recover their lost earnings. “These drivers overwhelmingly come from immigrant communities and rely on these jobs to provide for their families,” stated Attorney General James, emphasizing the significance of the settlement for the drivers and their dependents.

The issue at the heart of the settlement is the improper deductions from drivers’ earnings by both companies. Uber, which agreed to pay the lion’s share of $290 million, deducted sales taxes and Black Car Fund fees from drivers’ payments between 2014 and 2017. These costs, according to the law, should have been covered by passengers. Lyft, contributing $38 million to the settlement, engaged in similar practices from 2015 to 2017.

In addition to the financial compensation, the settlement introduces an “earnings floor,” guaranteeing a minimum hourly wage for drivers across the state, with those outside New York City assured a minimum of $26 per hour. Furthermore, drivers will now accrue paid sick leave, earning one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 56 hours per year.

Scarlett Johansson Takes Legal Action Against AI That Cloned Her Likeness in Ad

An AI-generated version of Johansson’s voice and image appeared in a 22-second ad posted to X/Twitter by an AI image-generating app called Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar, according to a report by Variety.

“We do not take these things lightly,” Johansson’s lawyer, Kevin Yorn, told the magazine. “Per our usual course of action in these circumstances, we will deal with it with all legal remedies that we will have.”

The advertisement, which was initially spotted on October 28, appears to have since disappeared from the internet.

The ad features an old clip of Johansson behind the scenes of Marvel’s Black Widow, saying, “What’s up guys? It’s Scarlett, and I want you to come with me…” before a graphic covers the actress’ mouth and the screen transitions into AI-generated images that resemble her.

From there, a fake voice imitating Johansson continues speaking, promoting the AI app, Variety reports.

“It’s not limited to avatars only. You can also create images with texts and even your AI videos. I think you shouldn’t miss it,” the AI-generated Johansson voice says.

At the bottom of the advertisement, fine print reads, “Images produced by Lisa AI. It has nothing to do with this person.”

Nicolas Cage: ‘AI Is a Nightmare to Me. It’s Inhumane’

Actor Nicolas Cage has come out against artificial intelligence (AI) being used in movies as a means to replace actors and writers.

Cage issued his denunciation of AI during an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment when talking about his minor cameo in The Flash that was obviously rendered in a computer.

“AI is a nightmare to me,” Cage said. “It’s inhumane. You can’t get more inhumane than artificial intelligence … I would be very unhappy if people were taking my art … and appropriating [it].”

Regarding his cameo in The Flash, a reference to Tim Burton’s infamous Superman Lives movie starring Cage that never came to be, the Leaving Las Vegas star believes it was CGI, not AI.

“When I went to the picture, it was me fighting a giant spider,” Cage said. “I did not do that. That was not what I did. I don’t think it was [created by] AI. I know Tim [Burton] is upset about AI, as I am. It was CGI, OK, so that they could de-age me, and I’m fighting a spider. I didn’t do any of that, so I don’t know what happened there.”

Cage actually did visit the set to film his cameo, but the final version contained none of what he was told.
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Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan recently referred to AI as a giant plagiarism machine.

“I think it’s a lot of ****. It’s a giant plagiarism machine, in its current form. I think ChatGPT knows what it’s writing like a toaster knows that it’s making toast. There’s no intelligence — it’s a marvel of marketing,” he said.

Sheryl Crow ‘Really Scared’ of Artificial Intelligence

Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Sheryl Crow says she is “really scared” of artificial intelligence (AI) being used in the entertainment industry.

The “All I Wanna Do” singer appeared on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on November 2 and discussed one of the tracks on her latest album, Evolution, in which she expresses her worries that AI will seriously hurt music.

“It’s been so disturbing to me,” the singer told Fallon as she described her recent brush with the technology.

“I did a session the other day, and this young songwriter had this incredible song, but she needed a guy to sing on it so that she could pitch it to male singers in Nashville,” Crow explained.

She went on to say that her associate “Paid $5, put in John Mayer’s name, and she played it for me. There’s no way you could tell the difference, and it just blew my mind. And it didn’t just sound like him,” she said adding that even Mayer’s “inflections” came through with the recording.

“This is what AI can do, and it really scared me.”

DoorDash Tells Customers to Tip when Ordering or Their Fries Will Be Cold

TechCrunch reports that in a move aimed at balancing the realities of its workforce and the desires of its customers, DoorDash has unveiled a new in-app feature that nudges customers to tip in advance. Customers who opt not to tip while placing their orders are now greeted with a pop-up warning, indicating that orders without tips might face longer delivery times.

“Orders with no tip might take longer to get delivered — are you sure you want to continue?” reads the warning. This initiative appears to be a part of a broader strategy to optimize the delivery process, ensuring that all parties involved — customers, delivery drivers (known as Dashers), and merchants — have a satisfactory experience.

DoorDash spokesperson Jenn Rosenberg shed light on the rationale behind this new feature. “Everyday, Dashers go the extra mile to help connect consumers with the best of their local communities. That’s why we encourage customers to show their appreciation by tipping,” Rosenberg said. She further explained that Dashers, operating as independent contractors, have the autonomy to select or decline orders based on their perceived value, making orders without tips less attractive.

...Pre-tipping seems to be a way to assure delivery drivers of worthwhile compensation for their service, making them more inclined to accept orders promptly. This approach is particularly significant in light of DoorDash’s past payment controversies, which led to a restructuring of their payment system in 2019.

