For months, Instagram has faced challenges in persuading parents, advocates, and officials that it is a safe environment for children, despite increasing evidence indicating otherwise. Now, the platform is rolling out another safety feature intended to protect teens. Yet, given its track record, parents remain skeptical.
Beginning this week, all users under 18 will automatically be categorized for ages 13+ and their feeds will be restricted to content suitable for the U.S. PG-13 movie rating.
However, Instagram’s previous unfulfilled commitments make this latest content restriction feel like mere window dressing—an illusion of action without genuine effectiveness.
The company has accrued substantial profits while advocacy groups have long cautioned against exposing minors to inappropriate content and individuals. $100 billion annually is what it reports in profits. Meta’s own estimates suggest that about 100,000 children using Facebook and Instagram face online sexual harassment daily. This is concerning, especially considering that as of July 2020, internal communications revealed that the measures to prevent child grooming on the platform were, at best, “between zero and negligible.” The lawsuit in New Mexico claims that Meta’s social networks, including Instagram, have essentially become a haven for child predators. (Meta refutes these core allegations, claiming the lawsuit is ‘unfair’.)
Last year, the firm finally enacted mandatory Instagram accounts for teenagers. However, a recent study led by a whistleblower revealed that 64% of the new safety features designed for teens were ineffective.
Research indicates that 47% of young teen users on Instagram encounter unsafe content, and 37% of users aged 13 to 15 receive at least one unsafe piece of content or unwanted message weekly. This includes “approximately 1 in 7 users viewing self-harm content, unwanted sexual content, discriminatory content, or substance-related content every week.”
“These failures showcase a corporate culture at Meta that prioritizes engagement and profit over safety,” stated Andy Burrows, CEO of the UK’s Molly Rose Foundation, which advocates for stronger online safety legislation, as part of the investigative team. BBC reported. A spokesperson for Meta countered that the study “misrepresents our commitment to empowering parents and protecting youth, and mischaracterizes the functionality of our safety tools and their use by millions of parents and youth.”
Concurrently, measures introduced last year followed a significant moment for Meta’s public perception. In January 2024, the leaders of the world’s major social media firms were summoned to the U.S. Senate to discuss their security policies. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg issued an apology to parents whose children allegedly endured harm from social media.
Despite Instagram’s lengthy struggle to address these concerns, it appears to continually place children at risk, only to issue apologies afterward. On Monday, Reuters reported that it has been found in company-specific research that teens who frequently felt negative about their bodies on Instagram encountered three times more “eating disorder-related content” than their peers. Alarmingly, technology companies and social media platforms have become so entrenched in everyday life that it’s nearly impossible to engage with society without them, particularly for children.
So, what is the resolution? Primarily, we must acknowledge online spaces as extensions of the real world, rather than merely digital counterparts. Social media platforms replicate real-life violence and can cause other tangible harms, putting children at a higher risk.
It’s essential for lawmakers to require these companies to incorporate safety measures into their design processes rather than treating them as an afterthought. Equally vital is for parents to educate their children on online safety, just as they would about physical safety in public.
The technology developed by these profit-driven companies is pervasive. If we cannot rely on them to safeguard our most vulnerable users, it falls upon us to ensure our own protection.
The dangers that alcohol presents to women’s health have escalated in the last two decades, as more women are drinking more frequently and in larger amounts.
Alcohol-related deaths among women have more than doubled from 1999 to 2020, and deaths due to alcohol-related hepatitis, which causes severe liver inflammation, have almost tripled among women during the same timeframe.
Recent research published this Wednesday in the medical journals Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology has also shown a rise in the risk of alcohol-related liver disease in women, encompassing various types of liver damage that stem from excessive alcohol consumption. Severe damage, known as cirrhosis, can progress to early-stage inflammation, ultimately leading to liver failure.
Women are more susceptible to alcohol-related liver disease than men due to several factors. One reason is that they typically have lower body weight and a higher body fat percentage, leading to elevated alcohol concentrations in the blood that the liver must process. Additionally, women naturally possess fewer enzymes called alcohol dehydrogenases, which assist in metabolizing alcohol, resulting in higher blood alcohol levels.
These biological differences, combined with a significant spike in alcohol use and conditions like bulimia, put women at a heightened risk for alcohol-related health issues.
“Historically, there have been differences in the prevalence rates of alcohol consumption between men and women. Essentially, that gap has now narrowed, with the male-to-female drinking ratio nearing one-to-one,” stated Shelley McKee, director of the Yale Score Program on Gender Differences in Alcohol Use Disorders.
McKee noted that shifting lifestyles have led to increased alcohol consumption among women. Today’s young adults drink less than previous generations, yet more women are enrolling in college than men. This trend is typically linked to an uptick in alcohol consumption, she explained.
“Combine that with the fact that women are postponing childbirth and marriage, which allows them more freedom to continue drinking during college,” McKee added.
Catherine Keys, an epidemiology professor at the Postal Public Health School at Columbia University, observed that high alcohol consumption among women is most prevalent in middle-aged individuals. While some researchers attribute this trend to workplace stress and drinking culture, Keys emphasized that many women drink more simply for enjoyment. She pointed out that wine and spirits are often marketed to women as luxury items or relaxation aids.
Experts express that raising awareness of the health risks associated with alcohol consumption can encourage women to cut back.
“We’re excited to help you get started,” remarked Jessica Mellinger, a senior staff doctor at Henry Ford Health, Michigan’s health system. The more individuals consume, the greater their likelihood of developing alcohol-related liver disease at every stage, she added.
A study released this Wednesday revealed that heavy drinkers now exhibit more than double the rates of alcohol-related liver disease compared to 20 years ago. Researchers suspect this may be due to individuals at risk for liver disease—including women, those with obesity, and people with diabetes—drinking more than they did decades prior.
“Modern American drinkers are not the same as they were 20 years ago,” stated Dr. Brian Lee, lead author and liver specialist at Keck Medicine at the University of Southern California.
Using data from a national government-led survey, researchers analyzed drinking behaviors and liver health in the U.S., classifying heavy drinkers as men consuming at least 30 grams of alcohol daily and women consuming at least 20 grams.
Among heavy drinkers, the incidence of severe liver damage has more than doubled in 22 years, rising from nearly 2% between 1999-2004 to over 4% from 2013-2020.
The presence of metabolic syndrome—characterized by symptoms such as obesity and hypertension that elevate the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke—among heavy drinkers has also increased from 26% to almost 38%. Both obesity and type 2 diabetes can lead to fat accumulation in the liver, heightening the risk of liver disease.
“It could be a perfect storm situation. We are seeing increased alcohol consumption alongside changes in the prevalence of these [health] conditions,” Keys remarked.
