Tech

US FTC asked Twitter for details on Musk’s internal communications

The US Federal Trade Commission asked Twitter to turn over some internal communications related to owner Elon Musk and other detailed information about business decisions as part of an investigation into the social media company, according to a report put out by two House of Representatives committees.

The FTC has sent more than a dozen letters to Twitter and its lawyers since Musk’s takeover in October. Among the requests were the company “identify all journalists” who were granted access to company records and to provide information about the launch of the revamped Twitter Blue subscription service, the report said.

The FTC also wants Musk to testify in connection with the probe, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Musk, in a tweet, said it was “a shameful case of weaponization of a government agency for political purposes and suppression of the truth!”

Twitter did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

The FTC said “it should come as no surprise that career staff at the commission are conducting a rigorous investigation into Twitter’s compliance with a consent order that came into effect long before Mr. Musk purchased the company.”

The staff report by the House Judiciary Committee and Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government said while some of what the FTC had asked for was relevant to its probe regarding Twitter, other elements went too far.

“There is no logical reason why the FTC, on the basis of user privacy, needs to analyze all of Twitter’s personnel decisions. And there is no logical reason why the FTC needs every single internal Twitter communication about Elon Musk,” the report said.

The agency has been asking Twitter if it has the required resources to comply with the privacy consent decree, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters last year.

One of the FTC’s concerns was whether Twitter had the staffing needed to abide by a May 2022 settlement with the U.S. regulator in which it agreed to improve its privacy practices and place responsibility on people who held certain positions. The concerns had been prompted by mass layoffs at the firm.

Twitter in May agreed to pay a fine of $150 million to settle allegations that it misused private information, and also improve its compliance practices.

Published

1 year ago

March 8, 2023

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The US Federal Trade Commission asked Twitter to turn over some internal communications related to owner Elon Musk and other detailed information about business decisions as part of an investigation into the social media company, according to a report put out by two House of Representatives committees. The FTC has sent more than a dozen letters to Twitter and its lawyers since Musk's takeover in October. Among the requests were the company "identify all journalists" who were granted access to company records and to provide information about the launch of the revamped Twitter Blue subscription service, the report said. The FTC also wants Musk to testify in connection with the probe, the Wall Street Journal reported. Musk, in a tweet, said it was "a shameful case of weaponization of a government agency for political purposes and suppression of the truth!" Twitter did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The FTC said "it should come as no surprise that career staff at the commission are conducting a rigorous investigation into Twitter’s compliance with a consent order that came into effect long before Mr. Musk purchased the company." The staff report by the House Judiciary Committee and Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government said while some of what the FTC had asked for was relevant to its probe regarding Twitter, other elements went too far. "There is no logical reason why the FTC, on the basis of user privacy, needs to analyze all of Twitter's personnel decisions. And there is no logical reason why the FTC needs every single internal Twitter communication about Elon Musk," the report said. The agency has been asking Twitter if it has the required resources to comply with the privacy consent decree, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters last year. One of the FTC's concerns was whether Twitter had the staffing needed to abide by a May 2022 settlement with the U.S. regulator in which it agreed to improve its privacy practices and place responsibility on people who held certain positions. The concerns had been prompted by mass layoffs at the firm. Twitter in May agreed to pay a fine of $150 million to settle allegations that it misused private information, and also improve its compliance practices.

The FTC also wants Musk to testify in connection with the probe, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Musk, in a tweet, said it was “a shameful case of weaponization of a government agency for political purposes and suppression of the truth!”

Twitter did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

The agency has been asking Twitter if it has the required resources to comply with the privacy consent decree, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters last year.

Twitter in May agreed to pay a fine of $150 million to settle allegations that it misused private information, and also improve its compliance practices.

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Tech

WhatsApp to launch file sharing feature without internet

Published

15 hours ago

April 25, 2024

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WhatsApp to launch file sharing feature without internet

The messaging app WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is working on a cool new feature to make it easier to share files even when you’re not connected to the internet.

Recent leaks say that pretty soon, you’ll be able to share photos, videos, music, and documents offline.

This new feature is all about letting you share different kinds of files without needing Wi-Fi or data. And don’t worry about security – the files you share will be encrypted, which means they’ll be safe from anyone trying to mess with them.

Screenshots that got leaked from the latest test version of WhatsApp for Android show us what kind of permissions this feature will need. One important thing is that it’ll be able to find other phones nearby that also have this offline file-sharing thing.

For this to work on Android phones, WhatsApp needs a permission that lets it look for other devices using Bluetooth. But if you’re not comfortable with that, you can always turn it off.

Before this, WhatsApp added a feature that lets you pin notes to keep them handy. So, looks like WhatsApp is always coming up with cool stuff to make chatting even better!

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Tech

Flame-throwing robotic dog unleashed for sale in US

Published

15 hours ago

April 25, 2024

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Flame-throwing robotic dog unleashed for sale in US

A flame-throwing robotic dog is now available for sale in the US, thanks to an Ohio-based company.

Throwflame first released the contraption last year but recently announced it was back in stock, asking for $9,420 a piece.

The company released a promotional video showing the ARC Flamethrower and saying it can “send streams of fire up to 30 feet with the push of a button.”

The flamethrower is attached to a Go2 Robot Dog manufactured by the China-based Unitree.

Throwflame said on its website the flamethrowers are legal to own and are “federally unregulated,” but are “not even considered a firearm (ironic) by the federal authorities.”

The company released its first flamethrowers in 2015, called the X15, which could send “a stream of flaming fuel or napalm up to 50 feet.”

That prompted a huge media response, questioning its legality. But Throwflame said the device remains “completely unrestricted in 48 states.”

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Tech

US military stage world’s first ever AI controlled warplane

Published

15 hours ago

April 25, 2024

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US military stage world's first ever AI controlled warplane

The United States has finally started to seek answers to one of the most asked questions on the planet – who wins between man and machine?

Incredible details have emerged of the world’s first ever AI controlled warplane taking on a human piloted jet in a historic dogfight that saw both aircraft blasting through the sky at speeds of 1,200mph.

The insane test saw an AI powered modified F-16 – dubbed the X-62A – take on the same jet but with a human in the cockpit.

Both powerful jets went “nose-to-nose” as they battled 2,000ft up in the air, say officials.

The tests were conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) alongside the US Air Force to learn about just how advanced artificial intelligence really is.

Results of the intense air battles have been kept tightly under wraps but they were done to show how safe and effective autonomous fighter jets could be.

Officials were also intrigued to see how close AI powered military jets are to operating safely in a complex war environment.

In the end, 21 test flights were done for the project taking place between December 2022 and September 2023.

Lt. Col. Maryann Karlen, deputy commandant of the test pilot school, explained how it all worked in a fascinating video on the historic dogfight.

They said: “In September we actually took the X-62 and flew it against a live manned F-16.

“We built up in safety using the manoeuvres – first defensive, then offensive, then high aspect nose-to-nose engagements where we got as close as 2,000 feet at 1,200 miles per hour.”

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