News round-up: September 10th 2021
‘Fake it till you make it’ culture in Silicon Valley is dangerous: Theranos is a stark example of it. Elizabeth Holmes name is well known to everyone. Unfortunately, the name carries not so pleasant associations. Elizabeth Holmes is currently facing a trial in California for fraud.
She built a company using technology based on fake science. Her company attracted hundreds of millions of dollars of investments and convinced many people into choosing her company and putting their health in the hands of the technology that didn’t exist.
To many, the story might seem absurd: how someone could trust non-existing technology? But Theranos is not the only example of how fraudulent companies succeed in the world hungry for start-ups. BBC explores how such companies thrive in the culture of Silicon Valley.
Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube will fight Texas law which seeks to punish social media for “censoring conservative speech”. The new Texas law, publicly backed by Republican Governor Greg Abbot, would allow any state residents banned from social media platforms over their political views to sue the platform.
The new bill was inspired by the former U.S. President Donald Trump suspension from social media. A similar bill was proposed in Florida earlier this year but was blocked.
Such bills are often backed by conservatives who believe that labelling or removing social media posts or banning their accounts on social media platforms violates their First Amendment rights.
Data centres and sustainability: can one compliment another? A public debate circulates in Ireland questioning if the development of data centres might intervene with Ireland’s plans for a green energy future.
It is hard to argue that future economies are being built on a digital foundation, and data centres will play a big part in its growth. The question is, can data centres be built in a way that they can support not only the growth of the Irish economy but also its goals towards sustainability?
The answer may be in renewable energy and the ways data centres could fully utilise such resources.
Don’t forget to listen to our monthly podcast on your favourite podcast platforms.
