Articles

Good Monday Morning


It’s October 23rd.  Big Tech is reporting Q3 results this week: Microsoft and Alphabet tomorrow, Meta on Wednesday, and Amazon on Thursday. Expect a lot of product and holiday announcements.

Today’s Spotlight is 839 words — about 3 minutes to read.

Headlines to Know

  • FCC takes steps to reinstate net neutrality, undoing Trump-era repeal to promote equal internet access.
     
  • Minecraft, the bestselling video game ever, hits 300 million sales.
     
  • Atlassian to acquire video messaging platform Loom for nearly $1 billion, enhancing its collaboration tools amid rising hybrid work demand.
     
  • Best Buy to cease DVD, Blu-ray sales in-store and online by early 2024 while Netflix said that it would open 2 new stores weeks after stopping DVD mail fulfillment.
     
  • Google expanded social media links in its Business Profiles, allowing organizations to link to 7 of its competitors.

Spotlight on Airbnb’s Course to Navigate The Holidays

In March, we highlighted the regulatory challenges Airbnb faced. We also talked about security risks, ratings inflation, and complaints from municipalities about lost tax revenue.

The situation has since escalated in New York, with Airbnb’s CEO Brian Chesky voicing concerns over stringent regulations that virtually eliminate short-term rental options. New York City regulations now limit the number of guests and mandate hosts to be present during a guest’s stay.


Even smaller cities, like Bozeman, Montana, and Palm Springs are considering cracking down on Airbnb properties, as are larger world capitals like Paris and London.


Airbnb’s strategy in the face of such regulatory disparities has been to engage with local governments, attempting to shape rules that protect local interests while also supporting the home-sharing economy. As the winter holidays approach, Airbnb is also investing in promoting longer-term rentals, a segment not typically subject to short-term rental laws. 

Beyond regulation, Chesky is addressing operational hurdles. Recently, he acknowledged cleaning fees as a “huge problem” and unveiled measures to tackle it. Following the launch of Airbnb’s total price display, over 260,000 listings have lowered or removed cleaning fees. 
 

These regulatory tussles remain significant for both hosts and guests. Most host applications filed with New York don’t meet the city’s requirements. Hosts, especially in restrictive markets like New York, face the dilemma of adhering to laws, which in many cases means removing their listings, or facing hefty fines. Guests, on the other hand, find fewer and often more expensive lodging options, making travel less accessible.

Practical AI

Quotable: “There are already a number of music lyrics aggregators and websites that serve this same function, but those sites have properly licensed publishers’ copyrighted works to provide this service,”

— Suit filed by music companies, including Universal, against Anthropic for allowing its AI chatbot to post music lyrics when responding to prompts.

Alexa Denies Election Results: The Amazon assistant is using information it sources online to tell its users that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen by a massive amount of election fraud,” in the latest horrifying example of Garbage In/Garbage Out.

 Tool of the Week: The AI Incident Database is a repository of user-supplied information about AI failures such as errant identifications of people or autonomous car collisions.  

Trends & Spends

Did That Really Happen — EU Wants Social Media Answers  

The EU is requiring that Meta, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) provide details on how they are combating Israel-Hamas conflict misinformation. Failure to comply with those regulations can result in fines of up to 6% of a company’s annual revenue.

Following Up — Online Tax Filing  

We’ve written extensively about how the federal government accused former participants in the Free Tax File program of improprieties. Now, the sector is navigating challenges resulting from the IRS’ announcement that it has expanded free direct filing to 13 states. 

Intuit is warning that the new program will hurt black taxpayers, a fraught statement that a researcher has already debunked. Meanwhile, the FTC has warned five tax prep companies that they may face penalties for tracking confidential data about taxpayers.

Protip — Hiding, Not Deleting Painful Photos

Google Photos now allows users to hide images of specific people or pets from their Memories feature, providing a respite for those troubled by past images. Lifehacker explains how.

Screening Room — Gallaudet & AT&T’s 5G Helmet

Passkeys are Ready Now – Spotlight #476
Articles

Good Monday Morning


It’s October 16th, the 100th anniversary of Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio signing its first distribution deal.

Today’s Spotlight is 941 words — about 4 minutes to read.

3 Stories to Know

1.  User data from 23andMe’s genetics database was posted on underground digital markets following an online data scrape, with Ashkenazi Jewish individuals notably targeted. The breach, suspected to be a result of credential stuffing, reignites debates around cybersecurity and how data can target individuals or groups.

2.Big Tech’s evolving ad game:YouTube’s nudging ad-blocker users to pay up, X (formerly Twitter) debuts a covert ad type that dodges forwarding and reporting, while Meta explores premium ad-free accounts in Europe and leverages generative AI to up the ante for advertisers.

