Elon Musk’s Starlink has blocked access to social media app X in Brazil. The billionaire Tesla owner initially skirted a Supreme Court order banning the platform in the country.

Earlier this week, the Brazilian Supreme Court banned X — formerly known as Twitter — based on concerns about misinformation after it failed to appoint legal representation.

A Supreme Court panel unanimously upheld the block on Monday, undermining Musk and his supporters’ efforts to portray Justice Alexandre de Moraes as attempting to censor political speech in Brazil.

Starlink initially appeared to refuse to comply with the Supreme Court justice’s order to prevent users from accessing the app – but it has now released a statement saying it will block X.

Had Starlink continued to disobey Judge Moraes by providing access, it could have faced repercussions from Brazilian telecoms regulator Anatel.

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Volvo slams brakes on EV-only 2030 target

Carmaker Volvo has abandoned plans to only see electric vehicles by 2030, saying it will continue to offer some hybrid models by that date.

Citing changing market conditions, Volvo said it was rowing back the EV ambitions that it unveiled three years ago, joining rivals including General Motors and Ford in reassessing plans.

Volvo said it now expects at least 90% of its output to be electric cars and plug-in hybrids by 2030, but it will also continue to sell a small number of traditional hybrids with conventional engines.

“We are resolute in our belief that our future is electric,” said Jim Rowan, chief executive of Volvo.

“However, it is clear that the transition to electrification will not be linear, and customers and markets are moving at different speeds.”

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Nokia downplays mobile sale rumours

Finnish telecommunications vendor Nokia has downplayed reports that it is preparing to offload its mobile network business to rival Samsung.

A report from Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources, claimed Nokia has explored various options for its mobile telecoms arm, including selling part or the entirety of the division, spinning it off into a separate entity, or merging with a rival.

This prompted the Finnish firm to release a statement reaffirming its commitment to the mobile division.

“Nokia has nothing to announce in relation to the speculations published in an article today, and no related insider project exists,” the company stated. “Nokia is committed to the success of its mobile networks business, a highly strategic asset for both Nokia and its customers.”

The company highlighted recent progress in the division, stating: “The business has made significant progress this year both on right-sizing its cost-base while protecting its product roadmap and winning new deals with new customers and increasing share with existing customers.”

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EU, US, and the UK sign agreement on AI standards

As stated by the Council of Europe human rights organisation, the first legally binding international AI treaty is open for signing by the countries that negotiated it, including European Union members, the US, and the UK.

The AI Convention, which has been in discussion between 57 countries in total, addresses risks AI may pose while promoting responsible innovation.

“This convention is a major step to ensuring that these new technologies can be harnessed without eroding our oldest values, like human rights and the rule of law,” said Britain’s justice minister, Shabana Mahmood.

The Council of Europe is an international organisation separate from the EU with a mandate to safeguard human rights. The AI Convention will mainly focus on protecting people affected by AI systems and is separate from the EU AI Act.

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Verizon to buy Frontier in an all-cash deal with $20 billion

Network provider Verizon has stated that it will buy fibre-optic internet provider Frontier Communications for $20 billion.

The deal will enable Verizon to better compete against US rivals AT&T and T-Mobile as they double down on unlimited plans and bundling options.

Frontier has 2.2 million fibre subscribers in 25 states, which will add to Verizon’s 7.4 million such users in nine states and Washington, D.C.

“The acquisition of Frontier is a strategic fit,” Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said.

The deal is expected to close in about 18 months and will expand Verizon’s coverage from the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions to multiple states in the Midwest, Texas, and California.

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The multi-year program aims to scale generative AI use cases, providing cost reductions and operational efficiencies.

Hein Schumacher, CEO of Unilever said: “We have already introduced 500 AI applications across Unilever, helping us to reach new levels of efficiency. But as AI matures and becomes increasingly intelligent and intuitive, we see so much more potential.”

“With the help of Accenture’s world-class tools and capabilities, we will be able to analyse where and how AI can have the highest transformational impact and deliver the greatest returns.”

Unilever will make use of Accenture’s ‘GenWizard’ platform.

Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture, said: “This next exciting chapter in our decades-long collaboration with Unilever will raise the bar on how enterprises can scale GenAI to power productivity and value at speed.”

