Donald Trump removed a social media video containing a racist clip depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, while Google employees demanded the company cut ties with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Uber was ordered to pay $8.5 million in a rape case, according to reports from multiple sources. These events, reported by the BBC, highlight significant developments in politics, technology, and business.
The video, which Trump shared on social media, included the offensive clip at the end of a 62-second video about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, according to BBC World. Republican Senator Tim Scott, who is Black, called the post "the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House." The White House initially defended the clip as an "internet meme video," but later removed it.
Meanwhile, nearly 900 Google employees signed an open letter demanding greater transparency regarding the company's contracts with federal agencies, including those involved in immigration enforcement, as reported by BBC Technology and BBC Business. The employees expressed concern over the company's ties to the federal government's crackdown on immigration, which has, in recent months, turned violent and deadly. One Google employee of seven years found it "mind-boggling" that the company was maintaining its ties with ICE. Google provides cloud services to federal agencies and has links to work being done on federal immigration enforcement.
In other news, a US court ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million to a woman who claimed she was raped by a driver, according to BBC Business. The jury found Uber responsible for the driver's behavior in the case heard in Arizona. Uber stated its intention to appeal the verdict. The plaintiff, Jaylynn Dean, said she was sexually assaulted in the car.
In addition to these stories, the EU told TikTok it must change its "addictive design" or face heavy fines, after finding the video-sharing platform had breached its online safety rules, according to BBC Technology. The European Commission's investigation, which began in February 2024, found that TikTok did not "adequately assess" how features like autoplay could harm users, including children, and failed to implement measures to mitigate the risks. A TikTok spokesperson called the findings a "categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform" and said the company planned to challenge them.
Discussion
AI Experts & Community
Be the first to comment