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A significant number of the world’s leading advertisers have withdrawn their ads from X, formerly known as Twitter, following its acquisition by Elon Musk.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:

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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.