Lee emphasized the importance of individuals being honest with their healthcare providers about their alcohol intake so that doctors can determine the need for liver disease screenings.
“The risk of liver disease might be greater than you think,” he cautioned. “The reality is that liver disease often presents no symptoms, even in cases of cirrhosis, which is a terminal condition. I often say it’s both a blessing and a curse.”
Keys noted that women, in particular, often delay seeking medical help for heavy drinking due to societal stigma.
“It’s becoming a hidden trend where women postpone seeking help for serious alcohol-related conditions,” she stated.
A spokesman for Greene stated that lawmakers have been “discussing this matter for quite some time” and asserted that the bill is unrelated to the floods in Texas.
In a follow-up email, Greene communicated with Zeldin and expressed encouragement over his actions.
“This is an uncontrolled experiment conducted in the atmosphere without consent. It’s reckless, dangerous, and must be halted,” she stated in an email.
Burchett’s office did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment.
Following Milton and Helen, NOAA issued a factsheet in October 2024, aiming to debunk “weather modification claims” that emerged after two storms impacted Florida and North Carolina. The agency declared it would not “fund or engage in cloud seeding or any weather modification projects.”
Zeldin’s reference to more fringe theories regarding extreme weather coincides with the Trump administration’s reduction in climate change research funding and the removal of a website hosting the government’s climate assessment. President Donald Trump referred to climate change as a hoax, despite scientists uncovering stronger evidence linking the intensity and frequency of extreme weather to global warming.
Decades of research on weather modification have often fueled conspiracy theories.
From 1962 to 1982, NOAA participated in a project called Storm Fury, which aimed to investigate whether hurricane intensity could be altered. This study did not achieve its goals and was ultimately discontinued. NOAA has not undertaken similar research since. According to the factsheet.
Cloud seeding is a weather modification technology currently utilized. This practice has existed since the 1950s and typically involves dispersing silver iodide into clouds to extract moisture from the atmosphere, resulting in additional precipitation. Presently, cloud seeding programs are mainly focused on enhancing water supplies in western states. Companies are required to notify authorities before implementing such measures.
“Cloud seeding doesn’t generate water; it aids surrounding clouds in releasing 5-15% of their moisture. However, Texas was already experiencing 100% humidity, extreme moisture, and storms. The clouds didn’t require assistance,” Cappucci stated.
The proliferation of these claims coincides with escalating threats directed at meteorologists.
Geoengineering is a legitimate scientific field; however, assertions regarding its capability to control significant weather patterns and generate adverse weather are unfounded. Most geoengineering techniques remain theoretical and untested, with federal researchers making only tentative steps to evaluate their viability. Atmospheric scientists report no evidence of any large-scale programs.
Last year, in Alameda, California, a small test project in geoengineering, referred to as Marine Cloud Brightening, was disrupted by community protestors, despite researchers demonstrating its safety.
Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert described how conspiracy theories tend to surge, particularly during moments of weather events that leave individuals feeling powerless.
“Conspiracy theories offer emotionally gratifying narratives. They restore a sense of control by framing phenomena as intentional actions by powerful entities rather than unpredictable chaotic events,” Alpert told NBC News. “In this context, believing ‘someone is doing this to us’ is more bearable than facing the idea that ‘no one is in charge.'”
While some interpret the EPA’s actions as a sign of transparency, others view it merely as a recent political maneuver to sidestep critical environmental issues.
“Some individuals question whether the bird is real or not. Will that become your next focus?” Congressman Don Beyer D-Va remarked in response to Zeldin’s comments on Thursday morning. He went on to comment on X regarding the EPA guidelines, “How much taxpayer money will be expended on this?”
Not many individuals are eager to publicize their disputes with neighbors, and Elon Musk is no exception.
In March, Musk’s team engaged with officials from the upscale city of Westlake Hills, Texas, while keeping details about his mansion and security measures under wraps.
In emails, employees from Tech Bylionaire requested Westlake Hills officials to release their private information in April. They pointed out Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration as grounds for considering his property records and communications with the city exempt from state and federal public records regulations, according to the email.
One of Musk’s employees mentioned in a March 3 email that homeowners should be exempt from public disclosure as they are “federal civil servants,” and that “federal clearance documents can be provided if required.”
At age 53, Musk aimed to shield his neighbors from tensions surrounding the construction of a 16-foot chain-link fence and a metal gate equipped with cameras near his apartment complex. He modified the property without the necessary permits, violating six city ordinances, and sought to address the matter retroactively.
However, Musk’s attempt to safeguard his privacy was unsuccessful. City lawyers in Westlake Hills opposed the closure meeting, as shown by emails. Recently, at a Zoning and Planning Committee meeting, Musk’s appeal to keep the fence and gate on his property was denied. This matter will be discussed in a city council meeting originally set for May 14 but postponed to June 11 at the request of the applicant.
Fletcher declined to comment on the city’s records, and Musk’s team did not respond to requests for comment.
The 6,900-square-foot mansion in Westlake Hills is one of three properties Musk has acquired in recent years for his children and mother. This apartment complex, located at the end of a street lined with four homes, served as Musk’s base during his stays in Austin and became central to his expanding security business. He acquired the property in 2022 through a limited liability company.
Following the installation of the 16-foot fence and separate gates, neighbors raised concerns regarding traffic and the structure’s impact on the neighborhood. Consequently, officials in Westlake Hills initiated an investigation.
By March, Musk’s staff expressed concern that documents they had submitted to the city might be disclosed, according to the email. Tisha Litta, a licensing officer working for Musk’s limited liability company, reached out to the city requesting a hearing to discuss keeping the property issues private.
Inna Kaplun, identified as a lawyer representing a “real estate owner,” also contacted the city asserting that owners should be exempt from hearings due to the presence of numerous security personnel on-site, including former federal agents. Citing Texas law, the lawyers contended that agencies are not required to hold public meetings to deliberate on matters involving “security officers or devices.”
Musk’s team and city officials convened at least once in March to discuss the property, per the email. In mid-March, the Westlake Hills city attorney challenged Musk’s request for a private hearing, referencing the Texas Open Meeting Act in an email.
During a meeting of the Public Zoning and Planning Committee last month, city employees recommended that Musk be allowed to keep the fences and gates that were erected without permission, although minor adjustments were deemed necessary. Meeting records indicate that several committee members inquired about the proposal.
Ultimately, the committee voted in favor of recommending that the city council deny Musk’s exception for his project.
At first, residents of an upscale cul-de-sac in Westlake Hills, Texas, were unaware of who occupied the 6,900-square-foot, six-bedroom mansion next door.
