Social media networks now face a fine of over $50 million in Germany if reported hate speech is not taken down within 24 hours, or seven days in complicated cases. Phillip Tracy, Tech Writer at The Daily Dot, joins Cheddar to discuss the new laws.
The Network Enforcement Act went into effect in October, but social media networks were given a grace period until January 1st. Facebook has reportedly already hired a team of people in Germany to deal with content deemed as hate speech. The law was met with much criticism over freedom of speech when first presented.
Tracy believes there will be a learning curve when it comes to what is considered hate speech. He doesn't think it's practical right now because of the sheer volume of content on social media platforms.
Over the past year, the new love for gaming has created a huge demand for the consumption of content on streaming platforms. All this has caused a rise in gaming influencers all over the world. Founder of Viral Nation Joe Gagliese and Digital Video Executive Andrew Wall, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Nikola announced that it delivered its first electric semi trucks last week, sending the embattled EV company's stock soaring. There is a lot of competition in this space, though, said Lauren Fix, an automotive analyst with Car Coach Reports. While every country has companies racing to dominate the electric trucking industry, she explained, a shortage of graphite, used in batteries, and a dearth of convenient charging stations will still keep growth slow in 2022. "You really have to be very careful when you're investing in this marketplace," Fix said. "That's great that [Nikola was] able to deliver one, but can they deliver more?"
Carlo and Baker kick off the weirdest week of the year with all the news you missed over the holiday weekend, including calls for the CDC to shorten its isolation window as Omicron sweeps through the country.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a formal investigation into Tesla. The agency is looking into about 580,000 Tesla vehicles, and a feature called 'Passenger Play' which allows drivers to play video games on the center touch screen. The feature previously only worked when a vehicle was in park; but, the NHTSA says it has confirmed that the feature has been available while vehicles are in motion since December of 2020. iSeeCars.com executive analyst Karl Brauer joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.