WEBVTT - Tech News: Elon Musk is Buying Twitter 0:00:04.400 --> 0:00:07.760 Welcome to tex Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 0:00:12.119 --> 0:00:14.960 Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, 0:00:15.040 --> 0:00:18.760 Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio. 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:21.240 And how the tech are Yet, it's time for the 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:26.680 tech news for Tuesday, April twenty six, two thousand, twenty two. 0:00:27.600 --> 0:00:32.280 And after all the Twitter polls, the poison pills, and 0:00:32.400 --> 0:00:37.320 the posturing, that's a lot of alliteration, Elon Musk and 0:00:37.360 --> 0:00:40.040 Twitter's board of directors have come to an agreement for 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:44.880 Musk to purchase Twitter. Now that deal isn't done yet. 0:00:45.080 --> 0:00:48.080 Shareholders have to agree on the acquisition and it also 0:00:48.159 --> 0:00:51.519 has to pass regulatory approval. But that being said, I 0:00:51.560 --> 0:00:54.520 think the general consensus is that there aren't gonna be 0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:57.520 any serious roadblocks in the way of this deal and 0:00:57.600 --> 0:01:00.840 it will in fact go through. It's a heck of 0:01:00.840 --> 0:01:03.240 a story. I anticipate this is going to be one 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:06.440 of the really big stories when folks do retrospectives on 0:01:07.040 --> 0:01:10.840 you know, the most important tech news of two. Elon 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:14.800 Musk has had a let's say controversial time on Twitter, 0:01:15.040 --> 0:01:17.520 using a platform to post stuff that got him into 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:21.680 serious hot water with the SEC something that he protests 0:01:21.720 --> 0:01:25.560 and says was unmerited um. Musk has also had a 0:01:25.560 --> 0:01:29.240 bit of a dodgy past when it comes to following regulations, 0:01:29.600 --> 0:01:32.960 and he's been known to use Twitter to promote certain cryptocurrencies, 0:01:33.000 --> 0:01:37.120 which nearly always has had a massive effect and frequently 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:40.880 a short term effect on that cryptocurrency's value, which has 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:44.399 led some to accuse Musk of using his position to 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:47.680 try and pump and then dump crypto in an effort 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:50.840 to make a tidy profit at the expense of marks. Now, 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:54.200 Musk has said he plans on overseeing some really big 0:01:54.280 --> 0:01:59.040 changes at Twitter, including authenticating every human on the platform 0:01:59.080 --> 0:02:03.080 and eliminating bots. He has also repeatedly called for Twitter 0:02:03.160 --> 0:02:06.120 to be a better steward of free speech, which has 0:02:06.160 --> 0:02:09.800 led some to think that Musk might reverse some big 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:13.600 decisions like the lifelong ban on former President Donald Trump, 0:02:14.400 --> 0:02:16.679 and this has a lot of people concerned that Twitter's 0:02:16.720 --> 0:02:20.640 trend toward track cracking down on a misinformation and disinformation 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:25.720 campaigns could be reversed. Free speech is a pretty tricky 0:02:25.760 --> 0:02:29.079 thing too, because you know, even the United States has 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:33.440 limits on free speech. It's not absolute. For example, the 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:36.880 United States Supreme Court has determined on numerous occasions that 0:02:37.040 --> 0:02:41.600 free speech does have boundaries, like libel and slander are 0:02:41.720 --> 0:02:44.919 two of those, so libel and slander don't count as 0:02:45.360 --> 0:02:50.440 free speech, and so there's concerned that Musk's interpretation of 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:53.560 free speech might allow for rampant abuse on the platform. 