1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, 3 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio. 4 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,639 Speaker 1: And how the tech are you? It is time for 5 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 1: the news for Thursday, May twenty two, and we got 6 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: a bunch of it to get through, a lot of 7 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: short pieces, but there are a lot of them, So 8 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:35,840 Speaker 1: let's just get to it, shall we. And we'll start 9 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 1: off with just a quick update on the ongoing Twitter 10 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 1: Elon Musk situation, because we've been covering that extensively already. 11 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: In the last couple of weeks, if you recall, Musk 12 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: announced that his deal to acquire Twitter is currently on 13 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 1: hold while he demands that Twitter provide proof that their 14 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: estimation that less than five percent of all monetize herbal 15 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: accounts on the platform are bots. They he wants to say, like, well, 16 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: prove that you've said it. But unless it's true, uh, 17 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: this this deal is not going forward, And some folks 18 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: speculate the perhaps Musk is maneuvering to either lower the 19 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 1: price of the deal after he's already agreed to it, 20 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 1: or to extract himself completely from the deal. Now that 21 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: stocks have really taken a tumble, because that does mean 22 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: that that forty four billion dollar price tag that he 23 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: agreed upon is way over market value at this point. 24 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: And now Twitter's board says, no, man, we're holding you 25 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: to the deal. More precisely, Twitter Sentald a proxy statement 26 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: that said it wishes to complete the deal as soon 27 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: as is practicable and that they look to quote enforce 28 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 1: the merger agreement end quote, which suggests that the board 29 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: is willing to use legal pressure to hold Elon to 30 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: his agreed upon deal. Now, just to be clear, that 31 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: still does not mean that Musk owning Twitter is a 32 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: sure thing. If the matter does go to litigation, There's 33 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: a chance, maybe even a good chance, that the parties 34 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 1: will end up settling the matter out of court and 35 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,359 Speaker 1: must will have to pay Twitter to essentially go away, 36 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: which is weird right Anyway. There's more speculation now about 37 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: what could happen next should the deal actually fall through, 38 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:21,280 Speaker 1: which some people say is like a fifty fifty chance 39 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:24,639 Speaker 1: or maybe even higher than that. H and some folks 40 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,800 Speaker 1: like techn dirts Mike Masnick suggests that Twitter's board will 41 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: end up looking for another suitor if this deal does 42 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: fall through to buy the company because they appear to 43 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: have quote no clue what to do with it end quote. Yesterday, 44 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,519 Speaker 1: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or n h t 45 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: s A here in the United States announced that it 46 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: was investigating a fatal car crash that killed three people 47 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: on May twelve. The vehicle that was involved was a Tesla, 48 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: and the n h T s A team is looking 49 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: to determine whether or not the Tesla was operating in 50 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: a mode like autopilot or full self driving. The Tesla 51 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: Model S hit a curb at five in the morning, 52 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 1: and then it went on to collide with some construction equipment. 53 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: The three fatalities were all people inside the Tesla. Three 54 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: construction workers also suffered minor injuries. Over at Meta, the 55 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: company continues to ease off growing various departments and divisions, 56 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 1: and that in turn has prompted a little bit of 57 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: anxiety among employees. According to The Verge, Meta's twenty two 58 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: has been a little rough so far, with the company 59 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: reporting a net loss of active users on platforms like 60 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: Facebook during the first quarter of two, and then the 61 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: company's stock price has dipped in value by forty three 62 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: percent this year. Uh and in response, Zuckerberg and his 63 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: executives have adjusted their plans towards the end of one 64 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:01,040 Speaker 1: really the fall of one. To call Meta slash Facebook's 65 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: strategy aggressive would have been an understatement. The incredible investment 66 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: into developing the Metaverse, along with the commitment to developing 67 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: new mixed reality hardware UH, initiatives aimed at attracting younger 68 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: people to come onto the various platforms, even the renaming 69 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:23,919 Speaker 1: of the company itself to Meta, all of that pointed 70 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: at a sort of full steam ahead mentality. But that 71 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 1: twenty twenty two Q one report, coupled with the high 72 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 1: profile PR disaster of Francis Hogan's revelations of internal documents 73 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 1: detailing all sorts of negative stuff about the company, those 74 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: all changed things up pretty fast. Now Meta is putting 75 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: on a hiring freeze for certain departments. UH. They have 76 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:56,040 Speaker 1: frozen hiring of new data scientists as well as recruiters. So, 77 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: in other words, the company is hitting pause on a 78 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:02,240 Speaker 1: few division and departments, at least as far as growth 79 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: is concerned. So those groups aren't going away, they're not 80 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,720 Speaker 1: dissolved or anything like that, but they also are not 81 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: going to grow any larger for the time being affected. 