YouTube will expand parental controls for tweens and teens
YouTube has announced expanded parental controls f or tweens and teens. The upcoming feature is aimed at those who’ve perhaps outgrown the confines of YouTube Kids . YouTube will open a public beta for the supervised accounts feature in the coming months.
Source: YouTube will expand parental controls for tweens and teens
Google Fires 2nd AI Ethics Leader as Dispute Over Research, Diversity Grows
Alphabet Inc.’s Google fired staff scientist Margaret Mitchell on Friday, they both said, a move that fanned company divisions on academic freedom and diversity that were on display since its December dismissal of AI ethics researcher Timnit Gebru.
Source: Google Fires 2nd AI Ethics Leader as Dispute Over Research, Diversity Grows
Why we want tech copycats to fail
We’ve seen before that big leaps forward in technology can bring down industry titans, like the cellphone pioneer Nokia. But boy, it sure feels like the tech giants today are so entrenched, so good at what they do — and, perhaps, skilled at tilting the game to their advantage — that they simply can’t be beaten. It would be better for all of us if Big Tech wasn’t an absolute and invulnerable force. I’ll see the wobbles of TikTok’s clones as a sign that it’s still possible for Big Tech to fail.
Silicon Valley-backed groups sue Maryland to kill country’s first-ever online advertising tax
Top lobbying groups backed by Amazon, Facebook, Google and other technology giants sued Maryland on Thursday, seeking to scuttle a new state tax on their massive online-advertising revenue — and stop other local governments from following its lead.
Source: Silicon Valley-backed groups sue Maryland to kill country’s first-ever online advertising tax
Americans are consuming more foreign content than ever
Content from abroad is boosting its share of the American entertainment diet, thanks in large part to streaming, the pandemic and the creator economy . Why it matters: “As ‘American exceptionalism’ has become less of a truth geopolitically, the same goes for entertainment,” says Brad Grossman, founder and CEO of ZEITGUIDE.
Source: Americans are consuming more foreign content than ever
Billionaires See VR as a Way to Avoid Radical Social Change
The future of virtual reality is far more than just video games. Silicon Valley sees the creation of virtual worlds as the ultimate free-market solution to a political problem. In a world of increasing wealth inequality, environmental disaster, and political instability, why not sell everyone a device that whisks them away to a virtual world free of pain and suffering?
Source: Billionaires See VR as a Way to Avoid Radical Social Change
Pigs Taught to Play Video Game With Snouts
Pigs can play video games, scientists have found, after putting four fun-loving swine to the test. Four pigs – Hamlet, Omelette, Ebony and Ivory – were trained to use an arcade-style joystick to steer an on-screen cursor into walls.
Inside the Making of Facebook’s Supreme Court
The “most controversial issue by far,” Darmé told me, was how powerful the board should be. “People outside the company wanted the board to have as much authority as possible, to tie Facebook’s hands,” she said. Some wanted it to write all of the company’s policies. (“We actually tested that in simulation,” Darmé said. “People never actually wrote a policy.”) On the other hand, many employees wondered whether the board would make a decision that killed Facebook.
Breaking Down the TikTok Playbook to Take on Instagram (and Everyone Else)
With dozens of apps competing for users’ attention, TikTok is the latest front-runner in the war to keep people scrolling. The Chinese-owned video app is the fastest-growing social media platform of all time, with roughly 80 million monthly active users.
Source: Breaking Down the TikTok Playbook to Take on Instagram (and Everyone Else)
From the election lie to GameStop: How to stop social media algorithms from hurting us
Some fresh ideas for how to stop social media algorithms from damaging society by amplifying lies and fringe ideas.
Source: From the election lie to GameStop: How to stop social media algorithms from hurting us
Sad QAnon Followers Are at a Precarious Pivot Point
Disillusioned after Biden was sworn in, conspiracy theorists could now be swayed back to reality by conservatives and family members—or toward darker fringes.
SoundCloud to Let Fans Pay Artists Directly
The new model will be a big shift for SoundCloud, which currently utilizes a “pro-rata” model, the same method used by all major streaming services, pooling subscriber revenue and doling out earnings to the artists who brought in the most streams, directing most of the revenue to the world’s biggest acts.
Source: SoundCloud to Let Fans Pay Artists Directly: Exclusive
Finally, an Interesting Proposal for Section 230 Reform
A new bill directly targets the most egregious excesses of online platform immunity.
