🚫 Jeff Bezos cancels Kamala Harris endorsement

Greetings! Your latest quick tech update is here 🤖

What’s happening:

• 🚫 Bezos cancels Kamala Harris endorsement at The Post

• 🧑‍💻 Chinese hackers target US election candidates

• 💸 FTC fines Lyft $2.1M for misleading driver earnings

• 💰 Apple offers $1M bounty to hack its AI

• 🤖 Google’s Gemini 2.0 AI set for December

• + 📊 Daily poll and results

• + 📈 Trending tools and resources

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Hand-picked news:

🚫 Bezos cancels Kamala Harris endorsement at The Post ↗️LINK

• What: Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, reportedly halted the editorial board's planned endorsement of Kamala Harris, replacing it with a column by publisher Will Lewis, stating The Post would not endorse any candidate in the upcoming election.

• Why: Bezos’s intervention highlights potential conflicts, as The Post cited preserving its "values" without endorsing candidates. Critics, however, see it as corporate interference in journalism, given Amazon’s government contracts, which include $10 billion with the NSA.

• Impact: The decision has sparked backlash from readers and staff, prompting subscription cancellations and staff resignations. The situation raises concerns about media independence and transparency, with former editor Marty Baron condemning it as a “darkness” for democracy.

🧑‍💻 Chinese hackers target US election candidates ↗️LINK

• What: Chinese hackers allegedly attempted to infiltrate phone systems to access data from the campaigns of Donald Trump, his running mate J.D. Vance, and Vice President Kamala Harris. This follows an ongoing FBI and CISA investigation into unauthorized access to US telecom infrastructure, particularly Verizon.

• Why: US federal agencies are investigating potential foreign influence as Election Day nears. Although China denies involvement, the targeting of these high-profile campaigns aligns with broader concerns over cyber interference in US elections.

• Impact: The breach highlights ongoing cybersecurity vulnerabilities in US infrastructure amid growing fears of election interference. Both campaigns remain on high alert, as the US intelligence community continues to monitor and mitigate foreign cyber threats.

💸 FTC fines Lyft $2.1M for misleading driver earnings ↗️LINK

• What: Lyft has settled with the FTC for $2.1 million over deceptive claims about driver earnings. The company advertised inflated hourly rates, such as $43 per hour in LA, without clarifying that these rates reflected only the top 20% of drivers, and included tips.

• Why: The FTC claims Lyft’s ads misled prospective drivers with unrealistic earnings and unclear promotions, failing to disclose that “guarantees” only covered income shortfalls rather than full pay.

• Impact: Though a minor financial hit for Lyft, this penalty highlights the FTC's stance against misleading recruitment tactics. Lyft now must adhere to stricter ad guidelines on pay transparency, despite dissent within the FTC over whether enforcement was warranted.

💰 Apple offers $1M bounty to hack its AI ↗️LINK

• What: Apple has announced a bug bounty program offering up to $1 million to anyone who finds vulnerabilities in its Private Cloud Compute (PCC) system, the tech behind Apple Intelligence’s privacy-focused AI. Bounties range from $50,000 for accidental data exposure to $1 million for high-level remote attacks.

• Why: Apple aims to ensure its PCC system, which processes data for AI features like Siri, is secure, providing external validation of its privacy claims and reinforcing user trust. The bounty opens PCC to public scrutiny for the first time, alongside third-party audits.

• Impact: This bold offer underscores Apple’s confidence in its AI’s security. By inviting public testing, Apple hopes to catch potential vulnerabilities early, reinforcing its commitment to privacy as it prepares for an AI-enhanced Siri launch in 2025.

🤖 Google’s Gemini 2.0 AI set for December ↗️LINK

• What: Google’s next-gen AI model, Gemini 2.0, is rumored to launch in December 2024, offering upgrades for developers and users through platforms like gemini.google.com. Despite high expectations, sources suggest it may not bring the substantial leap originally intended by the DeepMind team.

• Why: Google aims to maintain a competitive edge in AI by aligning Gemini’s release cycle with annual updates, improving accessibility and features for both general users and developers.

• Impact: The release will likely intensify competition, particularly with OpenAI’s upcoming Orion model, also slated for December. As AI learning curves slow, the race between Google and OpenAI remains tight, keeping innovation in AI under intense focus.

Today’s Poll:

Vote and find out about the result tomorrow.

Yesterday’s Poll Result:

FTC Fines for Fake Reviews: Fair or Too Harsh?

• A) Fair – It protects consumers from deception - 98% 👑

• B) Too Harsh – The fines are excessive - 2%

That’s the most dominant poll result in Cyberman, ever!

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