Enlarge (credit: Meta) In December, 43-year-old doctoral researcher Nina Jane Patel put on a headset and entered Meta’s virtual world to see what was happening that day. “Within seconds of being there, there were three avatars near me, ” she says. “Suddenly they were taking selfies… I couldn’t see at first that they were groping […]
Enlarge / A bicycle courier of grocery delivery company} “Gorillas” wears a backpack with the logo of the startup on his way to deliver purchases in Berlin. (credit: Tobias Schwarz | Getty) In May 2021, grocery delivery company Zapp moved into a small garage, squashed between red brick apartment buildings on a residential street called […]
Enlarge (credit: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto) Since filing whistleblower complaints against Facebook last year, Frances Haugen hasn’t been sitting still. A report today says the Facebook (now Meta) whistleblower has filed two new complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission that allege the company internally acknowledged it was struggling with misinformation even while telling investors it had […]
Enlarge / Tesla’s camera-only approach to driver assistance keeps landing it in trouble. (credit: Aurich Lawson | Tesla) Tesla is facing a new headache this week. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into a “phantom braking” problem after receiving hundreds of complaints from owners of recent Models 3 and Y. In […]
Enlarge / Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks to members of the media while departing from federal court in New York on Thursday, April 4, 2019. US District Judge Alison Nathan telegraphed her initial thoughts as the SEC and Elon Musk’s lawyers presented their arguments over whether the Tesla Inc. CEO should be held in contempt for tweets the agency says […]
Enlarge (credit: John Paraskevas/Newsday RM) For over a decade, the US has blended ethanol with gasoline in an attempt to reduce the overall carbon pollution produced by fossil fuel-powered cars and trucks. But a new study says that the practice may not be achieving its goals. In fact, burning ethanol made from corn—the major source […]
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | imaginima) The controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI reportedly told investors that it aims to collect 100 billion photos—supposedly enough to ensure that almost every human will be in its database. “Clearview AI is telling investors it is on track to have 100 billion facial photos in its database within […]
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | niknikon) The Federal Communications Commission has voted to ban the exclusive revenue-sharing deals between landlords and Internet service providers that prevent broadband competition in apartment buildings plus other multi-tenant environments. The new ban and other rule changes were adopted in a 4-0 vote announced yesterday . Although the FCC “has […]
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images ) California lawmakers plan to introduce a new bill to protect children’s data online this Thursday, mirroring the UK’s recently introduced children’s code, as part of growing momentum globally for stricter regulation on Big Tech. The California age appropriate design code bill will require many of the world’s biggest tech platforms […]
Enlarge / Traffic jam forms on Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles. (credit: Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News) The Environmental Protection Agency is on the verge associated with restoring California’s ability to set strict tailpipe emissions limits, according to news reports, while at the same time looking in adopting a version of the state’s […]