CyberTechMag

Greg Bensinger / Reuters : Sources: Cruise does not expect to see its robotaxis on city streets again until Q4 2024 and is considering Houston and Dallas as likely cities for a relaunch   —  General Motors' (GM.N) Cruise self-driving car unit faces a trip that could last the better part of this year to convince regulators … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/Y23gcv1 via IFTTT

Dean Seal / Wall Street Journal : The US DOJ says eBay agreed to pay $59M to settle allegations that it violated the Controlled Substances Act by allowing sales of pill presses and other items   —  Justice Department says eBay has also agreed to enhance its compliance program  —  EBay will pay $59 million to settle … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/zjgt6Iq via IFTTT

Sam Kessler / CoinDesk : Block begins layoffs under a previously disclosed plan to cut staff by up to 10%, by imposing an “absolute cap” of a 12,000 headcount, which was 13,000 in Q3'23   —  The company plans to drastically reduce its headcount throughout 2024 through a series of layoffs and reorganizing measures. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/aQ52O6P via IFTTT

Paige Smith / Bloomberg : In a letter to employees, PayPal says it plans to lay off around 2,500 employees, or about 9% of its workforce, and will cut back on open roles   —  - CEO Alex Chriss has vowed to improve operating leverage  — Latest round of cuts will affect about 9% of the workforce from Techmeme https://ift.tt/8ad5BAx via IFTTT

Brody Ford / Bloomberg : Adobe says it has “no plans to further invest” in its XD web-design product, which it put in “maintenance mode” at the outset of its now-scrapped Figma deal   —  - “No plans to further invest” in XD program, company says  — Future product design features will be through partnerships from Techmeme https://ift.tt/PoKwQzs via IFTTT

Todd Bishop / GeekWire : A Microsoft engineer tells WA's AG he found ways to exploit DALL-E 3 to make explicit images, reported it, but was then told to take down a public post about it   —  A Microsoft AI engineering leader says he discovered vulnerabilities in OpenAI's DALL-E 3 image generator in early December allowing users … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/oQ2hFwy via IFTTT

This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here . Hi, Taylor. I can only imagine how you must be feeling after sexually explicit deepfake videos of you  went viral on X . Disgusted. Distressed, perhaps. Humiliated, even.  I’m really sorry this is happening to you. Nobody deserves to have their image exploited like that. But if you aren’t already, I’m asking you to be furious.  Furious that this is happening to you and so many other women and marginalized people around the world. Furious that our current laws are woefully inept at protecting us from violations like this. Furious that men (because let’s face it, it’s mostly men doing this) can violate us in such an intimate way and walk away unscathed and unidentified. Furious that the companies that enable this material to be created and shared widely face no consequences either, and can profit off such a horrendous use of their t...

Chance Miller / 9to5Mac : Zoom details its visionOS app, which will support 3D file sharing, “real-world pinning” of up to five meeting participants, Apple's Persona feature, and more   —  As promised, Zoom will be available on Apple Vision Pro from day one.  Ahead of Vision Pro's launch on Friday … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/QAstgPf via IFTTT

Josh Ye / Reuters : China has approved more than 40 large language models for public use since authorities began the approval process in August 2023; 14 were approved last week   —  China has approved more than 40 artificial intelligence (AI) models for public use in the first six months since authorities began … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/v6ERg8V via IFTTT

David Pierce / The Verge : The Browser Company releases Arc Search, an iOS browser with a feature that takes a user's query, browses the web, and builds a custom webpage to answer it   —  A few minutes ago, I opened the new Arc Search app and typed, “What happened in the Chiefs game.”  That game, the AFC Championship, had just wrapped up. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/J9Dtim8 via IFTTT

Jennifer Maas / Variety : A look at Warner Bros. Discovery's push to expand its gaming division with live services and mobile games, by leveraging its franchises like Game of Thrones   —  David Zaslav's most critical mission is leading Warner Bros. Discovery through the streaming wars. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/kVQNpSr via IFTTT

Thomas Claburn / The Register : Q&A with Simon Willison, Django co-creator and an influential observer of AI software, on copyright concerns over AI, open-source AI models, LLMs, and more   —  Code assistance is like having a weird intern who memorized the docs  —  AI SOFTWARE WEEK Simon Willison … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2Cwpsvm via IFTTT

Bloomberg : Sources: DJ Novotney, an Apple VP of hardware engineering who led work on home devices and helped start Apple's electric vehicle project, is leaving for Rivian   —  - DJ Novotney, VP of hardware, helped start Apple's car project  — Apple has seen multiple senior leaders leave in recent months from Techmeme https://ift.tt/LK3q4Gz via IFTTT