82 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:19,239 Speaker 1: Departments include Messenger, Kids, Facebook Gaming, Facebook Dating, the Remote 83 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 1: Presence department, and the Commerce department. The company is still 84 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:28,120 Speaker 1: hiring and other divisions, particularly in the divisions that are 85 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 1: responsible for developing artificial intelligent systems UH. And this kind 86 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 1: of couples up with an earlier report we talked about 87 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 1: that revealed the company is also shelving a few projects 88 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: in the Reality Labs division, which is the part of 89 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 1: the company that creates mixed reality hardware. We've been told 90 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 1: that some of those projects are going to be at 91 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: least postponed, if not canceled. However, I have not yet 92 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 1: seen any clarification on which of those projects are going 93 00:05:57,279 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 1: to be affected. Zuckerberg attempted to reassure employees by communicating 94 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:05,920 Speaker 1: that Meta is still in a very strong position, and 95 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 1: it would be weird to say otherwise. I mean, any 96 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:12,040 Speaker 1: company that has a couple of billion users is in 97 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 1: a pretty strong position. It's not like they're on the brink, 98 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:19,160 Speaker 1: as we used to say on the other show I 99 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: hosted for a while, Business on the Brink. But he 100 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 1: also said that while he can't make any promises that 101 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 1: there aren't going to be layoffs at some point there 102 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:30,720 Speaker 1: are no current plans to go that route, So he 103 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: said essentially like, we aren't planning on firing anyone, but 104 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 1: if we do have other unforeseen events have a negative 105 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: impact on the company, we may have to revisit that 106 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:44,480 Speaker 1: in the future. In other words, you can never say 107 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:46,760 Speaker 1: for sure what's going to happen, but there are no 108 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:51,560 Speaker 1: plans as of now to lay anyone off. Meta also 109 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,880 Speaker 1: released its May quarterly report, in which it revealed stats 110 00:06:55,960 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 1: about its attempts to moderate content on its various platforms. 111 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 1: I'll mostly be in fact, I'll really only be focusing 112 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,680 Speaker 1: on Facebook for this particular news item, but it did 113 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,840 Speaker 1: cover their other platforms too, so the full report is 114 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 1: available to read online. Anyone can go there and check 115 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 1: it out, and it categorizes content moderation in different buckets, 116 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 1: such as posts that are about violence or drugs or 117 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 1: firearms or self harm or child endangerment, and et cetera. 118 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: The report reveals that on the Facebook platform, there were 119 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 1: numerous cases of content moderation going too far, so in 120 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 1: other words, uh, Facebook ended up removing posts that did 121 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: not in fact violate Facebook's policies on content. For example, 122 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 1: in that first quarter, Facebook moderators, whether human or AI, 123 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 1: because Facebook uses both. Actioned on that's Facebook's term, which 124 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 1: means took some form of action on two and a 125 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:06,679 Speaker 1: half million posts, uh that were identified as containing material 126 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 1: promoting terrorism and or organized hate groups, and out of those, 127 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: Facebook later restored four hundred fourteen thousand posts. The vast 128 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:22,880 Speaker 1: majority of those were restored without anyone having appealed the 129 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:27,240 Speaker 1: initial decision to remove the content, So, uh, you know, 130 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:31,040 Speaker 1: that means that Facebook recognized its own mistake. In other words, 131 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:35,200 Speaker 1: Meta also revealed that COVID nineteen had a big impact 132 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:39,439 Speaker 1: on their capacity to review appeals, which suggests to me 133 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: that the number of restored pieces could have been even 134 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:47,079 Speaker 1: higher if Meta had had the capacity to process more appeals. 135 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 1: But that's just speculation on my part. Other categories show 136 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:56,160 Speaker 1: similar trends. Wasn't just in uh, you know, organized hate 137 00:08:56,200 --> 00:09:02,000 Speaker 1: and terrorism posts? Facebook restored hundreds of thousands of posts, 138 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:05,839 Speaker 1: either after an appeal or otherwise after determining that the 139 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:10,079 Speaker 1: posts did not in fact violate platform policies. Now, this 140 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 1: really illustrates how content moderation is hard, particularly when your 141 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:20,559 Speaker 1: platform has reached a gargantuan size like Facebook has, It 142 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: is necessary to do content moderation, but it's not easy 143 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:28,439 Speaker 1: to get it right. Of course, it is also impossible 144 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:32,199 Speaker 1: for us to quantify how many posts that did violate 145 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:36,840 Speaker 1: policies were missed. Now, surely there were lots of them, 146 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:38,839 Speaker 1: but we don't know how many. There's no way to know, 147 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:42,440 Speaker 1: right unless you were to actively go out seeking them 148 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:45,320 Speaker 1: and then just track to see whether or not they 149 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:48,600 Speaker 1: stay up or if they're taken down. Uh, And even 150 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: then it would just be an estimate based upon whatever 151 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: you were able to observe. So we don't have any 152 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:56,160 Speaker 1: data on that. We do know that Facebook has been 153 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 1: cited numerous times as a platform that tends to amp 154 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:04,600 Speaker 1: lafi harmful messages, some of which might actually skirt around 155 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:08,439 Speaker 1: official policies, which means Facebook would not be able to 156 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 1: respond to those without first updating those policies. Right. We 157 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:16,360 Speaker 1: had that representative from Facebook's oversight board, and one of 158 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: the important jobs that board has is to make sure 159 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 1: that when Facebook is enforcing its rules, the rules actually 160 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: give Facebook that authority. Right, The Facebook can't just remove 161 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: something for no reason. It has to have a stated 162 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: reason that users have agreed to by you know, agreeing 163 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:38,880 Speaker 1: to to be part of the Facebook platform. In order 164 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:40,920 Speaker 1: for them to be able to do that, they cannot 165 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:43,959 Speaker 