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:56.519 Musk has said that there will still be content moderation 0:02:57.040 --> 0:03:00.440 and that extreme tweets like those calling for physical violence 0:03:00.480 --> 0:03:04.120 against people, will not be allowed, so it sounds like 0:03:04.120 --> 0:03:06.800 there will be limitations there. He's also indicated that he 0:03:06.840 --> 0:03:10.639 intends Twitter to work within the laws of various countries, 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:16.120 that he's not He's not advocating that Twitter flaunt uh 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:20.079 laws around the world, and that could also mean that, 0:03:20.560 --> 0:03:24.320 you know, we're talking about free speech with limitations on 0:03:24.360 --> 0:03:28.440 Twitter as well as elsewhere. So a lot of people 0:03:28.480 --> 0:03:32.200 are kind of confused about this about where it's going 0:03:32.240 --> 0:03:35.640 to go. Honestly, it's far too early to say because 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:38.640 we're not there yet. But a lot of people have 0:03:38.720 --> 0:03:43.440 said they are leaving the platform. Much fewer are actually leaving, 0:03:43.480 --> 0:03:46.400 So a lot of people are saying that's it, I'm moving, 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:48.720 and then they stay where they are, which you know 0:03:48.840 --> 0:03:53.000 that happens every time we see a massive change in leadership, 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:56.840 whether we're talking about a social platform or a country. Uh. 0:03:57.120 --> 0:03:59.920 Jack Dorsey, one of the co founders and the formers, 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:03.160 the EO of Twitter, says that Musk is the quote 0:04:03.360 --> 0:04:08.240 singular solution I trust end quote. So there's definitely debate 0:04:08.400 --> 0:04:11.160 on whether or not Musk taking over Twitter is a 0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:14.440 good or bad thing. Now. I anticipate that I will 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:19.080 maintain my tech stuff hsw Twitter feed for this show, 0:04:19.880 --> 0:04:24.359 but I have already sunset it, although not deactivated my 0:04:24.520 --> 0:04:28.080 personal account. By sunset, I just mean I logged out. Uh. 0:04:28.120 --> 0:04:31.720 And the reason I'm not deleting that account isn't because 0:04:31.800 --> 0:04:34.440 I'm worried I'm gonna miss it. Instead, it's that I 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:37.440 don't want to surrender my Twitter handle and have someone 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:41.160 else take it over and then potentially post a lot 0:04:41.200 --> 0:04:44.240 of nasty stuff that could, you know, for for a 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:48.440 casual follower, make them think that it was me. I 0:04:48.440 --> 0:04:51.360 don't want that to ever happen. Uh. Now, for the record, 0:04:51.440 --> 0:04:53.800 I don't think I'm really important enough for anyone to 0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:56.320 actually care about doing that, but I feel as a 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:59.520 verified user it's probably for the best that I don't 0:04:59.560 --> 0:05:03.040 open up that possibility anyway. I also want to say 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:06.760 to all of you that staying or leaving Twitter is 0:05:06.760 --> 0:05:09.440 a personal choice. If you love Twitter and you don't 0:05:09.520 --> 0:05:11.960 want to go and it's useful to you, those are 0:05:12.000 --> 0:05:15.400 all legitimate reasons, and I feel you should feel fine 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:18.800 about staying on Twitter. That you know, I'm not my 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:23.760 own choice doesn't reflect my opinion of how other people operate. 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:26.960 But if you do feel uneasy and you want a skedaddle, 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.479 that's fine too. Even if it's just temporary, that's fine. 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:34.760 Don't let anyone dictate to you what you should or 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:38.239 should not do. For me, this is something I feel 0:05:38.320 --> 0:05:41.000 I needed to do, both for myself as it can 0:05:41.040 --> 0:05:44.080 have an impact on my mental well being, and also 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:47.440 because I genuinely feel that I won't be doing much 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:51.680 good on Twitter. Arguably I haven't done much good up 0:05:51.720 --> 0:05:54.320 to this point, and I'm sure we'll have plenty more 0:05:54.320 --> 0:05:59.080 stories about this as time goes on. And that's enough 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:04.120 for now, I think. But the Twitter conversation is absolutely 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:08.159 