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Foxconn plans to build EV factories in the US and Thailand in 2022
The company is reportedly in talks with three states, including Wisconsin.
LG improves its wearable air purifier with a built-in mic and speaker
LG's PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier is launching in Thailand in August with improved features including a mic and speaker.
Google removes Maps targeting Thai dissidents and activists
Google has pulled two custom Maps creations used to target alleged opponents of Thailand's king.
Thailand bans meme coins and NFTs as part of crypto crackdown
Thailand has implemented a ban on meme coins, NFTs and social coins as part of its ongoing regulatory action against crypto trading.
Twitter suspends 1,600 accounts linked to state disinformation networks
It blocked accounts allegedly run by Iran, Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Thailand.
Facebook vows legal action after being forced to block Thai anti-royalty group
After being forced by the Thai government to block access to a group critical of the country’s king, Facebook said it will legally challenge the demand. The situation has once again cast a light on Facebook’s policies around authoritarian governments and showed what actions it might take in response.
Elon Musk painted as 'thin-skinned billionaire' in court documents
The fallout from Elon Musk's ill-advised "pedo guy" comments -- made last year about British cave rescuer Vernon Unsworth -- is not going away. In new court documents, Unsworth didn't hold back when it came to his opinion of the South African tech billionaire, accusing him of orchestrating "a malicious, false and anonymous leak campaign in the UK and Australian press."
Elon Musk will go to court over 'pedo guy' comments
Elon Musk hasn't had success avoiding a trial over his accusations that cave rescue diver Vernon Unsworth was a "pedo guy." Judge Stephen Wilson has determined that the defamation lawsuit is strong enough to go to trial, with the court battle due to start on October 22nd. While Musk's attorneys argued that he was just stating his "opinion," the judge pointed to emails Musk sent to BuzzFeed where he made detailed (and unsupported) claims that Unsworth had a child bride. In the context, the judge said, an observer would likely conclude that Musk was making "assertions of objective fact" rather than sharing his thoughts.
Facebook tests a live video shopping feature
Facebook is testing out a new feature that lets merchants on Facebook show off their wares in live videos. Reports of the test first surfaced online but the company has since confirmed the feature to TechCrunch. Through the feature, merchants can notify their Page followers about their broadcasts, demonstrate or describe their products in live videos and take payments or reservations through Messenger.
Facebook Dating expands to Canada and Thailand
Facebook's quest to help singletons find love continues. After launching its Dating feature in Colombia in September, it's now rolling the service out to Canada and Thailand. And, presumably based on feedback from its Colombian users, it's adding a couple of new features.
British cave diver sues Elon Musk over 'pedo guy' comments
Recently, Elon Musk doubled down on his claim that the British cave diver who helped rescue children trapped in a Thai cave was a pedophile, going so far as to tell BuzzFeed News, "I hope he fucking sues me." Well, it looks like Musk got his wish as Vernon Unsworth has filed a defamation suit against the Tesla CEO in a Los Angeles federal court. "Elon Musk falsely accused Vern Unsworth of being guilty of heinous crimes," Unsworth's lawyer said in a statement to BuzzFeed News. "Musk's influence and wealth cannot convert his lies into truth or protect him from accountability for his wrongdoing in a court of law."
Elon Musk apologizes for calling cave diver a 'pedo guy'
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has apologized to a British cave diver for calling him a "pedo guy" in a Twitter rant over the rescue of children trapped in a cave in Thailand. "My words were spoken in anger after Mr. Unsworth said several untruths and suggested I engage in a sexual act with a mini-sub," he tweeted this morning. "Nonetheless, his actions against me do not justify my actions against him, and for that I apologize to Mr. Unsworth and to the companies I represent as leader. The fault is mine and mine alone."
Elon Musk's mini-sub was 'not practical' for Thailand cave rescue
The Thai cave rescue is over, with all 12 boys and their coach safely above ground. Elon Musk's miniature submarine clearly arrived too late. However, it's now clear that it wouldn't have seen use regardless. In the last few hours of the operation, joint command center lead Narongsak Ostanakorn told Musk that his tech was "good and sophisticated," but that it was "not practical" for the rescue. While officials haven't provided detailed reasoning, a look at the logistics of the rescue might explain why.
Elon Musk's Thailand cave rescue would use a 'kid-size' submarine
Elon Musk is quickly solidifying his offer to help rescue a boys' soccer team trapped in a Thailand cave, and in just the way you would expect from a technology entrepreneur. He has revealed that the "primary path" for his attempt will involve a "kid-size submarine" that uses the liquid oxygen transfer tube of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as its hull. He added that it be "extremely robust" and would support many as four air tanks, with four handles that could be used as hitching points for ropes and cables.
Elon Musk is sending teams to assist with the Thailand cave rescue
Elon Musk has offered assistance in the rescue of the boys' soccer team trapped in a cave in Thailand. Engineers from SpaceX and The Boring Company will travel to the country on Saturday to help with what is becoming an increasingly perilous rescue effort. As CNN reports, conditions are becoming life-threatening, with a former navy diver involved in the operation losing his life after a sudden drop in oxygen levels underground.
Thai company mu Space can now operate satellites
Today, Thai startup company mu Space announced that it has acquired a satellite license from Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission. It allows the company to operate satellites, and provide services based on those satellites, through the year 2032. mu Space is the first Thai startup company to acquire such a license.
Samsung's second dual-camera phone is much more affordable
Samsung has revealed its second dual-camera phone, and while it's not exactly a budget device, it's definitely more affordable than its first one. The Korean conglomerate's Thai website has officially launched the Galaxy J7+, which has one 13-megapixel f/1.7 sensor and one 5-megapixel f/1.9 sensor on its rear. That dual rear camera is also complemented by an impressive front-facing 16-megapixel sensor for HD selfies, videos and some quality livestreaming.
Authorities bust AlphaBay, the dark web's biggest marketplace
After the demise of Silk Road, the role of the dark web's most notorious black marketplace was assumed by AlphaBay. But The Wall Street Journal reports that the site has now been shuttered, thanks to a joint law enforcement operation between the US, Canada and Thailand. One of its operators, Canadian Alexandre Cazes, was arrested in Thailand, but was found dead in his prison cell earlier this week.
Facebook stays online in Thailand -- for now
Last week, Thailand's government told Facebook that it had to take down 131 web addresses the country saw as threatening state security or insulting to its king, Maha Vajiralongkorn. There was an understandable groundswell of concern that Thailand would block Facebook if the social network did not comply. Today, however, the secretary-general of Thailand's telecom commission, Takorn Tantasith, told reporters that there is no immediate plan to block access to Facebook. "Facebook has cooperated well in terms of taking steps to block the URLs that we asked them to in the past," he said.
Facebook's live video problem is only getting worse
Facebook's struggle with livestreams of terrible crimes is still very real, and appears to be worsening. Local media report that a young Thai man used Facebook Live to broadcast a murder-suicide where he hanged his baby daughter before taking his own life. The social network cooperated with police and took the two archived video clips down, but only after they were online for roughly a full day. Officials won't be pressing charges against Facebook, which called the crime an "appalling incident" that had "absolutely no place" on its service.