As Breitbart News previously reported, DoorDash and other delviery companies were keeping the tips customers thought they were giving to delivery personnel, only paying out a portion of each tip to the actual delivery drivers.

Google Antitrust Trial: CEO Sundar Pichai Admits the Importance of Paying Big Bucks for Default Search Status

Reuters reports that Google CEO Sundar Pichai took the stand in the ongoing antitrust trial against the internet giant, acknowledging the significance of his company being the default search engine in retaining users and sustaining loyalty. “We were obviously doing the deal for default placement,” Pichai admitted during the trial, emphasizing the strategic importance of this placement in Google’s broader business model.

Pichai, under cross-examination, revealed the company’s nuanced approach, stating, “We pay for preload exclusivity on a device-by-device basis.” This provided greater insight into the strategy employed by Google to maintain a dominant presence in users’ online search experience.
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CNBC reports that Google spent a staggering $26.3 billion last year to maintain its dominance as the default search engine on a multitude of platforms. The total amount of its payments came out as part of an internal slide presentation that was disclosed as part of the federal antitrust lawsuit against the internet giant on Friday. This hefty sum wasn’t paid to a single entity but was rather distributed among various partners, with tech giant Apple likely being the prime beneficiary.
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A top Apple executive defended the tech giant’s decision to make Google the default search engine on Apple iPhones and Macs, saying there was no “valid alternative.’’

Testifying in the biggest antitrust trial in a quarter century, Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, said Tuesday that there wasn’t “anybody as good’’ as Google at helping phone and computer users search the internet.

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Apple Revenue Falls for Fourth Consecutive Quarter Due to China Woes

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple recently reported a continued slump in sales, marking the fourth successive quarter of declining revenue. The tech giant reported sales of $89.5 billion, a marginal decrease from the previous year’s figures. Despite the overall dip, Apple’s net income has surpassed expectations, reaching approximately $23 billion.

The company’s iPhone sales have shown resilience in the face of a contracting global smartphone market, with a 2.8 percent increase to $43.8 billion. This growth aligns with analyst predictions, supported by the launch of the iPhone 15 family in September, which introduced models with enhanced features such as titanium cases and advanced camera systems at high prices.

However, the company’s performance in China, Apple’s third-largest market, has been less than stellar. Sales in the region declined by 2.5 percent to $15.1 billion, falling short of analyst projections. Apple Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri commented on the Chinese market, stating, “China has always been the most competitive market in the world and we think it will continue to be like that.” Despite the challenges, Maestri expressed confidence in the brand’s performance, noting that “the top four bestselling phones in urban China were iPhones.”

The resurgence of Huawei Technologies as a competitor has introduced new pressures in the market. The Chinese tech company has made a significant comeback with its Mate 60 Pro smartphone, which boasts 5G-like wireless speeds through domestically developed technology.

FCC commissioner calls Biden equity plan for internet control 'sweeping, unprecedented, and unlawful'

Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr is calling the Biden administration's "digital equity" plan for all internet services and infrastructure an "unlawful power grab."

"President Biden’s plan hands the Administrative State effective control of all Internet services and infrastructure in the country. Never before, in the roughly 40-year history of the public Internet, has the FCC (or any federal agency for that matter) claimed this degree of control over it. Indeed, President Biden’s plan calls for the FCC to apply a far-reaching set of government controls that the agency has not applied to any technology in the modern era, including Title II common carriers," Carr said in a statement on Monday.

Carr previewed an important FCC vote next week on Nov. 15 about whether to implement the president's plan.

Next week, the FCC will vote on President Biden’s plan to give the Administrative State effective control of all Internet services and infrastructure.

"Congress never contemplated the sweeping regulatory regime that President Biden asked the FCC to adopt—let alone authorized the agency to implement it," he said.

Carr explained that the Biden administration's "broadband policies are failing" and the "costs of building Internet infrastructure in this country have skyrocketed" due to his economic policies. While the FCC has been looking to expand "new, 5G services," it has "needlessly blocked and delayed new broadband infrastructure builds" because of "regulatory red tape."

The commissioner said President Joe Biden has chosen to blame "the private sector and free market capitalism itself for the Administration’s own policy shortfalls" and is pushing the FCC to adopt "a one-page section of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Infrastructure Act)," which has "new rules of breathtaking scope, all in the name of 'digital equity.'"

Meta whistleblower testifies that executives failed to react to teenage struggles

A former security engineer from Meta testified to Congress on Tuesday that the company chose not to respond to internal data indicating that more teenagers were being harmed by Instagram and Facebook than public data indicated.

Facebook whistleblower Arturo Béjar appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to provide his perspective on Meta's approach to youth safety. Béjar was featured in a Wall Street Journal piece last week in which he said that the company failed to respond to internal data regarding bullying, sexual harassment, and other negative experiences on the platform.

In his opening remarks, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) framed the hearing as a chance to illustrate the threat that Big Tech presents to teenagers and advocated a floor vote for technology reform bills, including the Kids Online Safety Act, a bill that would require social media platforms to disable "addictive" product features and take additional action to prevent harmful content from being presented to underage users.

Béjar used his testimony to implore Meta to be more transparent and to change its products.