1: do it with impunity. There has to be reason behind it, 166 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:48,439 Speaker 1: so it is really tricky. It is a tight rope 167 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:50,800 Speaker 1: that you have to walk, and then finding a way 168 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:54,560 Speaker 1: to do that efficiently across such an enormous platform presents 169 00:10:55,240 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: a different challenge altogether. So it is complicated it and 170 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: it is messy. So good luck Elon Musk. If you 171 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:08,079 Speaker 1: do end up with Twitter, you might find it more 172 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:13,360 Speaker 1: hard work than you bargained for because free speech absolutists 173 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:16,440 Speaker 1: often are going to get a pretty rude wake up 174 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:21,480 Speaker 1: call when that free speech is used to do things 175 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:27,640 Speaker 1: that are, you know, just really dangerous and hazardous sometimes 176 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 1: to the platforms themselves. Now, back when I was active 177 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: on social networks, one thing I really didn't like was 178 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: getting added into groups without being asked if I was 179 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:40,000 Speaker 1: okay with that first, because it creates a kind of 180 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:43,440 Speaker 1: social obligation that I wasn't seeking, and if I had 181 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: no intention of joining the group, it gets awkward, particularly 182 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: if when I leave the group, my departure is broadcast 183 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 1: to everyone else who's in that group. That just invites 184 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:57,680 Speaker 1: the opportunity for those folks to reach out and say, hey, 185 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:00,319 Speaker 1: why do you leave the group? And I just want 186 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:03,200 Speaker 1: to be grouchy and alone and listen to neutral milk 187 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:07,199 Speaker 1: Hotel Well. Meta is experimenting with a feature in WhatsApp 188 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:10,760 Speaker 1: that would allow people who are in group messaging instances 189 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 1: to leave that group without it being broadcast to everyone 190 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:18,160 Speaker 1: else there. Uh, the admin for the group would be notified, 191 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 1: but no one else would. And it lets you do 192 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 1: the classic Irish exit or the French leave. That's when 193 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 1: you dip out of a social gathering without first saying 194 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:29,880 Speaker 1: goodbye or making the rounds one last time, or making 195 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: it a big thing. That's actually how I prefer to 196 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:36,439 Speaker 1: leave a party. But it's because I've been through the 197 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:39,760 Speaker 1: opposite experience and it find I find it exasperating. I 198 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:42,400 Speaker 1: know too many actors, and if you go to a 199 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:45,679 Speaker 1: party with actors and your ride happens to be an actor, 200 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:49,160 Speaker 1: you might find that you're there for an additional hour 201 00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:51,480 Speaker 1: and a half after you said you were gonna go, 202 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:55,199 Speaker 1: because your ride, the actor has to go and say 203 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:58,319 Speaker 1: goodbye to every single other person. They're including people that 204 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,599 Speaker 1: they had never met before that at night. And it 205 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 1: could just be that I'm becoming a misanthrope. In fact, 206 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:08,040 Speaker 1: that's almost certainly the case. Anyway, the feature for WhatsApp 207 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:11,160 Speaker 1: is reportedly in the testing phase, so there's no guarantee 208 00:13:11,640 --> 00:13:14,000 Speaker 1: that it will ever be rolled out to the service 209 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: at large. But I'm sure folks who are like me 210 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 1: who are on WhatsApp would really like that option. As 211 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:22,400 Speaker 1: for myself, I'm not on WhatsApp, but if I were, 212 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:26,320 Speaker 1: I would eagerly be awaiting that feature to get rolled 213 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:28,720 Speaker 1: out into the service. All Right, we've got a lot 214 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:30,920 Speaker 1: more stories to cover today. Before we get to that, 215 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:41,400 Speaker 1: let's take a quick break. Hey, y'all, let's chat about 216 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:47,160 Speaker 1: Google next. The Russian subsidiary of Google has declared bankruptcy. 217 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:51,199 Speaker 1: That might sound weird because we all know Google is 218 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:56,160 Speaker 1: a massive company has a huge amount of of money, 219 00:13:56,400 --> 00:14:00,520 Speaker 1: or at least value. So how could a citiary of 220 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:04,400 Speaker 1: Google declare bankruptcy. Well, earlier this year, the Russian government 221 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:09,600 Speaker 1: seized the subsidiaries bank account, and that meant that Google's 222 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:13,679 Speaker 1: Russian subsidiary had no means to access its finances. It 223 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:16,719 Speaker 1: could not do stuff like, you know, pay people for 224 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: working at Google, and so Google closed up shop. The 225 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: company also has not been selling ads in Russia due 226 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:28,000 Speaker 1: to the ongoing war in Ukraine, so they had already 227 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,080 Speaker 1: stopped that activity. In fact, that's part of the reason 228 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:34,400 Speaker 1: why the government seized the assets, and the company says 229 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 1: it is committed to providing services like Gmail and YouTube 230 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:42,520 Speaker 1: access to Russia, so those services are not going away. 231 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:45,880 Speaker 1: The Russian government has been hitting the company with fines 232 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,520 Speaker 1: for doing stuff like allowing media outlets that don't have 233 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:53,800 Speaker 1: state support upload content to YouTube, but so far the 234 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:56,800 Speaker 1: government has not taken the drastic step to actually cut 235 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 1: off access at the I s P level for stuff 236 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:03,720 Speaker 1: like YouTube, presumably because if they did so, they would 237 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:07,640 Speaker 1: upset too many Russians, and the desire to control the 238 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:11,400 Speaker 1: narrative gets outweighed by the fear that the Russian people 239 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:15,040 Speaker 1: would get upset enough to potentially oppose the government. It's 240 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: a delicate balance when you are running an authoritarian regime strategy. 