Google Expands Vacay Search; Uber Ride Pass to More US Cities; EU- Cars get Governors & Lane-Assist; Census Bureau Asks Tech Giants for Help

Google is adding to its vacation search, including cabins, beach houses, and other rental properties. Until now, the results were for hotels only. 9to5google.com says the service is rolling out to mobile now, and will hit desktops by net month. Filtering and sorting help you zero in what you are looking for. Expedia, TripAdvisor, HomeAway, and others are partnered in the expansion.

Uber is bringing its monthly subscription Ride Pass to more cities in the US, including Dallas, Las Vegas, New York, and San Diego. According to 9to5mac.com, pricing starts at $15 per month. The service doesn’t mean unlimited free rides or the like…but does ensure that you are exempt from surge pricing. You’ll pay the standard rate regardless of time of day or weather. It DOES include a free e-bike or scooter in some cities.

For years, firms have installed governors on delivery vehicles, trucks, and the like, to keep employees from speeding. Now, zdnet.com reports that the European Union is agreeing to put into effect new regulations that would require auto makers to build in cameras and sensors to control speed, assist drivers with lane keeping and reversing, and monitor drowsiness and distractions from the likes of smartphones. A number of these safety and driver assist features are already included on many luxury car models…the EU would make manufacturers add them to cheaper vehicles, too. The cars would also have to have a ‘black box’ like airliners do to record and save data about accidents. If the new rules are formally adapted, they will go into effect after 2022.

The Census Bureau is enlisting help of Facebook, Google, and Twitter to help it fend off ‘fake news’ campaigns it is concerned about, which might disrupt the upcoming 2020 count. Reuters.com says evidence of increasing chatter on platforms like 4chan indicates a keen interest in foreign interests in undermining the survey. The census is a big target…it shapes US election districts and also the allocation of some $800 billion a year in federal spending. The Bureau has been meeting with social media companies since 2017 in an effort to get their help in squelching fake news. None of the social media companies would comment on the discussions. The Census Bureau has already amassed some 30 URLs to keep them away from fakers putting up fake sites.