"The company was grading its own homework," Béjar said, noting that the company's definitions for what is harmful are narrowly defined. Béjar previously reviewed the company's "Bad Emotional Experience Feedback" data, which surveyed users on their experience on the platform over the last seven days. He said the review revealed a much deeper problem for teenagers than Meta had shown before.

New emails show DHS created Stanford ‘disinfo’ group that censored speech before 2020 election

New emails show officials at the Department of Homeland Security created a Stanford University “disinformation” group that censored Americans’ speech before the 2020 election, according to a House Judiciary Committee report exclusively obtained by The Post.

The House panel’s 103-page staff interim report says never-before-seen emails and internal communications were obtained from the group, known as the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP), and show how it worked with DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to flag, suppress and remove online speech in coordination with big tech companies.

One of EIP’s founding partners — the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab — described CISA’s central role in the alleged censorship effort in a July 31, 2020, email.

“I know the Council has a number of efforts on broad policy around the elections, but we just set up an election integrity partnership at the request of DHS/CISA and are in weekly comms to debrief about disinfo,” the lab’s senior director Graham Brookie wrote.

The staff report says, “[T]he federal government and universities pressured social media companies to censor true information, jokes, and political opinions.

“This pressure was largely directed in a way that benefitted one side of the political aisle: true information posted by Republicans and conservatives was labeled as ‘misinformation’ while false information posted by Democrats and liberals was largely unreported and untouched by the censors.”

The “misinformation” posts were made by public officials such as former President Donald Trump, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), media outlets such as Newsmax and the Babylon Bee and many conservative commentators.

Democrat Crime Wave: Washington DC Hands Out Apple AirTags to Help Residents Track Stolen Cars

PCMag reports that Washington DC is desperately hoping  a new tech tool can help combat the out of control problem of car theft in the city. The city has launched a pilot program to provide residents with Apple AirTags so they can track their own stolen vehicles. This initiative is part of a comprehensive strategy to tackle the recent surge in vehicle thefts across the city. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced the program as a collaborative effort to strengthen community safety and assist the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in swiftly recovering stolen vehicles.

“Last week, we introduced legislation to address recent crime trends; this week, we are equipping residents with technology that will allow MPD to address these crimes, recover vehicles, and hold people accountable,” Mayor Bowser stated, emphasizing the city’s alleged commitment to utilizing all available resources to ensure public safety.

The program targets neighborhoods that have been most affected by vehicle thefts. To participate, residents are invited to attend one of the upcoming distribution events. At these events, officers will not only install the AirTags but also guide residents through the process of setting up the tracking system on their personal devices.
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This program is not the first of its kind in D.C. The MPD has previously implemented a wheel-lock distribution program and has collaborated with Hyundai to integrate anti-theft software into over a thousand vehicles in the area, reflecting a sustained effort to deter vehicle-related crimes.

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Google Antitrust Case: Documents Show Company Only Innovates Under Threat of Government Action

Bloomberg reports that Google faced a turning point in 2018 when the European Union imposed an antitrust order that significantly impacted its operations. This order required Google to present Android phone users with a choice screen offering five search engine options, a move aimed at reducing Google’s dominance in the market. This development catalyzed Google’s strategic plan, dubbed “Go Big in Europe,” which aimed at elevating the quality of its search results across the European market. The strategy to innovate in Europe, which was developed in response to EU antitrust pressure, was revealed as part of the ongoing antitrust case against the internet giant.

The “Go Big in Europe” initiative emerged as a response to the EU’s decision, with Google planning to enhance its search engine’s performance in key European markets like France and Germany. The plan included adding diverse features such as post-game soccer video highlights, more localized content, news pronunciation tools for different languages, and detailed information on local television streaming options. This approach indicated a shift in Google’s strategy, focusing on regional customization and a more nuanced understanding of different European markets.

During the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust trial against Google, internal documents revealed the extensive planning behind the “Go Big in Europe” strategy. Ben Gomes, who was the head of Google’s search team at the time, provided insight into the company’s mindset following the EU ruling. He emphasized that the initiative was part of an ongoing effort to invest in Europe and was not solely a reaction to the EU’s choice screen requirement.

France Claims Russia is Whipping up Antisemitism to Destabilise West

France says it has been the target of a Russian online destabilization campaign that used automated social-media accounts to whip up controversy and confusion about spray-painted Stars of David that appeared on Paris streets and fed alarm about surging antisemitism in France during the Israel-Hamas war.

The 250 or so quickly erased blue stars are now the subject of French police investigations seeking to determine whether the graffiti were antisemitic, as Paris’ police chief and others initially suspected, and if they were organized from outside France.

The stars’ stenciling on walls in Paris and its suburbs last month quickly fomented debate and alarm on social media and concerns about the safety of France’s Jewish community, the largest in Europe.

Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, triggering their latest and deadliest war, French authorities have counted more than 1,150 antisemitic acts. That’s nearly three times more than all acts against French Jews in 2022, the Interior Ministry says.

In a statement Thursday evening, France’s Foreign Ministry pointed a finger of blame at Russia, saying a Russian network of bots whipped up controversy about the stars with thousands of posts on X, the platform previously known as Twitter. Bots are automated accounts programmed to mimic human users by generating messages or following users on social media, often for nefarious or malicious purposes.

“This new operation of Russian digital interference against France testifies to the persistence of an opportunistic and irresponsible strategy aimed at exploiting international crises to sow confusion and create tensions in the public debate in France and in Europe,” the statement said.

