Amazon Air drones have sky-high goals, cleared by FAA to expand flights
Amazon Air has been given clearance by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly its delivery drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), which means flying the drone where the remote pilot cannot see it “directly through their own eyes.” Amazon announced the certificate on Thursday, May 30, stating that the clearance will allow it to delivery more packages faster than ever.
As for safety, Amazon said that it has done extensive testing with the drones. Amazon stated that it needed several advancements in its drone technology to earn BVLOS permission, which includes employing an “onboard detect and avoid system,” which has been used in real-world scenarios. The drones demonstrated how they could maneuver around real planes, helicopters and a hot air balloon. The company said that after extensive research and testing, the technology is safe to deploy.
“We received an Air Carrier Certificate from the FAA in 2020 that allowed Amazon to operate as an airline and deliver small packages via drone,” the company said in a statement. “With that certification and the newly granted permission to fly beyond the line of sight, we’re laying the foundation to scale drone delivery for customers.”
New Microsoft AI PCs will be tracking everything users do, if they want
Microsoft unveiled a new Windows 11 feature on Monday, May 20, which uses the power of artificial intelligence to take snapshots of all the activities a user does on their computer. The new AI feature, known as “Recall,” takes continuous screenshots of activity, tracking what one sees and does on their computer.
The feature will be part of a new line of AI computers that is rolling out on June 18. Recall will create a database of every action, search performed or live meeting a user attended.
Users can simply perform a Recall action and get a snapshot of the their past activity with added context. The goal is to make research and documentation more seamless by using an AI-enhanced search engine.
Microsoft promised the company will protect users’ privacy. Additionally, the feature can be restricted on sensitive sites, such as banking websites, or any site the user chooses. The feature can also be completely disabled.
Microsoft’s announcement comes on the heels of a major announcement by Google, which unveiled Astra, an AI-powered feature that can converse with users through a Smartphone camera lens. Astra can observe human emotions and even the clothes someone wears.
The project is still in the developmental phases.
Microsoft’s efforts with AI also seem to have the company joining the race between Apple and Google in a bid to ramp up the competition.
Recall will be available on select computers by June 18. The company predicts that 50 million AI computers will be sold in the next 12 months.
Potential buyer of TikTok emerges in hopes of fundamentally changing app
A new U.S. law signed by President Joe Biden on April 24 is forcing ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to sell the app by Jan. 19 or face a ban in the United States. Meanwhile, a potential buyer has emerged and he’s hoping to fundamentally change the app and social media.
McCourt said his goal is reinvent and reimagine how TikTok and the internet considers data and privacy. McCourt told The New York Times that the timing is right.
“This seemed like a great opportunity to actually create the alternative to the current internet, which has been colonized by large platforms,” McCourt said.
In another interview with Semafor, McCourt praised the app but also offered a serious warning.
“TikTok presents the best and the worst of the internet,” McCourt said. “It connects 170 million people and allows them to be creative and build things and enjoy things and do things. On the other hand, they don’t get to really share in the value that’s created, and their data is scraped and stolen and shipped to China.”
McCourt said that his takeover could help people “control their identity and control their data.” His organization is already working to limit the control that tech giants like Facebook and TikTok have over user information.
McCourt’s bid is still early on and he hasn’t named a valuation. Selling TikTok is reportedly difficult because of its algorithms, which are critical to the app’s success. McCourt said he “doubts” China would sell TikTok with the algorithm, but he’s interested without the algorithm. McCourt said it’s because he is “talking about a different architecture.”
The law forcing the sale of TikTok was passed over national security concerns. The White House said that China’s link to the app was a threat to the U.S. ByteDance has stated it would prefer shutting down TikTok in the U.S. instead of selling it to an American firm, if it can’t beat the U.S. law in court.
ByteDance is suing the United States government to block the law, alleging it infringes on First Amendment rights. Now, a group of TikTok users is suing the federal government. The users claim the new law violates their First Amendment rights by stifling a communication method and inhibiting content creation and viewing experiences.
Apple’s newest ad is pushing the wrong buttons for many social media users
Apple’s latest ad faced swift backlash on social media. In a bid to promote its new ultra-thin iPads, the tech giant debuted a spot featuring an industrial press crushing creative products on Tuesday, May 7. The ad suggests that the tasks performed by these objects can now be achieved by the new iPad.
While Apple CEO Tim Cook touted the ad’s creativity, it did not sit well with many on social media. Critics took to X, formerly Twitter, criticizing the commercial for being “destructive” and “out of touch.”