This changed when construction crews arrived, erecting a 16-foot chain-link fence around the $6 million property. Positioned among four homes on a lush green street, the complex also featured an outward-facing camera. Soon after, a fleet of vehicles, many Tesla models, began to clutter the streets. Security personnel began shifting in and out three times daily. On one occasion, a driver shouted in the middle of the night about seeking a party at “E’s House.”
Residents expressed dissatisfaction with the keypad-controlled gates that frequently opened and closed, causing traffic congestion from workers and vehicles. Even after word spread that their new neighbor was Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, many continued to voice complaints regarding his mansion to the city of Westlake Hills.
The discontent escalated, invoking city ordinances, permits, and exceptions. Musk’s housing dilemma was discussed during a contentious zoning and planning committee meeting last month, with further discussions set for the Westlake Hills City Council session on May 14th.
“We need to stop shuttling service workers to other residences, parking cars on quiet streets, and washing vehicles at other homes,” wrote neighbor and primary complainant Paul Hemmer to the Zoning and Planning Commission. His letter was co-signed by residents from two additional homes on the street.
Over recent months, Musk, 53, has disrupted long-standing conventions while criticizing what he views as unnecessary federal bureaucracy. Yet, in his own backyard near Austin, he faces challenges posed by local regulations and intricate red tape, revealing that no one is immune to neighborhood disputes.
Prominent figures like Mark Zuckerberg have experienced similar issues, where disagreements over luxurious properties have tested their wealth and influence. Musk, however, has found himself at odds with local government as he failed to secure permits for the metal gates and fences around his property, which exceeded legal height limits by 10 feet, prompting violations of six city ordinances. Musk’s team later sought retroactive approval following community discontent.
Jim Pledger, one of six commissioners on the Westlake Hills Zoning and Planning Commission, mentioned that he and his colleagues unanimously recommended homeowners refrain from voicing complaints against Musk. “If an exception is made,” Pledger warned, “we’d be inadvertently encouraging rule-breaking.”
Unless the city council votes against this resolution, Musk may face requirements to dismantle the fences and gates and alter them to align with municipal regulations.
Musk did not respond to request for comments, while property managers associated with him refrained from making statements.
Musk’s Texas ventures started relatively recently, moving the operations of several companies from California to the state around 2021. He has established factories for the electric car manufacturer Tesla, the aerospace firm SpaceX, and a tunneling enterprise in Austin and nearby Bastrop.
Additionally, Musk relocated to Austin, initially planning to construct a home for himself and his children on hundreds of acres (he owns at least 13). Afterward, he explored other properties.
In 2022, Musk acquired a Westlake Hills residence through a limited liability company. The home is nestled in a residential area, positioned at the bottom of a sloping two-acre lot adjacent to a narrow public road, complicating security efforts.
“Shouldn’t a castle be on a hill?” remarked Anne Yekel, a longtime Westlake Hills resident living nearby. “These buyers were sophisticated, and if security is the primary concern, this isn’t the right property.”
Musk and his team did not introduce themselves to local residents, and few have encountered him. However, the news of his presence spread quickly within the 3,400-member community.
“It’s common knowledge here,” Yekel noted.
The mansion is one of three properties Musk has purchased in the area over the last three years, forming compounds for his children and their mothers. At one point, Claire Boucher, known as Grimes, resided in the home with Musk and his three children, while his child Shivon Zilis lives about a 10-minute walk away. Musk reportedly purchased another Tuscan-style mansion around a year ago.
Neighbors quickly grew tired of the continuous activity around Musk’s residence, noticing security personnel carrying firearms and an increase in Musk’s heightened security measures. While Texas law permits gun ownership, this level of activity was unexpected.
“I refer to it as Fort Knox,” quipped Hemmer, a retired real estate agent and president of the Neighborhood Homeowners Association, who lives across the street.
The house was tranquil on days when Musk was out of town, and locals noted his frequent absences, especially in recent months, as he advised President Trump. Now, residents are left anticipating Musk’s return, which might mean reduced activities in the capital.
Some neighbors voiced particular frustration about the towering fence at the front and the large metal gates presumably serving as an entrance for staff.
Hemmer, a long-time Tesla owner, grew increasingly frustrated with Musk’s activities and began using drones to monitor the property for any city violations. He formally complained to Westlake Hills officials about various issues, including the fence and the perceived traffic generated by Musk’s security team.
Musk’s security team also contacted the Westlake Hills Police Department regarding Hemmer, as documented in city records. One incident involved a security officer claiming Hemmer was found naked in the street last year.
Hemmer refuted this allegation, stating he was merely wearing black underwear on his property. On another occasion, he explained how he was out walking his dog when he needed to urinate, causing Musk’s camera to capture him in the act.
“The camera caught me,” Hemmer shared. “It’s unsettling to think they’re watching my every move.”
Following Hemmer’s multiple complaints, Westlake Hills officials confirmed that Musk had violated city ordinances regarding the fence and gates. The issue was discussed in the recent planning and zoning committee meeting, focusing on the potential for project diversification.
Before the meeting, Tisha Litta, a licensing expert for Musk’s limited liability company, submitted a letter to the Planning Committee seeking relief from the city’s regulations.
“As high-profile individuals, homeowners face ongoing security threats, making enhanced safety measures crucial,” she wrote. Litta did not return requests for comments.
Hemmer and other residents also wrote to the Planning Commission, cautioning against encouraging “poor behavior” in their otherwise peaceful neighborhood.
For a time, it seemed Musk was on track to triumph in his local disputes. Planning and Zoning officials suggested granting “variances” for his property, which would allow him to keep the fences and make minor modifications. However, at the planning meeting, the commissioners opted against granting Musk any exceptions, questioning Litta about the lack of prior permission for construction.
“I just met the property owners last year, and unfortunately, they were under the guidance of a property manager,” she stated, according to meeting records.
Hemmer also mentioned that he suspected the homeowner might be misleading when he spoke during the meeting.
“If you follow the news, he consistently gets called out for starting projects and only later asking for permission,” he remarked.
One unidentified commissioner expressed disbelief that Westlake Hills staff were advocating for exceptions based on who was making the request.
“It’s astonishing that staff are presenting various recommendations based on who is asking,” she remarked.
Decisions made by the Planning Commission do not finalize the process. Upcoming discussions at the Westlake Hills City Council meeting will determine whether to adhere to the committee’s recommendations regarding Musk’s residence.
Should the city council vote against Musk, he may resort to legal action against the town. If that fails, considering his history with campaigns, there will always be subsequent local elections to anticipate.
On Friday, a prominent scientific organization announced its plans to release a pivotal report on climate change for the nation. This endeavor had been sidelined by the Trump administration, which dismissed numerous scientists involved in the effort.
