News of the Cyber World

[kyonides]

Google Wasn't Censoring Assassination Attempt, it was an Innocent Mistake

Google Claims Censoring Searches on Donald Trump Assassination Attempt Was an Innocent Mistake

Tech giant Google has addressed concerns raised by prominent conservatives regarding its search autocomplete function, particularly its censorship of searches related to the recent attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The masters of the universe claims they are “working on improvements” including the autocomplete function.

Fortune reports that in response to allegations of election interference and search manipulation, Google has issued a statement addressing the controversy surrounding its autocomplete search results. The debate erupted when many users on X, formerly known as Twitter, including Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr., posted images demonstrating that Google’s search engine was omitting certain politically sensitive topics from its autocomplete predictions.

The primary point of contention centered around searches related to the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Breitbart News previously reported that users noted that when typing “assassination attempt on” into Google’s search bar, the auto-complete function did not suggest the recent incident involving Trump. Instead, it offered suggestions related to historical figures such as former President Ronald Reagan and musician Bob Marley.

In response to these allegations, a Google spokesperson provided clarification to Fortune magazine. The company stated that no “manual action” was taken on the auto-complete predictions and that they are “working on improvements” to the feature. Regarding the absence of suggestions related to the assassination attempt, Google explained that their systems have “protections against Auto-complete predictions associated with political violence,” which were functioning as intended prior to the recent event.

The spokesperson further elaborated on the “Donald Duck” search highlighted by Musk, acknowledging that “auto-complete is currently not working as intended” for searches related to past presidents and the current vice president. Google assured that they are investigating these anomalies and working on improvements to be implemented soon.

The controversy has sparked a broader discussion about the role of technology companies in information dissemination and their potential influence on political discourse. Critics, including several top GOP figures, accused Google of “gaslighting” and attempting to influence the 2024 presidential election through their search results.

Snapchat Hates Trump

Snapchat Refuses to Reinstate Donald Trump’s Account, ‘Shamelessly’ Asks Campaign to Buy Advertising

Snapchat is refusing to reinstate former President Donald Trump’s account while asking the 45th president to advertise with the social media platform, according to the Trump campaign.

“Snapchat REFUSES to reinstate President Trump’s account — but then shamelessly asks the Trump campaign to advertise with Snapchat,” Trump’s campaign X/Twitter account announced in a Tuesday  post.

“Big Tech is all in for Kamala! BIG TECH CENSORSHIP!” War Room added, sharing a screenshot of an email the Trump campaign received from Snapchat.

In the email to Trump’s campaign, Snapchat said, “I hope you had a nice weekend. I spoke with our Policy team and to provide a bit more context, they made the difficult decision to terminate President Trump’s Public Profile in 2021 after multiple policy violations.”

“Unfortunately, our Terms of Service do not allow for reinstatement or for terminated users to create new accounts,” Snapchat continued. “Reinstating the profile would involve reassessing and implementing entirely new Terms of Service, and we are unable to give preferential treatment to any creator on the platform.”

The social media platform went on to ask the Trump campaign for money via advertisement on Snapchat.

“I genuinely believe that Snapchatters are a key audience that can be persuaded to turn out for Trump — we reach over 96M users 18+, allow for the upload of first party lists, and have highly competitive CMPs ranging from $3-$6,” Snapchat said.

“I would love to explore alternative paths forward for our partnership, even given the current state of the profile,” the social media platform added. “If the team is skeptical about launching paid media without an organic presence, we highly recommend using the RNC’s profile or creating a new Vance profile.”

“Eager to hear your thoughts. Thank you for your understanding and visibility,” Snapchat concluded in its email.

While Snapchat refuses to reinstate President Trump’s account, the social media platform has been fueling teen anxiety via its friend ranking feature — part of its paid subscription service — which quantifies teen users’ social status within their friend group.

Tesla Section

More EV Trouble: Elon Musk’s Tesla Recalls 1.8 Million Vehicles Due to Hood Latch Safety Concerns

Elon Musk’s Tesla has announced a recall of over 1.8 million vehicles across multiple models due to a potential hood latch issue that could compromise driver safety.

