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☆ Loss, pain, harm: Grieving parents set the tone at this week’s tech CEOs hearing. It could change things
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Wednesday’s online youth safety hearing with some of the world’s leading social media CEOs was unlike the many that came before it in recent years. During the hearing, Zuckerberg and Spiegel, along with the CEOs of TikTok, Discord and X, also faced calls to meet with the families affected by their platforms. And Wednesday night, after the event, some parents said the apologies did not go far enough. X CEO Linda Yaccarino thanked the “parents, families, and young people” who attended the hearing in a post on the platform. “We just saw yesterday the extent of the damage that this has done, these platforms have done,” he said.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, Zuckerberg, Spiegel, Bridget Norring, “, Joe Benarroch, Linda Yaccarino, ”, ” Clint Smith, ” Snap’s Spiegel, Charlie, Connecticut Democrat Sen, Richard Blumenthal, ” Minnesota Democrat Sen, Amy Klobuchar, they’d, New York Democrat Sen, Chuck Schumer, …, Schumer, ” Sam Chapman, Missouri Republican Sen, Josh Hawley, Dick Durbin, Hawley, we’re, –, Brian Fung, Morgan Rimmer Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, ”, Meta, Connecticut Democrat, ” Minnesota Democrat, New York Democrat, Missouri Republican, Democratic Locations: New York, Snapchat, Connecticut, ” Minnesota

☆ Meta stock surges 14%. Investors are loving its first-ever dividend
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

And it offered a sweetener for investors, sending its stock surging. “We intend to pay a cash dividend on a quarterly basis going forward,” the company said in a release. The news sent Meta (META) shares popping more than 14% in after-hours trading Thursday. For the full year in 2023, Meta’s profits grew 69% year-over-year to $39 billion, the company reported Thursday. As of Thursday’s closing bell, Meta’s stock had gained 109% since this time last year.

Persons: Meta’s, Zuckerberg, Meta, “, ”, Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram, ” Zuckerberg Organizations: New, New York CNN, Wall, Capitol Hill, Facebook Locations: New York

Co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc. Evan Spiegel attends the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child sexual exploitation at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, on January 31. In prepared testimony reviewed by CNN, Spiegel will say that on average, most Snapchat users connect directly with their friends. "We designed Snapchat to open into the camera, instead of a content feed, to encourage creativity instead of passive consumption," Spiegel will testify. "When people share their Story with friends on Snapchat there are no public likes or comments." A California judge recently ruled that Snap must face a lawsuit over children's fentanyl purchases linked to the app.

Persons: Evan Spiegel, Nathan Howard, Spiegel, Connecticut Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Tennessee Republican Sen, Marsha Blackburn Organizations: Snap Inc, U.S . Capitol, Reuters, CNN, Connecticut Democratic, Tennessee Republican Locations: Washington, California

☆ Big Tech executives to appear at Senate hearing to defend social media’s impact on teens
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Brian Fung | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Zuckerberg is expected to tout the company’s more than 30 safety controls, according to prepared testimony released ahead of the hearing. In recent weeks, Meta has also begun hiding more “age-inappropriate” content in teens’ feeds and restricting teens from receiving direct messages from people they don’t follow. Ideally, Clegg said, Zuckerberg would authorize as many as 124 new hires, but acknowledged that financial pressures could make it difficult. After months of radio silence from Zuckerberg, Clegg tried to follow up, this time with a slimmed-down proposal that envisioned either 25 new hires or, if even that was infeasible, just seven. “This would be the bare minimum needed to meet basic policymaker inquiries,” Clegg wrote to Zuckerberg on Nov. 10, 2021.