Tim Harford / Financial Times : With high-stakes elections in 2024, some experts are worried that a piece of disinformation potentially involving a deepfake might soon have a calamitous impact   —  It's only a matter of time before disinformation leads to disaster  —  Not long after Eric Hebborn was murdered … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/XdxgpIP via IFTTT

Joel Khalili / Wired : In his new book, a16z VC Chris Dixon argues blockchain is a morally neutral tech that regulators must differentiate from the crypto industry's casino culture   —  In his new book Read Write Own, investor Chris Dixon mounts a defense of blockchain, arguing it can save society from the monopoly power of tech giants. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/79cOZHr via IFTTT

Jonathan Randles / Bloomberg : FTX is unloading cryptoassets as bankruptcy advisers look to repay customers; filings: its affiliates' cash pile grew from $2.3B in October to $4.4B at 2023 end   —  - Cash of key affiliates rose to about $4.4 billion at end-2023  — Increased cash coincided with rising value of customer claims from Techmeme https://ift.tt/YDxz8MO via IFTTT

Damien Geradin / The Platform Law Blog : Apple's changes for iOS app distribution in the EU fail to offer fair and reasonable commissions and show disdain for both the DMA and app developers   —  Yesterday, Apple made an important announcement regarding changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the European Union in response to the Digital Markets Act ("DMA"). from Techmeme https://ift.tt/U02mKJl via IFTTT

Dan Goodin / Ars Technica : A look at Midnight Blizzard, also known as Cozy Bear, a Russia-linked hacking group that has allegedly recently hacked the email systems of Microsoft and HPE   —  Hacks by Kremlin-backed group continue to hit hard.  —  Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) said Wednesday that Kremlin-backed actors hacked … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/euCZgTN via IFTTT

Zac Hall / 9to5Mac : Apple plans to allow third-party default browsers and web engines, including Chrome, in the EU with iOS 17.4, prompting users on the first launch of Safari   —  Apple is making major changes to how web browsers can operate on iPhone for customers in the EU. iOS 17.4 will introduce the ability … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/0PWurUi via IFTTT

Hugh Son / CNBC : Klarna launches Klarna Plus, a $7.99/month subscription plan in the US, with waived service fees when using its One Time Card, double rewards points, and more   —  - Swedish fintech firm Klarna is launching a monthly subscription plan in the U.S. to lock in its heaviest users ahead … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/5Vc7iwg via IFTTT

Tom Warren / The Verge : Nvidia's RTX GPUs can now upgrade SDR video to HDR using AI, supported in both Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome on Windows PCs with HDR enabled   —  Nvidia is launching a new feature for all RTX GPU owners today: RTX Video HDR. … You just need an HDR10-compatible monitor with HDR enabled in Windows. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/dwiF4Zf via IFTTT

Ash Parrish / The Verge : Twitch changes the Prime Gaming subscription payout model to a fixed rate, expands the Partner Plus Program, and removes the $100K cap for 70/30 revenue share   —  Twitch is making big monetization changes again in an attempt to make a more sustainable system, lowering earnings in some places and raising them in others. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/uUG06s2 via IFTTT

Sarah Whitten / CNBC : Netflix reports Q4 revenue up 12.5% YoY to $8.83B vs. $8.71B est., global paid memberships up 12.8% to 260.28M vs. 256M est., net income of $938M, up from $55M   —  - Netflix added 13.1 million subscribers during the fourth quarter.  — The company now has 260.8 million paid subscribers. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/S4gFjDT via IFTTT

Bloomberg : Supermicro stock has jumped 430%+ since early 2023 amid an AI frenzy, outpacing Nvidia and boosting the value of its founder's 12% stake, plus options, to $3.3B   —  - Charles Liang founded Super Micro in 1993 with wife Sara Liu  — Company's shares gained more than 430% since the start of 2023 from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2coN3j9 via IFTTT

Sean Hollister / The Verge : Framework Laptop 16 review: the modular system offers unprecedented customization, is competent at mid-range gaming, but ran hot, froze, and glitched in testing   —  The Framework Laptop 16 is the most ambitious notebook I've ever touched.  There's never been anything like it before. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/Z7ek1KB via IFTTT

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg : Sources: Apple pivots to a less ambitious design for its upcoming EV, from Level 4 autonomy to Level 2+, and pushes back its launch from 2026 to 2028 or later   —  - After board meetings, car downgraded to Level 2+ autonomy  — Company pushes back launch from 2026 to 2028 at the earliest from Techmeme https://ift.tt/W503QSg via IFTTT