ABC News reports that Tesla has initiated a recall of more than 1.8 million vehicles spanning several model years. The recall encompasses 2021-2024 Model 3, Model S, Model X, and 2020-2024 Model Y vehicles. The issue involves the hood latch assembly, which may fail to detect an unlatched hood after it has been opened.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has highlighted the severity of this problem, noting that if the hood is unlatched, it could fully open while the vehicle is in motion. This scenario poses a serious safety risk as it could obstruct the driver’s view, potentially leading to accidents. Despite the gravity of the issue, Tesla has reported that it is currently unaware of any crashes, injuries, or deaths related to this specific problem.

The investigation into this matter began on March 25, when Tesla started looking into customer complaints about the issue on Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in China. By mid-April, the automaker had identified the condition as a latch switch deformation affecting vehicles in the Chinese market. As of July 20, Tesla has identified three warranty claims or field reports for U.S. vehicles that are either related to or may be related to the hood issue. This data suggests that while the problem exists, its occurrence in the North American market appears to be less frequent than in China.

In response to the recall, Tesla has taken swift action to address the issue. The NHTSA has announced that Tesla has released an over-the-air software update to rectify the problem.

To ensure all affected vehicle owners are informed, Tesla plans to mail owner notification letters by September 22. This communication will likely provide detailed information about the recall and instructions on how to proceed with the software update if it hasn’t already been automatically applied.

Elon Musk’s Tesla Invites Analyst to Test ‘Full Self-Driving’ Mode then Narrowly Avoids a Crash

Elon Musk’s ambitious Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology, a cornerstone of Musk’s vision for the company’s future, is facing fresh criticism following a Wall Street analyst’s alarming test drive experience.

CNN reports that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature, an $8,000 option touted by CEO Elon Musk as safer than human drivers, has recently faced criticism after a Wall Street analyst reported a near-crash incident during a test drive. William Stein, an analyst with Truist Securities, detailed his experience in a note that raises questions about the readiness of Tesla’s autonomous driving technology and the company’s plans for a fleet of robotaxis.

Stein’s test drive, utilizing a special “demo mode” available only to Tesla employees, revealed several concerning issues. The analyst reported that the vehicle made illegal maneuvers, including changing lanes in areas where it was prohibited. More alarmingly, Stein had to intervene to prevent a potential collision when the car accelerated through an intersection while another vehicle was completing a turn. He also noted that human intervention was necessary when a police officer signaled for the car to pull over for a funeral procession.

These observations led Stein to conclude that the system was “no better, arguably worse” than his previous test in April. However, he did acknowledge some improvements, such as the car’s ability to adapt to challenging road conditions like lane closures and potholes, as well as more active lane-changing behavior.

The incident highlights the ongoing debate about the safety and reliability of Tesla’s autonomous driving features. Musk has consistently promoted FSD as a key component of Tesla’s future success, arguing that the planned robotaxi service could significantly increase the value of Tesla vehicles due to their potential to generate income independently.

Despite Musk’s optimism, Tesla’s own earnings statement cautioned that the timing of the robotaxi service launch “depends on technological advancement and regulatory approval.” The company recently postponed the announcement of details about the robotaxi service from early August to October 10, with Musk citing the need for important improvements to the vehicle.

More on the High-Speed Internet Project

Days ago a news article was published based on a public statement dated July 25th.

Biden-Harris Administration Approves Massachusetts Internet Expansion Proposal

Last week, the Biden-Harris administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved Massachusetts’ proposal under NTIA’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program that will allow Massachusetts to request up to $147 million in federal funding to expand access to high-speed internet in the state.

“All our residents, from students pursuing education opportunities to individuals seeking new jobs and career training to small-business owners across the state, need high-speed internet in order to thrive in our economy,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “This proposal will help Massachusetts close the digital divide by bringing high-speed internet to all.”

The $42.45 billion BEAD program aims to deploy and upgrade high-speed internet infrastructure and support high-speed internet adoption, training, and workforce-development efforts in line with the national Internet for All program, which provides digital skills training and education to low-income populations, improves online accessibility of social services for individuals with disabilities, and empowers rural communities to measure their own broadband needs.