It said the bots were affiliated with a Russian network – Recent Reliable News, also identified as Doppelgänger.

The Russian activity was detected by Viginum, a French state digital watchdog set up in 2021 after hackers targeted Emmanuel Macron ‘s successful campaign for the French presidency in 2017. The core mission of Viginum is to detect and analyze foreign digital efforts to influence online public debate in France.

Viginum determined that a network of 1,095 bots affiliated with RRN published 2,589 posts on X in under two weeks, “contributing to the controversy surrounding the stenciled Stars of David,” the French Foreign Ministry said.

FTC: Data Broker Sells ‘Staggering’ Amount of Sensitive Info on Americans

Ars Technica reports that one of the world’s largest mobile data brokers, Kochava, has found itself at the center of a legal battle with the FTC. The FTC has accused Kochava of amassing and disclosing “a staggering amount of sensitive and identifying information about consumers,” allegedly without their consent. The FTC complaint was unsealed after the company’s unsuccessful attempt to keep it from public view.

According to the FTC’s allegations, Kochava’s database is not only huge but also alarmingly detailed. It reportedly includes information capable of identifying nearly every person in the United States. The FTC claims that Kochava’s customers, primarily advertisers, can access this data to trace individuals’ movements to sensitive locations such as hospitals, places of worship, and domestic shelters with a promised accuracy of a few meters. This level of detail extends over various time frames, ranging from a day to a year.

Furthermore, the FTC alleges that Kochava’s products offer a “360-degree perspective” on individuals, revealing personal details like names, home addresses, phone numbers, and sensitive information such as race, gender, ethnicity, annual income, political affiliations, and religion. The FTC’s amended complaint emphasizes the invasive nature of these practices, stating, “Kochava’s use and disclosure of this precise geolocation information invade consumers’ privacy and cause or are likely to cause consumers substantial injury.”

The FTC also criticizes Kochava for its “audience segments” feature, which allegedly allows advertisers to target customers based on specific sensitive and personal characteristics or attributes identified from its massive collection of data. This includes grouping people by common data points like age or gender, but also by places they have visited, political associations, or even their current circumstances, such as being expectant parents.

A Match Made in Hell: Facebook Strikes Deal to Reenter Chinese Market

The Wall Street Journal reports that Meta Platforms, the company formerly known as Facebook, has embarked on a major strategic move by partnering with Tencent Holdings, a Chinese juggernaut in the global gaming industry. This partnership marks a return for Mark Zuckerberg’s to the Chinese market, a space it exited in 2009 when Facebook was blocked in China. The collaboration is set to kick off in late 2024, focusing on the launch of a new, cost-effective virtual reality headset.

The new VR headset, designed to be more affordable than Meta’s recent Quest 3 model, aims to make advanced virtual reality technology accessible to a broader segment of consumers. The device will feature cutting-edge lenses and a more powerful graphic processing unit compared to its predecessor, Quest 2.

Under the terms of the agreement, Tencent will exclusively handle the sales of Meta’s VR headsets within China. According to the agreement, Meta will earn a larger share from the sales of the hardware, while Tencent will primarily benefit from content and services revenue, including subscriptions and game sales.

Texas Tesla Erupts in Fire Days After Fresh Battery Installed

WFAA reports that in the early hours of Friday morning in Plano, Texas, a Tesla vehicle unexpectedly caught fire, raising fresh concerns about the safety of electric vehicle batteries. According to the car’s owner, the incident occurred shortly after midnight in the residential area of the 2700 block of Sacred Path Road. The owner reported hearing a hissing noise from the vehicle’s battery, which had been installed just the day before. Upon checking the car, they discovered flames shooting out from the battery.
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A video from the scene captured the severity of the situation, showing firefighters opening one of the doors of the engulfed Tesla, with flames visibly shooting out of the vehicle. Firefighters used multiple hoses to combat the fire, initially focusing on the car’s interior before redirecting their efforts to the battery itself.

Fortunately, the incident did not result in any injuries, and firefighters from the Plano Fire Department were able to quickly respond to the scene. They employed a unique technique to manage the situation, covering the vehicle with a tarp and then moving it into the street to fully extinguish the fire. This approach underscores the unique challenges that electric vehicle fires pose to emergency response teams, given the high energy density and potential volatility of lithium-ion batteries used in these vehicles.

Buying X/Twitter Has Left Elon Musk Teetering on the Brink of Insanity

CNBC reports Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has recently been the subject of discussions concerning the impact of his Twitter acquisition on his mental health. According to Ben Mezrich, author of Breaking Twitter, the takeover of the social media giant has had a profound effect on Musk’s well-being.

Mezrich highlighted a particularly troubling incident where Musk locked himself in his office, prompting Twitter employees to consider calling for a wellness check. This incident underscores the intense pressure and stress that Musk was under while managing the social media site.
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Mezrich pointed out several incidents that contributed to Musk’s distress, including a public episode where he was booed at a Dave Chappelle comedy show. This event was a shock to Musk, as he later expressed on social media, noting the mixed reaction from the audience. “It’s almost as if I’ve offended SF’s unhinged leftists … but nahhh,” Musk remarked following the incident.

Another particularly striking detail is Musk’s profanity-laden jibe directed at Zuckerberg during the signing of the Twitter deal. This revelation came to light during Mezrich’s appearance on a podcast, where he recounted the scene of Musk signing the Twitter takeover papers.

