1. ACMA talks WWC gambling crackdown
The ACMA has released results on its crackdown on illegal internet gambling services operating at the time of the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Eighteen services, out of 200 offshore services reviewed in total, were found to be in breach of Australian gambling rules, 15 of those services were blocked by Australian ISPs, while the remaining three retreated from the market. “These sites also offer none of the consumer protections that apply to licensed wagering services in Australia. Using these sites is more than a gamble as you have no rights and even if you win, you may never see the money,” ACMA authority member and online gambling lead Carolyn Lidgerwood said.
2. TikTok rolls out Instagram killer
Australia and Canada are the first markets that will see TikTok’s Instagram killer, TikTok Notes. The app, a separate download from TikTok, is more focused on sharing text and photos. “Whether documenting adventures, expressing creativity, or simply sharing snapshots of one’s day, the TikTok Notes experience is designed for those who would like to share and engage through photo content,” TikTok said in a Tweet.
3. Microsoft’s $1US3 billion AI deal investigation dropped by EU
European investigators have decided to stop investigating Microsoft’s $US13 billion investment in ChatGPT maker OpenAI, deciding that the investment falls short of a takeover, per Bloomberg. Microsoft doesn’t control the direction of OpenAI, according to sources, so it doesn’t get the anti-trust monopoly breakup treatment.
4. Oops, more layoffs
Google has laid off an unspecified number of employees, marking only the latest cuts at the global search giant, per Reuters. Google told Reuters that the layoffs are not company-wide and that they affect employees in India, Chicago, Atlanta, and Dublin. “Throughout the second half of 2023 and into 2024, a number of our teams made changes to become more efficient and work better, remove layers and align their resources to their biggest product priorities,” a Google spokesperson told Reuters.
5. Tesla to shareholders: please give our CEO $US56 billion
Tesla has asked shareholders to approve a $US56 billion pay packet from 2018 for CEO Elon Musk, even though the pay was rejected by a Delaware judge back in January and labelled excessive, per The Guardian. The company has requested a new vote on the pay package, to serve as a public rejection of the judge’s ruling. “We do not agree with what the Delaware court decided, and we do not think that what the Delaware court said is how corporate law should or does work,” board chairperson Robyn Denholm said.
BONUS ITEM: Look, all I’m saying is that, even though a 12-inch Sony WORM drive is cumbersome and impractical as all hell, it’s 100x cooler than plugging in a USB, and that’s why we should bring them back.
The Sony WDD-931 WORM drive is now the largest working optical storage device I own. pic.twitter.com/4DBSHOI3r4
— CelGenStudios (@CelGenStudios) April 17, 2024
Have a lovely day.
Image: TikTok