The American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society indicated that authors could opt to publish works initially drafted for evaluation in their respective journals.
Brandon Jones, program director for the National Science Foundation, stated, “It is essential to protect and prepare our community, our neighbors, and our children from the escalating risks associated with climate change. This collaboration opens a vital pathway for researchers to unite and provide the necessary science to address global climate change solutions.”
The National Climate Assessment represents a thorough review of current climate science, examining the impacts of climate change on the nation and outlining potential adaptation and mitigation strategies. Five editions have been published since 2000, with the sixth edition expected to be released in early 2028.
The new initiative will not replace the federal reports required by Congress, according to a statement from the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Association.
The White House has not responded to a request for comment. Following the rejection of the authors of the National Climate Assessment, known as NCA6, the notification they received mentioned that “the scope of the report is currently being reassessed in accordance with the Global Change Research Act of 1990.” This law instituted the US Global Change Research Program in April, subsequently resulting in staff and funding cuts by the administration.
It remains uncertain whether the administration will move forward with a revised assessment, try to bypass Congress and cancel it entirely, or take an alternative approach.
Jason West, an environmental scientist at the University of North Carolina and former lead author on the Air Quality chapter in a past assessment, stated, “This effort cannot substitute for NCA6, which goes through extensive public and government reviews. However, it allows the team of authors who have already started their work the chance to finalize and publish their findings.”
The report’s authors had been preparing a chapter for nearly a year, addressing subjects like climate model updates and urban heat adaptation.
Scientists highlighted the unique breadth, depth, and rigor of national climate assessments, noting that the government’s role in publishing has historically added credibility and reliability to these reports.
Researchers expressed disappointment at the abrupt cancellation of their volunteer positions. For many, the announcement from the Science Association was a positive indication that their work could proceed, just as the authors of the first National Natural Assessment advocated for the publication of their efforts.
Costa Samaras, a civil engineer at Carnegie Mellon University and leader of the Climate Mitigation chapter, remarked via email, “The AGU/AMS initiatives can sustain the momentum of climate science in the wake of recent setbacks. It serves as a reminder that science will persist.”
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will embark on a tour of the Southwest on Monday, focusing on nutrition and lifestyle choices as tools to combat disease. This tour, known as the Make America Healthy Tour, will take Kennedy through parts of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. The opening day of the tour is expected to be controversial.
Questions about the federal government’s response to the measles outbreak in West Texas have been raised, with the recent death of an unvaccinated child adding to the concerns. Kennedy attended the child’s funeral before continuing to Utah.
During the three-day tour, Kennedy’s staff plans to visit multiple health centers, a medical school teaching kitchen, meet with Navajo leaders, and visit a charter school in New Mexico to promote healthy lifestyles for students.
Since taking office, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s policies have stirred controversy, particularly his stance on vaccinations. His recent public statements indicate a shift towards supporting vaccines as an effective way to prevent diseases like measles.
While some public health experts remain skeptical of Kennedy’s position on vaccines, he plans to address the issue during a press conference in Salt Lake City. Kennedy will also discuss the importance of removing fluoride from drinking water, a topic he has advocated for in the past.
Kennedy’s views on vaccination and fluoridation have generated debate, but his tour aims to raise awareness about the role of nutrition and lifestyle in preventing diseases like measles. The tour is a platform for Kennedy to promote health initiatives and engage with communities in the Southwest.
Healthy foods and exercise play a role in limiting the outcomes of infectious diseases, but vaccination remains the best preventive measure. Dr. Michael Mina emphasizes the importance of vaccination in preventing measles infections.
Kennedy’s tour will address the importance of preventive measures like vaccination, while also focusing on issues like fluorination of drinking water. The debate around fluoridation has a long history, with conflicting views on its benefits and potential risks.
As Kennedy continues his tour of the Southwest, he will explore the intersection of nutrition, lifestyle choices, and public health initiatives. His approach to promoting health and wellness reflects a broader conversation about disease prevention and community well-being.
Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder and CEO, has returned to Dubai after receiving permission to leave France, where he is currently under investigation.
Durov was arrested at an airport near Paris last August, and he was later barred from leaving France due to a formal investigation into criminal activities related to the messaging app he created.
He stated that he spent several months in France cooperating with investigations regarding criminal activities on Telegram. The investigation is ongoing, but he expressed relief at being back home.
He expressed gratitude to the investigative judge for allowing him to leave France and praised his legal team for demonstrating Telegram’s commitment to moderation, cooperation, and fighting crime.
Durov’s arrest at Le Bourgette airport marked the first time the founder of a social media platform was detained for content on the platform. With over 900 million active users, Telegram is among the world’s top messaging apps.
After his arrest, he was charged with failing to control extremist and terrorist content and released on 5 million euros bail.
Sources revealed that he left France with official permission, granted by an investigative judge, within a few weeks of his arrest.
Durov, who holds passports for Russia, France, and the United Arab Emirates, has received French nationality, defended by President Emmanuel Macron.
Elon Musk, CEO of X, expressed support for Durov under the hashtag Freepavel, warning of potential political persecution by the Kremlin.
Despite initially criticizing the French authorities, Durov acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations during his custody, where he was confronted with numerous criminal accusations.
The ARP 105 features star and gas tide tails that exceed 362,000 light years.
The elliptical galaxy NGC 3561B (top left) and the Spiral Galaxy NGC 3561A (bottom right) form the ongoing merger-sparking guitar shapes known comprehensively as ARP.
ARP 105 It is located approximately 400 million light years from Earth, in the constellation of Ursa major.
Also known as NGC 3561, it was discovered by British astronomer John Herschel on March 30, 1827.
It consists of two huge galaxies, the elliptical galaxy NGC 3561B and the Spiral Galaxy NGC 3561A.
“The ARP 105 is one of the brightest objects in the busy Galaxy Cluster Abell 1185,” Hubble Astronomers said in a statement.
“Abell 1185 is a chaotic cluster of at least 82 galaxies, many of which are not only interacting, but many wandering spherical clusters that are not gravity attached to a particular galaxy.”
The gravity dance between the NGC 3561B and NGC 3561A creates the features of an attractive collision galaxy.
“The giant tail is drawn from two galaxies by gravity interaction, embedding a cluster of stars and a galaxy of d star,” the astronomer said.
“The uniquely shaped arrangement of the galaxy and tail gives the grouping the nickname: guitar.”
“The long lanes of dark dust emerging from the NGC 3561b oval galaxy may be ingesting the bright blue region of star-forming at the bottom of the guitar known as Ambartsumian's Knot.”
“Ambartsumian's Knot is a tidal star galaxy. It is a type of star-forming system that develops from fragments of the tidal arms of interacting galaxies.”