Hunter Biden Sues Former Overstock.com CEO for Defamation

The complaint filed in the Central District of California alleges Byrne made defamatory comments in June and on October 8, 2023, about an alleged connection between the president’s son and Iran.

“Plaintiff brings this action for defamation against Byrne because he has made, published, and repeated false and defamatory statements about Plaintiff, knowing full well that the statements are false, for the purpose of subjecting Plaintiff to harassment, intimidation, and harm,” the complaint claimed.

Byrne suggested, according to the complaint, that Hunter Biden contacted the Iranian government and offered to have President Joe Biden unfreeze money in exchange for a bribe.
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The lawsuit stated Byrne reposted the allegation on X after Hamas perpetrated terror on Israel.

“The clear implication of Byrne’s October 8, 2023 posts was that Plaintiff’s allegedly criminal and corrupt actions had contributed to the terrorist attacks by Hamas,” the complaint said.

The lawsuit is the latest in legal actions brought against Hunter Biden, who previously sued the IRS and Rudy Giuliani.

Market for U.S. Treasuries Disrupted by Ransomware Attack – on China

Market participants claim a ransomware attack on the ICBC has disrupted the market for U.S. Treasuries, according to a report by Financial Times.

China’s largest bank was hit by ransomware software, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association told members on Thursday. As a result, the ICBC was unable to settle Treasury trades on behalf of other market participants, banks and traders said.

Several people familiar with the situation said that the ransomware software involves paralyzing computer systems until a payment is made.

“This is a large party on [the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation], so certainly of major concern,” an executive at a large bank that clears U.S. Treasuries said. “And potentially impacting liquidity of US Treasuries.”

On Thursday afternoon, the ICBC began restoring services, according to some people who were briefed on the matter.
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Last year, the government of Costa Rica declared a state of emergency following a massive ransomware attack that locked down computer networks across multiple government agencies, paralyzed tax collection, and left the private information of Costa Rican citizens vulnerable.

GM’s Cruise Confirms Human ‘Remote Assistants’ Have to Help Drive Robotaxis Every 4-5 Miles

CNBC reports that Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt recently confirmed that the company’s self-driving cars are remotely assisted by humans two to four percent of the time on average when operating in complex city environments. In terms of how far robotaxis drive, remote assistance sessions are initiated approximately every four to five miles.

Many sessions are short requests for confirmation before the car proceeds, Vogt explained. The autonomous vehicle often initiates the call itself before needing help, such as when its path is obstructed. In a number of cases, the issue is resolved by the self-driving car before the human advisor even examines the situation.

Vogt stated: “Cruise AVs are being remotely assisted (RA) 2-4 percent of the time on average, in complex urban environments. This is low enough already that there isn’t a huge cost benefit to optimizing much further, especially given how useful it is to have humans review things in certain situations.”

According to a Cruise spokesperson, during driverless testing there was one remote assistant for every 15-20 autonomous vehicles on the road. The remote advisors give “wayfinding guidance” to help the vehicles navigate difficult scenarios, but do not actively control or drive the cars.

Cruise says its remote assistants go through comprehensive training and ongoing performance reviews to ensure safety. The company has lost approximately $1.9 billion so far this year as it continues to develop and validate its self-driving technology.

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X/Twitter Reverses Bans of British Activists Katie Hopkins and Tommy Robinson

“Thank you Elon Musk. and thank you to all the Twitter family who have brought Tommy & I back to X,” said Hopkins, who was permanently banned from the platform in 2020, when the company was still led by former CEO and free speech failure Jack Dorsey.
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Facebook banned Robinson across multiple social media platforms following pressure from Hope not Hate, as well as British members of parliament.

The bans occurred amid pressure from the British government (currently run by the so-called “conservative” party) on social media platforms to do more to combat “hate.” The British digital minister Margot James MP said today that she wants “world-leading tech regulation” for Britain, including massive fines against platforms like Facebook that don’t promptly remove alleged “hate speech.”

The list of populist and right-wing figures banned from Facebook in the wake of Panodrama’s release include Tommy Robinson, the populist news site Politicalite and its editor Jordan James, and UK Independence Party (UKIP) candidate McGuigan, as well as prominent party members Reece Coombes, Darrell Goodliffe, Damien Heads, and Richard Inman.
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Hopkins previously faced a temporary suspension from the social media platform following pressure on Twitter from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, the same far-left British organization that assisted NBC’s recent hitpiece against The Federalist and ZeroHedge, which resulted in Google pulling ad revenue from the latter and threatening the former with the same.

Apple Pays $25 Million to Settle Claims It Discriminated Against Americans in Favor of Hiring Foreign Workers

Engadget reports that Apple has settled claims brought by the DOJ, agreeing to pay $25 million over allegations of discriminating against U.S. citizens and permanent residents during its hiring process. This case is particularly noteworthy as it is the largest settlement the DOJ has obtained under the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act, but even taking that into consideration, it is less than a drop in the bucket for Apple, which enjoyed profits of about $100 billion in 2022.

The dispute centered around the Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM), a federal program that allows U.S. employers to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency. Under this program, employers are required to ensure open advertisement of job positions to all potential applicants, irrespective of citizenship status.

