Uber Wants to Sell You Train Tickets. And Be Your Bus Service, Too (7 minute read)
Uber aims to be the one-stop-shop for car, bike, scooter, bus, and train trips. It has been teaming up with cities and transit agencies in the US, Canada, Britain, and Australia to provide tickets for public transport for people with disabilities, occasionally becoming a substitute for a town's public transportation system with its other services. Some cities are uneasy about Uber's goals as they have already lost many passengers to ride-hailing services, and Uber has been criticized for not sharing rider data that could help agencies plan new transit routes. Ride-hailing services could also increase traffic congestion. Competitor Lyft has also started moving into public transit, with 50 transit partnerships in the US.
The White House is reportedly drafting an order to stop social media ābiasā (2 minute read)
An executive order to ban 'anti-conservative bias', along with other topics, on social media is being drafted by the Trump administration. Many social media platforms have banned or limited conservative accounts, but it is unknown whether conservative accounts are being suspended disproportionately. A bill introduced by Senator Josh Hawley proposes stripping companies of key legal protections unless the Federal Trade Commission declares them politically neutral. Trump has proposed that social media companies develop tools to detect mass shooters before they strike, but predictive AI has high error rates and may catch many accounts purely by accident.