“The two bright blue regions of star formation are evident in Hubble images at the edge of a distorted helical galaxy.”
“The region on the left of the spiral galaxy may be very similar to the knot of Ambartumian, the knot of intense star-forming knot caused by the merger.”
“The area on the right is still under investigation. It may be part of the collision, but its velocity and spectral data are different from the rest of the system, so it could be a galaxy in the foreground.”
“The thin, faint gas tips are barely visible that stretch between two galaxies.”
“These tendrils are of particular interest to astronomers as they may help define the timescale of this collision evolution.”
California implemented stricter building standards in 2008, focusing on design and materials used in new construction in high-risk areas.
Discussing the issue, Crowfoot emphasized the challenge posed by older homes not meeting modern safety standards. A special committee formed by Governor Newsom aims to address this concern.
Since 2020, California has allocated at least $50 million to home hardening projects and initiated a grant program to incentivize homeowners to renovate their properties.
However, according to Kimiko Barrett from Headwater Economics, the current program is inadequate to deal with the scale of the problem, especially evident in Los Angeles County.
Despite meeting high safety standards, some homes, like those affected in the Paradise Camp Fire of 2018, still faced significant damage. Only 43% of homes built after 2008 survived the fire in Paradise.
JP Rose from the Center for Biological Diversity highlights the importance of not building extensively in high-risk fire zones without proper precautions to avoid future disasters.
Firefighters extinguish a house on fire along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, on January 8. Juan Carlo / USA Today Network File
At a national level, there is a lack of significant investment in making structures more resilient to wildfires. The Federal Bushfire Commission Report acknowledges the immense cost of addressing the bushfire crisis annually.
Efforts to improve fire resilience in homes, like replacing wooden roofs, could require billions of dollars. Without government intervention, insurance companies may play a crucial role in encouraging homeowners to undertake costly renovations to safeguard their properties.
In the midst of the ongoing housing crisis in Southern California, the rebuilding process after recent fires, as supported by Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, aims to expedite the reconstruction of damaged properties.
“I Last week, I sent out TechScape to our readers, hoping to take a break from writing about Elon Musk. However, my news editor had other plans: “Can you keep an eye on Elon Musk’s Twitter feed this week?”
Reading Musk’s tweets, I felt like my brain was melting. Even though I’d covered him for years, his online presence surprised me. From promoting Tesla and SpaceX to sharing cheesy nerdy jokes and diving into right-wing politics, his chaotic behavior had a new twist.
His briefest overnight break came on Saturday night, when he retweeted controversial content and then dived back in hours later with more questionable tweets.
Musk’s involvement in UK politics pushed him further into the far-right spectrum. Engaging with controversial figures like Lauren Southern and supporting Britain First’s co-leader, Musk’s online persona was more divisive than ever. Now, they are his supporters.
Well, that’s fine.
Today I’ll give you a good example from the world of AI that shows the difference between a scientific press release and a scientific paper. University of Bath’s press release claims AI poses no existential threat to humanity, but the actual research paints a different picture.
The study questions the capabilities of large-scale language models, suggesting that they are not as groundbreaking as claimed.
While the press release version is attention-grabbing, the scientific paper delves deeper into the limitations of AI capabilities. It highlights the challenges of ensuring AI safety in the face of emergent capabilities.
The paper reveals that emergent AI capabilities might not be as groundbreaking as they seem and are more controllable than believed. This sheds light on the complexity of AI safety in the face of evolving technology.
The pain of training
Nvidia’s use of YouTube data to train AI has led to legal troubles. A federal lawsuit alleges Nvidia stole videos from YouTube creators to train its AI, sparking a debate about intellectual property rights.
This lawsuit underscores the challenges AI companies face when sourcing training data. While some companies openly disregard copyright restrictions, others like Nvidia face legal battles over data usage.
On the other hand, companies like Google have a different approach due to their dominant position in the tech industry. Many websites allow Google to use their content for AI training to maintain visibility in search results.
Ask Me Anything
In my final TechScape after 11 years at the Guardian, I’m answering readers’ questions. Feel free to ask me anything tech-related, and I’ll do my best to provide insights and recommendations.
Voyager 1 faced a critical issue when it was first discovered in November. NASA acknowledged that while the spacecraft was still in communication with Earth, the signals being received were indecipherable. This led to a concentrated effort over a month to identify and rectify the problem, saving the Voyager 1 mission.
Despite the challenges faced by the team, including the difficulty of troubleshooting a spacecraft over 15 billion miles away in interstellar space, there remained hope and determination to overcome the obstacles.
The main culprit was found to be a hardware failure in one of Voyager 1’s three computers, resulting in corrupted code that hindered the transmission of crucial updates and data. Unfortunately, the chip containing the problematic software was deemed irreparable.
However, a solution was devised by splitting and storing the code in different memory locations of the computer. This allowed for the affected sections to be reprogrammed, ensuring the continued functionality of the system.
Following meticulous verification and testing processes, Voyager 1 gradually resumed its normal operations, as confirmed by NASA’s recent update.
The Voyager missions, launched in 1977, have been instrumental in exploring the outer regions of our solar system. Voyager 1, now in interstellar space, continues to transmit valuable data and may well do so until the 2030s, serving as an enduring reminder of human exploration.
Both Voyager probes carry time capsules containing images and sounds representing Earth and its inhabitants, intended to be discovered by extraterrestrial beings in the distant future.
“Our silent ambassadors,” as Voyager 1 and 2 are affectionately known, will continue their journey for millennia, potentially reaching other stars and civilizations,” remarked Spilker.
Palestinian children wait for food prepared in a charity kitchen as food supplies run short in Rafah
Ismael Mohamad/UPI/Shutterstock
The situation in Gaza is rapidly evolving into the worst humanitarian crisis in modern memory, and international health organizations have no long-term plan to address the region’s post-war needs.
More than three-quarters of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents, half of whom are children, are internally displaced, trapped in one of the world’s most densely populated areas and without access to food, water, or health care. Since October 7, when Hamas militants in Gaza invaded Israel, killing more than 1,000 civilians, Israel has heavily bombed the enclave, disrupting the flow of humanitarian aid and destroying civilian infrastructure. As a result, more than 30,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed, and more than 72,000 were injured in Gaza, according to the United Nations.
But these numbers only mark the beginning of a public health disaster. Those who survive the war will face lifelong health effects. Thousands of Palestinians will be living with missing limbs, weakened immune systems, mental illnesses, and other chronic illnesses. Meeting their health needs will be a decades-long undertaking, and no global aid organization has adequately planned for it.