“Accenture’s GenWizard platform will enable Unilever to create a full spectrum of targeted GenAI solutions across its business that can realise efficiencies and cost savings, uncover new ways of working and ultimately help drive competitive advantage.”

Last month, TI spoke to Unilever’s VP for consumer experience technology about how the big name is using artificial intelligence in its beauty experiences.

The firm has launched two consumer-facing apps that use AI to recommend beauty products based on a customer’s selfie.

TI also spoke to the firm’s R&D head of digital about how it is using AI to make its products more sustainable. Read the case study here.

The post Unilever and Accenture expand GenAI partnership appeared first on TechInformed.

So far, the government-funded organisation has awarded around £500,000 spread across the two initiatives.

The supply chain project Seamless Trade Across Borders aims to enhance cross-border trade and is supported by defence firms Leonardo and BAE Systems, the International Chamber of Commerce, and UK telco BT Group.

In a statement, Digital Catapult said that it hoped the incubator would support the UK Government’s Electronic Trade Documents Act, which aims to modernise international trade by making electronic documents easier to use.

The government claims that the act could unlock £25 billion in economic growth. Over 60% of international trade transactions are expected to be digitalised within the next five years.

As part of this incubation, Digital Catapult matches industry partners with technology innovators to address international supply chain challenges, including achieving seamless cross-border trade.

Technology providers involved in the project include inventory tracker Kavida AI, eTEU, an industry tech body for the shipping industry, AI tool builder Linear Works, and Exabler, which produces an AI tool that helps facilitate cross-border trade. Each provider will receive up to £85,000 to develop their solutions.

Kavida AI has previously partnered with Digital Catapult and UK manufacturing SMEs to achieve national-scale visibility. Founder and CTO Sumit Sinha added that the new initiative aligned with its vision of developing AI agents that empower businesses to conduct seamless cross-border trade at scale.

The innovation agency’s second initiative, the Product Carbon Footprint Measurement project, hopes to drive advances in how carbon footprint data is measured and exchanged internationally. It is backed by FMCG giant Unilever, GS1 UK and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

IBM announces new clean energy cohort for sustainability accelerator

Two startups, Altruistiq and Siccar, will also join the programme. Both will receive up to £125,000 to develop solutions to improve the carbon management process using artificial intelligence (AI), distributed ledger technology, and advanced identification systems to improve reporting on Scope 3 emissions.

Both initiatives build on the success of the Digital Catapult’s Digital Supply Chain Hub, which is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and has helped over 40 startups and SMEs to secure more than £3 million in funding

To learn more about the programme and how to collaborate with supply chain leaders, please visit https://hub.digitalsupplychainhub.uk.

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Though specific details remain sparse, Shashi Verma, TfL’s chief technology officer, has assured the public that there is currently no evidence of customer data compromise.

“We have introduced a number of measures to our internal systems to deal with an ongoing cyber security incident. The security of our systems and customer data is very important to us, and we will continue to assess the situation throughout and after the incident.

“There is currently no impact to TfL services, and we are working closely with the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre to respond to the incident,” he said.

The organisation’s corporate headquarters at Palestra House, Southwark, is thought to be the main site affected. Due to office mitigations, employees have been advised to work from home.

The organisation has been transparent in its communication, aiming to prevent misinformation and reassure the public, particularly given the ongoing nature of the attack.

Javvad Malik, lead security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, emphasised the need for ongoing vigilance, particularly for organisations managing public infrastructure.

“We also need to bear in mind that the main root causes which allow criminals to penetrate organisations are social engineering, unpatched software, or poor credentials. While it’s not certain how the breach at TFL occurred, it is quite likely one of these avenues would be the culprit,” he said.

Mayur Upadhyaya, CEO and co-founder of APIContext noted that the attack on TfL underscores the importance of securing all parts of an organisation’s IT infrastructure, not just those directly exposed to the public.

He added: “TfL’s response, including the work-from-home directive and enhanced security measures, underscores the need for preparedness and contingency planning to minimise the impact of cyber incidents. Such proactive steps are crucial for maintaining operational resilience and mitigating potential damage.

“In today’s interconnected world, APIs are the lifeblood of digital operations. Securing these gateways is paramount to preventing unauthorised access and data breaches. Regular security assessments, vulnerability management, and incident response planning are essential components of a robust cybersecurity strategy.”

