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Google has fired another AI ethics leader
Google has fired AI ethics researcher Margaret Mitchell, just a couple of months after forcing out her co-lead Timnit Gebru.
Ring says its app will allow more control over data shared with Google, Facebook
A couple of weeks ago, the Electronic Frontier Foundation published the results of its investigation into data the Ring app is sharing with third parties. While the Amazon-owned company has faced criticism over its links to law enforcement and the security of user's accounts, this particular issue was all about tracks information from the mobile devices users install its apps on, and who it shares it with. Those that get the infor include names you know like Google and Facebook, but also other data companies like MixPanel and AppsFlyer. On Friday afternoon a company spokesperson told CBS that soon, users will be able to opt-out of information sharing agreements "where applicable." There's no real detail on what exactly that means, although apparently some information will still be shared. Apps and services frequently ask users (or don't even ask) about sharing information to various trackers, usually stating it's for diagnostic reasons. But as we've seen, data collected by apps on your phone can include far more pervasive and personal location tracking than you'd probably expect, or they do things like record your entire screen while you use them. Once the toggles are available, we'll see what Ring says about the information it's sharing and how much control you have over it.
Google is ending support for the Explorer Edition of Glass
Google is rolling out one more update for the Explorer Edition of Glass before cutting off support for its old wearable. The tech giant introduced Project Glass back in 2012, opening it up for preorders for $1,500 each. Despite people raising privacy concerns about its ability to record videos, the company quickly released an upgraded version of the device. It soon decided to change its approach and target businesses, though, releasing an Enterprise Edition of the device in 2017. The company will continue supporting the enterprise version, suggesting that it's doing better than its older sibling.
TikTok tries to explain takedown of viral video about Uighurs in China
Other the last day or so, a TikTok "makeup tutorial" video that was actually a call for viewers to investigate the detention of Uighur Muslims in China went viral on and off the platform. However, as The Guardian and others reported, TikTok temporarily banned the account of the teenager who created the video. According to her, this isn't the first time the platfom has tried to censor her account for speaking about the issue. This evening, as much of the US heads into a holiday weekend, TikTok offered a public apology and detailed timeline of events, where it claims that the ban was not related to the topic of this video. To summarize, the company's version of events is that two weeks ago her earlier account was banned for a satirical video that featured an image of Osama Bin Laden as it violated "strict" policies against terrorist figures. Then, after the Uighur/eyebrow curling video, a separate sweep banning devices tied to accounts that had already been banned had the effect of locking her out of her new account. Then a "human moderation error" resulted in the video going offline for around 50 minutes. It's a detailed explanation that for some will be hard to believe. Feroza, the teenager who made the video, tweeted "do I believe they took it away because of a unrelated satirical video that was deleted on a previous deleted account of mine? Right after I finished posting a 3 part video about the Uyghurs? No." The incident also occurs as US regulators are looking into TikTok's parent company ByteDance, and its connections to the Chinese government. According to report today from Reuters, ByteDance has made efforts to separate TikTok from much of its Chinese operations, and is setting up a team in Mountain View, CA to oversee management of data in the US.
Amazon's new opt-out keeps people from 'reviewing' your Alexa recordings
Over the last few days Google and Apple have begun to address their use of real people that listen in on recordings to help improve voice AI like Assistant and Siri. For Amazon, these revelations surfaced months ago, and now it's added a toggle that people can use to opt out of potentially having their voice recordings and/or recorded message transcripts "manually reviewed" by people. While Amazon has said that only a small sample of recordings are manually reviewed, people may not want to have someone listening in on what they were saying just because their speaker or remote thought it heard the wake word.
Slack apologizes for 'mistakenly' banning people who had visited Iran
On Wednesday a number of people noticed their Slack access had suddenly been revoked, and the company said it was due to complying with "U.S. trade embargoes and economic sanctions regulations." However, it had cut off people who weren't logging on from countries impacted by sanctions or embargoes, although as TechCrunch noted, some said they had traveled to countries like Iran, North Korea or Cuba. Late Friday Slack apologized for its far-too-wide-reaching bans, claiming that "we made a series of mistakes and inadvertently deactivated a number of accounts that we shouldn't have." Slack: We did not block any user based on their nationality or ethnicity. As is standard in the enterprise software industry, Slack uses location information principally derived from IP addresses to implement these required blocks. We do not collect, use, or possess any information about the nationality or ethnicity of our users. We have restored access to most of the mistakenly blocked accounts, and we are working hard to restore any remaining users whose access was blocked in error. If you think we've made a mistake in blocking your access, please reach out to feedback@slack.com and we'll review as soon as possible. Going forward, the company said it will "soon" block access to IP addresses from certain countries. While users who travel their may not have access while connected to those networks, they won't be banned and can log in when they're in another region that isn't under legal sanctions.