241 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 1: The Intercept reports that shareholders in Google and Amazon will 242 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:26,560 Speaker 1: soon have the opportunity to vote on resolutions that could 243 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:29,760 Speaker 1: force those two companies to re evaluate their involvement in 244 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:34,560 Speaker 1: Project Nimbus. So, if you're not familiar with Project Nimbus, 245 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:39,480 Speaker 1: that is Israel's push to create a cloud computer infrastructure 246 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:43,400 Speaker 1: that has all of the components within the borders of 247 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:48,640 Speaker 1: Israel itself, So a domestic cloud service, you might wonder 248 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:51,720 Speaker 1: why would Israel want to do that. Well, if all 249 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:54,040 Speaker 1: the servers and the rest of the infrastructure for the 250 00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 1: cloud computing system are within Israel's own borders, then that 251 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 1: service gets insulated from international pressures. So should Israel do 252 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:08,000 Speaker 1: something that the international community objects to, such as, you know, 253 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 1: launch an invasive surveillance program that uses the cloud computing 254 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: infrastructure as the backbone, or perhaps lean on cloud computing 255 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 1: technology to create oppressive measures that are used against a Palestinians. 256 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:26,320 Speaker 1: The cloud services would remain untouched because the international community 257 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 1: would have no authority to get involved on any of that. 258 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:33,200 Speaker 1: So critics of Project Nimbus have pointed to these sort 259 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:37,360 Speaker 1: of possibilities as reasons that these companies should abandoned that project, 260 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 1: that other countries would not be able to hold Israel 261 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:44,440 Speaker 1: accountable in the in the event that it would initiate 262 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: policies that could violate human rights, at least not by 263 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,680 Speaker 1: disrupting those operations by cutting off access to cloud services. 264 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: So shareholders are going to vote on resolutions that, if passed, 265 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,480 Speaker 1: would force Google and Amazon to conduct thorough invest stigations 266 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:03,560 Speaker 1: into the operation and determine whether or not the project 267 00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:07,400 Speaker 1: would lead to enabling Israel to commit human rights abuses. 268 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:11,240 Speaker 1: Shareholders could support the resolution for a number of reasons. 269 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,280 Speaker 1: An obvious one is that there are probably some shareholders 270 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:17,960 Speaker 1: who would be concerned about the impact these technologies could 271 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:21,960 Speaker 1: have on you know, vulnerable people. But another big reason 272 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: is that a negative perception of Project Nimbus could end 273 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:27,760 Speaker 1: up hurting the companies, which in turn could hurt the 274 00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:32,920 Speaker 1: stock price, which ultimately hurts investors, you know, shareholders. So 275 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: there are altruistic and more selfish motivators at play here, 276 00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:39,000 Speaker 1: and and to be clear, I think a lot of 277 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:41,600 Speaker 1: folks would experience some of both. Like I don't think 278 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:45,520 Speaker 1: everyone is purely in one camp or another. I think 279 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 1: there are people who are going to take these things 280 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:49,720 Speaker 1: into account and say I don't like what they're doing, 281 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:52,040 Speaker 1: and I also don't want to see my investments suffer. 282 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: Whether that's going to be enough to get a majority 283 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 1: of shareholders to back those resolutions remains to be seen. 284 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 1: We also have to keep in mind that these really 285 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:05,280 Speaker 1: big government projects have really big price tags attached to them. 286 00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:08,400 Speaker 1: They bring in a ton of money to these companies. 287 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:12,040 Speaker 1: So it's also possible that shareholders will reject the resolutions 288 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:16,840 Speaker 1: because that money is seen as a very valuable asset 289 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:20,040 Speaker 1: for the companies that the shareholders are invested in. We'll 290 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:22,480 Speaker 1: have to wait and see. The state of New York 291 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:25,960 Speaker 1: has filed a lawsuit against Amazon alleging that the company 292 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:31,000 Speaker 1: has engaged in discrimination against certain employees, namely employees who 293 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:36,040 Speaker 1: are disabled or pregnant. The lawsuit accuses Amazon of forcing 294 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:40,840 Speaker 1: those employees of making the choice of either taking unpaid 295 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 1: leave or they have to work in unaccommodating conditions, and 296 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:51,160 Speaker 1: that furthermore, the company authorized managers to deny recommendations from 297 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:55,320 Speaker 1: accommodation consultants, according to Business Insiders, So in other words, 298 00:18:56,119 --> 00:18:58,480 Speaker 1: they hired consultants to come in and say, how can 299 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 1: we make sure that this this workplace UH follows regulations 300 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,480 Speaker 1: and has those accommodations for people who need them. And 301 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:13,040 Speaker 1: the consultants gave their recommendations, but then Amazon told managers, yeah, 302 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:14,680 Speaker 1: you don't have to follow those if you don't want to. 303 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:19,200 Speaker 1: According to the lawsuit, that is and this is very 304 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 1: early on in the process at the time of recording. 305 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:24,680 Speaker 1: In fact, as I'm recording this, Business Insider had not 306 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:28,800 Speaker 1: yet received a comment from Amazon representatives addressing the matter. 307 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:31,000 Speaker 1: That might have changed by the time you hear this, 308 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:33,879 Speaker 1: so it will likely be something that will touch on 309 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:39,080 Speaker 1: in future episodes. Corporate Apple employees have a temporary reprieve 310 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 1: from the mandate that would require them to return to 311 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:45,240 Speaker 1: the office three days a week. They are currently under 312 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:47,680 Speaker 1: a mandate that requires them to be there two days 313 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:50,480 Speaker 1: out of the week from my understanding, but the three 314 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:54,160 Speaker 1: day mandate was supposed to take effect on May twenty three. 315 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:58,480 Speaker 1: You might remember from an earlier Tech News episode that 316 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 1: this was one of the reason and is previously cited 317 00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:05,320 Speaker 1: as why some Apple employees were considering leaving the company. 