Reactions varied. Some users called for the ad to be pulled and re-edited. Others like Adam Singer, vice president of marketing at AdQuick, called it a “perfect metaphor for today’s creative dark age.”
This ad is (unintentional) perfect metaphor for today's creative dark age: compress organic instruments, joyful/imperfect machines, tangible art, our entire physical reality into a soulless, postmodern, read-only device a multi-trillion $ corporation controls what you do with https://t.co/mxtfOKloYV
“Are you trying to run your company into the ground? This makes me never want to buy iProducts ever ever ever [sic] again,” Conservative columnist Quin Hillyerwrote in a critique of Apple.
“‘Crushing Obsolete Creativity.’ Is that really the message you want to pass on? Seriously?” a user displaying “#FreePalestine” next to their X logo wrote.
“Crushing obsolete creativity”
Is that really the message you want to pass on? Seriously?
— 💫T.Katsumi📢 #JusticeForAll🌍🌏🌎 (@tkatsumi06j) May 8, 2024
Even comparisons to Apple’s iconic 1984 ad emerged, with one user noting a stark contrast between the two eras: from exploding conformity to crushing vibrancy.
However, not everyone was critical. Some defended Apple, dismissing the outrage as overblown.
“Man, oh man! People will seriously complain about any little thing nowadays!! It was just a commercial,” wrote one user. “Seriously, get off your computer, or put down your phone (which is probably an iPhone…) and get outside, and take a breath… #ItsNotThatBad.”
The ad controversy comes as questions arise about the company’s direction, especially with reports of underperforming products like the Apple Vision Pro and lagging sales in the China market.
Amid battle for exposure, RFK Jr. accuses Big Tech of censoring latest ad
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy leveled accusations of censorship against Big Tech, alleging that Facebook and Instagram blocked access to his latest political ad. The incident unfolded when a link to the new video was reportedly blocked on Sunday, May 5.
Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, said the action was a mistake. Meta said it quickly fixed the situation and noted that the link had been wrongly flagged as spam and was unblocked within hours.
Kennedy’s campaign wasted no time publicizing the incident. His team posted a TikTok compilation showing other broken or blocked links. The video, a 30-minute ad narrated by actor Woody Harrelson, portrayed Kennedy as a champion of environmental causes and good governance.
Kennedy’s skepticism on vaccinations and allegations of government overreach, highlighted in the ad, gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Meta took down his Instagram account for “repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus and vaccines.” The account was reinstated after he became a presidential candidate.
However, the campaign’s focus on censorship is just one challenge it faces. Kennedy is currently battling for ballot access in all 50 states, employing strategies such as legal action, hiring consultants and mobilizing grassroots volunteers to gather signatures for petitions. Each state presents its own hurdles with varying rules for ballot inclusion.
Recent successes in Michigan and Hawaii show some progress, but Kennedy’s campaign has accused the Democratic Party of interference to keep him off of the ballot. The party denied the accusation.
Senate dismisses articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Mayorkas
The Senate took little time to dismiss impeachment charges against the Secretary of Homeland Security. A volcano erupted in Indonesia, prompting evacuations and fears of a tsunami. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, April 18, 2024.
Senate dismissed articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Mayorkas
The Senate quickly voted to dismiss impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday, April 17, with the trial lasting just hours.
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The Senate rejected two articles of impeachment brought by House Republicans. Democrats argued that both charges were unconstitutional. In a party-line vote of 51-48, the Senate dismissed the first article accusing Mayorkas of a willful and systematic refusal to comply with immigration law. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted “present.”
The second article, alleging Mayorkas lied to Congress under oath about border security, was dismissed by a strict party-line vote of 51-49.
The Senate ended the trial about three hours after it began.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stated the charges failed to meet “the high standard of high crimes and misdemeanors.”
“And we felt very strongly that we had to set a precedent that impeachment should never be used to settle policy disagreements. I felt that very strongly,” Schumer said. “This is the first impeachment I can recall, you look at history, none were done because there were policy disagreements. If we allowed that to happen, it would set a disastrous precedent for Congress, could throw our system of checks and balances into cycles of chaos.”
In response, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said, “History will not judge this moment well.”
Speaker Johnson said House will vote on Ukraine, Israel aid this weekend
A vote on a foreign aid package that would send additional funding to Ukraine and Israel is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, April 27, in the House, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Ala., said.
While Johnson hopes to gain enough support from House Democrats and fellow Republicans to pass the bills, he received an endorsement from President Joe Biden. In a statement, Biden said he strongly supports the package and will sign it into law immediately to “send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.”
