government and public administration

Elon Musk wants to colonize Mars. Is that profitable?

13Dec

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Technology

Elon Musk wants to colonize Mars. Is that profitable?

Austin, TX CNN Business — Elon Musk has spent nearly two decades rallying SpaceX fans around his goal of colonizing Mars, something world governments aren’t currently attempting — in part because of the unfathomable price tag such a mission will entail. Musk, the company’s CEO and chief engineer, refers to his interplanetary ambitions more like a sci-fi protagonist with a moral calling than an entrepreneur with a disruptive business plan. “If there’s something terrible that happens on Earth, either made by humans or natural, we want to have, like, life insurance for life as a whole,” Musk said during a virtual Mars conference on Aug. 31. “Then, there’s the kind of excitement and adventure.” ...

iPhone 15 demand dips in China, analysts say

16Oct

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Technology

iPhone 15 demand dips in China, analysts say

CNN — Demand for Apple’s new iPhone 15 lineup is weaker in China than for last year’s models, according to analysts. Sales for the iPhone 15 are down 4.5% in China compared to iPhone 14 sales in the first two weeks after its launch, according to Counterpoint Research. Separately, Bloomberg reported on Monday financial firm Jefferies said iPhone 15 sales dropped by a double-digit percentage following strong customer demand for Huawei’s new Mate 60 smartphone line. Apple (AAPL) shares fell 0.08% following the reports. The reports come amid a floundering Chinese economy, a struggling housing market, and more competition among higher-end vendors in China, part...

Federal judge rips into Montana’s statewide TikTok ban in preliminary injunction hearing

15Oct

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Technology

Federal judge rips into Montana’s statewide TikTok ban in preliminary injunction hearing

CNN — A Montana federal judge on Thursday tore into a contested state law that bans TikTok from all personal devices, saying in a hearing that the legislation appears driven by “paternalistic” views of social media users and suggesting lawmakers could have taken many steps short of an attempted ban to achieve their goals. The sharp criticism of Montana’s legislature and attorney general comes as TikTok and a group of content creators on the platform have sought a ruling temporarily blocking the law. The legal battle is closely watched because it is viewed as a bellwether for TikTok’s future in the United States, where dozens of states and the US government have already banned the app on official ...

Federal appeals court expands limits on Biden administration communications with social media companies

4Oct

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Technology

Federal appeals court expands limits on Biden administration communications with social media companies

Washington CNN — A federal appeals court has expanded the scope of a ruling that limits the Biden administration’s communications with social media companies, saying it now also applies to a top US cybersecurity agency. The ruling last month from the conservative 5th Circuit US Court of Appeals severely limits the ability of the White House, the surgeon general, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FBI to communicate with social media companies about content related to Covid-19 and elections that the government views as misinformation. The preliminary injunction had been on pause and a recent procedural snafu over a request from the plaintiffs in the case to broaden its sc...

X, formerly known as Twitter, scraps political misinformation reporting feature

1Oct

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Technology

X, formerly known as Twitter, scraps political misinformation reporting feature

CNN — X, the social media company formerly known as Twitter, has scrapped a feature that lets users self-report political misinformation on the platform, a research group says, marking the latest safety-focused guardrail that X has rolled back since billionaire Elon Musk took the helm. The move was first spotted by an Australia-based digital policy think tank, Reset Australia. The group of researchers sent an open letter to X warning of the potential harms this can cause as it came just weeks ahead of a major referendum vote on whether to change the Australian constitution to establish an Indigenous advisory group with a direct line to government. “There now appears to be no channel to report ele...

Biden teases forthcoming executive order on AI

30Sep

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Technology

Biden teases forthcoming executive order on AI

CNN — The White House plans to introduce a highly anticipated executive order in the coming weeks dealing with artificial intelligence, President Joe Biden said Wednesday. “This fall, I’m going to take executive action, and my administration is going to continue to work with bipartisan legislation,” Biden said, “so America leads the way toward responsible AI innovation.” Biden offered no details on the contents of the coming order, which the White House had first announced in July. But his remarks offer greater insight into his administration’s timing. Biden’s signing of the order would build on an earlier administration proposal for an “AI Bill of Rights.” Civil society groups have u...

The US government and 17 states sues Amazon in landmark monopoly case

26Sep

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Technology

The US government and 17 states sues Amazon in landmark monopoly case

CNN — The US government and 17 states are suing Amazon in a landmark monopoly case reflecting years of allegations that the e-commerce giant abused its economic dominance and harmed fair competition. The groundbreaking lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission and 17 attorneys general marks the government’s sharpest attack yet against Amazon, a company that started off selling books on the internet but has since become known as “the everything store,” expanding into selling a vast range of consumer products, creating a globe-spanning logistics network and becoming a powerhouse in other technologies such as cloud computing. The 172-page complaint alleges Amazon unfairly promotes its own platform a...

Huawei wants to go all in on AI in first strategy update in a decade, says Meng Wanzhou

21Sep

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Technology

Huawei wants to go all in on AI in first strategy update in a decade, says Meng Wanzhou

Editor’s Note: Sign up for CNN’s Meanwhile in China newsletter which explores what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Hong Kong CNN — Huawei has joined the list of companies that want to be all about artificial intelligence. For the first time in about 10 years, the Chinese tech and telecoms giant announced its new strategic direction on Wednesday, saying it would shift its focus to AI. Previously, the company had prioritized cloud computing and intellectual property, respectively, over two decade-long periods. Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s rotating chairwoman and chief financial officer, made the announcement in Shanghai during a company event. “As...

Elon Musk should be forced to testify on X’s ‘chaotic environment,’ US regulator tells court

18Sep

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Technology

Elon Musk should be forced to testify on X’s ‘chaotic environment,’ US regulator tells court

Washington CNN — Elon Musk should be forced to testify in an expansive US government probe of X, the company formerly known as Twitter, the US government said. The government said mass layoffs and other decisions Musk made raised questions about X’s ability to comply with the law and to protect users’ privacy. The US government’s attempt to compel Musk’s testimony is the latest turn in an investigation that predates Musk’s acquisition of X that has intensified due to Musk’s own actions, according to a court filing by the Justice Department on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission. The court filing dated Monday cites depositions with multiple former X executives, including its former ch...

Chuck Schumer hosts tech companies Google, Meta, Microsoft, and X over AI regulations including Chat GPT

13Sep

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Technology

Chuck Schumer hosts tech companies Google, Meta, Microsoft, and X over AI regulations including Chat GPT

Washington CNN — Some of the most influential voices in the tech industry are set to meet with federal lawmakers Wednesday morning as the US Senate prepares to draw up legislation regulating the fast-moving artificial intelligence industry. Among those attending the in-person event will be the CEOs of Anthropic, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, Palantir and X, the company formerly known as Twitter. The guest list also includes Bill Gates, the former CEO of Microsoft, and Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, along with leading officials from the entertainment industry, civil rights groups and labor organizations. Wednesday’s meeting and its expected all-star cast marks the first of ...