The World Health Organization, World Food Programme, UNICEF, Palestine Red Crescent Society, CARE International, Mercy Corps, and Médecins Sans Frontières all have specific projects to address health needs in the Gaza Strip, according to information shared by the organizations. Lack of long-term planning. new scientist. Save the Children and the International Committee of the Red Cross did not respond to questions about long-term plans.
unprecedented humanitarian disaster
The lack of planning for health needs in the coming decades contributes to the enormity of the current humanitarian crisis. Most of Gaza’s residents live in crowded conditions without sewage treatment or garbage removal. On average, people can consume less than 1 liter of clean water per day. As a result, infectious diseases spread.
A survey conducted in a limited number of shelters in December and January found that at least 90% of children under 5 years of age have one or more infections, and 70% have experienced diarrhea within the past 2 weeks. “And it doesn’t take into account the hundreds of thousands of people who are not in refugee shelters,” he says. Margaret Harris At WHO.
Hunger is also widespread. Almost two-thirds of households have one meal a day, and a quarter of the population faces imminent hunger and extreme malnutrition. The situation is most dire in northern Gaza, where one in six children is malnourished, according to the study. The Gaza Ministry of Health reported on March 7 that 20 people had died, including: 15 children Some died from malnutrition and dehydration. Inadequate monitoring means these numbers could be even higher.
“The problem with child malnutrition is that it causes further disease,” says Tanya Hadji-Hassan of Médecins Sans Frontières. Malnourished children are more susceptible to infections, and the lining of their intestines wears down, making it difficult to absorb nutrients. “So they become even more malnourished, their immune system weakens, and it just creates this vicious cycle that snowballs into death,” she says.
Bombing left much of the territory in danger. By December, UNICEF 1000 children On average, more than 10 children per day have lost one or both legs since the conflict began. And there are few options for receiving treatment for these injuries. As of February 21, only 18 of Gaza’s 40 hospitals are still functioning, but with reduced capacity. “They don’t have drugs. They don’t have machines. They don’t have power. They might have a few doctors running emergency rooms. So there’s not really a functioning medical system. I don’t,” he says. serena victor At Mercy Corps.
The overwhelming humanitarian crisis has thrown health institutions into chaos. “Never in modern history have we seen this level of violence, terror, fear, and deprivation perpetrated against any nation,” Harris said. “In a sense, we are exploring uncharted territory.”
Gaza’s impending public health crisis
Even if the war were to end tomorrow, survivors would face lifelong health consequences. Many will have physical disabilities. Some people suffer from severe mental illness. Some people develop chronic lung disease, heart disease, and cancer from chemical contaminants in bombs and destroyed buildings, Harris said.
The effects will be most severe on children. Sustained malnutrition early in life stunts growth and impairs brain development, leading to deficits in cognition, memory, motor function, and intelligence, Haji Hassan said. Your child’s immune system will also be weakened, making them more susceptible to illness. Studies have shown that malnutrition during pregnancy increases the risk of your baby developing obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.a February report One in five pregnant women treated at Gaza clinics was malnourished, as was one in 10 children seen there, according to research by the international aid group Project Hope.
But the most widespread harm may be the impact on mental health, Harris said. “Imagine what it’s like for people who are going through this situation relentlessly every day. They feel terrible uncertainty. Where to go, what will happen next? You never know where your next bit of food is going to come from,” she says. Such traumatic experiences are associated with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal thoughts. For children, this trauma can disrupt brain and organ development and increase the risk of learning disabilities and mental health conditions. Without early intervention, these problems can persist into adulthood. “There’s going to be a huge burden of mental illness going forward, and it’s going to be very difficult to deal with,” Harris said.
Even adults who experienced adversity in childhood 12 times more risk Develop alcohol and drug use disorders and attempt suicide. They are also more likely to have physical health conditions such as heart disease and cancer. Young people who survive conflict are almost three times more likely to develop severe mental illness, including psychosis, than young people who have not experienced war.
Current postwar plans are not enough
Given these results, there is a need to establish a long-term health plan for Gaza. Such plans should address rebuilding infrastructure, developing mental and physical rehabilitation programs, and regular disease screening.
“It seems ridiculous for city officials to say what will happen now when people are dying trying to get a handful of bread for their families. It just doesn’t do the math,” Victor said. Masu. “But we need to think about it.”
But most organizations are just getting started. The few organizations that have protocols in place, such as the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and CARE International, are working for the next year or two, but not for decades. WHO is developing a plan to address health needs from April 2024 until the end of the year. “We are working on several different scenarios. A good scenario would be a ceasefire, so that we can really look at things. [long-term plans]” says Harris. Another possibility is that there is a war going on.
This uncertainty, along with the pressing question of who will govern Gaza in the aftermath of the conflict, makes preparing for the future extremely difficult. “The reason why we so desperately want not just a ceasefire, but a peaceful solution, is because until that happens, any plan or even consideration is just a castle in the air,” Harris said. says.
Israel restricts aid groups’ access to the area, making the few workers in Gaza unable to operate safely. “Half the time they can’t do anything. They can’t move around safely. Basic things like communications continue to be cut off,” Victor says. And many of them died. For example, a 29-year-old man who is a member of WHO’s limb reconstruction team in the Gaza Strip. Dima Abdullatif Mohammed AlhajiHarris said she was killed along with her six-month-old baby, two brothers, and her husband in an Israeli airstrike.
These risks and obstacles complicate long-term planning. “You can make any plan you want, but if you don’t know your needs, you won’t have a very useful plan,” he says.
Dealing with the widespread destruction in Gaza will require huge sums of money. Margaret Harris of the World Health Organization says early estimates suggest $204.2 million will be needed to fund health emergency planning in Gaza in 2024 alone. .
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the organization has a budget of $300 million for the campaign in Gaza, which is expected to run until the end of 2025. Approximately $38 million of this will be used for the health sector, including replenishing medical supplies. We are supplying supplies, deploying additional ambulances, and preventing infectious diseases.
This cannot begin to address the long-term health needs of Palestinians in Gaza. It’s difficult to estimate what will be needed now, but over the long term, “I think it’s safe to say it’s going to be in the billions of dollars,” Harris said.
Number of people under 50 diagnosed with colorectal cancer has been increasing for 30 years
Mohammed Elamin Aliwi/Alamy
One of the most alarming trends regarding cancer is the increasing incidence of several types of tumors in people under the age of 50, especially colorectal cancer.
A £20m, five-year research project aimed at discovering the causes of the rising number of bowel cancers has been given the green light. The study will use blood, urine and stool samples from millions of people held in about 17 biobanks in Europe, North America and India.