911 emergency outages resolved in four states
Emergency 911 services were restored Wednesday night, April 17, in South Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada and Texas following a major outage that left call centers unreachable for many residents. The cause has not been identified but Homeland Security has noted the increasing risks of cyberattacks on digital 911 systems.
In Del Rio, Texas, the issue was traced to a major cellular carrier. Services in Las Vegas and other affected areas have resumed, and all missed emergency calls have been returned.
Reuters reports that the Transportation Department’s Office of Emergency Medical Services, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency did not immediately return requests for comment.
Indonesia issues tsunami alert after volcano erupts on remote island
Indonesian authorities have ordered hundreds to evacuate following multiple eruptions of Mount Ruang, a volcano in North Indonesia, that began erupting Tuesday, April 16.
The volcano has been spewing lava and ash thousands of feet into the air, accompanied by lightning strikes. Mount Ruang is a stratovolcano, characterized by its cone-like shape and steep sides formed by thick, slow-flowing lava. Such volcanoes often erupt explosively due to gas buildup in the magma.
Indonesia’s volcanology agency has raised the alert to its highest level, citing the potential for a partial collapse into the sea that could trigger a tsunami, similar to an event in 1871.
Approximately 800 residents have been relocated to a nearby island as a precaution.
Google fires 28 employees after protest, lays off others amid restructuring
Google has fired 28 workers who protested at the company’s offices in California and New York on Tuesday, April 16, over a contract with the Israeli government, a company spokesperson said. The employees were terminated for “physically impeding other employees’ work and preventing them from accessing” facilities, which was described as a “clear violation” of Google’s policies.
The firings on Wednesday, April 17, came after additional layoffs at Google were reported earlier as the tech giant continues to restructure and cut costs. The company has not confirmed the number of employees dismissed in this latest round of cuts.
According to an email sent to staff, Google’s finance chief said the company is looking to build “growth hubs” in cities outside the U.S., including Mexico City and Dublin, as part of the restructuring.
Hawaii begins process of removing World War II Ha‘ikū Stairs
The “Stairway to Heaven” in Hawaii, officially known as the Ha‘ikū Stairs, is being dismantled after being closed to the public since 1987. Built by the U.S. Navy during World War II, the stairway consists of nearly 4,000 steps winding through a steep mountainside more than 2,800 feet above sea level.
Despite being off-limits, the trail has continued to attract thrill seekers, exacerbated by social media, according to the Honolulu City Council.
The council has initiated a $2.5 million removal process expected to last at least six months.
Native nations take on Big Tech in name of teen mental health
Two U.S. tribal nations are taking on Big Tech. The Spirit Lake Tribe in Los Angeles and Menominee Tribe in Wisconsin filed a lawsuit against Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Google and YouTube. The plaintiffs claim that these platforms are preying on their youth, contributing to high suicide rates among Native American teens.
The tribes said that Big Tech purposefully hooks teens and keeps them glued to their screens with addictive design mechanisms. Advocates said that Native American teens are especially vulnerable to the negative health effects of these platforms. These habits, the tribes claim, led to an increase in teen suicide.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Native American teen youth have a markedly higher rate of suicide in their communities, up to four times the youth suicide rates as other demographics.
Spirit Lake’s chairperson said “endless scrolling” is “rewiring the brains of our teenagers.”
The plaintiffs argue that these social media platforms are dumping a massive burden on tribal communities, already dealing with scarce mental health care access and historical traumas.
The lawsuit aims to force platforms to change the design choices, particularly those which contribute to addictive behaviors in teens. The plaintiffs also want great accountability from social media companies to safeguard the mental well-being of Native American youth.
According to the Pew Research Center, virtually all U.S. teens use social media. Around one-sixth of teens report their social media use to be “almost constant.”
It’s not just tribes taking action, a growing number of U.S. school districts, states and cities are pursuing lawsuits against Big Tech. In Congress, a bipartisan group of senators is pushing the Kids Online Safety Act, requiring platform design changes to prevent harm to children’s mental health. The tech industry opposes the bill and the American Civil Liberties Union has raised censorship concerns.
Google responded to the lawsuit by the two tribes, stating that the allegations “are simply not true.”
War for social media superiority: TikTok to launch rival app to Instagram
The fight to win over more users is on between TikTok and Instagram. In March, it was uncovered that TikTok was working on a rival to Instagram, and now it has a name: TikTok Notes.
The new name started to pop up as some users received notifications announcing photo posts would be shown on TikTok Notes. The notification states users can opt out, according to images shared on social media.
No release date has been announced for TikTok Notes yet, but TikTok did confirm the existence of TikTok Notes to TechCrunch in a statement.
