OpenAI has a glossy exterior. In the four short years of its existence, it has catapulted itself to a spot among the leading AI research labs in the world. Part of it is its consistency in producing headline-grabbing research. Part of it is its co-founders Elon Musk and legendary investor Sam Altman. But above all, OpenAI is lionized for its mission….
Tag: Charter
Charter’s Spectrum Kills Home Security Business, Refuses Refunds on Now-Worthless Equipment
Charter Comunications’ Spectrum cable service includes a home security service, and — whoops. No it doesn’t. “Spectrum customers who are also users of the company’s home security service are about a month away from being left with a pile of useless equipment that in many cases cost them hundreds of dollars,” reports Gizmodo:
On February 5, Spectrum will no longer support customers…
Streaming Services Reckon With Password-Sharing ‘Havoc’
In 2019, companies lost about $9.1 billion to password piracy and sharing. From a report: On Dec. 9, Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge took aim at the “content companies” entering the direct-to-consumer streaming business. The cable executive told a roomful of investment bankers in Manhattan that these new streamers are “creating havoc in the ecosystem.” Rutledge wasn’t talking about the proliferation…
Cable Execs Now Falsely Claiming Cord Cutting Is Slowing Down
Cable executives like Charter CEO Tom Rutledge are insisting that cord cutting is slowing down. “I think in aggregate they’re going to slow down,” said Rutledge. “Because I think most single-family homes have big TVs in them and that’s where you get sports, that’s where you get news, that’s where you get live TV like this. It’s still going to be…
Google’s Sidewalk Labs Leaked Document Reveals Company’s Early Vision For Data Collection, Tax Powers, Criminal Justice
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Globe and Mail: A confidential Sidewalk Labs document from 2016 lays out the founding vision of the Google-affiliated development company, which included having the power to levy its own property taxes, track and predict people’s movements and control some public services. The document, which The Globe and Mail has seen, also describes how…
Facebook Forges Ahead With Libra Despite Some Major Setbacks
“Facebook is facing a lot of pushback for Libra, its proposed cryptocurrency, but that’s not stopping the social media giant from forging ahead,” reports the Motley Fool: Earlier this week, it announced the 21 founding members of its digital token project at the signing of the Libra Association charter in Switzerland. The founding members include Uber, Lyft, Spotify, and PayU, among…
Phone Companies, State Attorneys General Announce Broad Campaign To Fight Robocalls
Twelve of the country’s largest telephone companies on Thursday pledged to implement new technology to spot and block robocalls, part of an agreement brokered between the industry and 51 attorneys general to combat the growing telecom scourge. From a report: The new effort to be announced in Washington commits a wide array of companies in the absence of regulation to improving…
Facebook’s Libra Cryptocurrency Could Be Misused By Terrorists, Says Treasury Chief Mnuchin
In a press conference Monday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Facebook’s proposed digital currency, Libra, “could be misused by money launderers and terrorist financiers” and that it was a “national security issue.” CNBC reports: “Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin have been exploited to support billions of dollars of illicit activity like cyber crime, tax evasion, extortion, ransomware, illicit drugs and human trafficking,”…
US Lawmakers Consider Ban On Big Tech Companies Launching Cryptocurrencies
PolygamousRanchKid quotes Reuters: A proposal to prevent big technology companies from functioning as financial institutions or issuing digital currencies has been circulated for discussion by the Democratic majority that leads the House Financial Services Committee, according to a copy of the draft legislation seen by Reuters. In a sign of widening scrutiny after Facebook Inc’s (FB.O) proposed Libra digital coin aroused…
Donald Trump Blasts Bitcoin, Facebook Libra, Demands They Face Banking Regulations
President Donald Trump on Thursday night warned Facebook over its plan to create digital currency Libra, a move that poses a new obstacle to the company’s cryptocurrency ambitions. From a report: “Facebook Libra’s ‘virtual currency’ will have little standing or dependability. If Facebook and other companies want to become a bank, they must seek a new Banking Charter and become subject…