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Tech Billionaires Targeted by Altered Pedestrian Crossing Messages in Silicon Valley
In Northern California, several pedestrian crossings have been compromised, featuring humorous greetings that parody tech moguls Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. This unexpected twist has garnered attention and triggered investigations by local officials.
The peculiar audio messages first surfaced over the weekend in locations such as Palo Alto, Redwood City, and Menlo Park, the latter being the site of Zuckerberg’s prominent Meta campus. Following reports of the incidents, authorities promptly disabled the audio capabilities associated with the crossings, which ordinarily provide instructions like “walk” or “wait.”
Among the messages was one impersonating Musk, playfully offering Tesla Cybertrucks to pedestrians who would agree to become his friends, while a message mimicking Zuckerberg stated, “real ones call me The Zuck.”
The origin of these amusing messages remains unknown, leaving engineering teams puzzled about how the system was compromised. Officials from the nearby areas reported that they are thoroughly examining the rescinded audio features, which affect approximately ten crossings in both Menlo Park and Palo Alto.
Pedro Quintana, representing the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), confirmed that the affected crossings have been temporarily switched to a timer system, and the buttons responsible for the rogue messages have been rendered inoperative. The presence of these playful interjections throughout Silicon Valley underscores the regional impact of Musk and Zuckerberg’s influence.
In a video captured and disseminated on social media, one fake message resembling Musk’s voice welcomed listeners to Palo Alto, a hub for Tesla’s operations. It humorously reflects on the adage that money cannot buy happiness, stating, “You know, they say money can’t buy happiness and… I guess that’s true. God knows I’ve tried.”
Another message, purported to be from Zuckerberg, starts with an introduction and delves into his vision of integrating AI into various aspects of human consciousness.
Neither Musk nor Zuckerberg has publicly responded to these unexpected alterations to public infrastructure. Reports indicate that at least twelve pedestrian crossings in downtown Palo Alto were affected by similar tampering.
Meghan Horrigan-Taylor, a city spokesperson, noted that the issue was highlighted by a city employee on Saturday when they identified malfunctioning audio instructions. Authorities believe the tampering incident may have occurred the previous Friday.
“City staff have disabled the audible feature until further repairs can be made,” Horrigan-Taylor mentioned. She also confirmed that the impact was limited to specific crossings, following checks on other traffic signals in the vicinity.
Local reports further revealed that crossings in Redwood City also experienced similar hijinks, reenacting the voices of Musk and Zuckerberg, contributing to a mix of amusement and concern over the integrity of public communication systems.
Source
www.bbc.com