Source: Finally, an Interesting Proposal for Section 230 Reform
Overhauling Twitter
Every day, 187 million people open Twitter for news, entertainment, and a social connection. It is the real-time global communications network that sci-fi novelists envisioned. It is also a catalyst for conspiracy theories, a forum for hate speech, and a surprisingly lousy business.
The Chrome Update Is Bad for Advertisers but Good for Google
Google Chrome is ditching third-party cookies for good. If all goes according to plan, then future updates to the world’s most popular web browser will rewrite the rules of online advertising and make it far harder to track the web activity of billions of people.
Source: The Chrome Update Is Bad for Advertisers but Good for Google
On iPhones, Facebook and Apple begin a war of pop-up messages
Some Facebook and Instagram users who open up the social media apps on their iPhones will get a new message on Monday about targeted advertising: Namely, targeting advertising is not as bad as Apple makes it out to be. Support our journalism.
Source: On iPhones, Facebook and Apple begin a war of pop-up messages
Here’s a Way to Learn if Facial Recognition Systems Used Your Photos
An online tool targets only a small slice of what’s out there, but may open some eyes to how widely artificial intelligence research fed on personal images.
Source: Here’s a Way to Learn if Facial Recognition Systems Used Your Photos
They’re Flocking to America to Make a Fortune Playing Video Games
League of Legends teams in the U.S. lag behind their competitors in Asia, so they recruit the world’s best players by offering huge salaries. Hu Shuo-Chieh, known as SwordArt, is a star among players of the League of Legends video game.
Source: They’re Flocking to America to Make a Fortune Playing Video Games
New A.I. can identify the song you’re listening to by reading your brain waves
Krishna P. Miyapuram From Journey’s “ Don’t Stop Believin’ ” to Queen’s “ Bohemian Rhapsody ” to Kylie Minogue’s “ Can’t Get You Out Of My Head ,” there are some songs that manage to successfully worm their way down our ear canals and take up residence in our brains.
Source: New A.I. can identify the song you’re listening to by reading your brain waves
How bad software helped slow coronavirus vaccine distribution
It’s no secret that the US is struggling to distribute coronavirus vaccines; some states haven’t received enough doses, and finding an appointment on sign-up websites has been a chaotic experience.
Source: Go read this story about how bad software helped slow coronavirus vaccine distribution
The Misfits Shaking Wall Street
They are part of a legion of young people — primarily male — pouring into digital trading floors in recent years, raised on social media and eager to teach themselves about stocks and trade quickly using an array of apps catered to Generation Z. In just a few short weeks, this new cohort of retail investors has completely upended some of the most professional traders by coordinating over social media, forums and chat rooms to trade shares of GameStop, sending the stock price for the video game company skyrocketing while leaving a number of sophisticated short-sellers holding the bag.
Source: The Misfits Shaking Wall Street
Inside a Pro-Huawei Influence Campaign
A covert online push to sway telecommunications policy in favor of the Chinese company may presage a new twist in social manipulation. Fake Twitter profiles supported Huawei, a Chinese company that faced government restrictions in the West.
Dogecoin soars another 600% as Reddit frenzy pushes the token into the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap
Dogecoin’s rise extended Friday as the crypto-themed subreddit SatoshiStreetBets fueled a further rally. Bitcoin too climbed 15% on the same day after Elon Musk changed his Twitter bio to include it. Robinhood temporarily restricted crypto trading on its platform due to “extraordinary market conditions.”
wow
such hiding
much profit
Profile of Keith Gill, Who Drove the GameStop Reddit Mania
The investor who helped direct the world’s attention to GameStop, leading a horde of online followers in a bizarre market rally that made and lost fortunes from one day to the next, says he’s just a normal guy. From his profile by The Wall Street Journal: “I didn’t expect this,” said Keith Gill, 34 years old, known as “DeepF-ingValue” by fans on Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum and “Dada” by his 2-year-old daughter.
Source: Profile of Keith Gill, Who Drove the GameStop Reddit Mania
Apple says App Tracking Transparency feature will launch in ‘early spring’ with iOS 14 update
In honor of Data Privacy Day on January 28, Apple has announced that its App Tracking Transparency feature will launch to users “in early spring.” The company has also launched a new easy-to-understand report dubbed “A Day in the Life of Your Data,” which illustrates “how companies track user data across websites and apps.” In a new press release, Apple’s software engineering VP Craig Federighi explained that Apple’s goal is to “create technology that keeps people’s information safe and protected.” “Privacy means peace of mind, it means security, and it means you are in the driver’s seat when it comes to your own data,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “Our goal is to create technology that keeps people’s information safe and protected.
