Privacy Episodes

Forget how’s my driving, Uber lets you know how you’re riding. Meta workers are now formally known as Metamates. Is Paramount quietly doing better in the streaming wars than we thought? So much so, as to warrant a name change too? And what happens when your bionic eye implants are no longer supported by the manufacturer?

Allegations of a new, widespread bulk surveillance program being run on American citizens by the CIA. Apple is planning AirTag updates to curb their use for stalking people. The first Android 13 developer preview is out. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

How Much Money Is Apple’s ATT Costing Snap, Facebook, Twitter and the like? $10B or more? The chip shortage is hitting Apple at the Worst Time. But new iOS devices might have crash detection built in. Why was Roblox down for so long? And why Hollywood thinks there’s money in their old banana stands after all.

Snap’s earnings suggest Apple’s ATT bite is having an impact, and what might that mean for others like Facebook? Google lowers Play Store fees and piles pressure on Apple. Did law enforcement give REvil a taste of its own medicine? What the heck is Worldcoin, I still can’t figure it out. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

The Facebook whistleblower reveals her identity on 60 Minutes. You can preorder the Apple Watch Series 7 this week. New MacBook Pros could still be coming “this month.” Apple is actually the biggest force in the gaming industry, by far. And signs of a product shipping renaissance at YouTube.

What does it mean if ProtonMail regularly discloses user data to certain authorities? How private is WhatsApp if Facebook has more than 1,000 contractors moderating your messages? Heck, how secure is Bluetooth? There’s a new vulnerability. Would you want the authorities monitoring your poop thanks to new smart toilets? And a quick word on Solana.

I try to explain this whole controversy about Apple scanning your photos. Yelp will list business’ vaccination policies. I guess I’m bullish on autonomous tractors. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

The NSO Group is back in the headlines, and it’s maybe, the worst allegations of hacking for hire yet. The US and NATO blame China for the Exchange Server hacks. Does iOS now split the market with Android, at least in the US? And is Tesla charging customers for hardware they already paid for? Sponsors:Streak.com/techmemeTinyCapital.com Links:Private Israeli spyware used to hack cellphones journalists, activists worldwide (Washington Post)U.S. and key allies accuse China of Microsoft Exchange cyberattacks (Axios)Zoom is buying cloud contact center provider Five9 for $14.7 billion (CNBC)CIRP: iPhone catches up to Android, now accounts for 50% of new smartphone activations in the US (9to5Mac)Tesla is charging owners $1,500 for hardware they already paid for (Electrek) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Pentagon wants a do-over for that JEDI contract. YC wants to do Tinder but for founder matchmaking. Amazon open sources its gaming engine. How about NFT’s but for the stock market? And if you think China is cracking down on tech companies, wait till you hear how they want to regulate when and how kids can play videogames.

The EU proposes a big new regulatory framework for AI. A ransomware gang threatens to release Apple product schematics unless they get paid off. Fallout from yesterday’s Apple event including what you can and cannot put on your AirTags. Netflix has disappointed Wall Street, and Amazon is expanding its “pay with your palm” program to more Whole Foods locations. Sponsors:Skiff.org/ride Tovala.com/ride Classified:RobBettis.com Links:Artificial Intelligence, Facial Recognition Face Curbs in New EU Proposal (Wall Street Journal)Instagram launches tools to filter out abusive DMs based on keywords and emojis, and to block people, even on new accounts (Tech Crunch)Apple announces AirTag accessories that cost more than the device (9 to 5 Mac)Ransomware gang tries to extort Apple hours ahead of Spring Loaded event (The Record)Netflix falls after pandemic boom reverses to rare weakness (Bloomberg)Amazon is bringing palm-scanning payment system to Whole Foods stores (CNBC) (Order your own …