318 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:07,960 Speaker 1: That was actually part of a survey which had a 319 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,000 Speaker 1: fairly small sample size, so it's actually hard to say 320 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:14,479 Speaker 1: how many employees were seriously considering this, let alone how 321 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:17,080 Speaker 1: many would have actually gone through with it. But people 322 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 1: were pointing at maree is being kind of a a 323 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 1: pivotal moment, and that if the company continued to require 324 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 1: people to come in three days out of the week, 325 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:29,399 Speaker 1: there was going to be the the equivalent of a 326 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,879 Speaker 1: mass exodus or at least a significant exodus of employees. 327 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:36,399 Speaker 1: But that mandate is now on hold and there is 328 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:40,040 Speaker 1: no new date yet that is going to require folks 329 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:42,200 Speaker 1: to come out and work in the office three days 330 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:44,720 Speaker 1: out of the week. So why did the company change 331 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:48,359 Speaker 1: its mind or rather, why did the company executives change 332 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:52,840 Speaker 1: their minds? Well, Apple says it's because of a rise 333 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:56,280 Speaker 1: in COVID nineteen cases. Now, I do think it's weird 334 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:59,920 Speaker 1: that COVID nineteen rates would cause a company to pau 335 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:04,080 Speaker 1: cause bringing workers in three times a week, But twice 336 00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:07,560 Speaker 1: a week is still okay. Now, you could argue there's 337 00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:10,119 Speaker 1: potential for a less overlap if people are coming in 338 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:13,600 Speaker 1: two days out of the week, because maybe one person 339 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:16,000 Speaker 1: comes in Monday Tuesday and someone else comes in Wednesday, 340 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:18,359 Speaker 1: Thursday or Thursday Friday. So those two people are never 341 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:23,120 Speaker 1: going to interact, right, and thus that limitation cuts down 342 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:27,160 Speaker 1: on the possibility of COVID spreading in those specific cases, 343 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 1: I guess. But you would really think that if COVID 344 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:34,240 Speaker 1: were truly the motivating factor to hold off on bringing 345 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:36,439 Speaker 1: people in three days out of the week, you might 346 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:40,520 Speaker 1: go back to a remote work strategy entirely, at least 347 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:44,159 Speaker 1: until the COVID nineteen rates go down again. But you know, 348 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:48,639 Speaker 1: maybe I'm just being unreasonable here. Anyway, One person who 349 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:52,399 Speaker 1: did leave Apple, reportedly at least in part because of 350 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:56,560 Speaker 1: the company's policy on remote work, was Ian Goodfellow, and 351 00:21:56,760 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 1: formerly he served as the director of machine learning at Apple. 352 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:04,720 Speaker 1: Good Fellow is now set to join Alphabet, you know, 353 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:09,800 Speaker 1: Google's parent company. So this is a high profile example 354 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 1: of someone leaving one company, and at least part of 355 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:16,880 Speaker 1: the reason for leaving it was due to the demand 356 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 1: to return to the office at least three days out 357 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:26,720 Speaker 1: of the week. Yikes. Down in Atlanta, that's my hometown. 358 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:31,680 Speaker 1: Apple stands accused of violating the National Labor Relations Act. 359 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,640 Speaker 1: Employees claim that Apple forced them to attend meetings meant 360 00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:40,800 Speaker 1: to discourage unionization. Now, historically in the United States, the 361 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:46,879 Speaker 1: National Labor Relations Board has accepted that captive audience meetings 362 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:51,119 Speaker 1: those are meetings where employers can force employees to go 363 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:54,800 Speaker 1: to the meeting and listen to anti union messaging. The 364 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:57,760 Speaker 1: n l r B has previously said that does not 365 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:03,920 Speaker 1: actually violate the law. However, the n l RBS General counsel, 366 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: a woman named Jennifer Abruzzo, says that that stance is 367 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:12,760 Speaker 1: predicated upon a misinterpretation of an employer's right of free speech, 368 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:17,320 Speaker 1: and in fact, is an opposition of the intent of 369 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:21,760 Speaker 1: the National Labor Relations Act, which is to protect employees 370 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:25,440 Speaker 1: freedom of choice. So she's saying, we have to change 371 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: the policy because it's in violation of what the Act 372 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:31,680 Speaker 1: is supposed to do. So this is a pretty fluid situation, 373 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 1: not just for Apple, but for the interpretation of law. 374 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:38,240 Speaker 1: And it really shows that, you know, making rules is 375 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:42,360 Speaker 1: tricky and complicated, and sometimes there are loopholes. So we'll 376 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:47,320 Speaker 1: have to see how this plays out. We've got more stories, 377 00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:50,560 Speaker 1: including more legal loopholes in just a moment, but first 378 00:23:50,640 --> 00:24:00,920 Speaker 1: let's take a quick break. We're back, and we're not 379 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:04,560 Speaker 1: quite done with Apple yet. So a Texas judge has 380 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:09,119 Speaker 1: denied Apple the company's request to relitigate a matter that 381 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:11,680 Speaker 1: currently has the company on the hook to pay a 382 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:16,480 Speaker 1: three hundred million dollar fee to another company called Optus. 383 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:21,520 Speaker 1: All right, So all of this stems from a patent dispute. 384 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:26,560 Speaker 1: Back in twenty nineteen, Optus sued Apple and accused Apple 385 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:31,600 Speaker 1: of making illegal use of patented technologies that Optus held 386 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:35,400 Speaker 1: and that the company thus infringed upon five patents relating 387 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:39,440 Speaker 1: to four G LTE technology, in other words, cellular tech 388 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:44,160 Speaker 1: of the four G era of of of wireless communications. 