Zuckerberg promises Facebook will show less political content from now on
During Facebook‘s quarterly earnings call today, Mark Zuckerberg highlighted some major changes coming to Facebook. After years of being the primary news source for many people, Facebook has decided it wants to show less political content.
Source: Zuckerberg promises Facebook will show less political content from now on
Discord bans Reddit’s WallStreetBets for hate speech as scrutiny intensifies
Discord has banned the server used by the controversial subreddit r/WallStreetBets for what it says are repeated violations of the company’s hate speech policies. The ban comes as the subreddit’s moderators briefly took the group private, saying they were struggling to keep up with an influx of new users.
Source: Discord bans Reddit’s WallStreetBets for hate speech as scrutiny intensifies
Apple is celebrating Black History Month across almost all of its services
February 1 is right around the corner, and it marks the beginning of Black History Month. As it has done in previous years, Apple is celebrating Black History Month by highlighting content from Black creators and businesses, across many of its apps and services on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
Source: Apple is celebrating Black History Month across almost all of its services
The GameStop folly isn’t just a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s a tale of inequality.
Perhaps the most surprising news this week centers around GameStop , a store that we don’t hear about much anymore. The video game retailer’s prospects have been dimming for years: Why go to a mall, particularly amid a pandemic, when almost everything you need is available online?
Source: Opinion | The GameStop folly isn’t just a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s a tale of inequality.
The megarich have already recovered from the pandemic. It may take the poor a decade to do so
Nine months. That’s how long it took the world’s top 1,000 billionaires to recoup their fortunes after the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Source: The megarich have already recovered from the pandemic. It may take the poor a decade to do so
Is There a Secret to Success on Instagram?
It depends on what you mean by “secret,” and also “success.”
Twitter jumps 6% after the social media giant buys Substack competitor Revue
Twitter has acquired the newsletter company and Substack competitor Revue on undisclosed terms. Shares jumped 6% Tuesday after the news broke. The news comes after Twitter announced a new feature called “Birdwatch” on its platform.
Source: Twitter jumps 6% after the social media giant buys Substack competitor Revue
Google workers across the globe announce international union alliance to hold Alphabet accountable
Google workers across the world are coming together to form a global union alliance. The newly formed coalition, called Alpha Global, is comprised of 13 different unions representing workers in 10 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Switzerland.
Source: Google workers across the globe announce international union alliance to hold Alphabet accountable
Why Your TV Spies on You
Selling consumer electronics is hard, forcing companies to resort to shady tactics to make money.
Source: Why Your TV Spies on You
How Streaming Bots Are Wrecking Independent Musicians’ Careers
Unsurprisingly, artists’ desperate quest to gain as many Spotify streams as possible has led to the rise of streaming bots, and their manipulation of the streaming numbers has resulted in some serious damage to independent musicians’ careers.
Source: How Streaming Bots Are Wrecking Independent Musicians’ Careers
Huawei, 5G, and the Man Who Conquered Noise
How an obscure Turkish scientist’s obscure theoretical breakthrough helped the Chinese tech giant gain control of the future. US telecoms never had a chance.
Trump v. Facebook
Facebook has decided to ask its new, independent Oversight Board to rule on its decision to suspend Donald Trump indefinitely . The Board will be able to make a binding determination regarding Trump, telling Facebook it was right or wrong, and Facebook and Instagram will obey.
Source: Trump v. Facebook
Crypto industry has ‘wind in its sails’, 8 companies eye public offerings
Bitcoin has come off its highs after it crossed $40,000 this month, but is still up about 16% this year.
Source: Crypto industry has ‘wind in its sails’, 8 companies eye public offerings
Is 2021 finally the year for smart glasses? Here’s why some experts still say no
Tech companies including Facebook, Google and Lenovo are designing smart glasses consumers will buy, but experts say this isn’t the year of mass adoption.
Source: Is 2021 finally the year for smart glasses? Here’s why some experts still say no
Music has developed an attention dependency
The attention economy defines and shapes today’s digital world. However, we have long since reached peak in the attention economy with all available free time now addressed. What this means is that previously, when digital entertainment propositions grew, they were often using up users’ free time.