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G.M. Reaches $1.5 Million Fine After Self-Driving Taxi Accident

NYT Technology - Mon, 09/30/2024 - 15:59
The General Motors subsidiary reached a settlement with the main auto safety regulator after one of its self-driving taxis struck a pedestrian in San Francisco last year.

When will the Verizon outage be fixed? Here’s what we know

Mashable - Mon, 09/30/2024 - 15:33

Check out our live blog coverage on the Verizon outage for more up-to-date details on the major cellular network issue.

UPDATE: Sep. 30, 2024, 5:29 p.m. EDT Verizon's customer support account on X posted around 5 p.m. ET that engineers were "making progress on our network issue and service has started to be restored." Though it would appear that some customers were still having issues, the company noting it would "continue to work around the clock to fully resolve this issue."

Verizon customers nationwide reported network outages on Sept. 30, with many iPhone users saying their phones have been stuck in SOS mode. This is a massive problem for many folks trying to work and get about their lives on a Monday, and it is unclear when the issue will be resolved.

Verizon has not made it clear how long this will last.

"We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers," the company's customer support X account posted around noon Eastern time. "Our engineers are engaged, and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue."

SEE ALSO: Massive Verizon outage: Customers nationwide left without service, phones in 'SOS mode'

Hours have passed, and folks are still reportedly experiencing the same problem. Down Detector still shows a high volume of user-reported issues. The replies from the Verizon account also seem to indicate that many folks are still having issues and that a fix has not yet been rolled out.

It's unclear when the problem will be fixed, but it could take a while. We will update you as developments occur.

This is a developing story … Check back at Mashable for updates.

Verizon outage phone stuck on SOS: What to do

Mashable - Mon, 09/30/2024 - 14:11

Verizon customers across the country have reported a network outage that has left their phone stuck in SOS mode. There might not be an immediatet fix — that will likely require Verizon's network resolving its issue — but there are some steps you can take to try to get your phone working again.

Mashable's Kimberly Gedeon has all the details on the outage, but the gist of it is that many iPhones are stuck in SOS mode. That's the feature from Apple that allows you to call or text emergency services — even without service. It's intended for users who are in poor coverage areas.

This suggests that significant portions of Verizon’s network are down. Verizon has said its working on the problem.

"We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers," it said in a statement on X. "Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue."

Not every Verizon customer is experiencing this issue — both my Verizon phone and WiFi are currently in working order — but it does appear to be a big problem. Here's what you can do.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Phone stuck in SOS mode: What to do

To be honest, there is no real fix beyond Verizon's network coming back online. We will update this story when that is the case.

You could try putting your phone in airplane mode — or turning it off entirely — to try to reconnect to the network. Though if the network remains down, you will likely still be unable to connect.

You could also use Wi-Fi calling. This method will let you send text messages and make calls over Wi-Fi. You'll have the option to use popular communication apps such as FaceTime or WhatsApp.

Otherwise you can keep trying to restart your iPhone or, more likely, wait for Verizon to fix its problem.

For all the latest regarding the network issue, check out our live blog on the Verizon outage.

TikTok bad actors harness AI to reanimate Hitler's hate

Mashable - Mon, 09/30/2024 - 13:56

Generative artificial intelligence is reviving the terrifying legacy of bigots, including former German dictator Adolf Hitler, as TikTok users harness the app's AI tools to reanimate xenophobic speeches from long-dead leaders.

The phenomenon was recently documented in two different reports, one by nonprofit watchdog group Media Matters for America and another in an investigation by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and the SITE Intelligence Group, published by the Washington Post. Both unveiled a small network of accounts creating and disseminating translated, AI-dubbed versions of Hitler's speeches.

SEE ALSO: Why teens are telling strangers their secrets online

According to Media Matters' research, AI-generated audios have accumulated millions of views, which include videos mocking the leader or those that have turned the audio into a meme. Other accounts appeared to be dedicated to creating and sharing these audios earnestly, sometimes with outrightly anti-Semitic messaging. Popular videos using said audio, often stylized with slowed down and "reverbed" audios, go as far back as April 2024, with several improperly translated. Following the publishing of the report, TikTok removed the account of one known uploader and began directing related searches to a "Facts About the Holocaust" page, which documents Hitler's slaughter of millions of civilian Jews, disabled people, political prisoners, LGBTQ+ people, and those of Romani origin.

The Washington Post reported that known fascist groups have praised the use of AI to spread bigoted propaganda, citing a growth in "red-pilled" young people engaging with hate speech and right-wing communities online. Experts told the publication that they worry platform moderation tools, including those on Meta sites and X, won't be able to keep up with the AI-assisted spread.

Both reports noted a slew of positive sentiments in the videos' comment sections, with some users outrightly praising the historical figure and his policies, and flagged that many of these videos don't flaunt obvious white supremacist dog whistles, prompting fear that users are unknowingly being radicalized by the content.

Similar attempts to rewrite historical figures' legacies have made their way onto TikTok over the last year, spurred by AI. In June, a mistakenly-leaked internal version of the app's new AI digital avatar tool — which allowed its users to generate advertisements using creators' likenesses — led to the circulation of several AI-generated videos featuring avatars reciting various white supremacist rhetoric, including excerpts of Mein Kampf and Osama Bin Laden's "Letter to America." In 2023, TikTok videos reciting the same Bin Laden statement, sometimes associated with white supremacist sentiment, stirred a cross-app panic, as users re-contextualized the speech as an anti-imperial treatise in light of Israel's besiege of Palestinians in Gaza and the nation's U.S. backing.

