China vs. Elon Musk: Scientists Develop Plan to Destroy Starlink Satellites
According to reports, a group of Chinese experts produced a study calling for anti-satellite capabilities that might be used to deactivate Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites if necessary.
Ren Yuanzhen, a researcher at the Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunications, conducted the study, which was co-authored by scientists from China’s defence industry.
According to the report, “a mix of gentle and harsh kill methods” might be employed to disable some Starlink satellites.
Musk’s company SpaceX is working on a satellite internet network called Starlink. It entails tens of thousands of tiny satellites in low-Earth orbit beaming internet access to paying consumers.
One of the scientists’ concerns was that the Starlink network may be utilised to dramatically boost data transfer speeds.
Source: https://www.newsweek.com/china-elon-musk-scientists-plan-destroy-starlink-spacex-1710399
Inside China’s underground crypto mining operation
Ben mines bitcoins in China’s Sichuan Province and hopes the authorities won’t catch him every day.
Like other crypto miners who have been hiding underground since Beijing destroyed the industry earlier this year, Ben – who only wanted to be identified by his nickname to ensure his safety – was creative in preventing detection.
Ben has deployed his mining equipment in multiple locations so that no single operation can be seen in the country’s electricity grid. He also went “behind the subway”, drawing electricity directly from small local energy sources that are not connected to a larger network, such as dams. It is also taking steps to hide its digital geographical footprint.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/18/chinas-underground-bitcoin-miners-.html
Bill C-11’s forced promotion of CanCon on online platforms ‘very risky,’ MPs hear.
According to critics, delivering content to Canadian viewers who aren’t interested will hurt the authors because algorithms penalise content that isn’t interacted with.
The Liberal government’s Online Streaming Act promises to improve Canadian content’s prominence on digital platforms, but MPs heard Tuesday that the legislation might backfire and harm Canadian producers instead.
One of the legislation’s goals is to make Canadian material “discoverable” by requiring the CRTC to mandate platforms to promote content created by Canadians. According to critics, pushing content to viewers who aren’t interested in it will affect the content’s authors because algorithms would penalise content that isn’t interacted with.
FTC Fines Twitter $150 Million For Using 2FA Phone Numbers For Ad Targeting
After federal law enforcement officials accused Twitter of illegally utilising people’s data for six years to help sell targeted adverts, the social media corporation agreed to pay a $150 million fine.
The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice allege in court documents filed on Wednesday that Twitter broke a 2011 agreement with regulators in which the company agreed not to use information gathered for security purposes, such as users’ phone numbers and email addresses, to help advertisers target people with ads.
According to federal authorities, Twitter failed to keep this commitment.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/25/1101275323/twitter-privacy-settlement-doj-ftc
California Parents Could Soon Sue For Social Media Addiction
California might soon hold social media firms liable for harming children who have gotten addicted to their products. On Monday, a law passed the state Assembly allowing parents to sue sites like Instagram and TikTok for up to $25,000 per infringement.
The bill defines “addiction” as a condition in which children under the age of 18 are harmed physically, mentally, emotionally, developmentally, or financially, and who want to stop or reduce the amount of time they spend on social media but are unable to do so because they are preoccupied or obsessed with it.
Business organisations have warned that social media corporations will likely stop serving minors in California rather than risk facing legal repercussions if the law passes.
Only companies that use social media would be affected by the idea.