🤔 Wiser! RECAP: Section 230 | Crypto Relief | 3D Avatars | AI Nukes | TikTok | #FitTech
What's happening and what's coming next in tech, innovation and strategy.
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Section 230 in the dock: what’s likely to happen?
🔐 In this week’s premium article, I looked at the two cases before the US Supreme Court that could have huge implications for the way the internet, and social media, works today. Here’s an update…
Gonzalez v Google
In watching the 3 hour live stream of “oral arguments”, what was strikingly obvious was how the Justices defied their partisan stereotypes and asked excellent questions in spite of their limited technical knowledge. In the end, this turned into a case more about the HOW they might resolve the case (remember, the law is only 26 words long), rather than whether they SHOULD. After all, it’s the US Congress that writes the law, and the politicians have failed to grasp this nettle for over a decade.
Looking at the commentary that followed proceedings, it seems that consensus amongst political journalists was that the Court is roughly divided 2-2-4 (for/against/neutral) on whether to support Google’s case for the sweeping immunity they’re seeking.
Some Justices, like Gorsuch and Kavanaugh appear likely to vote for the status quo, citing the risk of economic disruption if a narrower reading of Section 230 were adopted. On the other hand, two of the Justices argued that the “power to select and recommend content” can be abused (you don’t say), and therefore they appear to lean against an outright win for Google.
Sitting on the fence, Justice Sotomayor argued for an immunity for "good" selection criteria but not for "bad" criteria (however you do that). While Justice Jackson believed that immunity should not extend to Internet platforms that are promoting offensive material. Justice Kagan acknowledged the difficulty of refashioning Section 230 and wrestled with the notion that the immunity Google wanted would also allow it to knowingly boost a false and defamatory video and to refuse to take it down.
Here’s The Thing: This is not going to be a straightforward, binary decision. The Justices were clearly wrestling with how to create a legal definition for the 21st century from 26 words written in the previous century that were intended to protect children from indecent content (not from terrorist videos on YouTube.)
IMHO, my money is on both sides losing. Gonzalez will not win the argument that Google are liable for the death of their child. Equally, Google will not win immunity. My guess is that the Justices will censor Google and introduce a tighter definition of the law, triggering a barrage of legal arguments from Google’s vast army of expensive lawyers. One thing’s for sure, this isn’t going to be resolved quickly or quietly.
Are algorithms playing a role in child sexual exploitation on TikTok?
The Wall Street Journal has published a scathing investigative piece called "Every Parent’s Nightmare’: TikTok Is a Venue for Child Sexual Exploitation."
UPDATE: To illustrate, here's a still from a TikTok that shows the same women but with the youth filter on in the pic above. She explains how youth filters are being used for the sexualisation of content.
What’s Happening In Tech
Cryptocurrency donations provide fast relief for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria Continue reading...
NBA unveil new app feature that inserts you as an avatar into a real life basketball game. Learn more about 3D scanning mobile apps.
Personalised made-to-measure jeans are being made with AI and a 3D scanning mobile app by clothes manufacturer, unspun
US Copyright Office rejects the registration of AI generated works as original. Find out more...
Meta is following Twitter with paid-for verified status. Dig deeper...
Retailers are increasingly turning to #FitTech to transform the shopping experience. This is where scanning technology is used to make shopping recommendations and use augmented reality to show the consumer what the product looks like on them. Find out more...
The debate over Crypto regulations are taking shape in the USA with
crypto investors bracing themselves for more crackdowns from regulators in the United States. Learn more about what the SEC and Congress are doing...
Meanwhile, Japan is to launch a Central Bank Digital Currency pilot in April. Continue reading...
The US State Department has outlined the use of AI in the military. To find out more...
Microsoft is rolling out an AI powered text-to-image creator on Bing, (un)imaginatively called Image Creator. Watch the official demo of Image Creator.
MIT researchers have developed an AI model that can detect the future lung cancer risk in patients.
OpenAI has released a free web-based tool designed to help educators, schools and colleges determine if a sample of text was written by a human or an AI system.
The French government has come under fire over its fast-track plans to introduce AI video surveillance at next year’s Paris Olympics.
YouTube is launching a suite of new creator tools to expand monetisation, including allowing creators to sell content as NFTs so fans can "own" videos.
Spotify is rolling out an new DJ feature that’s powered by AI.
Want to know what younger people think about emerging technologies defined as “the Metaverse”?
EBay is buying an AI fraud detection company called 3PM Shield.
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🎙 Big Tech Little Tech #19
Spy tech, blue tick verification, NBA avatars, and f***ing Shrinking
In the latest episode of Big Tech Little Tech, Shaun and I discuss TikTok, spy balloons, CCTV surveillance, national paranoia, hypocrisy and overreactions. The point is that in the wake of the US shooting down a balloon the size of 3 buses and accusing China of spying, the question is "should we be worried?" Or are they all as bad as each other. And what role does tech play amongst the politics.
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🌎 For all show notes, background links and everything to do with the show, go to the Big Tech Little Tech website.
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