Tech Digest daily roundup: Mercedes beats Tesla to ‘Level 3’ autonomous driving
Mercedes-Benz has announced that it will become the first automaker to launch ‘Level 3’ self-driving in the US, beating rivals like Tesla to the milestone. The Drive Pilot feature is a step up from “hands-free” Level 2 systems, as it allows drivers to take their eyes off the road and perform other tasks like playing video games, the German car manufacturer said. Mercedes said that it had self-certified in Nevada to use the Level 3 software for its 2024 S-Class and EQS Sedan models under certain conditions. The first vehicles featuring this capability will be delivered to customers later this year. Independent
The British electric vans startup Arrival is cutting 800 jobs, about half its remaining workforce, to reduce costs as it seeks extra funding and plans US expansion to take advantage of green energy subsidies. The troubled electric vehicle maker said “approximately 50%” of the company’s 1,600-strong global workforce would leave the company. Arrival told investors that the job cuts, and other measures to trim spending, would results in a halving of its operating costs to “approximately $30m (£24m) per quarter” following a review of its operations. The Guardian
The Xiaomi ‘Modena’ has been spotted again, less than two weeks after prototypes of the company’s first EV were spotted in Inner Mongolia. Now, Car News China claims to have obtained images of the same car without any camouflaging attached. For some reason, the photos have been taken from a display. As a result, the images are relatively low resolution and a touch grainy. Still, the design shown matches real-life photos of Xiaomi Modena prototypes. According to Car News China, ‘Modena’ is likely to be the EV’s marketing name with the ‘MS11’ on its numberplate actually its codename instead. Notebook Check
Children are being exposed to online pornography from as young as nine, according to a study for the children’s commissioner for England. A quarter of 16-21-year-olds first saw pornography on the internet while still at primary school, it suggests. By the age of 13, 50% had been exposed to it. The findings have been linked to low self-esteem among young people and harmful views of sex and relationships. Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said it was “deeply concerning”. In a nationally representative survey of more than 1,000 16-21-year-olds, 38% had found pornographic content accidentally. BBC
JD Sports is contacting customers who have been affected by a cyber attack that may have exposed their personal details. The incident impacted 10 million people who placed orders between November 2018 and October 2020. Customer names, delivery, billing, email addresses, phone numbers, and the last four digits of bank cards were potentially exposed. It includes people who shopped at JD as well as the group’s Size, Millets, Blacks, Scotts, and MilletSport brands. Sky News