The cyber-attack comes after a string of attacks on public services in recent months, including a June cyber-extortion attempt on the NHS by the Russian ransomware gang Qilin.

William Wright, chief executive of cybersecurity company Closed Door Security, added: “The big question people will also want to know is who carried out the attack and if it can be attributed to another country, like Russia. TfL was also attacked by Russia last year, so it definitely isn’t out of the realm of possibility.”

Last year, personal information was stolen in an attack by a Russian ransomware group.

Wright said: “Given Russia’s recent uptick in attacks on the West, it wouldn’t be surprising, but it is far too early to speculate.”

The post Transport for London hit by major cyber-attack; no customer data breached appeared first on TechInformed.

Clearview AI uses data scraping technology to harvest people’s public photographs from websites and social media platforms to create an online database of 20 billion images of faces and data.

According to the watchdog, Clearview has not objected to the DPA’s decision and would therefore be unable to appeal against the fine.

“Facial recognition is a highly intrusive technology, that you cannot simply unleash on anyone in the world,” DPA chairman Aleid Wolfsen said in a statement.

“If there is a photo of you on the Internet – then you can end up in the database of Clearview and be tracked. This is not a doom scenario from a scary film. Nor is it something that could only be done in China,” he added.

It also banned Dutch companies from using Clearview’s services.

The DPA ordered an imposing penalty of up to €5 million if Clearview doesn’t halt the breaches of the regulation.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Clearview’s chief legal officer, Jack Mulcaire said that the decision is “unlawful, devoid of due process and is unenforceable.”

“Clearview AI does not have a place of business in the Netherlands or the EU, it does not have any customers in the Netherlands or the EU and does not undertake any activities that would otherwise mean it is subject to the GDPR,” Mulcaire added.

Two years ago, the UK watchdog (ICO) also fined Clearview AI £7.5m for the same reason.

At the time, the ICO said that even though the firm does not offer its services to UK organisations, Clearview still had customers in other regions and found it “likely” that it could still use the personal data of UK residents given the nation’s high number of social media users.

The post Clearview AI fined over $33m for “illegal” facial recognition database appeared first on TechInformed.

The agreement will see Provenance-validated claims appear on labels across Holland & Barrett’s online channels in the UK and Ireland. The company aims to give its customers trustworthy information to help them make informed purchasing decisions.

The sustainable product labelling with include the sustainability credentials of Holland & Barrett’s own products and those of partners from brands including Weleda, Westlab, Pukka Herbs, Grass & Co, and Faith in Nature.

The Provenance data will include background information on things such as whether the packaging has been recycled and whether the product is vegan-friendly, supported by verification and evidence.

Guy Farmer, commercial trading director at Holland & Barrett, said, “We’re delighted to partner with Provenance to further meet the growing consumer demand for transparent sustainability claims.

“Our customers have always looked to us for natural, ethical, and sustainable products. This initiative reinforces our commitment to sustainability whilst also providing our suppliers with powerful tools to build trust and loyalty with our customers around the claims they are making.”

The labels will begin appearing on the Holland & Barrett website initially, with some in-store sustainable product labelling to appear from 2025.

Green claims

Leveraging Provenance’s data platform will also allow the retailer and its partners to meet the criteria for sustainability regulations set out in the UK’s Green Claims Code.

In a Google Cloud study last year, over 70% of executives said they believe that if investigated thoroughly, most organisations in their industry would be guilty of greenwashing, and almost 60% admitted to exaggerating their own sustainability activities.

Provenance aims to support businesses that want to be more transparent about their impact to reduce greenwashing. It supports more than 300 businesses, including Unilever, Estee Lauder, and Princes.

“Holland & Barrett’s commitment to transparency and sustainability is truly inspiring. Being one of the first high street retailers to integrate our platform, they set a powerful example for the retail industry. We are excited to help their brands communicate their sustainability journeys in a compliant, customer-friendly way, setting a new benchmark for the retail sector,” said Provenance founder Jessi Baker.

“In a market where products marketed as sustainable are growing 2.7x faster than the rest, this collaboration will empower brands stocked by Holland & Barrett to better meet consumer demand for transparent sustainability and reap the rewards.”

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The ongoing conflict between Musk and Brazil’s authorities is rooted in issues of misinformation and legal compliance.