According to the statement, TikTok is “exploring ways to empower our community to create and share their creativity with photos and text in dedicated space for those formats.”
TikTok’s expected launch of its new app follows Instagram recently launched “Reels,” a short-form video feature, similar to TikTok’s scrolling feed.
Meta and ByteDance — the parent companies of Instagram and TikTok, respectively — are in a battle for users.
TikTok is still seeing growth despite efforts in Congress to ban the platform. The Pew Research Center also found that a third of American adults use TikTok, and although Instagram has more users, those on TikTok spend more time on the platform.
Lawmakers from House, Senate unveil bipartisan online privacy bill
Two key lawmakers, Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell and Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, introduced the bipartisan American Privacy Rights Act Sunday, April 7, aiming to set “clear, national data privacy rights and protections for Americans.” The proposed legislation seeks to limit how companies can utilize personal information, enable individuals to opt out of targeted advertising, and provide a legal avenue for people to sue those who breach their privacy.
“A federal data privacy law must do two things: it must make privacy a consumer right, and it must give consumers the ability to enforce that right,” said Cantwell. “Working in partnership with Representative McMorris Rodgers, our bill does just that. This bipartisan agreement is the protections Americans deserve in the Information Age.”
“This bipartisan, bicameral draft legislation is the best opportunity we’ve had in decades to establish a national data privacy and security standard that gives people the right to control their personal information,” a joint statement read.
If enacted, the bill would create a national privacy standard, surpassing any existing state laws, and give Americans enhanced control over their personal data, including the ability to prevent companies from distributing or selling their information.
Cantwell emphasized that the bill aims to empower Americans over their own information and curb Big Tech’s exploitation of user data for profit.
Currently a draft, the bill has not been formally introduced in Congress.
Senate chairman says Congress ‘hardly up to the challenge’ of regulating AI
A newly released report commissioned by the State Department said artificial intelligence is creating entirely new categories of “weapons of mass destruction-like” risks. Those risks, according to the report, include catastrophic events that could lead to human extinction.
The report also warns of the potential consequences if the U.S. government fails to regulate AI.
“The prospect of inadequate security at frontier AI labs raises the risk that the world’s most advanced AI systems could be stolen from their U.S. developers and then weaponized against U.S. interests,” the report said.
According to Time, which first published the report, the authors make policy proposals to prevent these negative outcomes. The policy proposals include making it illegal to train AI models using more than a certain level of computing power, making it illegal to publish the inner workings of AI models under open source licenses, and tightening controls on the manufacture and export of AI chips.
Multiple members of Congress said those ideas sound viable. However, there are major hurdles to making that happen.
First, as the report states, “development in AI is now so rapid that an ordinary policymaking process could be overtaken by events by the time the resulting policies take effect.”
Lawmakers admit that they’re learning about AI as they go, so there is a curve to overcome before they can write effective legislation.
The committees of Congress that are given the responsibility of viewing AI are hardly up to the challenge and the task in terms of their own knowledge and information available to them.
Sen. Dick Durbin
“I’m not an expert in the area and that’s one of the problems,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said. “The committees of Congress that are given the responsibility of viewing AI are hardly up to the challenge and the task in terms of their own knowledge and information available to them. You know, that’s what has bothered me the most when you give this assignment to Congress, you have to be prepared for a long lead in period.”
The second hurdle is Big Tech opposition. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said Big Tech has too much influence in Congress and it will try to squash legislation that isn’t in their favor.
“Do you think any AI legislation is going to see any time of day on the Senate floor,” Hawley questioned. “Not in this Senate. Because why? Who owns the AI technology and is developing it? The same mega corporations, Google, Microsoft, Meta, you know, TikTok, probably, too. I mean, these guys, if they don’t want it, it doesn’t see time on the Senate floor. It doesn’t matter who’s in charge. Democrats, Republicans, doesn’t matter. All of them bought and paid for by these corporations.”
Hawley, along with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., have a bipartisan framework for AI legislation which would establish a licensing regime administered by an independent oversight body and ensure legal accountability for harms.
Blumenthal pointed out the third hurdle: the U.S. is already behind in its AI capabilities. He said prime examples are the chips and semiconductors in Russian weapons used against Ukraine.
“The Ukrainians are finding Russian chips, AI components, that are now a fact of modern warfare,” Blumenthal said. “[AI] is exploding exponentially in its defense uses and ought to deeply concern, in fact, gravely frighten the American people because we are falling behind in AI technology, particularly in defense uses and it’s a matter of national security.”
There are more than 75 AI-related bill proposals in Congress right now.