Files from Tom Li
Reddit bans the Russia subreddit for spreading disinformation, Nvidia experiences a small-scale cyberattack, and Italy wants to attract semiconductor companies to its country.
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That’s all the tech news that’s Trending right now, welcome to Hashtag Trending. It’s Wednesday, March 2, and I’m your host, Samira Balsara.
Reddit has quarantined the Russia subreddit for spreading disinformation. RussiaPolitics, an affiliated subreddit, has also been quarantined for the same reason. The latter was created just days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The two subreddits hosted information that strongly supported Russia’s attack on Ukraine and accused Ukraine of spreading misinformation and propaganda. Most of the claims are unfounded and quickly debunked. Additionally, Reddit said that it has removed a moderator who acted in bad faith and tried to tamper with the communities’ conversations. Once quarantined, a subreddit will no longer show up on the front page or subscribed feeds. The information is still available through a direct search, but Reddit will display a warning message about its content before the user enters.
Nvidia has experienced a cyber attack, in which some employee credentials and proprietary information were leaked. One ransomware group called Lapsus$ has claimed responsibility. The group supposedly has obtained information on Nvidia’s schematics, drivers and firmware. In a statement, Nvidia said that it hasn’t detected traces of ransomware, nor does it believe that the hack is related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The company is currently investigating the extent of the breach but doesn’t believe the leaked information will affect business functions.
Italy plans to set aside 4 billion euros to boost domestic chip manufacturing. The country is planning to invest 150 million euros throughout 2022 and 500 million every subsequent year until 2030. In doing so, Italy is positioning itself to attract more semiconductor investment from companies like Intel. It’s ready in talks with several other semiconductor companies to incentivize them into establishing stable chip supply within its borders. There are plenty of business opportunities as major semiconductor makers are ramping up supply. Intel alone will be investing as much as $95 billion in Europe over the next ten years.
And now for something a bit different. Mercedes-Benz wants to roll out its Level 3 autonomous vehicles in the U.S. this year. The company was the first vehicle manufacturer in Europe to be approved for the test program for its autonomous cars. Under the Drive Pilot program, Mercedes-Benz’s autopilot system allows the driver to take their focus away from the road on certain stretches of German highways. The company plans on selling its S-Class vehicles with Drive Pilot to German customers in the first half of 2022. In a 2021 investment call, the automaker said it’s been testing the system in the U.S., but revealed no further detail.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash briefings or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. Also, catch the next episode of Hashtag Tendances, our weekly Hashtag Trending episode in French, which drops every Thursday morning. If you have a suggestion or a tip, drop us a line in the comments or via email. Thank you for listening, I’m Samira Balsara.