Wed. 04/14 – Now It’s the FBI Doing The (Legal?) Hacking The FBI hacked into some Exchange servers to prevent further hacking of Exchange servers. Ming-Chi Kuo thinks the iPhone mini and the notch are both going away after this year. Sony wants you to think of their phones as cameras first. Oculus gets a key new wireless update. And yes, those Boston Dynamics robot dogs have been spotted on the streets of NYC. Sponsors:Startmail.com/Techmeme for 50% off your first year!Blockchain.com Links:FBI Accesses Computers Around Country to Delete Microsoft Exchange Hacks (Vice)Kuo: 2022 iPhones to Feature 48-Megapixel Camera, 8K Video, and 6.1 and 6.7" Sizes With No 5.4" Mini Option (Mac Rumors)Kuo: Apple to Adopt Under Display Face ID Starting With 2023 iPhones (Mac Rumors)Kuo: 2023 iPhones to Feature 'Periscopic' Telephoto Lens (Mac Rumors)Samsung's third Unpacked event of 2021 set for April 28 (Cnet)Sony announces the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III with variable telephoto lenses (The Ver…

Google says it’s getting out of the ad tracking game. Kinda. I’ll explain what’s really going on here. Headline wrapup from Microsoft’s Ignite conference includes AR excitement. Brave is launching a privacy search engine. And why Amazon’s app icon redesign reminded people of Hitler’s mustache. Sponsors:PingIdentity.comNewYorker.com/techmeme, promocode: techmeme Links:Google promises it won’t just keep tracking you after replacing cookies (The Verge)Google to Stop Selling Ads Based on Your Specific Web Browsing (WSJ)Microsoft says China-backed hackers are exploiting Exchange zero-days (TechCrunch)Recovering from the SolarWinds hack could take 18 months (MIT Technology Review)Microsoft launches Power Fx, a new open source low-code language (TechCrunch)Microsoft Mesh feels like the virtual future of Microsoft Teams meetings (The Verge)Brave is launching its own search engine with the help of ex-Cliqz devs and tech (TechCrunch)Amazon shaves app icon mustache that raised eyebrows (The V…

Another day, another flaw in Intel chips discovered. More analysis of Apple’s presumed move away from Intel chips for Macs. Is Just Eat Takeaway about to swallow up Grubhub? What happened to Zynn on the Play Store? And an interesting new interactive story startup. Sponsors: Metalab.co Grammarly.com/techmeme Links: Plundering of crypto keys from ultrasecure SGX sends Intel scrambling again (Ars Technica) TSMC on schedule for 3nm Apple 'A16' iPhone and iPad chip in 2022 (Apple Insider) On Appl...

The whole land-grab in the Indian telecom market continues to blow my hair back. A class-action lawsuit around Incognito Mode. More hints at an Apple Prime subscription. CES refuses to give up the ghost, while Kitty Hawk seems to have given up on its Flyer. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com CognitoHQ.com/techmeme Links: Speaking up on racism (Tim Cook/Apple.com) Early Facebook Employees Disavow Zuckerberg’s Stance on Trump Posts (NYTimes) Snap will stop promoting Trump’s account after concluding his...

Custom Mac chips by 2021? Robot nurses already in hospitals? Bill Gurley into the sunset? Why some people are accusing France of digital privacy hypocrisy, and an interesting raise in the remote work space. Specifically: remote whiteboarding. Sponsors: F5.com/ride TinyCapital.com Links: Apple Aims to Sell Macs With Its Own Chips Starting in 2021 (Bloomberg) Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot is helping hospitals remotely treat coronavirus patients (The Verge) Magic Leap Cuts Half of Jobs In Major R...

We’ve reached the end of the John Legere era. Samsung thinks we’ve reached the end of the LCD era. Comcast is inadvertently proving ISP datacaps are BS. Is Zoom a victim of its own success? And it’s maybe not overstating things to say it’s past time Amazon should start thinking more humanely about… people. Sponsors: No Parking podcast TinyCapital.com Sponsors: Legere is out as T-Mobile CEO as Sprint merger officially closes (CNBC) Samsung Display to end all LCD production by end 2020 (Reuters)...