Generally, watchdog groups have documented repeated instances of both domestic and foreign actors spreading disinformation on the app through the use of generative AI tools, including synthetic digital forgeries (or "deepfakes") of political leaders. White supremacist, pro-Nazi accounts have also proliferated on the platform, operating in tandem with networks across sites like Telegram to boost their content within social media algorithms.

According to a July report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, TikTok hosts "hundreds" of pro-Nazi accounts, which cumulatively garner millions of views. The company, the organization says, hasn't moved quickly enough to stop their spread.

Massive Verizon outage: Customers nationwide left without service, phones in 'SOS mode'

Mashable - Mon, 09/30/2024 - 13:21

A massive Verizon outage has caused widespread, nationwide connectivity issues for customers across the U.S.

Based on Google Trends, there's been an uptick of people searching for, "Why is my phone in SOS?" This captures the experience many Verizon users are reporting; many have claimed that their phones are now limited to SOS service.

Verizon Down: Widespread outage disrupts customers across U.S.

As of 12:00 p.m. ET, DownDetector (a site that shares the same parent company as Mashable) shows that there have been over 100,000 reports of Verizon outages. Fifty percent say that the issue involves their mobile phone, 35 percent say they're not getting any signals, and 14 percent say they're experiencing a total blackout.

DownDetector percentages regarding Verizon outage Credit: DownDetector

According to DownDetector's heat map, it appears that outages are concentrated in the states of New York, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, and North Carolina.

DownDetector map shows where the Verizon outage is concentrated Credit: DownDetector

A site that has been tracking the issue claims that outage reports began piling up at around 9:04 am ET.

On X, users have been flooding Verizon Support, the company's official help page, regarding the issue.

"We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers. Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue," Verizon said on X.

Phones stuck in SOS mode

Your phone being in SOS mode is an indication that your device cannot connect to a network, but it can reach certain personnel via satellite connectivity.

SOS mode is Apple's "Emergency SOS via Satellite" feature that lets users connect to satellites to reach emergency services in poor coverage areas.

Verizon has not yet acknowledged that there is a widespread outage. The company, according to CNN, has 114 million subscribers in the United States.

Check out our live updates page on the massive Verizon outage to keep an eye on any new details from the company.

This story is developing ...

'Nosferatu' trailer teases Bill Skarsgård's take on the iconic vampire

Mashable - Mon, 09/30/2024 - 13:12
Robert Eggers's "Nosferatu" stars Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, and Willem Dafoe. The horror film hits theaters on December 25.

Apple's M3 MacBook Pro has dropped to a record-low price on Amazon ahead of October Prime Day

Mashable - Mon, 09/30/2024 - 12:45
The best early October Prime Day MacBook deals at a glance: Best MacBook Pro deal Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M3, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $1,699 at Amazon (save $300) Get Deal Best MacBook Air deal Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M2, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $799 at Amazon (save $200) Get Deal

Amazon is home to good MacBooks deals year-round (more so than any other kind of laptop), but its selection sees especially deep discounts during certain sitewide savings events. Next up is Prime Big Deal Days, the retailer's members-only "October Prime Day" sale on Oct. 8 and 9, which will likely bring dramatic price drops across Apple's lineup ahead of a possible M4 refresh.

In the lead-up to the event, Amazon has discounted several models across the M2 and M3 generations — most notably, the 14-inch M3 Apple MacBook Pro from last fall. Three configurations were sitting at record-low prices at the time of writing.

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about Amazon's October Prime Day sale: Official dates, the competition, and more

Several variants of the MacBook Air are also on sale on Amazon before Prime Big Deal Days, though none of them have hit or surpassed their previous all-time lows just yet. As such, shoppers who aren't in dire need of an upgrade may want to hold off on buying them until Prime Big Deal Days formally begins, in case they get even cheaper then. (We also recommend keeping a close eye on Best Buy, Amazon's toughest competition when it comes to laptop markdowns.)

Read on for a closer look at the best early October Prime Day deals on MacBooks. Note: Deals marked with a 🔥 have dropped to an all-time low price.

Best MacBook Pro deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M3, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) 🔥 $1,699.00 at Amazon
$1,999.00 Save $300.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Read Mashable's full review of the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro (M3).

The latest 14-inch MacBook Pro features an M3 chip that supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing for rendering lifelike lighting, plus a bright 120Hz mini-LED display, tons of ports (including an SDXC card slot), and a battery that lasted over 16 hours per charge in our testing. It's a Mashable Choice Award winner and our favorite laptop for video editing.

All configurations of the 14-inch M3 Pro are now on sale at all-time lows on Amazon (including the base model, which is now just $1,399). However, we're partial to the bumped-up version with 16GB of memory and 1TB of SSD storage: That extra RAM is necessary if you're going to be using it for multitasking and/or creative work. Normally $1,999, it's now just $1,699 — a 15% savings. Best Buy was matching that offer when we last checked.

Best MacBook Air deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M2, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $799.00 at Amazon
$999.00 Save $200.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Read Mashable's full review of the 13-inch Apple MacBook Air (M2).

Another Mashable Choice Award winner, the 13-inch MacBook Air from mid-2022 combines "[rock]-solid battery life" with "a keyboard that’s to die for, and enough horsepower to handle everyday tasks with ease," wrote Mashable tech and games reporter Alex Perry. It's our current favorite "budget" MacBook, and it's even cheaper than usual on Amazon (though not cheaper than ever before):

You can snag the base configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $799, or $200 off. That's $50 away from its all-time low of $749, which briefly appeared at Best Buy over Labor Day weekend and required a paid My Best Buy membership. Let's see if Amazon matches that for Team Prime next week.

More MacBook Airs on sale

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