The goal is to determine whether this increase is related to changes in food, drink, medicines, air pollutants, and other environmental chemicals by measuring everything people are exposed to (known as the “exposome”). It’s about understanding what’s going on.
“Exposomes are all the elements of the outside world that influence our health,” he says. Andrew Chan co-leader of the project at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston;
The number of people under the age of 50 diagnosed with colorectal cancer has been increasing for 30 years. In the UK, for example, these tumors have increased by about 50 per cent in people aged 25 to 49 over this period, and similar trends are seen in the US, Canada, Australia and some European countries.
Nine out of 10 tumors occur in older people, so the increase in deaths among people under age 50 has not yet had a significant impact on the total number of cancer deaths. But this trend is worrying to doctors, especially since tumors in younger people tend to be more aggressive and diagnosed at a later stage.
Speculation abounds as to the cause, but various aspects of modern diets, including increased consumption of processed foods and red meat, and a lack of fiber, as well as antibiotic use and exposure to pollutants, are likely to be contributing factors. It is believed that this is the main cause.
In a new research projectChan and his team have attempted to identify and measure all the chemicals in medical samples obtained in previous studies, and plan to investigate further.
They will use mass spectrometry to identify the chemical signatures that disrupted the levels of novel compounds and natural biochemicals that entered the body.
One of the biobanks being used is Nurses’ Health Study 3, a large-scale project in the United States that charts the health and lifestyles of hundreds of thousands of nurses. Some participants have provided not only blood samples but also stool samples, which will allow the team to analyze gut bacteria as well.
Another important cohort is the Danish Newborn Screening Biobank. The biobank contains dried blood spots from almost every baby born in Denmark since 1982, representing approximately 2 million samples. This will allow researchers to see whether what we are exposed to in the womb is associated with an increased risk of colon cancer.
If, as expected, a correlation is found between certain biochemicals in the blood and the risk of colon cancer, the researchers will investigate whether blood tests can identify people who are more vulnerable. says Mr. Chan. “That could be a group of people who would be targeted for more intensive colon cancer testing,” he says.
Another part of the project will test whether reversing blood characteristics associated with colorectal cancer reduces people’s risk of developing the tumor. Jordana Bell Professor at King’s College London and one of Chan’s collaborators. “We seek to apply the insights we generate early by identifying putative causal factors, understanding potential mechanisms, and designing intervention trials,” she says.
Ian Fawkes from Cancer Research UK (CRUK) said: “In the United States, recent data show that people born in the 1990s have a 2.4 times higher risk of colon cancer than people born in the 1950s. Most cancer cases occur in people over age 50. “This development is an important issue for us to address. The key is to understand why the rise in early-onset cancers is occurring in the first place.”
CRUK is funding the research along with Maryland’s National Cancer Institute, France’s National Cancer Institute and the UK’s Gut Babe Foundation.
Every time chaos breaks out Millions of people rely on this unique technology, and many people’s default reaction seems to be:Hey, let’s see what the open source world has to offer”
Case in point: the steady demise of X (Twitter) since Elon Musk took over last year has led many to look for more “open” alternatives, whether it’s Mastodon or Bluesky.
This scenario will become familiar throughout 2023, as established technologies that millions of people rely on reach a chaotic curve, and how indebted people become to proprietary platforms over which they have little control. now recognized.
The OpenAI debacle in November, in which the ChatGPT hitmaker temporarily lost its co-founders, including CEO Sam Altman, sparked five days of turmoil before Altman returned to the OpenAI hot seat. It has arrived. However, only after the emergence of companies that built products on OpenAI’s GPT-X Large-Scale Language Model (LLM). I started having doubts. That’s the wisdom of going all-in on OpenAI, as it puts you in a better position to take advantage of “open” alternatives such as Meta’s Llama-branded LLM family.
Even Google seems to acknowledge that “open” may trump “proprietary” AI. leaked An internal memo written by researchers expressed concerns that open source AI was gaining the upper hand. “We don’t have a moat, and neither does OpenAI,” the memo said.
Elsewhere, Adobe’s $20 billion acquisition of rival Figma was a boon for PenPot, an open source challenger to Figma, although the deal fell through due to regulatory headwinds. PenPot saw a surge in registrations amidst a mad panic that Adobe was about to wreak havoc on businesses. About Figma’s proverbial parade.
And when the cross-platform game engine Unity announced; Controversial new fee structure, developers were furious, calling the change breaking and unfair. In the aftermath, Unity quickly pivoted, but only after its developer community expanded widely. Checkout has started open source rivals godotnow commercial companies are also promoting core development.
But while all this has served to highlight the eternal struggle between open source and proprietary software realms, At the inner The open source community is back in the spotlight. Usually, the root cause of the uproar is a proprietary company.
(not) open source elements
Back in August, HashiCorp switched We’ve moved the popular “infrastructure as code” software Terraform from a “copyleft” open source license to a business source license (BSL or, in some cases, BUSL) available at source. This places greater restrictions on how third parties can commercialize the software, especially if they can. It competes with HashiCorp itself. Why the change? According to HashiCorp, some third-party vendors have benefited from Terraform’s community-driven development without giving anything in return.
This led to vendor-driven factions forking the original Terraform project and proceeding solely with OpenTF, ultimately leading to Rebranded as OpenTofu, served by the Linux Foundation As a governing body. Although HashiCorp was fully within its rights to change the license and protect its business interests, it caused anxiety among many users. According to OpenTofu manifesto:
Overnight, tens of thousands of businesses, from mom-and-pop stores to Fortune 500 companies, woke up to a new reality: The foundation of their infrastructure suddenly became a potential legal risk. His BUSL and additional usage permissions created by the HashiCorp team are ambiguous. All companies, vendors, and developers currently using Terraform must consider whether what they are doing is considered to be in competition with his HashiCorp’s products.
Of course, HashiCorp isn’t the first company to make such a change.App performance management (APM) platform guard Switched from open source BSD 3-Clause License It moved to BSL in 2019 for similar reasons cited by HashiCorp. But this year, Sentry created an entirely new license called the Functional Source License (FSL) aimed at “giving freedom without harmful free riders,” the company said at the time. This is similar to his BSL, but with some adjustments. For example, an FSL licensed product automatically reverts to the open source Apache license after 2 years, but with BSL it takes 4 years.
This once again highlights the persistent struggle of companies to embrace the spirit of open source without compromising commercial interests.
“There’s been a long history of companies with deeper pockets and more resources leveraging traditional open source companies,” says Sentry’s head of open source. chad whitaker he said in November. “Open source companies, regardless of licensing or pedantic definitions, are increasingly dependent on support from venture-backed, commercial, or, more importantly, companies that rely on their code. ”
And similar Grafana before thatElement has moved its decentralized communications protocol Matrix from the fully permissive Apache 2.0 license to the less permissive AGPL open source license. This forces all derivative projects to maintain the exact same license, which is a huge deterrent to commercial companies looking to develop their own products.