389 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:48,119 Speaker 1: So that matter went to trial and a jury found 390 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:51,760 Speaker 1: Apple guilty of those charges and ultimately decided that Apple 391 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:56,399 Speaker 1: should have to pay Optus a half billion dollars billion 392 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,840 Speaker 1: with a B that is a lot of money. However, 393 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:04,800 Speaker 1: a court then subsequently overturned that verdict because the jury 394 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:09,200 Speaker 1: had not yet heard evidence that suggested Optus failed to 395 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:13,720 Speaker 1: provide a licensing option that was fair, reasonable and non 396 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:18,280 Speaker 1: discriminatory or frand f R A n D, which meant 397 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:22,560 Speaker 1: Apple possibly didn't have a valid option to follow, at 398 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:26,399 Speaker 1: least one that wasn't predatory, and that that should factor 399 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:30,840 Speaker 1: into the jury's decision regarding Apple's punishment. So the overturning 400 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:33,720 Speaker 1: wasn't saying that Apple was innocent of the crime, but 401 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:38,040 Speaker 1: rather the punishment did not necessarily fit the crime because 402 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:43,080 Speaker 1: of other circumstances. So in a subsequent court trial, which 403 00:25:43,119 --> 00:25:45,520 Speaker 1: again was only meant to arrive at a new figure 404 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:48,879 Speaker 1: for damages, the judge denied Apple the ability to fully 405 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:52,880 Speaker 1: relitigate the whole thing. The new jury adjusted the damages 406 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:57,520 Speaker 1: down to just a paltry three hundred billion dollars. And yes, 407 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:02,640 Speaker 1: I'm being sarcastic. Apple sought out an option to get 408 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:05,360 Speaker 1: a new trial, to throw that out and to retry 409 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:09,680 Speaker 1: the matter. Uh, and that's where this Texas judge said, yeah, no, dice. 410 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:13,680 Speaker 1: Apple can still appeal this to a higher court, which 411 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:16,080 Speaker 1: I imagine is what is going to happen next. And 412 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:19,040 Speaker 1: these trials get pretty tricky. Now. On the one hand, 413 00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:23,120 Speaker 1: patent infringement is a real problem. We have seen massive 414 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:26,960 Speaker 1: lawsuits in technology over the matter. Apple and Samsung had 415 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:30,639 Speaker 1: a long history of hitting each other with patent infringement lawsuits. 416 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:34,480 Speaker 1: On another hand, cause in this case, I actually have 417 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:37,720 Speaker 1: more than two hands. There are some companies that hoard 418 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:42,240 Speaker 1: patents expressly for the purpose of extorting other companies, and 419 00:26:42,359 --> 00:26:46,119 Speaker 1: we call those organizations patent trolls. They're known for holding 420 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:48,680 Speaker 1: onto patents, but otherwise they don't do a dang thing. 421 00:26:49,119 --> 00:26:52,000 Speaker 1: So in other words, they don't make anything, and they're 422 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:56,919 Speaker 1: not actively using the intellectual property that has been patented. 423 00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:00,320 Speaker 1: They just exist to deny other and he is the 424 00:27:00,359 --> 00:27:03,560 Speaker 1: option of using that design unless those of the companies 425 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:07,000 Speaker 1: either cough up a huge amount of money in licensing fees, 426 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:10,879 Speaker 1: or sometimes they don't even give the option of licensing 427 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:13,800 Speaker 1: the tech. They're just waiting for someone to violate that 428 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:18,840 Speaker 1: patent and then threaten them with a massive lawsuit in 429 00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:22,760 Speaker 1: an effort to get usually a big settlement out of it. Then, 430 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:25,240 Speaker 1: on the third hand, which I should probably have someone 431 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:29,920 Speaker 1: look at, if Optus wasn't offering fair licensing options, that 432 00:27:30,119 --> 00:27:33,359 Speaker 1: needs to be addressed. I don't think companies should just 433 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 1: use the technical designs and then brave the consequences the 434 00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:41,040 Speaker 1: way Apple appears to have done. There has to be 435 00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:45,040 Speaker 1: a better way to ensure fairness in the system, because 436 00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:47,800 Speaker 1: if you go with a pure free market approach, what 437 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,800 Speaker 1: that means is a lot of companies will just not 438 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:55,000 Speaker 1: go down certain pathways, and that means that the rest 439 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 1: of us never get to benefit from that patented invention 440 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 1: until you know, the patent expires, so it hurts people 441 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:07,399 Speaker 1: in the long run. The whole purpose of patents is 442 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:10,800 Speaker 1: to protect innovation and to inspire people to innovate, because 443 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:15,840 Speaker 1: if their ideas are protected, then they have the incentive 444 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:20,200 Speaker 1: to pursue those ideas. If the ideas aren't protected, then 445 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:22,240 Speaker 1: people are going to say, well, what's the point in 446 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:24,960 Speaker 1: me innovating, someone else is just going to steal my 447 00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:28,080 Speaker 1: idea and make money off of it. That's why patents exist. 448 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:31,720 Speaker 1: The problem is there are some individuals and companies out 449 00:28:31,760 --> 00:28:35,320 Speaker 1: there that have turned patents into a war club as 450 00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:40,280 Speaker 1: opposed to a way to incentivize innovation. All right, enough 451 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:43,640 Speaker 1: about that, let's move on the information. As in the 452 00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 1: news outlet reports that according to a survey, Netflix is 453 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:52,320 Speaker 1: losing more long term subscribers, namely that of people who 454 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:56,480 Speaker 1: canceled Netflix services in the first quarter of two were 455 00:28:56,560 --> 00:28:59,040 Speaker 1: made up of folks who had been Netflix customers for 456 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:03,800 Speaker 1: at least three years. That is a really bad number 457 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:06,760 Speaker 1: for Netflix. It's one thing to have trouble holding onto 458 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:10,200 Speaker 1: new users, but it's another when long term customers are 459 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 1: leaving the platform. Now of all cancelations doesn't sound so 460 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,560 Speaker 1: huge in the grand scheme of things, but it does 461 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:24,080 Speaker 1: mark an increase because at the end of twenty one, 462 00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:28,280 Speaker 1: long term users made up just six percent of all cancelations. 