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Crypto CEO kidnapped in Toronto, released after paying $1 million ransom

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The word Bitcoin can be seen on the display of a Ledger Nano S hardware wallet next to a symbolic

According to him, the CEO of Canadian cryptocurrency company WonderFi was kidnapped and held for ransom on Wednesday CBC. Dean Skurka was reportedly forced right into a vehicle in downtown Toronto during rush hour and escaped unhurt after electronically sending $1 million (possibly CAD) to his kidnappers.

The CEO of WonderFi is the most recent cryptocurrency star to fall victim to a brutal attack. This is the 171st case of physical violence geared toward stealing cryptocurrency, a security company tells CBC.

Skurek’s company reported results for the third quarter the day before the incident, generating C$41 million in revenue over the past nine months. Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s price rose above $76,000 this week, reaching a brand new record high for the digital currency.

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WonderFi is endorsed by Shark Tank co-host Kevin O’Leary and is some of the well-known publicly traded crypto corporations in Canada, in response to Cointelegraph.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com

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Meta, X approved ads containing violent anti -Muslim, anti -Semitic hate speech before the German election, find research

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finger pointing to Facebook mobile app displayed on a smartphone screen

Giants of social media, META and X approved ads addressed to users in Germany with a rapid anti-Muslim speech and anti-nutrition in previous federal elections in the country, in accordance with latest research with EcoNon -pro -corporate responsibility campaign campaign.

The group’s researchers checked whether the promoting review systems of two platforms would approve whether or not they reject statements regarding promoting containing hateful and violent messages directed to the minority before the elections by which immigration took a central place in the important political discourse-in this ADS containing anti-Muslim sliding; calls for immigrants in concentration camps or staggers; and burned images of mosques and synagogues generated by AI.

Most test ads were approved inside just a few hours of sending to the review in mid -February. Federal elections in Germany will happen on Sunday, February 23.

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Planned hate speech ads

Eko said that X approved all 10 hate speech ads, which scientists made just a few days before the federal election, while the meta approved half (five ads) to launch on Facebook (and potentially also Instagram) – even though it rejected the second five.

The reason why the meta is provided for five repayments indicates that the platform believes that there could also be a risk of political or social sensitivity that may affect voting.

However, five ads, which the finish approved the finish line, included a violent hate speech that Muslim refugees for “virus”, “workers” or “rodents”, recognition of Muslim immigrants as “rapists” and calling them for sterilization, burnt or blurring. The finish also approved an commercial calling for the synagogue to set fire to “stop the globalist program of Jewish rats.”

As Sidenote, Eko claims that none of the paintings generated by AI, which he used for instance hate speech ads, was marked as artificially generated-but half of the 10 ads was still approved by the finish, no matter the company. A policy that requires disclosure of using AI images In the case of promoting regarding social problems, selections or politics.

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X at the same time, all five of those hateful ads approved – and one other five, which contained similarly violent hate speech addressed to Muslims and Jews.

These additional approved ads included sending messages to attacking “rodents” of immigrants, which, as a replica of the ads claimed, “flood” the country “steal our democracy” and an anti -Semitic suspension, which suggested that Jews are lying about climate change to destroy the European industry and calculating economic force.

The latter commercial was combined with paintings generated by AI depicting a gaggle of dark men sitting at a table surrounded by piles of golden rods, with a star of David on the wall above them-visualizations also based on anti-Semitic clues.

Another approved commercial X contained a direct attack on the SPD, the party on the left, which currently runs the German coalition government, with a false claim that the party desires to take 60 million Muslim refugees from the Middle East before attempting to attempt to make a brutal answer. X also properly plan an commercial suggesting “leftists” want “open borders” and calling for the extermination of Muslims ‘rapists’.

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Elon Musk, the owner of X, used the social media platform, by which he has nearly 220 million observing intervention in German elections. IN Tweet in DecemberHe called on German voters to support the extreme right -wing AfD party to “save Germany.” He was also hosted by live broadcast with the AfD leader, Alice Weidel, on X.

EKO scientists turned off all test ads before each approved were launched to be sure that that no platform user was exposed to a speech attributable to brutal hatred.

He says that tests emphasize the gross defects with the approach of promoting platforms to the moderation of content. Indeed, in the case of X, it will not be clear whether the platform performs the promoting module, considering that each one 10 ads from violence attributable to violence attributable to brutal were quickly approved for display.

Discoveries also suggest that promoting platforms can earn revenues consequently of distribution of violence attributable to brutal hatred.

