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A24 TECHNOLOGY
Saturday 9 November 2019
Report on Uber crash questions testing of self-driving cars

By TOM KRISHER law professor who studies
AP Auto Writer autonomous vehicles, said
DETROIT (AP) — Documents Uber's system wasn't ready
released this week by for testing on public roads.
a federal agency raise "Clearly there was a
questions about whether technological failure in
a self-driving Uber SUV that the sense that this was not
ran down a pedestrian last a mature system," he said.
year should have been "The response to 'I don't
allowed on public roads for know what is in front of
test purposes. me' should absolutely be
A National Transportation slow down rather than do
Safety Board report on the nothing."
March 18, 2018 crash in Currently there are no
Tempe, Arizona, that killed federal requirements for
Elaine Herzberg, 49, found autonomous vehicles to
that the Uber self-driving be tested on public roads,
system couldn't determine and NHTSA has taken a
if she was pedestrian, more voluntary approach
vehicle or bicycle. It also so it doesn't slow the
could not predict that she technology and limit its
was jaywalking in the path life-saving potential, Smith
of the moving SUV. said. Bills regulating the
"The system design did not This March 18, 2018 file image provided by the Tempe Police Department shows an Uber SUV after tests haven't moved in
include a consideration for hitting a woman in Tempe, Ariz. Congress, but some states
jaywalking pedestrians," Associated Press have their own regulations,
the agency said in its they can go out there out there that skimp on impose regulations. he said.
report, released ahead of (on public roads)," said safety," Ethan Douglas, In a statement, Uber said Smith, though, said he
a Nov. 19 board meeting Alain Kornhauser, chair senior policy analyst for the it regrets the crash that favors making companies
to determine the cause of of autonomous vehicle magazine and website, killed Herzberg, and it has explain exactly what they'll
the Tempe crash. engineering at Princeton said in a statement. "We adopted improvements be testing and how they'll
That, and the fact that University. "If you can't do need smart, strong safety that make safety a priority. do it safely before they're
Uber disconnected braking better than that, stay on rules in place for self-driving "We deeply value the allowed to test on city
systems and relied on the your test tracks. Don't come cars to reach their life- thoroughness of the streets.
human safety driver to stop out in public." saving potential." NTSB's investigation "They should publicly say this
the SUV in an emergency, Consumer Reports said the The NTSB will determine the into the crash and look is what we're doing, this is
shows that the Uber report showed "outrageous cause of the crash and forward to reviewing their why we think it's reasonably
system wasn't ready to be safety lapses" by Uber and make recommendations recommendations once safe and this is why you
tested on public roads, called for stronger rules for avoiding future issued after the NTSB's can trust us," he said. "If a
experts say. Some say that governing autonomous incidents, but the board meeting later this company so abuses the
stronger standards or more vehicle testing. agency can only make month," the company said. public trust that they put an
government regulation are "We hope Uber has cleaned recommendations. The It has resumed testing with immature technology on
needed to set standards up its act, but without National Highway Traffic two safety drivers on city the road with an immature
before testing is allowed. mandatory standards for Safety Administration, streets in Pittsburgh. system, there should be
"These have to be much self-driving cars, there will federal lawmakers and Bryant Walker Smith, a real consequences when
better than that before always be companies states have authority to University of South Carolina people are injured."q

Got a weird text? A telecom vendor says it’s to blame

By TALI ARBEL immediately respond to a not cool." Bovee figured out
AP Technology Writer request for more details. that people were getting
If you woke up to a weird The sudden release of mes- some of her old texts that
text that seemed totally sages sometimes had a failed to go through when
out of place, you aren't dramatic effect. Stephanie her sister and a co-worker
alone. A mysterious wave Bovee, a 28-year-old from both got texts that she had
of missives swept America's Portland, Oregon, woke up sent in February. The text
phones overnight, deliver- at 5 a.m. to a text from her her sister received wished
ing confusing messages sister that said just "omg." her a happy Valentine's
from friends, family and the She immediately thought Day. Marissa Figueroa, a
occasional ex. something had happened 25-year-old from Turlock,
Friends who hadn't talked to her newborn nephew California, got an unwant-
to each other in months at the hospital. She started ed message from an ex she
were jolted into chatting. calling everyone. Her sister had stopped talking to —
Others briefly panicked. and her sister's husband and then he got one from
A telecom vendor called didn't answer. She woke up her as well. Neither actually
Syniverse said a server In this Oct. 24, 2013, file photo, a person checks their smartphone her mom, freaking her out. sent them recently, both
failed on Feb. 14, and near- in Glenview, Ill. It was three hours before said. Figueroa couldn't fig-
ly 170,000 messages from Associated Press she learned that everything ure it out, even worrying
multiple carriers didn't go a statement sent to The As- this doesn't happen again. was fine and the text was that her ex was messing
through. When that server sociated Press by Verizon, Syniverse typically deletes an odd anomaly. with her, until she saw re-
was reactivated Thursday, Syniverse said it is review- messages that don't go "Now it's funny," she said. ports of this happening to
those messages got sent. In ing internal procedures so through. Syniverse didn't "But out of context, it was others. q