A US judge ruled Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in some ad tech. This is the second time a judge ruled Google willfully engaged in monopolistic practices. The remedies for these rulings are still being worked out but may strengthen the case to have Google's business broken up.

The information revealed in the slides isn’t necessarily the most earth-shattering disclosures. As reported by The Verge, one slide showed data, seemingly from Apple, that shows the frequency of use of several different apps that have messaging features—including Apple’s Messages, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Snapchat—that suggested Messages dominated iOS when it comes to communications, not Meta’s offerings. Another slide, per The Verge, was titled “Snapchat in 2020: Competitors Are Succeeding and Not Just Meta Apps” and said apps other than Meta’s own are “thriving.”

But the fact that information made its way to public consumption was a pretty big “oops” on Meta’s part. The information was visible because of how the company redacted the documents, which it turned out was pretty easy to remove…which, of course, people did. That did not inspire confidence among the legal representation for companies, including Apple, Google, and Snapchat, that Meta was doing all it could to keep proprietary information protected. (Why they would want that information redacted is a different matter.)

The lead plaintiff in the case, Nyree Hinton, bought a used Model Y with less than 37,000 miles (59,546 km) on the odometer. Within six months, it had pushed past the 50,000-mile (80,467 km) mark, at which point the car's bumper-to-bumper warranty expired. (Like virtually all EVs, Tesla powertrains have a separate warranty that lasts much longer.)

For this six-month period, Hinton says his Model Y odometer gained 13,228 miles (21,288 km). By comparison, averages of his three previous vehicles showed that with the same commute, he was only driving 6,086 miles (9,794 km) per 6 months.

According to a newly released court document, NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware was used in a 2019 hacking campaign to target a total of 1,223 WhatsApp users across 51 countries, including the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Trump Science Advisor Michael Kratsios, gave a speech at Endless Frontiers Retreat in Austin, Texas on April 14. The event was co-hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, UT Austin, Texas A&M, Rice University, and Baylor University.

In what seems a poor attempt at a Steve Jobs-like imitation, Kratsios seemed to use a figure of speech (I hope/pray?) to grab audience attention:

"Stagnation was a choice. We have weighed down our builders and innovators. The well-intentioned regulatory regime of the 1970s became an ever-tightening ratchet, first hampering America’s ability to become a net-energy exporter and then making it harder and harder to build. We seem to have lost focus and vision, to have lowered our sights and let systems and structures and bureaucracies muddle us along.

But we are capable of so much more.

Our technologies permit us to manipulate time and space. They leave distance annihilated, cause things to grow, and improve productivity.

As Vice President Vance said in a recent speech, the tradition of American innovation has been one of increasing the capacities of America’s workers, of extending human ability so that more people can do more, and, more meaningful work. But unrestricted immigration, and reliance on cheap labor both domestically and offshore, has been a substitute for improving productivity with technology."

Kratsios' comments on time and space manipulation, led to some reports that the U.S. was officially admitting to having the capability.

The president of the European Center for Information Policy and Security warned that the U.S. and Russia's ability to bend time and space, is a threat to Europe's future..

Given Kratsios' boss has been known to make outrageous but vague threats that are often dismissed as jokes, only to be brought up again later as legitimate possibilities, it is unsurprising that some might take Kratsios' words literally and express concern.

Trump has asked Peter Theil's protege to blaze a trail for science and tech supremacy, and Kratsios has made statements comparing Trump's plan for a "Golden Age of American Innovation," to FDR giving his own science advisor a mandate to chart a course for U.S. research and development.

During Trump's first administration, Kratsios served as Chief Technology Officer and was tasked with using cutting edge technology to tackle COVID misinformation and track early cases of the virus in the U.S..

A 2019 interview with Kratsios indicates he also opposed the regulation of controversial facial recognition technology.

The current Trump administration raised eyebrows earlier this year after the U.S. and U.K both refused to join allies signing an international A.I. agreement.

Similar to Kratsios' view on facial recognition technology, Vice President JD Vance indicated the refusal was due to concerns over strict regulations, stating it could "kill a transformative industry just as it's taking off". Vance vowed that the U.S. would not squander an opportunity to grow AI policies over safety concerns.

Who knows what exciting things await us in the upcoming Golden Age of American Innovation?

English translation: Verify your age Perform a quick check to demonstrate that you are old enough to play this content. Get more information

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28347255

As Meta and X bow to Trump, top Republicans in Congress have their sights on Google next.

• UK-made, invisible radio wave weapon knocks out drone swarms for the first time.
• Weapon has potential to help protect against drone threats as nature of warfare changes.

• Open Rights Group investigation reveals fraudulent adverts offering fake driving licences and passports still running on Facebook.
• Investigation is part of new report which examines how Meta’s surveillance advertising model enables vulnerable people to be targeted with disinformation, fraudulent ads and divisive content.
• Meta monetises from migrant crisis through ads placed by both criminals and the Home Office.

• Temu and Shein will be getting more expensive come 25th April 2025.
• The companies are blaming increases to their operating expenses thanks to sweeping export tariffs from the US.
• Other international companies will likely be increasing their prices in the coming months, including for South Africans.

The entire staff of the Defense Digital Service (DDS), the Pentagon’s decade-old technology development office, is leaving by the start of May, with nearly all individuals resigning, a current member of the office confirmed to The Hill on Tuesday.

The mass exodus, first reported by Politico, means the service will effectively shutter in less than a month.

• AI surveillance may no longer just be a foreign government threat, as there are troubling stories about possible abuses within the United States.
• With major agencies, law enforcement, and intelligence services now in the hands of Trump loyalists, AI-based monitoring capability is a particular concern.
• It is a risky time for AI surveillance due to a combination of advanced digital technologies, abundant unsecured data, and a political environment that endangers people’s freedoms.