Washington D.C. Attorney General sues Meta, Tesla asks drivers in Texas to avoid charging their vehicles during peak hours, and Hyundai opens its first U.S.-manufacturing plant.
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That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now, welcome to Hashtag Trending. It’s Tuesday, May 24, and I’m your host, Tom Li.
The office of the Washington D.C. Attorney General has sued Meta, previously Facebook, for its role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The case is looking to hold Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg accountable for violating consumer protection laws. In a series of Tweets, the Attorney General said that there’s extensive evidence that Zuckerberg was personally involved in the failures that led to the incident. As a refresher, Cambridge Analytica, a London-based electioneering firm, was found to have gathered the personal data of more than 70 million Facebook users to influence the results of the 2016 United States presidential election. The case further accused Facebook of having encouraged companies like Cambridge Analytica to influence and manipulate consumer behaviour.
Source: Asianet Newsable
Tesla drivers in Texas are now getting recommendations to not charge their vehicles during peak hours. In a notice to drivers shown on the vehicle’s digital dashboard, Tesla recommended drivers avoid charging their vehicles between 3 pm and 8 pm, the hottest hours of the day in Texas, during which temperatures could reach as high as 34 degrees celsius. Texas’ power grid has long been known to struggle with temperature extremes. Amid a scorching heatwave this summer, the state announced that it had to turn off six power plants earlier this month, which generated enough electricity to power 600,000 homes.
Source: The Drive
Japanese carmaker Hyundai will be building a manufacturing plant in Savannah Georgia, its first plant in the U.S. This 2900-acre plant will be dedicated to producing electric vehicles and will cost Hyundai 5.5 billion, with an additional $1 billion coming from its suppliers. According to Verge, the plant will be capable of producing 300,000 EVs a year, with operation set to begin in 2025. Additionally, the company wants to commit $10 billion to the research and development of robotics, AI and other technologies in the U.S.
Source: The Verge
Earlier this year, Apple announced the Apple Self-Service Repair Program, promising tools, parts, manuals and resources for users who want to increase their device’s life span by swapping simple components. It sounded like the company has finally begun to embrace the right to repair, but as the Verge’s Sean Hollister found out, repairing even a simple component is a tedious process. To replace his battery in an iPhone Mini, Hollister had to pay a $1200 deposit for a 79lbs repair kit. According to Hollister, Apple would automatically keep the deposit if the tools weren’t returned within seven days. After undergoing a convoluted replacement process, Hollister had to contact Apple’s third-party logistics company to activate the battery, even though it was a genuine part. In conclusion, Hollister described that replacing a battery this way carries a ridiculous amount of risk for an average person and that is in no way encourages the right to repair.
Source: The Verge
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 Tom Li.