Persons: “ We’re, ” Connecticut Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel, Rosemarie Calvoni, Meta, Calvoni, ”, ” Calvoni, Arturo Béjar, ’, Tennessee Republican Sen, Marsha Blackburn, Sheryl Sandberg, Global Affairs Nick Clegg, Clegg —, —, Clegg, ” Clegg, Sandberg, “ Organizations: Washington CNN, Meta, Twitter, ” Connecticut Democratic, Facebook, Blumenthal, Tennessee Republican, Global Affairs Locations: ” Connecticut, Massachusetts

☆ She says she gave birth to a child after a Lyft driver raped her in 2019. Now she’s suing
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Clare Duffy | Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Orlando, Florida CNN —A Florida woman sued Lyft earlier this month, alleging that she was raped by her Lyft driver in 2019 and that the assault resulted in the birth of her third child. Separately, at least a handful of Lyft drivers accused of sexual assault have been convicted in criminal cases. Genetic testing later confirmed with “99.9999999998%” certainty that the Lyft driver is the child’s father, according to the complaint. The Lyft driver rolled down the passenger side window, and Plaintiff confirmed the Lyft driver was there for her,” the complaint states. Lyft’s continuous criminal record monitoring began in April 2019, the month of Means’ alleged rape.

Persons: Lyft, Tabatha Means, “, Uber —, Uber, ” Lyft, ” Means, Means, she’d, ” Tabatha, John General, Deborah Brunswick, ” Rachel Abrams, Peiffer Wolf, ” Abrams, wouldn’t, … I’ve, ”, Abrams, ’ Organizations: Florida CNN, CNN, Court, ADT, Social, US, Department, RAINN Locations: Orlando, Florida, California

☆ Kids aren’t safe on social media, lawmakers say. Tech CEOs are back in DC this week to pledge (again) that they’ll handle it
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Brian Fung | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Until now, the social platforms have largely had the same response: We’ll help teens and families make smart decisions themselves. But now, with growing claims that social media can hurt young users, including worries that it risks driving them to depression or even suicide, online safety advocates say that response falls far short. This month Meta announced a proposed blueprint for federal legislation calling for app stores, not social media companies, to verify users’ ages and enforce an age minimum. Safety action beyond CongressAs efforts to rein in tech platforms have ground to a standstill on Capitol Hill, much of the momentum for regulating social media has picked up outside the halls of Congress. Elsewhere, state-backed and consumer lawsuits against the companies are ramping up pressure to regulate tech platforms as the litigation reveals more about their inner workings.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Linda Yaccarino, Evan Spiegel, Jason Citron, ”, Jeff Chester, TikTok, ’, Meta, ’ Instagram, Frances Haugen, Josh Golin, Zamaan Qureshi, Qureshi, Elon Musk, X, ” Golin Organizations: CNN, —, Center for Digital Democracy, Meta, Center, ” Locations: —, Arkansas , Louisiana , Ohio , Utah, Austin , Texas

☆ 5 huge challenges facing Apple this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Behind in generative AI. A recent Reuters report noted iPhone sales in China dropped 30% in the first week of the year amid pressure from rival Huawei. Still, Barclays downgraded Apple stock earlier this month citing disappointing iPhone 15 sales in China and softening demand for the latest iPhone. Apple also faces challenges around the upcoming rollout of the Vision Pro headset, which will be its riskiest product launch in years. Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., speaks during a launch event for the new Apple iPhone 15 at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on September 12, 2023.

Persons: ”, David McQueen, ALY, Dan Ives, Apple, Justin Sullivan, Jitesh, IDC –, that’s, It’s, Siri, McQueen, “, Ming Yeung, Tim Cook, Nic Coury, hasn’t, Brian Fung, Clare Duffy Organizations: CNN, Microsoft, Apple, ABI Research, Huawei, Reuters, Apple Watch, International Trade Commission, IDC, Meta, Google, Samsung, Mac, Barclays, Apple Inc, Getty, EU, Markets, Epic Locations: China, Shanghai, Cupertino , California, Milan, Italy, AFP

☆ Hewlett Packard Enterprise reveals hack by Russian state actor
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

New York CNN —Tech firm Hewlett Packard Enterprise says its cloud-based email systems were breached by the same Russian hacking group that compromised some Microsoft email accounts earlier this month. Hewlett Packard Enterprise, also known as HPE, revealed the breach in a securities filing last week. The incident took place on December 12, 2023, and affected “a small percentage of HPE mailboxes belonging to individuals in our cybersecurity, go-to-market, business segments, and other functions.”“The Company, with assistance from external cybersecurity experts, immediately activated our response process to investigate, contain, and remediate the incident, eradicating the activity,” HPE said in the filing. This is a developing story and will be updated.