However, Apple was accused of failing to meet these requirements. The company did not list PERM positions on its recruitment website and made the application process more challenging for these roles by requiring paper applications, a step not required for other non-PERM positions. This led to a significant reduction in applications from U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

As part of the settlement, Apple will pay $6.75 million in civil penalties and create an $18.25 million fund to compensate victims of this discrimination. Apple’s response acknowledged the oversight and the company’s supposed commitment to compliance with government requirements and to continuing its significant employment in the U.S.

Australian Ports Impacted by ‘Significant Cyber Security Incident’

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said on social media platform X the government was coordinating a response to the incident and that authorities were working with DP World Australia “to understand the impacts”.

O’Neil said the national crisis management framework employed during the Covid-19 pandemic was being used in response to the incident.

DP World Australia did not respond immediately to a request for comment from AFP.

National Cyber Security Coordinator Darren Goldie said on X, formerly Twitter, that the “interruption is likely to continue for a number of days and will impact the movement of goods into and out of the country”.

“DP World Australia has advised it has restricted access to its Australian port operations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle while it investigates the incident,” he said.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre, which leads the government’s digital security responses, was advising the port operator and “providing technical advice and assistance”, he said.

The National Emergency Management Agency and National Coordination Mechanism, which streamlines a crisis response, will meet together on Sunday, Goldie said, adding that federal police have launched an investigation.
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Cybersecurity experts have said inadequate safeguards and the stockpiling of sensitive customer information have made Australia a lucrative target in the eyes of hackers.

Medibank, Australia’s largest private health insurer, said in November 2022 that hackers had accessed the data of 9.7 million current and former customers, including medical records related to drug abuse and pregnancy terminations.

Just two months earlier, telecom company Optus fell prey to a data breach of similar scale in which the personal details of up to 9.8 million people were accessed.

‘100% Electric’ Google Bus Loses Power, Smashes into Multiple Cars on San Francisco Street

SFist reports that an electric Google commuter bus lost power in San Francisco, barreling into several parked cars near the intersection of Castro Street and 20th Street. Eyewitnesses took to social media to document the aftermath of the incident, which saw at least four vehicles sustaining major damage.

The incident unfolded around 8:45 a.m. on Monday, as the Google bus reportedly lost power while navigating the steep incline of Castro street’s hill, causing it to roll backward and collide with the cars. A video posted online showed the startling aftermath, with one local resident recounting, “A Google bus lost its power while going up the hill and rolled back, hitting 9 cars this morning outside of my place.”

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) confirmed the incident, which affected the 24 bus line service through the neighborhood. Despite the chaos, service was restored to full operation by the afternoon.

The accident not only caused physical damage but also left one individual with injuries severe enough to require hospitalization.

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US NEWS

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Pro-Terror Teenagers Admit They Learned to Hate Israel on China’s TikTok, Zuckerberg’s Instagram

Young people attending a New York City anti-Israel rally have admitted that they learned to hate Israel by watching pro-Palestinian videos on Chinese-owned app TikTok and Mark Zuckerbeg’s Instagram.

More than a dozen young protesters who skipped school to join an anti-Israel rally in Manhattan on Thursday told the New York Post that their opinions about the Israel-Hamas war were shaped mainly by China’s TikTok and Facebook-owned Instagram, as well as their teachers.

New Utrecht High School students 17-year-old Zara Asif and 16-year-old Manoor Javed told the outlet that TikTok and Instagram videos inspired them to attend pro-Palestinian rallies around the Northeast and Washington D.C. area.
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Javed said that while her school prohibits students from talking about pro-Palestinian politics, “Everyone’s pushing and everyone is posting and that’s how we’re going to make a difference,” adding, “We won’t quit — ever.”

Another 17-year-old who identified herself as Adama told the New York Post that she follows Palestinian accounts on TikTok who are based in Gaza, saying, “Places like CNN and other mainstream media are not posting about it.”

St. John’s University student Ravia Sidhu and her 19-year-old friend, CUNY student Zarif Islam, told the outlet that they attended the Thursday rally after what Sidhu said was “a lot of doing our own research” — which included watching videos on the Chinese app.

Anti-Israel protestors were reportedly seen at the Thursday rally tearing down posters of Israeli hostages currently being held by the Palestinian terror group Hamas, with others praising those who did.

Some protestors even compared the surge in anti-Israeli sentiment to the Arab Spring of 2011, in which Twitter and Facebook galvanized protesters to take on regimes across the Middle East.

People don't know this, but China loves making maps. The problem is that the CCP already made Israel disappear from their own maps. You can still find cities like Jerusalem or Tel-Aviv but no Israel label anywhere in the Middle East region.

EUROPEAN NEWS

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Apple Suffers Setback in Fight Against EU's $14 Billion Tax Order

An EU tribunal made legal errors when it ruled in favour of Apple over a 13-billion-euro ($14 billion) tax order and should review the case again, an adviser to Europe's top court said on Thursday, in a potential setback for the iPhone maker.

The tax case against Apple was part of EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager's crackdown against deals between multinationals and EU countries that regulators saw as unfair state aid.

The European Commission in its 2016 decision said Apple benefited from two Irish tax rulings for more than two decades that artificially reduced its tax burden to as low as 0.005% in 2014.

The European Union's General Court in 2020 upheld Apple's challenge, saying that regulators had not met the legal standard to show Apple had enjoyed an unfair advantage.