The gist: A mixed bag of tactics aiming to redefine advertising-consumer dialogue

3.  From consumers to government, Big Tech’s dance with regulation is intensifying. In India, Facebook faces scrutiny over alleged propagation of hate speech at the government’s request, while in the U.S., the Texas Attorney General sues Yelp over the company’s labeling of “crisis pregnancy centers” typically providing “limited medical services” and operating without a requirement for medical professionals. Meanwhile, significant regulatory lawsuits continue against Google and Amazon and Microsoft fends off an IRS claim for nearly $29B-with-a-B.

Spotlight on Passkeys: One Year Later & Ready for Their Closeup

Nearly one year after we told you about passkeys, the landscape has evolved, with Google recently swinging the door wide open. The search giant announced that they are making passkeys the default for personal accounts, a significant nod to this burgeoning change.

Passkeys, a form of passwordless authentication, are essentially public-key cryptography securing user accounts. Unlike traditional passwords, they don’t require memorization and reduce the common headache of duplicating them on other sites–which led to that 23andMe data scraping. They’re created and stored on devices, with a public key registered to the service and a private key securely tucked away on your device.

Passkeys Pros and Cons

Consumer Reports elaborates on their ease of use, noting a better user experience, while the potential for enhanced security makes a compelling case for passkeys. Apple has also been in the fray, simplifying passkey use in its iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma updates. .

Our previous Spotlight on passkeys highlighted their promise in combating phishing and other cyber threats. The trail blazed by Apple, and now followed by Google, shows growing tech industry alignment.

The Future of Passkeys

Yet, as with any nascent technology, hurdles remain. ZDNet points out the initial setup can be intimidating for non-tech savvy individuals. And there are often questions of what happens if you lose the device your passkey is stored on. Of the two passwords managers we recommend, passkeys are available on 1Password and coming soon to BitWarden.

Google’s pivot, however, is a significant stride towards mainstreaming passkeys, nudging us closer to a potential password-free reality. As passkeys continue to mature, they could very well become the keystones of digital security, blending ease of use with robust protection.

Practical AI

Quotable: “BEWARE!! There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it,”

— Tom Hanks posting on Instagram

Spotify’s new groove: The audio streamer developed an AI-powered voice cloning tool to translate podcasts across languages, broadening auditory horizons while tiptoeing on the thin line of deepfake technology that Hanks wrote about.

The bottom line: Your favorite podcasts could soon speak your language, but at what cost to authenticity?
 Tool of the Week:Likewise, kickstarted five years ago as a haven for shared TV, movie, and book recs among like-minded folks, now generates buzz with its AI chatbot, Pix.

My hands-on test, even post-Goodreads sync of hundreds of books, exposed a clunky rec mechanism. There is a commercial vibe missing Netflix or Amazon’s finesse. The buzz, fueled in part by Bill Gates’ financial backing, hints at a shift: generative AI like ChatGPT or Bard, might soon yield the stage to personalized chatbots like Pix.

Did That Really Happen — Ukrainian First Lady Didn’t Buy Jewelry
 

A claim went viral alleging Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska splurged $1.1 million on Cartier jewelry and got a salesperson fired during a U.S. visit last month. The tale, originating from a YouTube video, is debunked by Snopes.

Following Up — YouTuber Shot

YouTube creator Tanner Cook was shot by Alan Colie during a Virginia mall prank, but a jury acquitted Colie of aggravated malicious wounding. The incident sparks debate on prank ethics and self-defense as Cook plans to continue pranking, and Colie faces a potential 10-year prison term on other charges.

We’ve covered social media pranks before, as well as this one in particular. This video was played in court.

Protip — How To Set Up Your Passkeys

If you’ve got the urge, here are step-by-step instructions to use passkeys with Google, Apple, and 1Password.

Screening Room — Google Pixel 8 with AI Camera & Recording

Science Fiction World — NASA’s Moon Neighborhoods

NASA unveiled plans to construct lunar houses by 2040, exploring durable, self-repairing materials for sustainable habitation, nudging closer to long-term human presence on the Moon.

Coffee Break — CR’s Permission Slip

Consumer Reports unveiled Permission Slip, an app for iOS or Android that allows users to track, manage, and delete their personal data across companies. Get it here.

Sign of the Times

Get a free copy of Spotlight emailed to you each Monday
The Illusion of Ownership – Spotlight #475
News

Good Monday Morning


It’s September 25th. Spotlight is off next week and back with you on October 9th.