At a time when other companies’ business models were designed around developing their own Matrix-based software, Element realized that the cost of maintaining the Matrix, to which it is largely responsible, was He said he was forced to take on costs that he did not have to incur. To maintain the matrix. “While we have succeeded in making Matrix a huge success, Element is losing its ability to compete in the very ecosystem it has created,” the company wrote at the time.
This license change effectively meant that companies using Matrix would either have to contribute code to the project or pay a commercial license to Element in order to continue using it in their own products.
So, on the one hand, businesses, consumers, and developers alike are seeing that going all-in on proprietary platforms can lead to vendor lock-in and dire consequences if things break down. I’m doing it. But on the other hand, companies built on solid open source foundations can easily move up the ladder by changing contract terms in the name of commercial protectionism.
Of course, all this is nothing new. But the past 12 months have highlighted both the power and danger of open source software.
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If you’re feeling the holiday spirit this month, you’re probably aligning yourself with the millions of people who are spreading joy, love, warmth, and even generosity.
But if you’re feeling like the Grinch, you’re probably joining a smaller group of individuals, one that may (in this analogy) include crypto hackers. there is.
Even though it’s a fun season, hackers haven’t stopped. But hey, playing devil’s advocate, the attackers may be overjoyed every time someone falls for their scam. Two sides of the coin.
Earlier Thursday, hackers breached the code behind the cryptographic protocols used by multiple Web3 applications and services, crypto software and hardware wallet maker Ledger announced Thursday.
It was not immediately clear how many people were victims of the hack. ZachXBT, a well-known independent crypto researcher, wrote to X that one of the victims had over $600,000 in crypto assets leaked from his account.
Please see below for details.
what is happening in web3
Users hacked in supply chain attack targeting Ledger cryptocurrency wallets
Bitcoin ATM company Coin Cloud has been hacked. Even the new owners don’t know how.
Worldcoin adds integration with Minecraft, Reddit, Telegram, Shopify, Mercado Libre
Korus, a startup founded by Deadmau5, uses AI to create music
latest pod
this week's episode, Jacqueline We interviewed Johan Kerblatt, General Manager of Cryptocurrency at Robinhood.
Johan is leading applications efforts to grow the cryptocurrency exchange business and make digital assets more accessible to retail investors.
Before joining Robinhood, Johan was an engineer at Airbnb, served as Head of Engineering at Uber and VP of Engineering at privacy-focused crypto startup Iron Fish.
We discussed Robinhood's expansion outside the US, how the platform restricted holdings and trading of certain crypto assets in June, and the current situation.
We also discussed:
appeal to mainstream audiences
Grow your cryptocurrencies on the platform
Regulatory concerns
Robinhood’s 2024 Goals
apply Chain reaction upon apple podcast,spotify Or catch up on the latest episodes using your favorite pod platform. If you like what you hear, please leave a review.
follow the money
Line Next secures $140 million in funding for its Web3 platform
Lolli raises $8M in Series B to expand Bitcoin and cashback benefits to businesses
Andalusia Labs raises $48 million in Series A to improve risk infrastructure for digital assets
Dynamic raises $13.5 million from a16z cryptocurrency and Founders Fund for easy access to Web3 and cryptocurrency wallets
Avalanche-based Nodekit raises $1.2M in pre-seed round to build rollup-focused network
This list was compiled using information from Messari and TechCrunch's own reporting.
what else are you writing?
Ready to step outside the world of Web3? Here are some TechCrunch articles that caught our attention this week.
Mr. Tem’s latest lawsuit against Shane is wild (TC+)
OpenAI believes superhuman AI is coming and wants to build tools to control it.
AI is not evil and will not get smarter any time soon, but it is also irreversibly pervasive.
Here's where founders mess up their pitch decks most often (TC+)
Possible regulations surrounding generative AI (TC+) are on the horizon
Follow us on Twitter @Jacqmelinek Get the latest cryptocurrency news, memes, and more.
South Korean internet giant Kakao – Under investigation for multiple antitrust and securities violations – appointed A new CEO is trying to right the ship. Shina Chung, who ran the company’s venture division, will be moved to the company’s top position.
According to the company, Mr. Chung will officially assume the position after the next board of directors meeting and general meeting of shareholders in March next year. She will be Kakao’s first female CEO, and her appointment is intended to signal that the company is now in emergency reform mode.
In a statement, Chung said the company will “manage the company proactively and responsibly” to meet society’s expectations and standards. “Kakao doesn’t have much time, so we don’t want to miss this opportunity for change.”
Kakao founder Kim Bum-soo hinted at a new leader at Kakao during an internal meeting on Monday, saying, “Kakao has reached a point where we must experiment with fundamental change. Establishing new leadership to guide Kakao.” I will do it.”
Image credits: Kakao CEO candidate Shina Chong
Kakao, which operates the hugely popular super app of the same name, leads the country in services such as messaging and on-demand transportation services like Uber. But that top position came at a price.
In October, Kakao’s chief investment officer (CIO) Jaehyun Bae was appointed. arrested After Kakao, accused of stock price manipulation obtained Belonged to K-Pop agency SM Entertainment in August. If Kakao’s CIO and other executives are convicted, Kakao The country’s financial regulator could force it to sell at least 10% of its stake in online banking arm Kakao Bank. South Korea’s current internet banking law requires that non-financial companies must not have violated financial laws, fair trade laws, or tax evasion laws in the past five years in order to hold more than 10% of the voting rights of a mobile-only bank. It has established. Like Kakao Bank.
Separately, just last month, South Korean President Yun Seok-Yeol Kakao’s taxi dispatch division, exclusive action of Kakao Mobility. The company’s claim is that The app’s algorithm was manipulated so that taxis were given priority to Kakao franchise taxi drivers who were registered as paid Kakao members, over non-Kakao taxi drivers.
Founded in 1995 on South Korea’s Jeju Island, Kakao (officially started as an internet search engine known as Daum) is now South Korea’s super app, with KakaoTalk being the country’s most popular messaging app. , offers online taxi hailing service Kakao Mobility. banking platform Kakao Bank, music streaming app Melon, and webtoon platforms Tapas Media and Radish. The company has been actively pursuing M&A deals in South Korea over the past few years and also has global ambitions. Kakao has more than 140 subsidiary companies as of October.
Chung, who worked at Boston Consulting Group, eBay Asia and Naver before joining Kakao Ventures in 2014 to invest in local startups, will be given the job she deserves. .
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