News of the Cyber World

[kyonides]

Trudeau Government Orders Podcast Platforms
to Register with State Broadcasting Regulator

In potentially a further threat to freedom of speech, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) quietly announced on Friday a major overhaul to how independent media operates within the country.

Claiming to be a “regulatory plan to modernize Canada’s broadcasting framework,” the CRTC said that online streaming services operating in Canada with at least $10 million or more in annual revenue will need to register with the broadcasting regulator by November 28th, potentially establishing a situation in which online content could face similar restrictions to traditional broadcasting venues such as television and radio.

The regulator stipulated that only online service providers of podcasts will have to register with the government while individuals who produce or share podcasts online will not. The framework will also exclude online services that only feature video games or audiobooks.

“We are developing a modern broadcasting framework that can adapt to changing circumstances. To do that, we need broad engagement and robust public records. We appreciate the significant participation during this first phase and look forward to hearing a diversity of perspectives at our contributions proceeding in November,” said CRTC Chief Executive Officer Vicky Eatrides.

In addition to coming in line with broadcasting regulations, the CRTC also said that it will be looking to force online platforms into actively supporting Canadian and “Indigenous” content.

Google Antitrust Trial: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella
to Testify About the Search Engine Wars

In the latest development in the secretive antitrust trial against Google, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is slated to testify Monday, shedding light on Google’s alleged monopolistic practices in the search engine market.

Bloomberg reports that the antitrust trial spearheaded by the DOJ is delving deep into allegations against  Google, accusing it of unlawfully maintaining a monopoly. The crux of the accusation lies in Google’s payments of $10 to $20 billion a year to rivals, smartphone manufacturers, and wireless carriers to secure its position as the default search engine on various platforms — which the internet giant claims has nothing to do with its dominance in the marketplace.

To bolster its case, the DOJ is relying on testimony from high-profile executives from Microsoft, Google’s biggest competitor in the search engine world. These witnesses aim to illustrate the extensive reach of Google’s stronghold on the search market, demonstrating that even a behemoth like Microsoft faces significant hurdles in establishing a foothold in this domain. Previously, the founder of DuckDuckGo testified that Google’s megadeals with device companies and providers stifles innovation.

Jonathan Tinter, a business development executive at Microsoft, has already taken the stand, revealing Microsoft’s failed endeavors to embed its Bing search app on Apple’s products. Despite offering terms that were reportedly more favorable than those proposed by Google, Microsoft could not secure a deal, leading to Apple renewing its agreement with Google. Tinter’s revelations also included the constraints Microsoft encountered in integrating Bing on its Surface Duo smartphone, attributing these limitations to the prerequisites of licensing the Android mobile operating system. Another executive described Microsoft Bing as little more than a “bargaining chip” for Apple to make more money from Google.

RICO Lawsuit: H&R Block, Facebook, and Google
Passed Around Private Data ‘Like Candy’

A class action lawsuit has been filed against H&R Block, Facebook (now known as Meta), and Google, accusing the companies of scheming to illicitly install trackers on H&R Block’s website used scan and transmit sensitive tax data, which was allegedly used for targeted advertising and refining Facebook’s AI algorithms.
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The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California, alleges that the three companies engaged in a “joint scheme” to exploit H&R Block’s tax return preparation services, potentially impacting anyone who has used these services in recent years. The legal action claims that this conduct amounts to a “pattern of racketeering activity,” a serious charge typically reserved for organized crime, under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

The legal action follows a revealing Congressional report released earlier this year, detailing how multiple tax preparation firms, including H&R Block, have “recklessly” shared the sensitive tax data of tens of millions of Americans without implementing proper safeguards. The report highlighted the use of tracking “pixels” on these firms’ websites, referred to as “spy cams” in the lawsuit, which would allegedly scan tax documents and expose a variety of personal tax information, including a filer’s name, filing status, federal taxes owed, address, and number of dependents.

Brent Wisner, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, stated, “H&R Block, Google, and Meta ignored data privacy laws, and passed information about people’s financial lives around like candy.” He emphasized the gravity of the situation, comparing it to posting sensitive financial information on social media platforms, “It’s like your income tax guy handing your pay stubs and tax returns over to a marketing firm.”