Persons: “, ” HPE Organizations: New, New York CNN — Tech, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Locations: New York

☆ Mr. Beast posts video to X, receives thousands
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“MY FIRST X VIDEO MADE OVER $250,000!” MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, said in a post on the platform. He also shared what appeared to be a screenshot of X’s creator payment screen, showing the post had earned $263,655. But last week, MrBeast decided to test the X ad revenue sharing program by posting one of his old videos, about trying out various expensive cars, to the platform. Following his payment from X, MrBeast said in a post on the platform that he planned to give away the money he earned to “10 random people that repost this and follow me” on X. Progressive media watchdog Media Matters, for example, reported in November that an X user who had praised Adolf Hitler had posted about receiving around $3,000 in payouts from X’s ad revenue sharing program.

Persons: Influencer MrBeast, MrBeast, Jimmy Donaldson, Elon Musk, —, ”, Musk, Logan Paul, Charli, Dan Bongino, he’d, Adolf Hitler Organizations: New, New York CNN, Meta, YouTube, ’, X, Progressive, Media Locations: New York

☆ eBay is laying off 1,000 employees, about 9% of its staff
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —eBay is cutting 1,000 roles, about 9% of its full-time employees, the company’s CEO announced online Tuesday. CEO Jamie Iannone cited the “challenging macroeconomic environment” as an external pressure but added that there are factors the company can control. “We’re committed to treating everyone with respect and empathy through this transition and providing impacted employees with support and resources,” Iannone said. The eBay action is the latest round of layoffs to hit the tech industry in the first month of 2024, after an already difficult 2023 for the sector. Almost 11,000 tech employees have been laid off at 63 companies so far in 2024, according to data from layoffs.fyi.

Persons: Jamie Iannone, Iannone, ”, “ We’re, ” Iannone, Sundar Pichai, ” Duolingo, Brian Fung, Jennifer Korn, Clare Duffy, Catherine Thorbecke Organizations: New, New York CNN, eBay, Google Locations: New York, layoffs.fyi

☆ Elon Musk claims X has less antisemitic content than peers, following visit to Auschwitz
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Elon Musk — who was widely criticized for an antisemitic post on his social media site, X, two months ago — said following a visit to Auschwitz Monday that X has less antisemitic content than other social media platforms. Musk made the comments during an interview at a conference hosted by the European Jewish Association near the site of the Auschwitz in Poland. It comes after Musk faced a firestorm of backlash over antisemitic content on X, including a post with an antisemitic conspiracy theory that Musk himself amplified (and later apologized for in the wake of condemnation.) Musk later apologized for the post, but told advertisers who halted their spending on X over concerns about antisemitic content to “go f**k” themselves. As part of Monday’s event, the billionaire appears to have made a visit to Auschwitz along with his young son.

Persons: New York CNN — Elon Musk, —, Musk, “ It’s, you’ve, ” Musk, we’ve, Whites, “, Elon Musk, Andrzej Rudiak, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Auschwitz, European Jewish Association, White, Defamation League, ADL Locations: New York, United States, Auschwitz, Poland, Israel, Nazi

☆ Children targeted with sexually explicit photos on Facebook and Instagram, lawsuit claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The lawsuit accuses Meta of creating a “breeding ground” for child predators. “The company determined that recruiting and exploiting (or advertising) victims for profit were the most common,” the complaint states. But New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has said the company needs to do more to protect children and teens. “Parents deserve to know the full truth about the risks children face when they use Meta’s platforms,” Torrez said in a statement. “For years, Meta employees tried to sound the alarm about how decisions made by Meta executives subjected children to dangerous solicitations and sexual exploitation.”