Apple announces repair programs for iPhone X, MacBook Pro problems
As it tends to do, Apple has chosen a Friday evening to announce programs that will replace flawed components on a couple of its devices. First up is a display module replacement program for the iPhone X. Some owners have been reporting touch issues since the phone debuted, and according to Apple a failed part in the display could cause the following problems: The display, or part of the display, does not respond or responds intermittently to touch The display reacts even though it was not touched If your touchscreen is finicky on an "eligible device" then it will be replaced for free, although there might be a charge for things like a cracked display. The replacement program covers your iPhone X for three years dating back to when it was originally purchased.
Netflix cancels 'Marvel's Iron Fist' after two seasons
It has been nearly five years since Disney and Netflix teamed up to launch a suite of Marvel TV series based on characters in The Defenders, and after two seasons Iron Fist is ending its run. There's no word on whether or not the character will come to Disney's (name still TBA) streaming service when that launches, but Deadline reports what the companies said in a joint statement: "We're thankful to the fans who have watched these two seasons, and for the partnership we've shared on this series. While the series on Netflix has ended, the immortal Iron Fist will live on." As it stands, Daredevil season three is set to premiere in a week, while additional seasons are on order for Jessica Jones and The Punisher. According to Deadline, Luke Cage is close to being renewed soon, so maybe we'll still see Jessica Henwick, Finn Jones and others from the series pop up there or in another Defenders team-up show.
Apple will repair defective iPhone 8 logic boards for free
We haven't seen reports of widespread problems with the iPhone 8, but Apple revealed late Friday that it's opening a Logic Board Replacement Program. According to the company "a very small percentage" of phones sold between September 2017 and March 2018 -- the first six months they were on sale -- have a manufacturing defect that can lead to restarts, freezes or a failure to start. Of course, when you sell as many phones as Apple does, even a small percentage can add up very quickly, as we've seen with previous iPhone flaws like the "no service" iPhone 7 bug or iPhone 6 Plus "touch disease." This does not apply to the iPhone 8 Plus or any other model, and owners of devices purchased during that period can hit Apple's website to check if their device is impacted -- if it is, then Apple will replace the phone for free (FYI: physical damage like a cracked screen will need to be fixed first, and that could cost you). If you'd rather wait, then the replacement program will be in force for three years from the first retail sale of a device, and does not extend its warranty.
Elon Musk: Tesla will stay public
Remember a couple of weeks ago when Elon Musk, out of the blue, tweeted that he had "funding secured" and would consider taking his car company private at a price of $420 per share? Well, you can forget it, since the billionaire announced tonight in a blog post that Tesla will remain a publicly traded company for now. While questions surrounding the circumstances of his initial announcement remain (partially thanks to Azealia Banks' Instagram Stories feed), Musk said that based on conversations with shareholders, the board of directors and firms like Morgan Stanley, the message received was "please don't do this." Separately, six members from Tesla's board of directors posted a statement of their own confirming the matter is closed and saying that they've dissolved a committee formed in the wake of Musk's tweet to investigate taking the company private. In a series of followups to the tweet explaining his process, Musk said he wanted to pay investors a premium, believed conversations with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund meant it would back the plan and denied he was "stoned" at the time. Now, even though the plan is no longer in play, there's still an SEC investigation -- as well as lawsuits that have been filed by investors and suggestions Musk may not be the person best suited to run the company -- to potentially worry about. Still, for now he closed out his blog post by saying "Moving forward, we will continue to focus on what matters most: building products that people love and that make a difference to the shared future of life on Earth. We've shown that we can make great sustainable energy products, and we now need to show that we can be sustainably profitable. With all the progress we've made on Model 3, we're positioned to do this, and that's what the team and I are going to be putting all of our efforts toward." At least for now, Elon isn't even tweeting about Tesla, instead focusing on SpaceX and a bridge installed at the launch complex in Florida to assist with crewed missions. Update: Musk did eventually tweet, and said: "In talking to our public investors, most were supportive of optimizing for long-term value creation over quarterly earnings. This was also a factor in remaining public."
Facebook suspends Trump-linked data firm Cambridge Analytica (update: response)
Late Friday night, Facebook has announced it's suspending Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL) from its site. While you may not have heard of SCL, its political analytics firm Cambridge Analytica has made headlines in the last few years due to work for the Trump campaign and the Brexit initiative. According to former US Magistrate and current Facebook Deputy General Counsel Paul Grewal, this move is occurring because an app "thisisyourdigitallife" pulled in personal information of the 270,000 people who used it as well as information from their friends. While this is allowed under its policy, its creator -- a Cambridge psych professor named Dr. Aleksandr Kogan -- passed the data onto other parties including Cambridge Analytica.