But advocate General Giovanni Pitruzzella at the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) disagreed, saying CJEU judges should set aside the General Court ruling and refer the case back to the lower tribunal.

"The judgment of the General Court on 'tax rulings' adopted by Ireland in relation to Apple should be set aside," he said in a non-binding opinion.

He said the General Court committed a series of errors in law and had also failed "to assess correctly the substance and consequences of certain methodological errors that, according to the Commission decision, vitiated the tax rulings."

"It is therefore necessary for the General Court to carry out a new assessment," Mr. Pitruzzella said.

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

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Fast Charging EV Company Closes Australian Plant, Pivots to US to ‘Achieve Profitability’

Electric vehicle fast-charging company Tritium will shutter its Brisbane factory and consolidate operations for better profitability in the United States.

This comes after the company reported a loss of $120.3 million (AU$189.2 million) for the 2022-23 financial year (pdf), compared to a loss of $298.6 million (AU$469.5 million) in the previous year.

Around 200 jobs will also be cut.

Tritium CEO Jane Hunter said it was necessary to close the Brisbane plant to remain competitive, while reducing general and administrative expenses.

Ms. Hunter previously said the company may be forced to close its Australian plant and move its headquarters to the United States if it is to remain financially viable.

“This transition is aligned with the company’s plan to be profitable in 2024,” Ms. Hunter said in a statement.

Emergency Flying Taxi Receives $5 Million in Government Funding

The Australian Government will provide $5.43 million (US$3.5 million) to an aerospace company to develop a hydrogen-powered electric air taxi for emergencies.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is delivering the funds to AMSL Aero under the 'Advancing Renewables Program.'

The aircraft operates similar to a helicopter with eight rotors and can carry five passengers over a distance of up to 1,000 kilometres.

The flying hydrogen aircraft is known as an electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft (eVTOL) and has been given the name Vertiia. eVTOLs are also sometimes referred to as air taxis or flying taxis.

AMSL Aero, based in Bankstown New South Wales, describes Vertiia as the "world's first eVTOL designed to be powered by hydrogen" and says it will save lives.

The Vertiia could be used for air ambulance, emergency services, and passenger and cargo transport. This could include fighting bushfires and carrying ambulance passengers.
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The project costs $10.86 million in total, meaning the grant covers half the cost. However, the Vertiia project has also received support from the Federal Government under the Emerging Aviation Technology Partnerships program.

'Stop Herding Us Into a Cashless Society': Calls for Pause on Bank Closures Following Optus Outage

Cash advocates are calling for a halt to bank and automated teller machine closures in Australia following a major telecommunications outage.

Ten million Australians and 40,000 businesses were affected when Australia's second largest telecommunications network went down on Nov. 8.

The disruption led to coffee shops, bowling alleys, businesses, and government authorities without access to Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale (EFTPOS) services across Australia.

As a response, the telecommunications company said it is providing 200GB of free data to impacted customers to acknowledge their patience and loyalty. However, both a Senate and a separate government inquiry are now looming for Optus.

The outage resulted in widespread disruptions to mobile, data, and internet services, affecting various government departments, including health.

In light of these challenges, Cash Welcome, a grassroots campaign working to protect the right to use and access cash, is calling for an "immediate pause" on all banks and ATMs.

"They can't build a reliable digital payment system—so stop herding us into a cashless society," Cash Welcome posted to social media.

ASIAN NEWS

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South Korea Tests Its Urban Air Taxi System, Expecting Commercialization by 2025

An urban air mobility (UAM) system developed by South Korea is expected to reduce travel time significantly in urban areas once in operation.

On Nov. 3, a test flight event for the South Korean UAM (K-UAM) was held at its demonstration base in Goheung County of the Jeollanam-do Province, the southernmost province in mainland Korea.

Hosted by the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) and organized by the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the event showcased various K-UAM components, including aircraft, vertical take-off and landing platforms, traffic management systems, and service systems like terminals, marking the first public presentation of these domestically manufactured facilities in South Korea.
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Attendees, guided by narrators, toured various passenger terminal applications of technology and equipment, including the comprehensive control room and noise measurement. They also witnessed a demonstration using South Korean-developed aircraft in the first-ever established UAM operational system in South Korea.

Two aircraft models were tested at the event. SKYLA-V2, one of the two models, has a top speed of 60 mph, a range of up to 16 miles, and a maximum flight time of 20 minutes, while OPPAV, the other model tested on the day, can reach speeds of up to 150 mph, cover distances of up to 31 miles, and have a maximum flight time of 45 minutes.

Following the first-stage test flights in open areas, K-UAM will begin test flights in densely populated areas, including Seoul and its surrounding cities, starting in August next year. This verification process will continue until June 2025. At that time, the travel time required when driving a car for one hour will be reduced to approximately 20 minutes by K-UAM.

According to the passenger boarding process demonstrated at the event, passengers can make reservations through an app by inputting information such as their departure and destination, preferred departure time, and the number of passengers. Upon arriving at the vertical airport at their chosen departure time, they can board the aircraft using facial recognition and new security screening technology.

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Justine Bateman Blasts SAG-AFTRA Deal: If Actors Approve Contract, They’ll Be ‘Replaced’ by AI ‘Synthetic Objects’

She said that actors should OK the deal only “if they don’t want to work anymore. Sure. If they want to be replaced by synthetic objects that are made by generative AI, why not?”