463 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:31,560 Speaker 1: As for what is prompting folks to leave, that's probably 464 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 1: a mixture of factors. Um One is that Netflix has 465 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:40,480 Speaker 1: lost access to a ton of content as various studios 466 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:44,480 Speaker 1: have launched their own streaming platforms, and then they've migrated 467 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:48,800 Speaker 1: their properties off of Netflix once agreements expire, and then 468 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:51,760 Speaker 1: they stream them on their own native services, like you know, 469 00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:56,040 Speaker 1: we've seen that with Peacock, for example. Another is that 470 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:59,240 Speaker 1: there are just a ton of different streaming options out there, 471 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:01,760 Speaker 1: so competition shi is a lot more fierce than it 472 00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:05,320 Speaker 1: used to be. And yet another is that Netflix has 473 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:08,760 Speaker 1: increased the subscription price a few times over the last 474 00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 1: couple of years, and that puts Netflix in a more 475 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: expensive tier than a lot of its competitors. And if 476 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:18,400 Speaker 1: something gets expensive enough, then folks who use the service 477 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:22,160 Speaker 1: and frequently are more likely to say something like why 478 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:24,240 Speaker 1: how are we paying for this? We don't watch no 479 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:27,200 Speaker 1: Netflix no more, and then they go through the trouble 480 00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:30,120 Speaker 1: of canceling that subscription. In fact, I should fall into 481 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:32,120 Speaker 1: that category. I should be the one saying it and 482 00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:36,040 Speaker 1: exactly that that tone of voice, because I'm a Netflix customer, 483 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:39,960 Speaker 1: but I very rarely watch anything on Netflix these days. 484 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:44,120 Speaker 1: Then again, I rarely watch anything at all that isn't 485 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:47,480 Speaker 1: a YouTube series. In fact, why am I paying for 486 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:49,680 Speaker 1: all that? Do you know what? This isn't the place 487 00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:53,320 Speaker 1: for that? Anyway, Netflix has found itself in a bit 488 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:55,600 Speaker 1: of a crisis mode right now, trying to find a 489 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:58,520 Speaker 1: new strategy that will reverse this trend of people leaving 490 00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:02,480 Speaker 1: the platform. Trend is hard. I shouldn't really say trend 491 00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:06,400 Speaker 1: because Q one two was the first time in Netflix 492 00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:10,200 Speaker 1: history that it had a net loss of users. But anyway, 493 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:12,520 Speaker 1: Netflix wants to reverse that. They don't want to see 494 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:16,000 Speaker 1: that number go down again for Q two, and so 495 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:18,560 Speaker 1: they also are looking for new ways to generate revenue, 496 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:22,960 Speaker 1: perhaps by incorporating advertisements and launching a lower cost subscription tier. 497 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:26,960 Speaker 1: And they also want to cut costs, which we've mainly 498 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:29,960 Speaker 1: seen the form of stuff like Netflix canceling several projects, 499 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:33,240 Speaker 1: including a ton in the animation department that have me 500 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,480 Speaker 1: really upset because I was looking forward to an animated 501 00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 1: adaptation of the comic book series Bone Gush, darn it, 502 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,120 Speaker 1: and now we're not gonna get it over. In India, 503 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:45,840 Speaker 1: the government has passed a policy that will require VPN 504 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:50,400 Speaker 1: services to collect data on their users. So VPN stands 505 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:54,240 Speaker 1: for virtual Private network. The way this works is essentially, 506 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:56,960 Speaker 1: it's a service that lets you log into a server 507 00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:01,240 Speaker 1: and then browse the Internet as if your computer was 508 00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:04,400 Speaker 1: that server. So from the perspective of the sites that 509 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:08,080 Speaker 1: you visit, or for anyone who's snooping on traffic that's 510 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:11,760 Speaker 1: going to those sites. All the traffic is coming from 511 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,040 Speaker 1: that server, and all the return traffic is going to 512 00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:18,640 Speaker 1: that server. It's not going to you. Now, someone who 513 00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:21,000 Speaker 1: is really doing a lot of snooping might be able 514 00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: to see that you are connected to this VPN server, 515 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:26,960 Speaker 1: and they would be able to see that traffic going 516 00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:30,040 Speaker 1: from that VPN server is going to these other sites, 517 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:32,920 Speaker 1: but they would not be able to tell if you 518 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:36,200 Speaker 1: were visiting any of those sites. For all, the snooper 519 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:39,080 Speaker 1: knows you're using the VPN, but all you're doing is 520 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:41,360 Speaker 1: logging in to read the news, so you're not going 521 00:32:41,480 --> 00:32:46,320 Speaker 1: to anything you know, salacious or whatever or illegal. Well, 522 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:51,560 Speaker 1: the more authoritarian governments really hate this practice because it 523 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:54,560 Speaker 1: means they can't tell what you're up to, and they 524 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:58,320 Speaker 1: really want to know what you're up to. So that's 525 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:02,960 Speaker 1: why the Indian past this policy mandating that VPN services, 526 00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 1: even those that are operating outside of India but that 527 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:11,040 Speaker 1: offer services to Indian citizens, have to collect data on 528 00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:14,680 Speaker 1: their users. Now, for many VPN services, one of the 529 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:19,520 Speaker 1: big selling features is that they explicitly do not collect 530 00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:23,360 Speaker 1: data on their users, or if they do collect any data, 531 00:33:23,400 --> 00:33:28,040 Speaker 1: they regularly delete that data like typically on a daily basis, 532 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:32,880 Speaker 1: which offers security and privacy because even if authorities went 533 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:35,600 Speaker 1: to the VPN and demanded that the company hand over 534 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:38,800 Speaker 1: all their user data, the VPN and its users are 535 00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:42,239 Speaker 1: in the clear because there's no data to hand over. Now, 536 00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:44,880 Speaker 1: this new policy is not yet in effect. That will 537 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:50,200 Speaker 1: change in late June. Already, several VPN providers have objected 538 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:53,400 Speaker 1: to this policy, and several of them have pointed out 539 00:33:53,440 --> 00:33:56,880 Speaker 1: that their technology means they literally cannot comply with that 540 00:33:57,040 --> 00:34:01,200 Speaker 1: policy because they have no technology to log user data 541 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:03,400 Speaker 1: in the first place. That is not part of their 542 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:06,640 Speaker 1: their suite of features. They can't do it. They would 543 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:10,680 Speaker 1: have to build that capability into their services. The Indian 544 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:14,799 Speaker 1: government has remained steadfast, however, essentially saying, hey, these are 545 00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:17,600 Speaker 1: the rules, you abide by them, or you stop providing 546 