Yazılar

Chinese Blogger Jailed for Faking Xiaomi SU7 Safety Test Video

/in /tarafından

A Chinese court has sentenced a blogger to 20 months in prison after determining that he deliberately fabricated a viral crash-test video designed to damage the reputation of Xiaomi’s SU7 electric vehicle.

According to Chinese state media, the Haidian District People’s Court found that the blogger, identified as Gao, intentionally manipulated a Xiaomi SU7 before filming a staged safety demonstration. In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a 100,000 yuan (approximately $14,800) fine.

The controversial video, published in August 2024, claimed to show that the SU7’s doors failed to open after a collision, the emergency call system did not activate, and the vehicle’s central display remained unresponsive following the impact. Shared with the blogger’s audience of roughly one million followers, the video quickly spread online, attracting around three million views.

Court findings concluded that the demonstration had been intentionally falsified. Investigators determined that Gao and his team disconnected or tampered with the vehicle’s auxiliary battery before the test and used footage of a battery that had been damaged separately by a forklift, creating the false impression that the failures resulted from the crash itself.

The case reflects China’s broader effort to combat misinformation within its rapidly expanding electric vehicle industry. Over the past year, regulators have intensified enforcement against false advertising, misleading product claims, and online content viewed as unfairly influencing consumer purchasing decisions or distorting market competition.

Authorities have increasingly targeted social media influencers, content creators, and online platforms accused of spreading fabricated information about automotive brands. As competition among Chinese EV manufacturers intensifies, regulators are seeking to ensure that marketing and public commentary remain based on verifiable facts rather than manipulated demonstrations.

For Xiaomi, whose SU7 has become one of China’s fastest-growing electric vehicles, the ruling represents a legal victory in protecting its brand reputation. The company had previously announced that individuals responsible for spreading false information about Xiaomi Auto had been detained under Chinese law.

The case also serves as a reminder of the growing influence of online creators in shaping consumer opinion—and the increasing legal consequences that can arise when viral content is found to be intentionally deceptive.

Claim That Any Phone Can Be Tracked via Google Maps by Email Is False

/in /tarafından

A viral claim suggesting that anyone can locate a mobile phone simply by emailing Google and using a phone number is inaccurate and misleading, cybersecurity experts say.

Posts circulating online allege that sending an email through Gmail to a specific address can trigger Google Maps to reveal a device’s location, even without internet access. Google does not offer any such service, and there is no official mechanism that allows location tracking of a phone solely via an email request or partial phone number.

Legitimate phone-tracking tools require explicit user consent and account access, such as Google’s “Find My Device” for Android or Apple’s “Find My” for iPhone. These services work only when users are logged in and have location sharing enabled.

Security specialists warn that messages promoting email-based tracking may be linked to scams or data-harvesting attempts. Users who follow such instructions could expose personal information without gaining any real tracking capability.

Authorities and privacy advocates stress that tracking a phone without permission is illegal in many countries. Users are advised to rely only on official tools provided by device makers and to report misleading claims that promise effortless or universal phone tracking.

Denmark Moves to Ban AI Deepfakes, Giving Citizens Copyright Over Their Own Likeness

/in /tarafından

Denmark is preparing to pass one of the world’s toughest laws against AI-generated deepfakes, aiming to give citizens new legal rights over their appearance, voice, and likeness online. The bill — expected to pass early next year — would make it illegal to share or distribute deepfake content without a person’s consent, extending copyright protections to individuals.

The proposed legislation follows growing concern about the rapid spread of deepfakes — hyper-realistic AI-generated videos, images, or audio that impersonate real people. Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt said the move is essential to protect both private citizens and democracy itself, warning that political deepfakes could “undermine our democracy” by spreading falsehoods.

Under the new law, Danes would be able to demand takedowns of AI-generated content that misuses their likeness, while parody and satire would remain protected. Major tech platforms that fail to remove harmful deepfakes could face significant fines, although individuals are unlikely to face criminal penalties.

Experts have praised the move as a landmark step. “When people ask, ‘what can I do to protect myself from being deepfaked,’ the answer right now is basically nothing,” said Henry Ajder, a generative AI researcher and founder of Latent Space Advisory. “Denmark is one of the first governments to change that.”

The Danish proposal mirrors similar measures abroad. The United States recently criminalized the sharing of non-consensual intimate deepfakes, while South Korea introduced harsh penalties for deepfake pornography. Denmark’s initiative could now influence European Union policy, with France and Ireland reportedly showing interest in adopting similar laws.

For victims like Marie Watson, a Danish video game streamer whose photos were digitally altered and shared online, the legislation comes too late to undo the damage but offers hope for future protection. “When it’s online, you’re done. You can’t do anything,” she said. “It’s out of your control.”