News of the Cyber World

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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.