The feud escalated in April when Justice Alexandre Moraes ordered the suspension of several X accounts accused of spreading disinformation, many of which were linked to supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

X’s failure to appoint a new legal representative in Brazil by a court-imposed deadline only exacerbated the situation, leading to the platform’s suspension.

Justice Moraes justified the ban by citing X’s non-compliance with Brazilian law, specifically its failure to curb the spread of disinformation.

Musk, who positions himself as a staunch defender of free speech, responded by accusing Justice Moraes of undermining democracy.

Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes https://t.co/eqbowALCeu

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 30, 2024

X has long been one of the most popular platforms in Brazil, serving as a key space for political discourse, social movements, and everyday communication.

With X now in jeopardy, millions of Brazilian users seek alternatives, with Bluesky emerging as a leading contender.

What is Bluesky?

Bluesky, often shortened to Bsky, is a relatively new decentralised social-blogging platform and public-benefit corporation based in the United States.

The app has seen an unprecedented surge in users following X’s suspension; it gained half a million new users in Brazil within just two days.

While Bluesky and X share some similarities in their basic functionality, they differ significantly in their content moderation and user experience approach.

Bluesky’s decentralised model allows for greater user control over their data and content, contrasting with X’s more centralised structure.

Additionally, Bluesky’s content moderation policies are seen as more transparent and community-driven, a key factor in attracting users disillusioned with X’s practices.

Are users migrating to Bluesky?

Google Trends data shows a sharp increase in searches for “Virtual Private Network” on August 30^th.

However, the ruling also fined individuals and businesses that used virtual private networks (VPNs) to access X. This may explain the surge in searches for “Bluesky” the following day, evidence of Brazilian users’ eagerness to find an alternative to X quickly.

The rapid influx of new users has posed challenges for Bluesky, particularly regarding technical infrastructure. The platform’s servers have experienced unprecedented traffic, leading to occasional slowdowns and connectivity issues.

Despite these challenges, Bluesky’s development team has proactively scaled up their systems to accommodate the growing user base, with reports of 15 times the usual daily peak traffic.

For anyone interested in how it’s going with the Brazil migration to Bluesky, we’re consistently at 15x our normal daily peak traffic

This graph is just kinda crazy, 4 days ago we couldn’t imagine the amount of load we’re seeing on our systems right now

The team is holding it down and doing great

[image or embed]

— Jaz (@jaz.bsky.social) Aug 31, 2024 at 17:36

The future of social media in Brazil

As more users migrate to platforms like Bluesky and Threads, the dominance of traditional social media giants like X and Facebook may be challenged.

This shift could lead to a more diverse and decentralised social media landscape in Brazil, with users enjoying greater freedom and privacy.

While Musk argues that free speech is essential to democracy, Justice Moraes and his supporters contend that freedom of expression must be coupled with a “duty of responsibility”.

The situation in Brazil has attracted global attention, with many wondering whether other countries might follow suit in regulating social media platforms more aggressively.

This comes after the founder of Telegram was arrested in France in relation to various organised crimes carried out within the cloud-based messaging app.

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Payment platform Klarna has unveiled plans to cut its staff footprint by over half as the Swedish firm bets big on AI.

The Stockholm-based ‘buy now, pay later’ firm said it will use an attrition downsizing policy, which means departing staff will no longer be replaced with new hires.

Instead, Klarna plans to leverage artificial intelligence and automation to replace departing roles in various departments. It has already reduced its headcount from 5,000 to 3,800 in the past year.

Chief executive Sebastian Siemiatkowski heralded the benefits of AI as Klarna revealed its second-quarter results earlier this week.

“Not only can we do more with less, but we can do much more with less. Internally, we speak directionally about 2,000 [employees]. We don’t want to put a specific deadline on that,” he told the Financial Times.

Read more…

Will Meta’s Puffin be a new competitor to Apple Vision Pro?

Meta has started developing a new mixed-reality headset that is intended to compete directly with the Apple Vision Pro.

According to The Information, the Meta headset, codenamed Puffin, will resemble a pair of glasses more than a traditional VR headset.

The Facebook parent — which already sells headsets following its 2014 acquisition of Oculus — is developing a mixed-reality device that will weigh less than 110g, significantly lighter than the Meta Quest 3’s 515g.

It will achieve this by using a tethered “puck” containing the Puffin’s batter and processor, leaving just the display in the headset, the report claims, although it is unlikely to launch until 2027 at the earliest.