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EU digital shares in the frame

EKO tests suggest that no platform enforces hate speech prohibitions, which they each provide to the content of promoting in their very own terms. In addition, in the case of Meta, EKO got here to the same application after conducting Similar test In 2023, latest EU online management rules will appear before – suggesting that the system has no influence on the way its operation.

“Our findings suggest that AD META moderation systems remain fundamentally broken, despite the fact that the Act on Digital Services (DSA) is fully fully,” said Eco TechCrunch spokesman.

“Instead of strengthening the process of reviewing advertising or hate speech policy, the finish seems to go back all over the board,” they added, pointing to the recent announcement of the company about the policy policy policy and checking facts as an indication of “active regression”. They suggested that he placed it at a direct collision course with DSA principles when it comes to system risk.

EKO has submitted its latest findings of the European Commission, which supervises the enforcement of key elements of DSA in giants in social media. He also said that he shared the results of each corporations, but none of them answered.

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The EU has opened DSA investigations on Meta I X, which include concerns about the security of elections and illegal content, but the Commission must still end this proceeding. Although in April he said that he suspected a finish with inappropriate moderation of political promoting.

The initial decision on a part of the DSA investigation in case X, which was announced in July, included suspicions that the platform didn’t meet the provisions regarding the transparency of the regulation. However, the full investigation, which began in December 2023, also applies to the illegal risk of content, and the EU has not yet achieved any arrangements regarding most of the probe over a yr later.

Confirmed DSA violations may attract penalties as much as 6% of world annual turnover, while systemic incompatibility may even result in temporary regional access to violation of platforms.

But for now, the EU still devotes time to come to a decision on meta and x, so – expecting final decisions – all DSA sanctions remain in the air.

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Meanwhile, it’s now only just a few hours before the German voters go to the polls-a growing collection of civil society research suggests that the flagship regulation on online EU management didn’t cover the democratic technique of the important technique of the EU economy before a series of covered technologies. threats.

At the starting of this week, the Global witness published the results of tests of X and Tiktoka “for you” in Germany, which suggest that the platforms are biased in favor of promoting AfD content in comparison with the content of other political parties. Civil society researchers also accused X of blocking access to data to forestall them from examining the threats of election security in the period preceding the German polls-DSA to DSA is to enable.

“The European Commission has taken important steps, opening DSA investigations to both the finish line and X, now we have to see how the Commission took strong action to solve the problems raised as part of these investigations,” also told us EKO spokesman.

“Our discoveries, along with the growing evidence of other groups of civil society, show that Big Tech will not clean their platforms voluntarily. Meta I X still allow illegal hate speech, inciting violence and large -scale electoral disinformation, despite their legal obligations arising from DSA ” – added the spokesman. (We suspended the spokesperson’s name to forestall harassment.)

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“The regulatory authorities must take strong activities-aim in order to enforce DSA, as well as, for example, the implementation of the pre-balance relieving. This may include the exclusion of recommending systems based on profiling immediately before the election and the implementation of other relevant “glass breaking” in order to prevent algorithmic strengthening of border content, such as hateful content in the final elections. “

The campaign group also warns that the EU is currently under pressure from Trump’s administration to alleviate their approach to regulation of enormous technology. “In the current political climate, there is a real danger that the Commission does not fully enforce these new regulations as concessions for the US,” they suggest.

(tagstotransate) eco hate adheets of ads

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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CEO of Reddit confirms that Paywall will enter into force in 2025

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REDDIT, CEO, Steve Huff

The paid change of content is one of some ways in which Reddit tries to extend profits.


The CEO of Reddit said that Paywall in his plans for 2025.

Social network leader, Steve Huffman, shared news during recent questions and video answers about last 12 months’s earnings from the quarter. Calling the paid content “work in progress”, he confirmed that he was in the schedule of his 12 months.

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According to Huffman, he also found Paywall as “new, key functions” This Will rOll.

Huffman previously mentioned the inclusion of Paywall in the platform for a earning connection in Q2 last 12 months. He assured Redditers’ concern that this paid content would not affect popular Subreddits. However, they will come into force for the newly created.

“I think that the existing altruistic, free Reddit version will continue to exist, grew and developed as it has,” he said. “But now we will unlock the door to new cases of use, new types of subreddits that can be built that can have exclusive content or private areas – things of this kind.”

Reddit, which supports the community network through the hosting of content threads, has also discussed latest monetization paths. Considering unofficial markets already popular on the platform, the corporate discussed ways of taking transactions directly on its website.

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However, Huffman still thinks that they’re “small ways” from making direct transactions. Reddit also launched a premium subscription, which eliminates promoting, while scrolling its boards created by users.