Persons: Meta, “, ”, Mark Zuckerberg, , ‘, We’ve, Liza Crenshaw, ” Crenshaw, “ Meta, they’ve, General Raúl Torrez, Torrez Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple, Facebook, IG, Meta, ”, National Center for, Audit, Force Locations: New York, New Mexico

☆ Sheryl Sandberg to leave Meta board
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Former longtime Meta chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg will not remain on the company’s board of directors after her term ends in May, she said in a Facebook post Wednesday. “With a heart filled with gratitude and a mind filled with memories, I let the Meta board know that I will not stand for reelection this May,” Sandberg said in the post. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Sandberg’s decision to leave the board. In partnership with Zuckerberg, Sandberg helped grow Facebook’s revenue from roughly $150 million in 2007 to more than $3.7 billion in 2011, the year before it went public. In 2022, the year Sandberg stepped down as COO, Meta posted total annual revenue of $116.6 billion.

Persons: Sheryl Sandberg, ” Sandberg, Sandberg, Mark Zuckerberg “, Sheryl, ” Zuckerberg, ”, Meta, Bill Clinton, Zuckerberg, “ Sheryl architected, Riley Gutiérrez McDermid, Brian Fung, Rishi Iyengar Organizations: New, New York CNN, Meta, Facebook, Lean, Google, World Bank, Treasury Department Locations: New York, reorient

☆ Apple Watch imports banned in America - again
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —A federal appeals court has denied Apple’s motion to temporarily pause a ban on imports of advanced models of the Apple Watch and the ban will be reinstated on Thursday, according to a Wednesday court filing. Apple had requested a stay on the ban while it appealed a US International Trade Commission ruling that went into effect last month. That ITC order prevented Apple from importing the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, among other newer models, to the United States because they violate patents registered to another company. However, Apple will have a workaround: The company earlier this month received approval from US Customs and Border Protection to continue importing a redesigned version of the most advanced Apple watches. Apple Watch ban sagaThe import ban stems from an October ITC ruling that the pulse oximeter feature in the advanced Apple Watch models violated a patent belonging to California company Masimo.

Persons: Apple, Wednesday’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple Watch, International Trade Commission, Apple, US Customs, Protection, ITC, Customs Locations: New York, United States, California

☆ Apple has an approved fix to get around the Watch ban. Customers may not like it
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( David Goldman | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Apple has received approval to change the way its smartwatches function so the company can overcome the Apple Watch ban imposed by a US court. Masimo’s attorney said that although the proceeding itself is confidential, he confirmed that the government had no objection to Apple importing the Apple Watch as long as it did not contain that pulse oximeter functionality. Apple had successfully sued to temporarily block a US International Trade Commission ruling that prevents Apple from importing the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, among other newer models, because they violate Masimo’s patents. Apple had said it “strongly disagrees” with the ban and pledged to “take all measures” to bring the Apple Watch back to US customers soon. Apple has routinely marketed its smartwatch as a life-saving device, which has helped launch the Apple Watch into the stratosphere, making it the most popular watch sold around the world.

Persons: New York CNN — Apple, Joseph R, Apple, “, Masimo, preemptively Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple Watch, Apple, Masimo, US Customs, Border Protection, US International Trade Commission, Sales Locations: New York, Irvine , California, United States

☆ Snapchat to let parents decide whether their teens can use the app’s AI chatbot
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Snapchat will now give parents the option to block their teens from interacting with the app’s “My AI” chatbot following some questions about the tool’s safety for young people. Thursday’s announcement is part of a broader set of additions to Snapchat’s parental oversight tool Family Center. The changes are just the latest updates to Family Center, which lets parents supervise the behavior of 13- to 17-year-old users. Snapchat will now let parents decide whether their teen can chat with the app's My AI chatbot. The platform is also aiming to make Family Center easier to find.