“High-speed internet is the backbone of our economy,” Executive Office of Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao said. “With this support from the Biden-Harris administration, we can make Massachusetts more affordable, equitable, and competitive by ensuring every resident of our state can get online.”

BEAD funding will target projects identified through Massachusetts’ BEAD Challenge, an initiative that ran throughout June and July and provided local governments, nonprofits, tribal governments, and internet service providers an opportunity to work with residents to identify gaps in broadband availability. The data collected as part of this process will help pinpoint locations that are underserved or unserved by broadband providers and are therefore eligible for funding under BEAD.

In total, Massachusetts is set to receive more than $400 million in federal funding to close the digital divide. In addition to the $147 million in BEAD funding administered by the NTIA, the state is in the process of deploying $75 million in American Rescue Plan funding and $175 million from the Capital Projects Fund to close existing broadband gaps. In March, the NTIA announced that Massachusetts will receive $14 million in funding to address the digital divide through skills training, device access, and internet affordability.

Breitbart had claimed that the Biden administration had not invested any of the $42.5 billions as of July 26th, which still seems to be true as of today. The issue here is that the state of Massachusetts now wants to take advantage of these funds and the Biden admin had just approved the proposal the day before the Breitbart article was released.

So did the news outlet lie to us? Not really.
They simply ignored how slowly the Biden admin processes the proposals submitted by the states.
Did states like Massachusetts start investing in broadband connections in the meantime?
Probably. Some people claim they did, especially in Massachusetts.
Anyway, time will tell if they will execute the approved projects as originally intended.

Layoffs in Germany

The EV Blues: German Car Parts Giant ZF Lays Off Thousands over Lousy Electric Vehicle Sales

Dismal electric car sales have reportedly forced German car parts giant ZF Friedrichshafen AG to cut jobs. The layoffs are in response to “the changes in the mobility sector, particularly in the field of electromobility.”

“The number of employees in Germany is to be successively reduced by 11,000 to 14,000 from the current level of around 54,000 by 2028,” ZF announced, according to a report by France 24.

The decision to make the cuts — which consist of a fifth to a quarter of its employees in Germany — was made in order to “respond to the changes in the mobility sector, particularly in the field of electromobility” as the supplier struggles to adjust.

ZF CEO Holger Klein reportedly called the job cuts “difficult but necessary.”

“The seriousness of the situation calls for decisive action to be able to adapt the company to the tougher market and competitive environment,” Klein said.

The CEO added that ZF needed to be restructured in order to “strengthen our competitiveness and consolidate our position as one of the world’s leading suppliers.

Klein went on to cite strong competition from foreigners, cost pressures, and weak demand for electric vehicles as reasons why the company needed to restructure its electric motors division, France 24 reported.

Chinese manufacturers, which Klein noted have been “highly competitive,” have surpassed others in the rising EV market.

The ZF CEO added that creating motors for electric vehicles produced “low margins,” and that the company has been struggling to “cross-finance purely electric drives” from its conventional and hybrid vehicle initiatives.

Texas VS Meta

Texas Wins: Attorney General Ken Paxton Reaches $1.4 Billion Settlement with Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ® announced he has won a $1.4 billion settlement from Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta over privacy-related concerns involving Facebook capturing Texan users’ facial and biometric data without their knowledge or consent.

“We have secured a $1.4 billion settlement with Meta to stop the company’s practice of capturing and using the personal biometric data of millions of Texans without the authorization required by law,” Paxton said in a Tuesday X/Twitter post.

“This settlement is the largest ever obtained from an action brought by a single State and the largest privacy settlement an Attorney General has ever obtained,” Paxton added. “This serves as a warning to any companies engaged in practices that violate Texans’ privacy rights.”

In his post, the attorney general shared a press release further elaborating on the settlement and the case.

In February 2022, Paxton “sued Meta for unlawfully capturing the biometric data of millions of Texans without obtaining their informed consent as required by Texas law,” the press release explains.

“Specifically, Meta’s data collection violated Texas’ ‘Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier’ Act (CUBI) and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act,” Paxton said.