Today’s Spotlight is 892 words — about 3 1/2 minutes to read.

3 Stories to Know

1. Wirecutter revoked its endorsement of Wyze security cameras after a breach allowed some users to access live video from other users’ cameras. The NYT feature criticized Wyze’s communications and security measures, urging the company to be proactive, accountable, and transparent.

2. Meta will allow Facebook users to create up to four additional personal profiles, embracing the “finsta” concept. Aimed at separating personal and professional lives, these extra profiles come with limitations, including no support for Messenger, Facebook Dating, or Marketplace.

3. Amid ongoing scrutiny for throttling competitor links, X — formerly Twitter — faces further turbulence as Elon Musk announced plans for a “small monthly payment” to combat bots. X is taking up to 100 times longer to load links to competitors such as Facebook and Substack, according to an analysis by The Markup.

Spotlight on The Illusion of Ownership

Think you own that eBook? Think again.

In a digital world, ownership and licensing blur; from Amazon’s ads to George R.R. Martin’s lawsuit against OpenAI, buckle up as we explore the shifting landscape.

Consider:

  • Ads in Amazon Prime Video: Settling in for movie night? Expect ads in your ‘ad-free’ Amazon Prime Video next year. Still feel like you own that movie?
  • E-Books That Change: Hitting “buy” often means renting. Your e-books can be edited or vanish without notice.
  • Authors vs. AI: George R.R. Martin and other authors are suing ChatGPT maker OpenAI for using their work without permission. Critical: Who owns the AI-generated content?
  • Movies That Disappear: Ever lose an ‘owned‘ digital movie? Platforms can lose licensing rights, and your copy can vanish. Refunds aren’t guaranteed.
     

What we think of as “ownership” is often just a changeable lease, but artists, writers, and musicians are taking matters into their own hands.
 

  • High-Profile Cases: Author George R.R. Martin isn’t only dealing with the Iron Throne; he’s also in a legal fight with OpenAI over the use of his work to train its large language models. He’s not alone; creators are suing tech companies for using their work without permission.
     
  • Hollywood Writers’ Strike: Writers have been on strike for 5 months, demanding fair streaming revenue and protection against AI job loss.

Lawsuits and strikes could change the game. Imagine a future where your favorite author’s new book isn’t online due to a legal dispute, or your curated music playlist vanishes. These battles impact what you can and can’t do with content you think you own.

In a world where digital ‘ownership’ is an illusion, stay informed and question what you’re really getting when you press ‘buy.’ The landscape is shifting — stay vigilant.

Practical AI

Quotable: “I think we’re still a way away from: ‘ChatGPT, please write a Wikipedia entry about the Empire State Building’, but I don’t know how far away we are from that, certainly closer than I would have thought two years ago,”

—Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales to The Evening Standard

Indeed on Job Futures: Indeed’s “AI at Work Report” finds that GenAI will impact nearly every U.S. job, with software development roles most vulnerable and driving jobs least exposed. The report analyzed 55 million job postings to assess the reach of GenAI. 

Tool of the Week: YouTube is rolling out new tools that include an AI-generated image or video background tool for YouTube Shorts, a mobile editing app, and an automatic dubbing tool to create content in multiple languages.\

 Did That Really Happen — Immigrants Pay Taxes, Rent
 

AP Fact Check debunks new viral claims on Instagram and X that immigrants in the U.S. don’t pay taxes or rent, clarifying that many immigrants, including those undocumented, contribute to tax revenue and pay for housing. 

Also an issue: claims of 18 million unauthorized immigrants when experts put the actual number 40% lower.

Following Up — Passkeys Spread

1Password is rolling out passkey support for its web browser extension, enhancing security features we’ve previously covered. The update allows users to generate unique, secure keys for each site, improving overall account safety. Those passkeys can be accessed by PIN, fingerprint, or face scan — removing the need for passwords.

Protip — Transfer to an iPhone 15

CNET offers a step-by-step guide on transferring your data to Apple’s new iPhone 15. The article covers everything from iCloud backups to direct device-to-device transfers.

Screening Room — Father Knows Best-ish

Science Fiction World — Make All the Lights
 

An Audi technology known as Traffic Light Information advises drivers on the optimal speed to hit all green lights. The Autopian wonders why this feature isn’t more widely discussed, given its potential to improve driving efficiency. Wouldn’t you drive a certain speed to miss red lights?

Coffee Break — Hidden Spotify Game

Spotify’s mobile app has a hidden snake game. The Easter egg is called “Eat this Playlist,” and the game includes cover art from your playlist’s tracks.

Sign of the Times

Get a free copy of Spotlight emailed to you each Monday