Transfer to win more profits will happen after Reddit made public in 2023. Having more eyes on its profitability, Reddit examined latest ways of being profitable on its users. However, it fought for this by keeping the brand’s ethos. Most of its content was free because the premiere in 2005.

In addition, lighter users have already resisted these changes focused on money. After starting the API fees in 2023, some protested when popular subreddits turn into dark. However, Reddit maintained the fees, claiming that the traffic was financially crucial despite the slack.

Another way Reddit tried to extend profits is to offer data from Wall Street research firms. This approach of “social listening” led to the supposedly $ 60 million dollars of the Data Licensing Agreement from Google in 2024.

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Although Huffman has not confirmed exactly when it’s paid live, this movement could cause latest resistance from users, because the corporate makes these profitable changes financially.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Founder of Electric Aircraft, Kyle Clark, threw the Silicon Valley textbook

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Beta Technologies

On a cool morning in November last yr, 800 people gathered before sunrise in the South Burlington hangar to be a witness Virgin flight The first Beta Technologies electric aircraft, which is to be built on a brand new scaled production line.

Kyle Clark, an enigmatic founder and general director of Beta, piloted ALIA CX300 – one of two startup aircraft models – in flight lasting over an hour. When he climbed through the clean sky in a “perfectly quiet electric aircraft”, he says he felt grateful.

“There is no piece in this plane that we did not design, have not built, assembly, tested,” said Clark Techcrunch. “I have to sit in a chair in the sky, flying to the west with a height of 7000 feet in a system that was not even invented a few years ago, and this is a unique thing to do.”

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For Clark, successful launch was crucial, partly, in order that he could honor his commitment to the company’s management. Clark has a straightforward beta principle: keep guarantees.

“We set the goal on November 13, and in the morning of November 13 we went and recommended this plane,” said Clark Techcrunch. “Maintaining this promise meant so much for our board, because the next promises we make will trust us that we will stop.”

Image loans: beta technologies

Clark is a sort of anomaly in the developing electric aviation industry – starting with the decision on the headquarters of the principal version of beta in his family state Vermont, and never in the Silicon Valley, where his rivals live. His unconventional aesthetics penetrates the company he founded, including a design of its two electrical aircraft and a market strategy including activities related to charging EV aircraft.

Educated in Harvard, a former skilled hockey player and pilot instructor also rejected the Venture capital.

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“My whole career … was under the control of power electronics,” said Clark. “Every day I fly two or three different aircraft. I taught my daughter to fly before she found out how to lead. We in the beta version have a completely different culture and type of activity here than all these people on the west coast who came across a train that was already moving. “

Despite flying more under the radar than the competitors of Archer Aviation and Joba Aviation, Startup still collected the hours of the piloted flight, in addition to the order of financially supported clients.

Three -level beta plan

Crods Image: Beta Technologies

The beta strategy on the market differs from its competitors. Archer and Joby produce electric vertical start and land vehicles, called Evtols, to sell to customers and operate in air networks. Archer also implements the records of the Defense Department in cooperation with Anduril.

Beta desires to be OEM in the equation; He focuses on constructing each a traditional electrical aircraft called ALIA CX300 Ectol, which Clark flew in November, and Evtol called Alia A250 Evtol. Planes are similar in the whole lot except the drive and propellers, which, in keeping with beta, will help him save on production costs and improve certification.

Clark claims that constructing two types of aircraft also allows beta to the touch a wider customer base. The ectals are well suitable for a regional flight, while Evtols are higher in urban environments. Going to the market with the eco also gives a beta closer path to commercialization. The company hopes that the Alia CX300 can be the first ECTOL certified this yr or by 2026.

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However, an excellent closer path to generating revenues is the beta electric aviation charging network, which Archer is currently a customer, despite the competition in the sky. The startup today has 46 charging sites in 22 states and New Zealand, with 23 subsequent development and plans to realize as much as 150 operations in 2025.

Beta electric plans

Beta plans to begin operating in 2025 with one of the first customers, Air New Zealand. The airline has committed to 4 CX300S, with the option of buying 20 more, and can use them to deliver mail for the NZ post. Beta also counts United Therapeutics, UPS and the American Air Force as clients of a number of use, including medical, logistics and armed forces, and recently received orders for planes transferring passengers from Blade and Helijet.