...The lawsuit seeks full refunds for Hunt and all US taxpayers who used H&R Block’s services since the alleged tracking began, as well as punitive damages for the supposedly illegal conduct of the three companies.

The lawsuit alleges that H&R Block has been using Facebook’s Pixel tracking service since at least 2015, collecting information from taxpayers who visited sites with the pixel on it. This information would be stored until they logged on to Facebook or Instagram, at which point Facebook would receive a “dossier” of personal data. Google, on the other hand, allegedly interacted with the tax data through H&R Block’s use of Google Analytics, a tool used by an estimated 70 percent of the top 100,000 websites.

Robin Williams’ Daughter Condemns Use of Artificial Intelligence
to Simulate Father’s Voice: ‘A Horrendous Frankensteinian Monster’

Zelda Williams took a stand against AI in a recent Instagram Story post.

“I am not an impartial voice in SAG’s fight against AI,” she wrote, referring to the screen actors union. “I’ve witnessed for YEARS how many people want to train these models to create/recreate actors who cannot consent, like Dad. This isn’t theoretical, it is very very real.”
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She continued:”I’ve already heard AI used to get his ‘voice’ to say whatever people want and while I find it personally disturbing, the ramifications go far beyond my own feelings.”

Actors who are still alive “deserve a chance to create characters with their choices, to voice cartoons, to put their HUMAN effort and time into the pursuit of performance,” she wrote.

In her post, Zelda Williams called AI simulacrum of actors “at their very best, a poor facsimile of greater people, but at their worst, a horrendous Frankensteinian monster, cobbled together from the worst bits of everything this industry is, instead of what it should stand for.”

Tom Hanks Warns He Has ‘Nothing to Do With’
an ‘AI Version’ of Him Selling Dental Insurance

On Sunday, Hanks let his 9.5 million Instagram followers know that the video of what looks like a younger Tom Hanks selling insurance is all fakery.

“Beware,” he captioned the photo of the fake AI Hanks. “There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it.”

According to The Messenger, Hanks spoke about the problems with AI during an episode of The Adam Buxton Podcast in May.

“I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and that’s it, but performances can go on and on and on and on,” Hanks said. “Outside the understanding of AI and deepfake, there’ll be nothing to tell you that it’s not me and me alone. And it’s going to have some degree of lifelike quality. That’s certainly an artistic challenge but it’s also a legal one.”
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The tentative settlement [reached after Hollywood's Anti-AI strike] maintains that studios cannot force writers to use AI and that AI products may only be used in conjunction with human writers, not as a replacement, the Associated Press reported.

“This is the first step on a long process of negotiating and working through what generative AI means for the creative industry — not just writers but visual artists, actors, you name it,” David Gunkel, a professor of media studies at Northern Illinois University, told the AP.

Rivian Loses $33,000 for Every Electric Pickup Sold

The Wall Street Journal reports that Rivian Automotive has positioned itself as a trailblazer in the electric vehicle sector, aiming to deliver an unparalleled driving experience by combining sports-car handling, advanced features, and robust design in its pick up trucks and other models. But not everything is working out according to the company’s plans.

Rivian’s vehicles, with an average selling price exceeding $80,000, have not resulted in profits. In fact, the company suffered a loss of $33,000 on every vehicle sold in the second quarter. The financial strain is evident, but Rivian Founder and Chief Executive RJ Scaringe claims, “We’re competing to build something that’s truly better than all the alternatives, and to try to do that on a limited budget would be detrimental to us achieving our mission.”

Rivian’s journey has been marked by a juxtaposition of financial success and operational struggles. The company made a splash in the market with its IPO in 2021, raising nearly $12 billion and momentarily achieving a valuation surpassing some established automakers. However, the operational side painted a different picture. Rivian grappled with manufacturing troubles, burning through half of its $18 billion cash pile in two years and operating at less than one-third of its build capacity. The company’s ambitious launch of three models in quick succession further complicated the production dynamics.

Breitbart News previously reported on the poor performance of Rivian’s electric pickups in the real world. In one case, an owner’s “honeymoon phase” ended when his truck got stuck in the snow.

 Yeah, no car owner is dreaming on becoming an  extremely cold  icecream during winter.