Microsoft’s Having A Bad Time

Summary

The tech news highlights a global Microsoft outage affecting services like Minecraft and Xbox Live, attributed to a DDoS attack on Azure. Delta Airlines seeks damages from Microsoft and CrowdStrike after an outage led to grounded flights. Google updates its search algorithm to combat AI deep fakes, while the US Senate passes the Defiance Act. Perplexity AI offers revenue sharing to publishers amid plagiarism accusations, and Reddit blocks all search engines except Google. AMD launches Ryzen 5000 processors, while Intel announces Lunar Lake CPUs. Amazon recalls defective products, and Meta settles a privacy lawsuit for $1.4 billion. Google faces criticism for an Olympics ad, and a new AI conversation bot called 'Friend' raises eyebrows.

Takeaways

• 😵 Microsoft experienced a global outage affecting many of its services including Xbox Live and Minecraft, but not Teams, which continued to function as designed.
• 🛡️ The outage was due to a DDoS attack on Microsoft's Azure Cloud platform, which was exacerbated by an error in the implementation of DDoS protection mechanisms.
• 💡 Google is updating its search algorithm to better handle explicit AI deep fakes, making it easier to remove them and penalizing sites that host such content.
• 🎨 The US Senate introduced the No Fakes Act to protect artists from AI deep fakes, but concerns exist that the bill may be too broad and could be misused.
• 🤖 Perplexity AI is sharing revenue with publishers whose content is used in its AI-generated answers, following accusations of plagiarism.
• 🔍 Reddit has made a deal with Google to allow its search engine to show results from the site, but is blocking other search engines, including Perplexity AI.
• 🚀 AMD has launched its new Ryzen 5000 desktop processors, with the Ryzen 9 5900 XT and Ryzen 7 5800 XT now available, and potential leaks of the Ryzen 9000 series pricing.
• 🔥 Intel is set to launch its Lunar Lake laptop CPUs, with expectations that they will not have the issues of previous generations.
• ⚠️ Amazon has been forced to recall over 400,000 products due to safety concerns, including defective products from third-party sellers.
• 💰 Meta has agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement in a privacy lawsuit over unauthorized use of Facebook users' biometric data for tag suggestions.
• 🤖 Google's ad featuring Gemini AI assistant generating a draft letter for a child has been criticized for commercializing a personal and authentic gesture.

Q & A

What major issue did Microsoft face recently according to the tech news?

Microsoft suffered a global outage that affected access to many Microsoft 365 Services, including Minecraft and Xbox Live. The outage was attributed to a Dos attack on its Azure Cloud platform, which was exacerbated by an error in the implementation of Dos protection mechanisms.

How did the recent global infrastructure outage less than two weeks prior to the Microsoft incident affect businesses?

The global infrastructure outage, caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, has forced businesses, including Delta Airlines, to deal with significant fallout, such as grounding thousands of flights and reimbursing passengers for additional costs incurred.

What is the potential financial impact of the global infrastructure outage on Delta Airlines?

Delta Airlines may be seeking damages of up to 500 million dollars from CrowdStrike and potentially Microsoft, due to the costs associated with grounding flights and compensating passengers.

What steps is Google taking to address the issue of explicit AI deep fakes in search results?

Google is updating its search algorithm to better handle explicit AI deep fakes by making it easier to remove them at scale and penalizing sites that host such content by demoting them in search rankings.

What legislation has been introduced in the US Senate to combat AI deep fakes?

The US Senate has introduced the No Fakes Act, aimed at protecting artists from AI deep fakes, and passed the Defiance Act, allowing victims of non-consensual explicit deep fakes to sue those who knowingly produce, distribute, or receive such images.

What is the controversy surrounding the AI search company Perplexity's revenue sharing announcement?

Perplexity announced it will share revenue with publishers whose content appears in its AI-generated answers. However, there is skepticism due to the company's previous issues with plagiarism and the lack of transparency regarding the sources of its answers.

Why is Reddit blocking search engines other than Google?

Reddit has made a deal with Google that allows its search engine, Search GPT, to show results from the site. As a result, Reddit is blocking other search engines, which may limit access to certain content for users of those search engines.

What recent development has AMD made with its Ryzen 5000 desktop processors?

AMD has launched its new Ryzen 5000 desktop processors, including the Ryzen 9 5900 XT and Ryzen 7 5800 XT, which are now available at retailers. There was also a leak of the upcoming Ryzen 9000 series prices, indicating they may be priced lower at launch than the current 7000 series.

What is Intel's upcoming product launch, and what is the public's sentiment towards it?

Intel is set to announce their Lunar Lake laptop CPUs on September 3rd. The public sentiment is cautious, with some expressing skepticism and hoping that the new chips will not have the issues that previous generations had.

Why has Amazon had to recall over 400,000 products?

Amazon has been forced to recall these products because the US Consumer Product Safety Commission determined that Amazon is legally responsible for defective products sold by third parties on its platform, which include unsafe hair dryers, faulty carbon monoxide detectors, and children's pajamas that do not meet federal flammability standards.

What is the outcome of the privacy lawsuit involving Meta and the state of Texas?

Meta has agreed to settle the privacy lawsuit for $1.4 billion. The lawsuit alleged that Meta used Facebook users' biometric data without permission for its tag suggestions feature.

What controversy has Google faced regarding its Olympics tie-in ad?

Google faced criticism for an ad where a father uses the Gemini AI assistant to generate a draft of a letter from his daughter to an athlete. Critics argue that using AI to draft such a personal and authentic letter is inappropriate and diminishes the sincerity of the gesture.

What is the concept behind the AI conversation bot called 'Friend'?

The AI conversation bot 'Friend' is a wearable device in the form of a necklace that listens and comments on the surroundings. It is designed to provide companionship but has been criticized for potentially making other people uncomfortable due to its intrusive nature.