Persons: New York CNN — Snapchat, Snapchat, ”, Evan Spiegel, Spiegel Organizations: New, New York CNN, Family, Center, YouTube, Google, Meta Locations: New York

☆ Amazon will cut hundreds of jobs, including at game streaming firm Twitch
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Clare Duffy | Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Amazon on Wednesday cut hundreds of jobs across two different business units: streaming platform Twitch and its film and television studios division. Amazon is cutting “several hundred” roles across Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, according to an internal note shared with CNN. In addition, video game streaming company Twitch, which is owned by the tech giant, said Wednesday it is laying off 500 workers as part of ongoing cost-cutting efforts. Wednesday’s announcement comes after Twitch laid off 400 workers in March of last year as part of broader cuts at parent company Amazon. The layoffs point to ongoing challenges at Twitch, although Amazon does not break out specific results for the unit.

Persons: Mike Hopkins, “, ”, Hopkins, Dan Clancy, Twitch, we’ve, ” Clancy, Clancy, Dataminr Organizations: New, New York CNN, Amazon, Amazon MGM Studios, CNN, MGM, Amazon Prime, Bloomberg, Google, Spotify Locations: New York

☆ Ads for Match Group and Walmart ran alongside disturbing content on Meta’s platforms, court documents claim
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Wednesday’s filing alleges that Match Group cut its advertising spending on Meta’s platforms over its concerns. Wednesday’s complaint cites an alleged email exchange between Match and Meta late last year in which the dating company asked how Meta prevented its ads from running next to inappropriate content. Meta responded saying it had removed some of the flagged content, including the group, the complaint states. Former Facebook employee-turned-whistleblower Arturo Bejar also told a Senate subcommittee in November that Meta’s top executives, including Zuckerberg, ignored warnings for years about harm to teens on its platforms. Zuckerberg and Meta are refusing to be honest and transparent about what is taking place on Meta’s platforms,” Torrez said in a statement to CNN Wednesday.

Persons: General Raúl Torrez, Torrez, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, ” Meta, Andy Stone, “, we’ve, provocatively, Harley Davidson, ”, Zuckerberg, Arturo Bejar, Mr, Meta’s Stone Organizations: New, New York CNN, Group, Walmart, Meta, CNN, Wall, Facebook, Wednesday Locations: New York, New Mexico, Mexico, “, TikTok

☆ TikTok is pushing longer videos. Some creators worry about the vibe shift
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-16 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But now, the short-form video pioneer is changing course and pushing users to make and consume longer videos. “I think TikTok is now [thinking], ‘We need to show [advertisers] that we can keep people staying on one video longer,’” Stein said. Consumers are also more likely to sit through a pre-roll ad for a video longer than one-minute than a video that’s nearly the same length as the ad itself. The company also says it recommends longer videos the same way it does shorter ones, based on user preferences rather than video length. She said that even when making relatively simple “storytime” videos, where she’s just sitting and talking to the camera, making videos longer than 1-minute means investing significant time and effort.

Persons: TikTok, — it’s, ”, Nikki Apostolou, ” TikTok, Zachary Kizer, Krysten Stein, “, ” Stein, Scott Kessler, ’ ” Kessler, TikTok —, Aly Tabizon, “ I’m, I’ve, ” Tabizon, it’s, Tabizon, Aly Tabizon TikTok, Laura Riegle, Riegle, she’s, ” Riegle, ” Apostolou Organizations: New, New York CNN, Facebook, YouTube, University of Illinois, CNN Locations: New York, University of Illinois Chicago, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany

☆ Former Harvard disinformation scholar says she was pushed out of her job after college faced pressure from Facebook
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A nationally recognized online disinformation researcher has accused Harvard University of shutting the project she led to protect its relationship with mega-donor and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The allegations, made by Dr. Joan Donovan, raise questions about the influence the tech giant might have over seemingly independent research. Beginning in 2018, Dr. Donovan worked for the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and ran its Technology and Social Change Research Project, where she led studies of media manipulation campaigns. But last year Harvard informed Dr. Donovan it was shutting the project down, Donovan claims. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is the philanthropy run by Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, who both attended Harvard.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Joan Donovan, Donovan, Harvard University’s John F, Dr, Miguel Cardona, Chan, Chan Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, ” Libby Liu, Frances Haugen, “ We’ve, ” Liu Organizations: CNN, Harvard University, Meta, Shorenstein, Harvard University’s, Kennedy School of Government, Technology, Research, Harvard, US Education, University, Initiative, The Washington Post, Post, Big Energy, Big Pharma

☆ The designer of the ‘Bushwick Birkin’ is rewriting the rules of fashion
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

By contrast, even the most expensive Shopping Bags often cost less than $300. Telfar Clemens at the CFDA x Vogue Fashion Fund 'Americans in Paris' event, Paris Fashion Week, France in March 2018. Maker of the ‘Bushwick Birkin’“This Telfar bag imported. The Covid-19 pandemic sent the popularity of the Shopping Bag to new heights — new bag releases announced online sold out in minutes. ‘For everyone’In 2015, Telfar had an unusual partner at New York Fashion Week: fast-food chain White Castle.

Persons: Bella Hadid, Alexandria Ocasio, “ Abbott, they’re, Birkin, ”, Telfar Clemens —, ” Clemens, Clemens, He’s, Telfar, Telfar Clemens, Hagop Kalaidjian, Clemens “, Lois Sakany, Beyoncé, Gonzalo Marroquin, Patrick McMullan, Solange Knowles, David X Prutting, Bushwick Birkin, —, Adrienne Jones, Samia Laaboudi, Edward Berthelot, Chanel, Laticha Brown, ’, Robert F, Kennedy, Babak Radboy, “, It’s, Elliott Jerome Brown Jr, ” Sakany, Sakany, Pratt’s Jones, Radboy, ” Telfar, DiCianno, Jones, ” Jones, it’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Rep, ABC, Brooklyn, tote, Gay Times, Fund, Paris, CNN, Liberian, New York’s Pace University, Breakfast Club, of Fashion Designers of America, Vogue, Guggenheim Museum, ” Pratt Institute, Security, New York, Reuters, Analysts, Bag Security, Fashion Institute of Technology, White, Kennedy Human Rights Liberty, Justice Fund, Old, Fast Locations: New York, Alexandria, Cortez, Bushwick, Brooklyn, Paris, France, New York City, Liberian, Queens, Liberia, United States, USA, . Clemens

☆ Judge dismisses Indiana state’s lawsuit against TikTok over child safety concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the state of Indiana against TikTok accusing the company of making false claims about the safety of user data and age-appropriate content. Judge Jennifer DeGroote of Allen County Superior Court in Fort Wayne, Indiana, said the court “lacks personal jurisdiction” over TikTok and that downloading an app at no cost does not constitute a “consumer transaction” under the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, according to court documents. Similar lawsuits now remain active in other states including Arkansas and Utah. The lawsuit alleged TikTok attracts young people to its platform under the pretense that it’s safe yet still exposes them to inappropriate content including drug and alcohol use, nudity and profanity. Indiana was also one of the first states that ordered TikTok to be banned on government-issued devices, citing the threat of “gaining access to critical U.S. information and infrastructure.”- CNN’s Clare Duffy contributed to this report

Persons: CNN —, TikTok, Jennifer DeGroote, Todd Rokita, ”, Rokita, ” TikTok, “, Frances Haugen, CNN’s Clare Duffy Organizations: CNN, Superior Court, Associated Press, Indiana, TikTok, Big Tech, Communist Party, Instagram Locations: Indiana, Allen, Fort Wayne , Indiana, Arkansas, Utah

