In the heat of this historic election, educated elites who should know better — billionaires, elected officials, journalists — keep falling for fakes, conspiracy theories and outright lies.
Why it matters: Human gullibility is not a new phenomenon. But social media and polarized politics are exposing it at industrial scale, fueled by a poisonous cocktail of bad actors, media illiteracy and plummeting trust in traditional news.
A new documentary from HR software company Workday and LeBron James-owned production company SpringHill is shining a light on skills-based hiring — the idea that people should be hired based on what they can do, not their formal educational background.
Why it matters: Only 38% of U.S. adults over 25 hold a bachelor's degree, according to the latest census data.
The Department of Justice has charged and arrested two Sudanese brothers with operating Anonymous Sudan, a hacker group known for destructive website takedowns.
Why it matters: The indictment, unsealed Wednesday, paints the clearest picture of who was running the mysterious Anonymous Sudan hacking group — which has launched more than 35,000 attacks in the last year against hospitals, government offices and other major organizations.
🗳️ Google will block election ads across all of its platform after the last polls close on Nov. 5 to prevent voting misinformation, according to an obtained memo. (Axios)
📝 The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI are seeking public feedback on a new product security guide for the tech sector that would detail ways to build more security-resilient products. (Cybersecurity Dive)
@ Industry
😵💫 Microsoft told customers it's missing more than two weeks of security logs for some of its cloud products after a bug caused an internal monitoring agent to malfunction. (TechCrunch)
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Friday that it is investigating Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software over collision risks.
Why it matters: This is the latest regulator hurdle for Tesla, which has long faced scrutiny over potential safety risks associated with its driver assistance systems, which include its FSD and Autopilot programs.
Worldcoin, the Sam Altman-backed eye-scanning identity company, is dropping the second half of its name as it looks to broaden its already planet-spanning mission.
Driving the news: World, as the company will now be known, looks to focus less on its cryptocurrency roots and more on its effort to ensure humans have a way to verify their identity in a bot-filled world, the company made clear at an event Thursday in San Francisco.
If Vice President Kamala Harris wins the White House, one of her first fights may be over the future of Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan.
Why it matters: FTC chairs aren't usually well-known outside the Beltway, but Khan has become a trustbusting hero to progressive Democrats and even some MAGA Republicans like JD Vance.
Why it matters: The two billionaires are stepping up to back the candidates they want to win in the final stretch of a 2024 presidential race that's too close to call.
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