Robocallers, Tesla owners, and WeWork users, take note: a whirlwind week of news has made it clear that technology is no longer subject to a free-for-all.
First came the news that hackers and researchers at Tencent Keen Security Lab (KSL) had successfully “jailbroken” a Tesla Model 3, which essentially allows them to access and modify the code running the vehicle’s operating system.
Tesla is far from happy with the recent development, stating in a blog post that, “This type of modification not only potentially violates the terms of use for the software that govern theproduct and services that Tesla provides, but also may present a safety risk to our customers and the public.” Tesla has since released a security patch to mitigate the potential risks.
Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued the largest fine in U.S. history for robocalls. The hefty $225 million penalty was levied against Adrian Abramovich of Miami, who is accused of placing an estimated 97 million robocalls to consumers in just three months. The FCC is sending a clear message that this type of activity will not be tolerated.
Finally, WeWork, the international co-working space company, finds itself in trouble once again as the firm’s market value drops by an estimated $8 billion dollars.
WeWork’s woes began in August when the Financial Times reported that the company was inflating numbers related to its occupancy rates. After a downward spiral in stock prices, WeWork announced another round of layoffs and revealed plans to cut its global workforce by thousands as part of an attempt to curb losses.
While the recent spate of news may be disheartening to some, it marks an important step in setting standards for the use of technological systems and software. Jailbreaking a Tesla, making unauthorized robocalls, and fudging numbers may sound like minor infractions, but the consequences can be serious.
The message is clear: Technology isn’t above the law.
