🛡️ China-linked hacks, Xbox game sales, Tesla’s taxi future
Good morning. It’s Friday, October 11. Today we are covering:
U.S. Officials Race to Understand Severity of China's Salt Typhoon Hacks
Xbox gamers will soon be able to buy games from the Xbox Android app
Tesla Cybercab announced: Elon Musk's robotaxi is finally here
US and UK announce joint children's online safety group to push for common fixes
The likeliest outcomes from the Google antitrust trial
Let’s dive in
U.S. Officials Race to Understand Severity of China's Salt Typhoon Hacks
By Dustin Volz via Wall Street Journal
U.S. officials are urgently investigating a China-linked hack targeting major broadband providers, which could represent a significant counterintelligence breach.
The hacking group, Salt Typhoon, allegedly connected to Chinese intelligence, may have accessed sensitive data from systems used for court-authorized wiretaps.
Major providers including Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen Technologies are under scrutiny, with Congress pressing for measures to protect U.S. wiretap systems.
𝕏: New: U.S. officials are racing to understand the full scope of a China-linked hack of major U.S. broadband providers, as concerns mount from members of Congress that the breach could amount to a devastating counterintelligence failure. - Dustin Volz (@dnvolz)
Xbox gamers will soon be able to buy games from the Xbox Android app
By Mariella Moon via Engadget
Starting in November, Xbox players will be able to purchase and play games directly from the Xbox App on Android.
This change follows a U.S. court ruling in the Epic Games antitrust case, allowing third-party app stores and offering more payment options, giving Microsoft the ability to avoid paying Google commissions.
The ruling is part of a broader challenge to Google’s monopoly on app distribution and billing services, with Google planning to appeal the decision.
𝕏: The court's ruling to open up Google´s mobile store in the US will allow more choice and flexibility. Our mission is to allow more players to play on more devices so we are thrilled to share that starting in November, players will be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android. - BondSarahBond (@BondSarah_Bond)
The best way to reach new readers is through word of mouth. If you click THIS LINK in your inbox, it’ll create an easy-to-send pre-written email you can just fire off to some friends.
Tesla Cybercab announced: Elon Musk's robotaxi is finally here
By Andrew J. Hawkins via The Verge
Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Cybercab, a fully autonomous robotaxi with no steering wheel or pedals, expected to enter production by 2026-2027.
The Cybercab features inductive charging, butterfly wing doors, and is designed to be 10-20 times safer than human-driven vehicles, with a cost of 20 cents per mile.
Tesla plans to launch fully autonomous driving in Texas and California next year, but faces scrutiny from safety regulators and competition from companies like Waymo and Cruise.
US and UK announce joint children's online safety group to push for common fixes
By Natasha Lomas via TechCrunch
The U.S. and U.K. have announced a joint children's online safety working group to share evidence and push for common solutions to protect minors in the digital space.
Both governments are urging tech platforms to act faster in safeguarding children, especially in response to rising concerns over social media's impact on youth mental health and safety.
The group aims to promote transparency, access to privacy-preserving data, and cooperation on issues like the risks posed by generative AI and other emerging technologies.
𝕏: Future generations will look back & ask why we abandoned our kids to violent online p*rn. The Online Safety Bill will provide new protections including robust age verification & criminal liability for tech bosses. Still much more to do. - Miriam Cates (@miriam_cates)
The likeliest outcomes from the Google antitrust trial
By Casey Newton via Platformer
A federal judge ruled in August that Google illegally maintained its monopoly in search and search text advertising, and the Department of Justice has proposed potential remedies, including breaking up the company.
The case centers around Google's search distribution deals, particularly its multi-billion-dollar payments to be the default search engine on iPhones and other devices, which the government claims stifles competition.
Possible outcomes include banning Google from paying for default placement or requiring the company to share search data with rivals like DuckDuckGo, with any remedy likely to be appealed and take years to finalize.
Trending in AI
Agents are the future AI companies promise — and desperately need
UK won't rush to regulate AI, says first-ever minister for digital brainboxes
Thanks for reading to the bottom and soaking in our Newslit Daily fueled with highlights for your morning.
I hope you found it interesting and, needless to say, if you have any questions or feedback let me know by hitting reply.
Take care and see you on Monday!
P.S. Want to advertise with us? We’d love to hear from you.
How was today’s email?