Chinese Hackers, Data Brokers, and AI Power Grabs | Tech News of the Week

Chaos Lever Podcast

Welcome back to Chaos Lever, where we sift through the latest in tech news so you don’t have to. Please take our listener survey! https://chaoslever.com/survey

This week’s episode covers everything from Meta's nuclear ambitions to Broadcom's sudden change of heart. Let’s break it down:

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🧠 Meta Joins the Nuke AI Club Meta is doubling down on AI by exploring nuclear power to meet its growing data center demands. They’ve issued an RFP for 1-4 gigawatts of nuclear power, focusing on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) for faster deployment. With ambitious plans to go live by 2030, this move might reshape energy partnerships in tech. Will SMRs light the path forward, or will Meta hit regulatory roadblocks?
👉 https://sustainability.atmeta.com/blog/2024/12/03/accelerating-the-next-wave-of-nuclear-to-power-ai-innovation/

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💻 Fear of Losing Customers Has Broadcom Relaxing VMware Policies After a year of painful price hikes and policy overhauls, Broadcom is walking back some of its harshest changes to VMware licensing. Enterprises like Beeks Group are migrating away, citing costs that have ballooned tenfold. In response, Broadcom is introducing SMB-friendly subscription tiers and improving partner relationships. But is it too little, too late?
👉 https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/12/new-broadcom-sales-plan-may-be-insignificant-in-deterring-vmware-migrations/

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📡 Salt Typhoon Isn’t Just a Dish At Applebee’s A Chinese hacking group, Salt Typhoon, has infiltrated U.S. telecom networks, targeting companies like Verizon and T-Mobile. Telecoms blame vulnerabilities stemming from legally required surveillance backdoors. To stay secure, consider using encrypted services like iMessage, Android RCS, or Signal. Is this the wake-up call we need to rethink backdoor policies?
👉 https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/12/us-recommends-encrypted-messaging-as-chinese-hackers-linger-in-telecom-networks/

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🛡 Data Brokers Finally Facing Possible Restrictions on Selling User Data The CFPB is cracking down on data brokers, proposing rules that treat them like credit bureaus under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. This follows a massive breach that exposed 200 million social security numbers. If passed, this regulation could drastically reshape how companies buy and sell personal data. Is the era of unrestricted data brokering finally coming to an end?
👉 https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/3/24311498/cfpb-rule-data-brokers-social-security-number-fico-score