🔍 OpenAI’s Browser Plans, China’s Data Market, Trump’s Crypto Council
Good morning. It’s Friday, November 22. Today we are covering:
OpenAI Considers Taking on Google With Browser
China's Surveillance State Is Selling Citizen Data as a Side Hustle
Crypto industry jockeys for seats at Trump's promised council
OpenAI accidentally erases potential evidence in training data lawsuit
Tesla has the highest rate of fatal accidents among all car brands, report shows
Let’s dive in
OpenAI Considers Taking on Google With Browser
By Erin Woo via The Information
OpenAI is reportedly considering developing its own browser to challenge Google's dominance in the search and browser market.
The report was published by Erin Woo on The Information and highlights OpenAI's potential ambition to expand beyond AI tools.
This move could signify OpenAI's strategy to compete directly with major tech giants and diversify its offerings.
𝕏: OpenAI: • Considers ChatGPT web browser; has hired key Chrome ppl • Discussed deals to power search on sites / apps like Conde Nast, Eventbrite, Redfin. • Talked to Samsung about a potential deal to power AI device features - Amir Efrati (@amir)
China's Surveillance State Is Selling Citizen Data as a Side Hustle
By Andy Greenberg via WIRED
China's surveillance apparatus has enabled a black market where government insiders sell citizens' personal data, including phone numbers, banking details, and geolocation records, to scammers and stalkers for cryptocurrency.
Researchers from SpyCloud found that Chinese-language data vendors on Telegram openly recruit employees from surveillance agencies and telecom firms to leak sensitive information, offering lucrative payments.
The leaked data includes records from state-run entities and breaches, illustrating how China's surveillance state inadvertently fuels corruption and exploitation.
𝕏: Chinese data broker services on Telegram are recruiting insiders at China's state surveillance agencies, paying them as much as $10k a day for their access, then reselling it for cheap searches of almost every kind of personal info imaginable. - Andy Greenberg (@agreenberg at the other places) (@a_greenberg)
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Crypto industry jockeys for seats at Trump's promised council
By Hannah Lang via Reuters
Donald Trump has promised a crypto-friendly administration, with plans to establish a crypto advisory council housed under the White House to shape digital asset policy and create a national bitcoin reserve.
Major crypto firms like Ripple, Kraken, and Circle are competing for seats on the council, alongside industry leaders like a16z and Coinbase, aiming to influence policies and reverse Biden-era enforcement actions.
The council is expected to work on regulatory reforms, collaborate with Congress on crypto legislation, and coordinate with agencies like the SEC and CFTC, while the idea of appointing a crypto "tsar" is also under consideration.
𝕏: If #Trump actually establishes a Crypto Advisory Council, it should not include anyone from the #crypto industry itself, given their extremely biased views. Instead, it should be comprised of experts who do not even own #Bitcoin and can therefore make objective recommendations. - Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff)
OpenAI accidentally erases potential evidence in training data lawsuit
By Kylie Robison via The Verge
OpenAI engineers accidentally erased critical evidence in a lawsuit by The New York Times and other newspapers, undermining their ability to trace how their articles were used in AI training.
The lawsuit accuses OpenAI and Microsoft of using millions of articles without permission to develop AI tools that directly compete with publishers' content, with damages sought in the billions.
While OpenAI labeled the erasure as a "glitch," the incident has intensified tensions in the case, with the company set to file a formal response to the allegations.
𝕏: lawyers for The New York Times and other outlets spent over 150 hours searching OpenAI’s data as part of a lawsuit. OpenAI accidentally deleted all of evidence that was hosted on virtual machines - Tom Warren (@tomwarren)
Tesla has the highest rate of fatal accidents among all car brands, report shows
By Jon Keegan via Sherwood News
Tesla has the highest rate of fatal accidents among all car brands in the U.S., with an overall rate of 5.6 fatalities per billion miles, double the industry average of 2.8, according to a study by iSeeCars.
The Model Y SUV stands out with a fatal accident rate of 10.6, more than twice the average for SUVs, despite Tesla’s vehicles receiving five-star safety ratings from the NHTSA.
Critics suggest Tesla drivers may overly rely on the company’s autopilot features, and the brand is under NHTSA investigation for its "full self-driving" system, linked to several accidents and a pedestrian death.
𝕏: Elon Musk loves to talk about how safe Teslas are and how their autonomous driving systems are safer than humans. But new data from the US road safety regulator shows Teslas have the highest rate of fatal accidents among all US vehicle brands. - Paris Marx (@parismarx)
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