She said studio executives “are choosing to no longer be in the film and series business.”

“I think they sort of like to think of themselves as being tech barons themselves or something. But this, doing projects that don’t involve humans —  you’re not in the film business anymore,” she added. “People who don’t want to have any human involved have never really been on a set. They don’t know what it’s like to make a film.”

SAG-AFTRA members are set to vote on the new contract on Tuesday. Actors walked off the job in July in a dispute over streaming compensation as well as a host of other issues, including AI.

The exact nature of the contract’s provisions concerning AI remains unclear since guild leaders haven’t made details public.

In recent years, Justine Bateman has emerged as a vocal opponent to Hollywood’s embrace of AI. The Family Ties actress and sister of star Jason Bateman earned a degree in computer science and digital media management and has branched out into directing.

Buyers of Tesla’s Cybertruck Will Owe Elon Musk $50,000 if They Sell Within a Year

Business Insider reports that Tesla’s Cybertruck, set to be delivered to those who pre-ordered it on November 30, comes with a unique condition: owners are prohibited from reselling the vehicle within the first year of purchase. This stipulation was detailed in a section titled “For Cybertruck Only” in Tesla’s Motor Vehicle Order Agreement.

Elon Musk hopes to produce a quarter of a million Cybertrucks annually by 2025. This new rule is an attempt to regulate the market and ensure that the vehicles reach genuine customers rather than being flipped for profit in a secondary market.

Tesla’s policy states that any attempt to resell the Cybertruck within the first year of delivery will lead to legal consequences. The company may seek injunctive relief to prevent the transfer of the vehicle’s title or demand liquidated damages from the seller. The amount could be as high as $50,000 or the value received from the sale, whichever is greater. Additionally, Tesla has warned that it may refuse to sell any future vehicles to individuals who violate this agreement.

However, Tesla seems to have provided a safety net for genuine cases where an owner might need to sell the vehicle within the first year. In such scenarios, Tesla may agree to buy back the Cybertruck at the original price, minus certain deductions. These include $0.25 per mile driven, reasonable wear and tear, and the cost to repair the vehicle to Tesla’s standards.

If Tesla chooses not to purchase the vehicle, the company may grant permission for the owner to sell it to someone else. This clause indicates Tesla’s understanding that certain unforeseen circumstances might force an owner to sell the vehicle prematurely.

Canadian Search & Rescue Saves Hikers Lost After Following Faulty Google Maps Directions

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a dramatic rescue operation in British Columbia’s rugged forest terrain has highlighted the pitfalls of relying solely on digital map services. North Shore Rescue, a search-and-rescue team, successfully located and airlifted two hikers who found themselves in a perilous situation. The hikers, stranded on a steep, cliff-ridden area north of Mount Fromme, were apparently following a trail that only existed in Google Maps — there was no actual trail in the area at all.

To make matters worse, the hikers went into the wilderness without a light, unable to be seen under the dense canopy of a temperate rainforest that blankets the mountain, standing at 1,185 meters. North Shore Rescue revealed that it had previously mounted warning signs in the area, cautioning hikers about misleading paths directed towards dangerous cliffs. The area had witnessed similar rescue operations in September and a tragic fatality two years prior.

Following these events, North Shore Rescue strongly advised against using street map programs like Google Maps for wilderness navigation. They highlighted the importance of using specialized apps designed for trails, such as CalTopo and Gaia GPS, which provide more reliable and detailed information for hikers.

While Google Maps allows users to suggest edits for incorrect or missing data, the process and timelines for these updates remain unclear.

Major Step Taken in Proposed Truth Social Merger That Would Infuse Trump-Backed Social Media Startup with Mega Cash

Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC) and Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. made a major step in the proposed Truth Social merger that would inject the company with significant financing, a Monday announcement from both companies revealed.

The two companies announced the filing by DWAC of Amendment No. 1 to the Form S-4 Registration Statement, which includes a preliminary proxy statement and prospectus in connection with the proposed business combination with Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which runs Truth Social.
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Truth Social aims to be more than a social media platform-we aspire to become the centerpiece of a movement, as well as a method for Americans to invest in their freedom.
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The merger would allow Truth Social to go public, issue stock, and access hundreds of millions of dollars in financing.

Former President Donald Trump created Truth Social after Facebook and Twitter, now known as X, banned him from the social media platforms.

Reuters reported in October that DWAC, the special purpose acquisition company designed to take Truth Social public, said this week it would return to investors the $533 million raised for the deal.

UPDATE

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Ports Covering 40 Per Cent of Australia’s Freight Trade Shut by Cyber Attack for Three Days

Major ports handling 40 percent of Australia’s freight trade have resumed operations, leading operator DP World said Monday, three days after they were crippled by a cyberattack.

DP World cut its systems from the internet when the attack was detected Friday, preventing trucks from unloading or picking up cargo at ports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle.

“DP World Australia is pleased to announce that operations resumed at the company´s ports across Australia,” the operator said in a statement.

It said it expected to move 5,000 containers out of the four terminals during the day — not far from industry estimates of their usual daily traffic.

Investigations and efforts to protect systems may still cause “some necessary, temporary disruptions” to port services in the coming days, the company said.

DP World said its investigation and remediation work were likely to take “some time”.

DP World’s advisor on its response to the cyberattack, Alastair MacGibbon, said there had been “unauthorised activity in the system”.