The pros and cons of using big data, cellphones and the surveillance economy to combat the coronavirus. More iPhone rumors from Ming-Chi Kuo. Is the Oculus Quest bringing VR into the mainstream? And how to block your messy background when you’re on a Zoom conference call for work. Sponsors: Metalab.co Mintmobile.com/ride Links: European mobile operators share data for coronavirus fight (Reuters) Taiwan's new 'electronic fence' for quarantines leads wave of virus monitoring (Reuters) Hidden da...

Apple could have encrypted iCloud backups… but didn’t… ostensibly to play nice with the government? Getting an Uber from the airport is about to get more expensive. Digital media is actually making money??!! Is IGTV on the way out? Some interesting raises and (potentially) the most consequential lawsuit in Silicon Valley history. Sponsors: DoubleUp.agency Zapier.com/ride Links: Exclusive: Apple dropped plan for encrypting backups after FBI complained - sources (Reuters) Uber Tests Feature All...

Google and Apple suspend their programs where humans listen in on what you say to your voice assistant, Google will let Android users in Europe pick a search engine, Verizon tortures the very definition of words, Amazon dash buttons have an official end date, and the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors:WeWorkRemotely.comWix.com/podcast Links:Apple suspends Siri response grading in response to privacy concerns (TechCrunch)Google will charge search providers to be the Android default in Euro...

Remember the whole Superhuman kerfuffle of the last week or so? Mike Davidson wrote a blog post calling out some shady stuff in the Superhuman email product, all of silicon valley debated it, Superhuman walked things back a bit, and actually, I didn’t mention this, but Mike had a second post about this, which was even more in depth an eloquent than the first one. So, I reached out to Mike to talk about this whole thing, not because I wanted to re-litigate it, but because I wanted to poke at… wel...

Telsa sold a lot more Model 3’s than anyone expected, more signs of tech manufacturing fleeing China, Uber’s new Dine-In service is kinda brilliant, and have you seen the whole tech world arguing over Superhuman? Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Instacart.com Promocode RIDE at checkout. Links: Tesla sold a lot more Model 3’s than anyone expected in latest quarter (Digital Trends) HP, Dell and Microsoft join electronics exodus from China (Nikkei Asian Review) House lawmakers officially ask Facebook to p...

Yes, there are people listening in on your Alexa recordings, but it’s complicated; Jeff Bezos challenges competitors to pay their workers more, the third big unicorn IPO of the year happened today, and a rundown of noteworthy recent startup raises. Sponsors: Tiny.website LogiAnalytics.com/ride Links: Amazon Workers Are Listening to What You Tell Alexa (Bloomberg) Jeff Bezos challenges retail rivals to outdo Amazon’s $15 minimum wage (The Verge) YouTube TV Hikes Price to $50 per Month for All ...

When issues of consumer data, and consumer privacy come up on the show, I think I've asked a couple of times before, what are the laws here? In the United States. Who owns my data? What are the rules? What mechanisms are in place to give me control over my data? Are there any? Well, Justin Brookman is the Director of Consumer Privacy and Technology Policy at Consumer Reports. He was also previously at the Federal Trade Commission... and as you'll hear, he confirms that there are essentially no n...

Facebook pivots to privacy, Huawei follows through on suing the US government, Duplex rolls out wide, and Bird’s white label scooter scheme. Sponsors: Lightstream.com/ride Metalab.co Links: A Privacy-Focused Vision for Social Networking (Mark Zuckerberg) A 'privacy-focused' Facebook would kill Zuckerberg's business model (The Guardian) Facebook’s Privacy Cake (Ben Thompson/Stratechery) Mark Zuckerberg Tried Hard To Get Facebook Into China. Now The Company May Be Backing Away. (Buzzfeed News) ...