Read more…

Why Uber was fined $324 million for GDPR violations

According to the Dutch data protection regulator, Uber has been fined $324 million for violating EU data protection rules.

The Dutch DPA accused the ride-hailing firm of transferring the personal data of its European drivers to US servers, calling it a “serious violation” of the EU’s General Data Protection Rule (GDPR).

Uber said it would appeal the fine, which it claimed was “completely unjustified” as the transfer was “compliant with GDPR during a period of immense uncertainty between the US and EU.”

The watchdog claims Uber transferred information, including ID documents, taxi licences and location data, to its US headquarters over a two-year period but failed to safeguard it.

It launched the investigation after more than 170 French drivers complained to a French human rights group, which issued a complaint to France’s data watchdog.

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Musk’s Grok chatbot tweaked to address election misinformation concerns

The social media platform X has changed its AI chatbot after five secretaries of state in the United States warned it was spreading election misinformation.

Top election officials from Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Washington sent a letter this month to Elon Musk complaining that the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok, produced false information about state ballot deadlines shortly after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.

The secretaries of state requested that the chatbot instead direct users who ask election-related questions to canivote.org, a voting information website run by the National Association of Secretaries of State.

Before listing responses to election-related questions, the chatbot now says, “For accurate and up-to-date information about the 2024 U.S. Elections, please visit vote.gov.”

The five state secretaries said in a shared statement that both websites are “trustworthy resources that can connect voters with their local election officials.”

Read more…

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The investment will go towards training programmes, courses and other learning interventions to boost AI, software, and data skills.

The projects will be led by the universities of Edinburgh, Leicester and Portsmouth, the Royal Institute of Navigation, and Plastron Training – a provider of training services focused on safety in the commercial space sector.

The University of Portsmouth’s course, “Securing the Future of Space: Space Software and Data/AI”, will aim to equip mid-career professionals with tools to navigate the increasing role of AI and data science in space.

“Software, data, and AI development proceeds at such a rate that remaining at the forefront of the sector is challenging, yet these digital skills are critical to drive innovation and meet the objectives of the National Space Strategy,” said Becky Canning, deputy director (Space) at the University of Portsmouth’s Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation.

The course is aimed at existing space sector employees looking for a promotion, and to fill employer gaps, as well as professionals in adjacent industries such as military, engineering, defence, and maritime who want to enter the space industry.

The University of Leicester’s course will concentrate on sustainable space engineering, law and operations, and the University of Edinburgh’s course will focus on software and data, as well as transferrable skills (find out more, here.)

In the same announcement, the UK and European space agencies unveiled that they are strengthening work on the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications, with a focus on the centre’s 5G/6G hub. Its attention will be on satellite telecommunications and the applications of satellite services.

The space agencies will also begin exploring the potential for a space quantum technologies laboratory, as well as developing in-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing of satellites – with the aim to keep satellites in orbit and prolonging their lifetime and minimising waste in space.

Read: Sustainability in space

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The prosecutors stated that Durov is being held in custody as part of a cyber-crime investigation assessing twelve different offences linked to organised crime.

Telegram has said in a statement, “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for abuse of that platform.”

Before founding Telegram in 2013, Durov founded a social media company called VKontakte in 2006 in Russia.

In 2014, the founder exiled himself after refusing to comply with the Russian government’s demands to shut down opposition communities on Vkontakte.

Now, Durov is based in Dubai while running the platform there, too.

Telegram joins Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok as one of the world’s largest social media platforms, with 950 million active users monthly.

The platform offers end-to-end encryption, which means messages cannot be accessed by anyone other than the device that sends and receives them—although this is not a default setting like it is on WhatsApp.

Telegram has previously faced criticism over the ability of users to spread disinformation on the app easily.

The app was cited as one of the platforms used by far-right groups to spread disinformation about refugees that led to rioting in Southport and other UK cities last month.

According to one report, fireworks and flares were being advertised for sale on a Telegram messenger group aimed at UK rioters last month.

Groups can be as large as 200,000, while WhatsApp groups, for instance, can only be as large as 1,000. However, the app, reported to employ less than one hundred staff, said that its moderation “is within industry standards and constantly improving,” and it abides by European Union laws.

“Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as a means of communication and as a source of vital information,” the app’s statement said. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”

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