Category: Government

Aurora can now give the public rides in its self-driving cars

Aurora has been given permission by California regulators to transport passengers in its self-driving vehicles, TechCrunch has learned. The California Public Utilities Commission granted Aurora a permit, which was posted on its website Wednesday, to participate in the state’s Autonomous Vehicle Passenger Service pilot. Aurora confirmed the approval. “This permit lets us…

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Dept. of Interior grounds its drones amid cybersecurity concerns

The U.S. Department of the Interior has confirmed it has grounded its fleet of non-emergency drones amid concerns over cybersecurity. In a brief statement, the department said the move will help to ensure that “the technology used for these operations is such that it will not compromise our national security…

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Toothless: Facebook proposes a weak Oversight Board

Facebook’s internal “Supreme Court” can’t set precedents, can’t make decisions about Facebook Dating or Marketplace, and can’t oversee WhatsApp, Oculus, or any messaging feature, according to the bylaws Facebook proposed today for its Oversight Board. It’s designed to provide an independent appeals process for content moderation rulings. But it will…

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The Pentagon pushes back on Huawei ban in bid for ‘balance’

Huawei may have just found itself an ally in the most unexpected of places. According to a new report out of The Wall Street Journal, both the Defense and Treasury Departments are pushing back on a Commerce Department-led ban on sales from the embattled Chinese hardware giant. That move, in…

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India likely to force Facebook, WhatsApp to identify the originator of messages

New Delhi is inching closer to recommend regulations that would require social media companies and instant messaging app providers operating in the country to help law enforcement agencies identify users who have posted or sent messages it deems questionable, two people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. India will submit…

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