Offworld ‘company towns’ are the wrong way to settle the solar system
Company Towns — wherein a single firm provides most or all necessary services, from housing and employment to commerce and amenities to a given community — have dotted America since before the Civil War. As we near the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, they’re making a…
United Auto Workers seeks to unionize Tesla, BMW and other carmakers
Fresh off successful contract negotiations with Ford, GM and Stellantis, the United Auto Workers (UAW) is seeking to unionize 150,000 workers across 13 automakers including Tesla, BMW, Mercedes Benz and Hyundai, it announced. “To all the autoworkers out there working without the benefits of a union: now it’s your turn,”…
US Senator calls for the public release of AT&T ‘Hemisphere’ surveillance records
US Senator Ron Wyden wants the public to know about the details surrounding the long-running Hemisphere phone surveillance program. Wyden has written US Attorney General Merrick Garland a letter (PDF), asking him to release additional information about the project that apparently gives law enforcement agencies access to trillions of domestic…
Sega faces unfair labor practice complaint for planned mass layoff of union members
Workers at Sega of America are accusing the video game company of “bad faith bargaining with workers” for its plan to lay off dozens of temporary workers. The publisher known for franchises that include Sonic the Hedgehog and Yakuza is now facing an unfair labor practice complaint filed by the…
Basically all of Maine had data stolen by a ransomware gang
The state agencies of Maine had fallen victim to cybercriminals who exploited a vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer tool, making them the latest addition to the growing list of entities affected by the massive hack involving the software. In a notice the government has published about the cybersecurity incident,…
Live in Washington D.C.? You might be able to get free AirTags for your car
The city of Washington D.C. will distribute free Apple AirTags to residents in certain neighborhoods, mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Wednesday. The aim: to make stolen cars easier for police to track down. “We are equipping residents with technology that will allow the [Metropolitan Police Department] to address these crimes,…
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried found guilty on seven charges of fraud and conspiracy
A federal jury has found Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, guilty on all seven counts of fraud and conspiracy he was charged with in relation to the downfall of his cryptocurrency exchange. According to The New York Times, he faces a maximum sentence of 110 years in federal prison….
Ford reaches a tentative agreement with striking auto workers
Ford has called its 20,000 employees back to work now that it has reached a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW). The two parties have agreed on a new four-year labor contract that include a 25 percent pay increase for employees over that period, according to Reuters and…
US Senate begins collecting evidence on how AI could thwart robocalls
Robocalls are rampant, using AI and other tools to disrupt day-to-day life and scam Americans out of their money through impersonations of family members, phone providers and more. On October 24, the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband heard the latest issue and solution floating around: AI….
DoJ says North Korean IT workers were sent abroad to help finance weapons programs
The United States Justice Department reports that North Korean nationals have been using fake identities to work remotely for US companies as IT professionals in a scheme to fund weapons of mass destruction programs. At a news conference in St. Louis, Missouri, the FBI alleged that thousands of individuals have…