Facebook has hit back at Signal, after the latter revealed it was booted from Instagram after it tried to run a series of Instagram ads to show the amount of data the social media platform and its parent company Facebook collect about users, and how it uses the data to push targeted ads. "This is a stunt by Signal, who never even tried to actually run these ads -- and we didn't shut down their ad account for trying to do so," a Facebook spokesperson told ZDNet . "If Signal had tried to run the ads, a couple of them would have been rejected because our advertising policies prohibit ads that assert that you have a specific medical condition or sexual orientation, as Signal should know. But of course, running the ads was never their goal -- it was about getting publicity." Signal took to Twitter to respond to Facebook's accusation saying: "We absolutely did try to run these. The ads were rejected, and Facebook disabled our ad account." Signal pointed to "real screenshots" of … [Read more...] about Facebook accuses Signal of lying about its attempt to run transparent Instagram ads
Boeing wants to see a G20 approach to growing Australia’s space sector
Boeing Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific president and former Australian Defence minister, Brendan Nelson, has urged the federal government to take a coordinated approach to growing Australia's space industry. "What there needs to be is an overall coordination of our entire space effort, which goes through not just the development and manufacture of sovereign domestic space-related technologies and capabilities, but also ensuring that everybody in every part of the sector is aware of the potential risks to our economic, social, and other forms of security," he told the Standing Committee currently conducting an inquiry into the development of Australia's space industry on Thursday. "From our point of view, we think at the moment there is money in defence, there's money in different parts of government and supporting programs, there are different areas of responsibility held in different portfolios for space, so ideally what should happen is there should be a single … [Read more...] about Boeing wants to see a G20 approach to growing Australia’s space sector
USDA now only partially inspects some lab animal facilities, internal documents reveal
By David Grimm May. 5, 2021 , 8:00 AM In February 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made a significant—and apparently secret—change to how it oversees laboratory animal welfare, Science has learned. Instead of fully inspecting all of the nearly 1100 facilities that house monkeys, rabbits, and other creatures used in biomedical research, it mandated partial “focused” inspections for labs accredited by a private organization of veterinarians and scientists called AAALAC International. Such partial inspections violate the Animal Welfare Act, argues Katherine Meyer, director of Harvard University’s Animal Law & Policy Clinic, which discovered the change after law student Brett Richey combed through more than 1000 pages of internal USDA documents. The federal law states that USDA must enforce “minimum requirements for handling, housing, [and] feeding” of research animals, as well as adequate veterinary care, Meyer notes. “How do you ensure that labs are in … [Read more...] about USDA now only partially inspects some lab animal facilities, internal documents reveal
Signal wanted to run Instagram ads to show how user data is collected and sold, promptly gets banned by Facebook
A hot potato: Signal, the encrypted messaging app that recently exploded in popularity, attempted to run an Instagram ad campaign to show users how the social media platform targets and sells their personal information using its own ad tools. Not so fast, said Facebook, which then proceeded to shut down Signal's advertising account. User privacy and social media have always had a complex relationship, spawning endless debates on regulation, tracking online user behaviour and data collection. It's why some companies have increasingly started to push privacy as a core feature of their products. Signal , the encrypted messaging app, gained worldwide popularity based on the same premise, and it's not surprising to see the company highlight privacy issues present on rival platforms. In a blog post titled "The Instagram ads Facebook won't show you," Signal reveals how it got banned from trying to buy ads that would show Instagram users what personal data is collected by Facebook and … [Read more...] about Signal wanted to run Instagram ads to show how user data is collected and sold, promptly gets banned by Facebook
Arrival and Uber are co-developing an electric car for ride-hailing drivers
Recap: In an effort to become fully electric by 2025 in the UK and by 2030 in Europe and North America, Uber has partnered up with UK-based car maker Arrival to develop an affordable EV for ride-hailing services. Arrival's car production is set to start in Q3 2023, but it won't be exclusive to Uber. The upcoming Arrival Car will be joining the rest of Arrival's vehicle lineup, which includes the Arrival Bus and the Arrival Van . Like the other two vehicles, the Arrival Car will be a part of a "zero-emission" transportation ecosystem that provides cities with cleaner and more sustainable mobility solutions. During the development phase, Arrival will receive feedback from Uber drivers to ensure the Arrival Car meets the requirements and needs of drivers and passengers. The car's final design should be revealed before year's end. While typical cars make 10,000 miles a year, a ride-hailing vehicle can drive about 30,000 miles in that same period, therefore Uber drivers tend … [Read more...] about Arrival and Uber are co-developing an electric car for ride-hailing drivers