Apple to repair iPhone 7s with 'no service' bug for free
Today Apple announced it's launching a repair program for a "small percentage" of iPhone 7 owners who are affected by a "no service" issue. Late last year MacRumors said Apple was investigating the problem and appeared ready to replace affected devices, which would display "No service" in their status bar even when cell signal was clearly available. The cause of the problem is apparently a failed component on the logic board, and Apple says affected units (with model #s A1660, A1679, and A1780) extend through its entire production run from September 2016 until now.
Twitter is notifying anyone who followed a Russian spam account
Last week, Twitter missed the deadline Congress set to turn over information on Russia-backed meddling in the 2016 election. Today, the social media company posted a public update on their internal investigation. First, they found thousands of additional accounts associated with the Russian government-linked Internet Research Agency (IRA). But most importantly, Twitter is emailing notifications to everyone in the US who inadvertently followed one or retweeted or liked one of their messages -- which is some 677,775 people.
Facebook's next news feed tweak: ranking 'trusted' sources
Last week Mark Zuckerberg kicked off his year of making sure your time on Facebook is "well spent" by announcing that feeds will refocus on items shared by friends, instead of news. Today the CEO followed up with an announcement that the site will try to identify and highlight "trusted sources" based on community feedback. While the combination of these changes is apparently only going to change the mix of news in feeds from five percent to four percent, its stated claim is to avoid " sensationalism, misinformation and polarization."
Netflix: We won't make 'House of Cards' with Kevin Spacey involved
If House of Cards comes back for its planned sixth and final season, it won't happen on Netflix with Kevin Spacey attached. After accusations of sexual misconduct surfaced yesterday from crew members working on the show, the streaming video company issued a statement tonight saying "Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey." The studio that produces House of Cards for Netflix, Media Rights Capital, quickly followed up with a statement of its own, saying that Spacey "has been suspended, effective immediately." Based on the two company's releases, while that puts an end to the actor's participation, they're still considering options for the future of the show.
Tesla fired 'hundreds' of workers this week
Tonight The Mercury News reports that Tesla -- which is in the midst of ramping up production of the Model 3 -- fired hundreds of workers this week at its headquarters and factory. In a statement, the company cited performance reviews as a reason for departures from its workforce of more than 33,000 and said that it is continuing to grow. Workers the paper spoke to estimated some 400 - 700 workers have been fired, however, the company expects that overall attrition will be similar to last year, and that this won't impact Model 3 production. Currently, we're still anticipating updated Model 3 production numbers (it only made 260 in Q3) when Tesla reports its earnings in a few weeks, as well as the unveiling of its electric semi on November 16th.
Equifax's chief security and information officers are out
Equifax's Chief Security Officer Susan Mauldin and Chief Information Officer David Webb have both left the company as it deals with the fallout from a months-long hacking campaign that compromised the personal information of 143 million people this year. Attackers took advantage of an unpatched server flaw to steal names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers and other identifying information from Equifax's database from May 13th to July 30th. The server flaw was made public more than a month before the hack began.
US suspends 'premium processing' for H-1B visas
In a move that could restrict access to foreign engineers, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced tonight that it will "temporarily suspend premium processing for all H-1B petitions." In a statement, the department said this suspension "may" last six months, and pitched it as an administrative move to speed up all applications. The suspension takes effect April 3rd (the day applications open) nixing a $1,225 option that allowed highly skilled workers to find out if their application for an H-1B visa is approved in as little as a month.
The FCC stops investigating carrier's 'zero-rating' plans
Now that there's a new voice atop the FCC, priorities are changing. As part of a "Friday night news dump" -- as it's being called by fellow commissioner Mignon Clyburn -- the regulator announced it's done investigating carriers for "zero rating" programs that exclude some services from monthly data limits. T-Mobile's BingeOn, AT&T's DirecTV streaming and Verizon's Go90 have all been criticized as violating the principles of net neutrality, by treating some data differently from others. On cable, Comcast has had similar questions about its video-on-demand streaming (like the new support for Roku) and Stream TV.
Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton is stepping down
Michael Lynton is moving on from Sony, to focus on being the chairman of Snap, Inc., the parent company of Snapchat. Lynton has been at the top of Sony Pictures for 13 years, a span which included the massive 2014 hacking incident that saw unreleased films, emails and other studio information released on the internet. At the time, his co-chair at Sony Pictures was Amy Pascal, she left the company in 2015. He's also been the CEO of Sony America since 2012, and Sony says that his departure will extend over the next six months as it works to find a replacement. In the meantime, Sony CEO Kaz Hirai will take over the title of Chairman and co-CEO of Sony Entertainment, and maintain a second office at Sony Pictures' headquarters in California.
