Good morning! This is your daily ☕️ Techpresso.
In today's Techpresso:
👀 X faces controversy over using user data for training AI chatbot Grok
💥 TikTok sent sensitive data to parent company ByteDance in China, DoJ says
🫠 Anthropic accused of bypassing their anti-scraping rules and protocol
🤷♂️ NASA still unsure when stranded astronauts can return from space
⚡️ Intel processors face irreversible damage because of voltage issues
🎁 + 6 other news you might like
🔮 + 5 handpicked research papers and tools
👀 X faces controversy over using user data for training AI chatbot GrokLINK
X automatically shared user data with Elon Musk's AI company, xAI, to train its systems, drawing scrutiny from the Irish Data Protection Commission.
Users were opted into data sharing without consent, and the setting can only be changed through the desktop version, with a mobile option in development.
The setting is enabled by default, and users report it was implemented without their knowledge, potentially violating European data protection laws.
💥 TikTok sent sensitive data to parent company ByteDance in China, DoJ saysLINK
The Justice Department accused TikTok of collecting data on U.S. users' views on sensitive topics like gun control, abortion, and religion, and sharing this information with ByteDance employees in China.
U.S. officials expressed concerns that TikTok's Beijing-based parent company could manipulate the app's algorithm to influence public opinion in favor of Chinese interests, posing a national security threat.
The government contends that TikTok must sever ties with ByteDance or face a potential ban under a law signed by President Biden, which aims to prevent foreign interference and protect user data.
🫠 Anthropic accused of bypassing their anti-scraping rules and protocolLINK
Freelancer claims Anthropic's AI ignored its "do not crawl" robots.txt protocol, resulting in 3.5 million visits from its crawler in four hours, making it the most aggressive scraper they've encountered.
iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens stated that Anthropic bypassed their policy against using content for AI training, causing their servers to receive a million hits in 24 hours and leading to disrupted operations.
Despite defending their practices, Anthropic stated they are investigating the issue and aim to minimize disruptions, while iFixit's CEO remains open to discussing content licensing agreements with the AI startup.
🤷♂️ NASA still unsure when stranded astronauts can return from spaceLINK
NASA is unsure when astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams can return from space after Boeing's Starliner encountered thruster issues and helium leaks during its June test flight.
Officials are considering alternative rescue options if Starliner remains problematic, with a critical review of the test data expected in early August to determine the next steps.
The mission, initially intended to last eight days, has now stretched to eight weeks, and NASA has extended the safe duration for the capsule, giving them more time to resolve the issues.
⚡️ Intel processors face irreversible damage because of voltage issuesLINK
Intel's 13th and 14th Gen Core processors are suffering from irreversible damage due to elevated voltage issues, with a patch expected in mid-August that will help prevent further damage but won't fix affected units.
High voltages are a key cause of the chip failures, but Intel is also investigating other potential issues, including manufacturing problems, and despite these failures, has not stopped sales or issued recalls.
The patch will be available via a BIOS update for already shipped processors, and Intel advises users to adhere to default settings and update their BIOS to mitigate further damage.
Other news you might like
Activision Blizzard has started using AI to pick up the slack left by laid-off artists.LINK
TSMC VP says 'I don’t care if Moore’s Law is alive or dead' if technology keeps scaling — 3D chip packaging fuels continued advances.LINK
New York City turns to AI-powered scanners in push to keep guns out of the subway system.LINK
OpenAI's Apple deal could be a bigger threat to Google than SearchGPT, analysts say.LINK
Tesla advises against using wet towels to accelerate Supercharging.LINK
15% of companies ban code AI, but 99% of developers use it anyway.LINK
Latest research and tools
Windows Recovery Environment and Bootable USB Creator: a lightweight tool designed to assist in creating bootable USB drives and accessing the Windows recovery environment for system repair and troubleshooting.LINK
Sqlitefs: allows Linux and MacOS users to mount a SQLite database file as a normal filesystem, with in-memory-db as default if no file is specified, ensuring all data is deleted upon filesystem closure.LINK
Patchwork: an open-source framework designed to automate various development tasks such as pull request reviews, bug fixing, and security patching by utilizing a CLI agent and customizable prompts with large language models.LINK
Free DDNS with Cloudflare and a Cronjob: allows updating Cloudflare DNS records automatically using a script and a cronjob for a free dynamic DNS service.LINK
Deep Learning Interviews (2021): the arXiv Accessibility Forum, scheduled for September, is a free, fully remote event open to everyone, focusing on enhancing accessibility.LINK
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