YouTube Bans COVID-19 Vaccine Lies; Chevy Bolt EV Fire Investigation; Messenger-Instagram Merge Update Rolling Out; Some Tesla Customers Getting ‘Full Self-Driving Beta

YouTube has announced that it will remove videos from the platform containing misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. Reuters reports that this is an expansion of the current rules against falsehoods and conspiracy theories about the pandemic. YouTube will now ban content that makes claims about vaccines which contradicts consensus from local health authorities or the WHO. There have been wild false claims, including that the vaccine will kill people or cause infertility, or that microchips will be implanted in people who receive the vaccine.

An investigation has begun on the Chevy Bolt EV after 3 vehicles have had fires in the battery pack. According to arstechnica.com, the NHTSA was contacted by two owners who said the vehicles caught fire while parked and unattended. In each case, NHTSA says the burn pattern was similar: fire damage was concentrated in the lithium-ion battery compartment (which sits underneath the passenger compartment), with some penetration into the passenger area through the rear seat. The three affected cars span model years 2017-2019.

Facebook Messenger’s previously disclosed update has started rolling out. In fact, I saw it yesterday. Techcrunch.com notes that it merges cross-app communication with Instagram, and also adds new features. You can check your own by looking at the little bubble with the lightening bolt. If it’s still all blue, you don’t have it yet. If it is multi-color blue, purple, pink, and orange, you have it. New chat themes, including love and tie-dye are also being pushed out, as are more emoji. Eventually, Facebook plans to connect its What’s App platform with the merged messaging app. 

Next week, some ‘expert and careful drivers’ will start getting Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving Beta’. Electrek.co reports that Elon Musk claims it’s a ‘significant foundational rewrite’ of the Tesla Autopilot. Musk has been using it in his commute, and claims it can ‘see’ the environment in 4D instead or 2D. He claims he has had to make nearly zero interventions as the software drives him to and from the office. If things go ok, it should be released to the broader fleet in December.