But the competition is stiff. Archer’s recent concentration focuses on defense, and the startup this month collected an extra $ 300 million financing, along with $ 430 million collected in December. This brings the complete financing of Archer to $ 3.36 billion. Joby blocked strategic supporters equivalent to Delta and Uber, and last yr collected one other $ 500 million from Toyota, in addition to $ 222 million more from insurers, which increased total financing to as much as $ 2.82 billion. Both the early rounds of Archeer and Joba got here from VC.

Beta collected $ 1.15 billion from institutional investors, but Clark claims that the “fundamental performance” of the startup has a maximized impact.

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In February, Beta reached a critical milestone when his pilots flew CX300 during the first airport mission to the air between 4 regional airports in New York, stopping on a fee at the beta infrastructure.

Beta has also conducted many piloted hoping and transition tests using its Evtol, ALIA A250 model. Archer only raised Evtol remotely. Joby began to pilot tests in October 2023.

“We are a relatively private company that quietly hid here in Vermont and went further, both metaphorically and physically than anyone else in this industry about things that really have meaning that are flying planes, charging planes and building building The industrial complex for the production of these things, “Clark said, noting that the Beta Vermont facility will find a way to supply 300 aircraft at the top.

“At the moment we have a fully online production facility. Nobody else has it. “

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From NHL to energy electronics

“The whole world (there was) reliable architecture of power systems” from time to establishing beta in 2017, regardless of whether it’s due to his role of teaching electronic engineering at the University of Vermont or his previous induction company.

Clark can be a pilot and flight instructor who built and flew “at least 20 aircraft”. His LinkedIn shows some of his earliest works, for instance, being Bramacki at Boston, who “fought up the stairs after Red Sox matches.”

Oh, and Clark played hockey for NHL briefly after scientific studies at Harvard.

All this implies, Clark is each a nurser and a joko, and he’s humbled by the blue collar engineer.

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Recently, we talked on the day when Clark presented Air New Zealand with the first CX300 and despite this occasion he wearing a well -worn black hoodie, jeans and a baseball cap made of beta camouflage written in light orange letters. When it was displayed, he proudly showed me a tattoo on his shoulder, which was designed by his son, who each hugged his body with a robotic arm they built for fun.

Perhaps this fashion of DIY considering prompted Clark to design the architecture of power systems in beta aircraft in another way than his competitors.

Both Archer and Joby place separate batteries near electric motors supplying their propellers – Archer has 12 propellers, Joby has six. It is about disseminating energy, in order that if the battery package or part of the drive system fails, the plane could proceed flying.

Instead, beta places all five batteries together in a package under the seats. “Singular Ring Bus” provides an electrical connection during which each engine has access to each battery. If, in keeping with Clark, there’s a single failure, it’s isolated from two sides of the failure.

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“A reliable power supply system is not a fully distributed system, because every permutation of a failure that happens excludes the use of energy that is stored elsewhere,” he said.

Clark claims that it will be important for leaders to construct critical security of power supply systems to have technical experience. He said that the design and flying of aircraft just isn’t like constructing and testing software.

“You don’t get two shots and you say:” Its put it until it breaks down a bit of, “said Clark. “You bury the plane on the side of the mountain, you finished.”

Beta financing strategy

Image loans: beta technologies

Beta collected value $ 1.15 billion comes from institutional investors equivalent to Fididelity and Qatar Investment Authority. The startup didn’t accept any increased risk capital, Clark was adamant to point.

“We passed VC because we had a client from the gates and it was United Therapeutics,” said Clark.

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Clark said that his rejection VC got here from something that United CEO, Martine Rothblatt, taught him the name of “Game theory”.

“Scroll some time and define what you don’t want to happen,” he said. “What would you regret the most? And then you set your priority to exclude this. “

Clark’s biggest regret can be that his activity ran out of money, strictly for fear of losing the ship’s pond, which could prevent Beta from achieving his mission.

“Capital dilution and capital control is two very different things,” he said. “Someone may have a fair turn from securities without control in the industry.”

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Clark claims that every compilation of the aircraft is neutral for money, because beta only accepts financial orders that pay for parts and work. This led the beta to the achievement of positive margins, although Clark claims that he expects net profitability “in 12 months”.

Investor funds have largely allocated to the construction of production facilities and aircraft certification, which, in keeping with Clark, shows respect for investor capital, because investors want their money to develop, not for activities.

Clark said that for this reason beta introduced investors’ dollars to its factory in the amount of $ 170 million.

“The only way we can build aircraft that will be profitable for individual economics, and long -term low -cost costs is to design a system that builds the product. Product process – said Clark. “It just isn’t as sexy or as interesting as flying a stupendous quiet plane, nevertheless it is nearly more necessary.”

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(Tagstranstate) beta technologies

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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