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:22,879 Speaker 1: services to customers in India, so rough deal. Um. I'm 547 00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:28,279 Speaker 1: always against policies that end up infringing upon privacy and 548 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:32,640 Speaker 1: personal security. There are a lot of very legitimate reasons 549 00:34:32,719 --> 00:34:34,640 Speaker 1: to use a VPN that have nothing to do with 550 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:38,600 Speaker 1: illegal activity or sometimes they do have to do with 551 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:42,400 Speaker 1: illegal activity, but the reason that the activity is illegal 552 00:34:42,640 --> 00:34:46,439 Speaker 1: is because the government is repressing citizens. So I'm talking 553 00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:51,600 Speaker 1: about stuff like expressing opinions that run counter to the 554 00:34:51,680 --> 00:34:54,960 Speaker 1: government's position on things like if that ends up being 555 00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:59,000 Speaker 1: illegal in that country, that's repressive. I'm not I'm not 556 00:34:59,080 --> 00:35:01,719 Speaker 1: talking about, you know, using it to get around things 557 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,160 Speaker 1: like like drug laws and stuff. To me, that gets 558 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:07,680 Speaker 1: a lot more tricky, and you have to look at 559 00:35:07,719 --> 00:35:09,839 Speaker 1: things on a case by case basis, but you get 560 00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:12,880 Speaker 1: what I'm saying. Finally, in a segment that I'm going 561 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:17,719 Speaker 1: to call how engineers are solving important problems, let's talk 562 00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:22,720 Speaker 1: about burritos. A well made burrito is a thing of beauty. 563 00:35:23,239 --> 00:35:25,279 Speaker 1: It should be filled to a point where there's a 564 00:35:25,360 --> 00:35:28,319 Speaker 1: little give when you pick the burrito up. And now, 565 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:32,440 Speaker 1: you don't want so much meat or vegetables or whatever 566 00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:35,960 Speaker 1: in that burrito that the burrito just disintegrates as you 567 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:38,799 Speaker 1: pick it up and content spew out like some sort 568 00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:41,879 Speaker 1: of horror movie. But you also don't want to limp 569 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:45,719 Speaker 1: burrito that lameley just folds over your hand, because you 570 00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:48,359 Speaker 1: can just imagine that burrito whimpering as you pick it up. 571 00:35:49,239 --> 00:35:53,520 Speaker 1: You want a burrito has the right amount of stuff 572 00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:58,000 Speaker 1: inside it, and you want that burrito to maintain structural 573 00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:01,520 Speaker 1: integrity as you dive hour it. After all, we all 574 00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:04,880 Speaker 1: know that the proper way to eat a burrito is 575 00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:08,399 Speaker 1: to use your hands, resorting to a knife and four 576 00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:12,280 Speaker 1: a quhile sometimes necessary, really just means you're admitting defeat. 577 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:15,640 Speaker 1: But how do you help ensure that a burrito will 578 00:36:15,719 --> 00:36:19,200 Speaker 1: maintain that structural integrity as you eat it and not 579 00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:23,120 Speaker 1: just flop open mid bite causing a big goopy mess. 580 00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:28,560 Speaker 1: To paraphrase Paul Blart, mal clup too well, what if 581 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:34,600 Speaker 1: you taped the burrito shut? That might solve that structural problem. 582 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:42,080 Speaker 1: But tape isn't edible until now. Yeah, Engineering students at 583 00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:47,000 Speaker 1: John Hopkins University have developed an edible tape fittingly called 584 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:50,920 Speaker 1: Tasty tape. Tasty is spelled with two ease at the 585 00:36:51,040 --> 00:36:54,400 Speaker 1: end instead of a hy. So it's an adhesive that 586 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:57,000 Speaker 1: can be used on food items, and not just burritos, 587 00:36:57,080 --> 00:37:00,560 Speaker 1: but other stuff like euros or gyros if you prefer 588 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:05,520 Speaker 1: wraps or and this next one since shivers down my 589 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:10,200 Speaker 1: spine food art, you could probably hear the air quotes 590 00:37:10,200 --> 00:37:13,160 Speaker 1: I did as I said that. Now, the engineers created 591 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:17,200 Speaker 1: the tape out of quote food grade fibrous scaffold and 592 00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:21,560 Speaker 1: organic adhesive end quote. They've filed for a patent, and 593 00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:24,480 Speaker 1: they're a bit kg describing what they used to do this, 594 00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:27,080 Speaker 1: because obviously they don't want someone else to just steal 595 00:37:27,239 --> 00:37:30,359 Speaker 1: the formula. But they do say that everything they used 596 00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:34,000 Speaker 1: is food grade and safe and consists of quote common 597 00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:38,120 Speaker 1: food and dietary additives end quote, so it's not like 598 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:40,880 Speaker 1: they snuck in some guerrilla glue in there or anything. 599 00:37:41,480 --> 00:37:44,480 Speaker 1: The product works by tearing a strip off a sheet 600 00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:47,759 Speaker 1: of the stuff, soaking that strip in some water, and 601 00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:50,920 Speaker 1: then applying said wet strip to whatever it is you 602 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:54,920 Speaker 1: need to tape shut. As it dries, it then becomes 603 00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:59,239 Speaker 1: that that adhesive, so you might use it on that 604 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:03,400 Speaker 1: otherwise vulnerable Brito I for one, and thankful for this 605 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:07,880 Speaker 1: scientific breakthrough. And that's it for the news for Thursday, 606 00:38:08,080 --> 00:38:12,920 Speaker 1: May nine, twenty two. If you have any comments or 607 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:15,320 Speaker 1: suggestions or questions or anything like that, there are a 608 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:17,719 Speaker 1: couple ways to get in touch with the show. One 609 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:20,920 Speaker 1: is you download the I Heart Radio app. Do you 610 00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:24,080 Speaker 1: navigate to the text stuff page within that app, and 611 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:26,840 Speaker 1: there's a little microphone and if you tap on that, 612 00:38:27,080 --> 00:38:30,160 Speaker 1: you can record an audio message up to thirty seconds long. 613 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:33,080 Speaker 1: If you do it for this episode, they'll be tagged 614 00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:34,840 Speaker 1: with this episode. I'll be able to see that this 615 00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:37,439 Speaker 1: is what you're commenting on. You can also just leave 616 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:40,040 Speaker 1: a comment on the show in general. Uh. If you 617 00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:42,920 Speaker 1: have a suggestion for an episode, we might even use 618 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:47,799 Speaker 1: that audio clip to introduce the topic. So that's one 619 00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:50,040 Speaker 1: way to reach out. The other way, of course, is 620 00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:52,520 Speaker 1: to get in touch on Twitter. The handle for the 621 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:56,440 Speaker 1: show is text Stuff H s W and that's it. 622 00:38:57,000 --> 00:39:05,920 Speaker 1: I'll talk to you again, release soon Y. Text Stuff 623 00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:09,200 Speaker 1: is an I Heart Radio production. For more podcasts from 624 00:39:09,239 --> 00:39:12,960 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 625 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:15,120 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.