☆ How AI could power the climate breakthrough the world needs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Clare Duffy | Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The tool uses data on the climate, water and soil of a particular location to measure how viable the landscape will be for growing in the coming years. “The way we think about AI is it’s a time and effectiveness multiplier to the solutions for climate change,” Gupta told CNN. But for all of AI’s promise, the infrastructure that supports the technology — data centers filled with rows of powerful, energy-sucking computers — could itself be a strain on the environment. For now, the amount of energy used to power AI is relatively small compared to what’s consumed by transportation or buildings. Data center operators like Google are already thinking about how to reduce the resources needed to power the computing behind their AI models.

Persons: David Rind, ClimateAi, Himanshu Gupta, ” Gupta, ”, Fengqi, “, Kara Lamb, Aditya, Dan Keeler, ” Keeler, Anna Liljedahl, ” Liljedahl, Keeler, Daniel Leal, ClimateAi’s Gupta, Anna Robertson, ” Robertson, Alex de Vries, Alex Kraus, Adam Selipsky, —, Gupta Organizations: David Rind . New York CNN, Farmers, CNN, Cornell, Getty, Technology, Climate Research, Google, Bloomberg, Web Services, —, “ Regulators, ” Tech Locations: David Rind . New York, India, Maharashtra, Columbia, American, Ireland, Oregon, United States

☆ OpenAI’s wild week explained: How the Sam Altman story unfolded
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Diksha Madhok | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

ET, OpenAI publicly announced that it had fired Altman over concerns that he was not always truthful with the board. Sam Altman, left, appears onstage with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at OpenAI's first developer conference, on Nov. 6, 2023, in San Francisco. OpenAI’s board was also reportedly having second thoughts and considering asking the ousted CEO to return. Ultimately, Microsoft and Altman appear to be the big winners from the dust-up: Altman will continue leading the firm he helped to found. “We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board,” Nadella said on X.

Persons: Elon, Sam Altman —, —, OpenAI, ChatGPT, Altman, Ilya Sutskever, Greg Brockman, Mira Murati, Altman’s, “, what’s, ” Brockman, Kara Swisher, Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, Barbara Ortutay, Nadella, Brockman, Emmett Shear, Murati, ” Nadella, ”, Justin Sullivan, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Adam D’Angelo, Shear, … Organizations: New Delhi CNN, Valley Bank, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI's, Sunday, OpenAI, CNBC, Twitter Locations: New York, New Delhi, OpenAI, San Francisco, San Francisco , California

☆ The major companies still advertising on X despite Elon Musk’s antisemitic endorsement
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Oliver Darcy | Liam Reilly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But those assurances have rung hollow as advertisements have continued to be placed on accounts posting hate speech and conspiracy theories. “Elon introduced unique risks,” marketing industry veteran Lou Paskalis, the founder and chief executive of marketing consultancy AJL Advisory, told CNN. “It’s self-destructive for any advertiser to be associated with him,” Sonnenfeld told CNN. His endorsement of the post came as the progressive watchdog Media Matters issued a report that indicated advertisements for major brands appeared next to neo-Nazi hate speech on X. Legal experts have told CNN that the lawsuit is deeply flawed and could open the billionaire up to embarrassing revelations during the discovery process.

Persons: Elon Musk’s, Brian McCarthy, Musk, George Soros —, X, “ Elon, Lou Paskalis, ” Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, ” Sonnenfeld, ”, Ted Boutrous, Boutrous, ” CNN’s Clare Duffy Organizations: CNN, NFL, Walmart, State, The New York Times, Washington Post, The, Mondelēz International, Ritz Crackers, Twitter, Defamation League, Apple, Disney, IBM, Paramount, Fox Sports, Paris, Warner Bros ., AJL, Yale School of Management, Media, Media Matters, Ted Boutrous CNN Locations: Wendy’s, White

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