dominating the tech news space right now. It's lucky that 0:06:08.200 --> 0:06:10.400 I was able to find a few other stories that 0:06:10.480 --> 0:06:14.279 we can touch on to. One is that Netflix employee 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:18.440 morale is taking a serious hit. Now. This should come 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:22.280 as no real surprise last week, Netflix began a serious 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:26.120 slide in the stock market after reporting that the company 0:06:26.160 --> 0:06:29.360 had a net loss of two hundred thousand subscribers around 0:06:29.360 --> 0:06:32.480 the world in the first quarter of two thousand twenty two. 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:37.200 For many at Netflix, this slide has had a massive 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:41.200 personal impact, particularly people who are like in the executive level, 0:06:42.160 --> 0:06:45.880 folks who own shares and Netflix. Because Netflix, like a 0:06:45.880 --> 0:06:50.719 lot of tech companies, has rewarded employees with compensation in 0:06:50.760 --> 0:06:54.040 the form of shares. Well, folks who have shares are 0:06:54.040 --> 0:06:57.160 seeing their wealth decline every time the stock price takes 0:06:57.200 --> 0:07:00.440 another hit, so it's like you're losing money working for 0:07:00.480 --> 0:07:03.760 the company. The general caution that a lot of people 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:07.240 feel about Netflix after its first decline since it launched. 0:07:07.240 --> 0:07:10.520 I mean, remember the earnings call we heard where we 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:13.360 found out about the two decline that was the first 0:07:13.360 --> 0:07:18.200 decline in the history of Netflix. But apparently the same 0:07:18.240 --> 0:07:21.160 concern that we're seeing outside Netflix is prevalent within the 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:24.520 ranks of Netflix itself. A lot of people are reportedly 0:07:24.560 --> 0:07:29.040 considering leaving the company before things get worse, particularly again 0:07:29.080 --> 0:07:32.280 at the executive and management levels. This is according to 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:35.080 Bloomberg by the Way, which published an article about the 0:07:35.080 --> 0:07:39.120 whole ordeal. I still personally find this story a bit perplexing. 0:07:39.320 --> 0:07:42.160 It's hard for me to reconcile that a company that 0:07:42.280 --> 0:07:46.600 has been as monumentally successful as Netflix could be so 0:07:46.720 --> 0:07:50.560 fragile that it's first really bad quarter sends the message 0:07:50.600 --> 0:07:53.880 that the empire is on shaky ground. And here's the 0:07:53.880 --> 0:07:57.480 thing that really wrinkles my brain. As Troy would say, 0:07:57.800 --> 0:08:01.920 if enough people buy in to that perspective that Netflix 0:08:02.000 --> 0:08:05.800 is in really serious trouble, it can become a self 0:08:05.800 --> 0:08:09.119 fulfilling prophecy. Now, all that being said, it is clear 0:08:09.160 --> 0:08:12.600 that there are huge challenges for Netflix and for other 0:08:12.720 --> 0:08:16.440 streaming platforms. There's a limit to the audience out there. 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:20.040 Right Even if you are able to sign up everyone 0:08:20.080 --> 0:08:25.800 who is interested, you eventually do stop getting new subscribers 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:28.480 because there's no one to to sign up. And that's 0:08:28.560 --> 0:08:33.560 before you start taking into consideration the incredible competition in 0:08:33.600 --> 0:08:36.720 the space, because there's so many different streaming platforms out 0:08:36.760 --> 0:08:40.120 there now, and you know, obviously we're gonna probably see 0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:43.040 more before we start to see things shake out. In 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:45.800 the long run, I don't think all of those streaming 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:48.240 services are going to survive. Some of them will end 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:51.720 up getting folded into others. Uh, or they might end 0:08:51.800 --> 0:08:55.000 up changing hands. We'll see. But I always assume Netflix 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:59.240 would be one of the bedrock streaming services that would 0:08:59.280 --> 0:09:03.720 be around, and and it really established itself so in 0:09:03.800 --> 0:09:07.600 such a dominant position so early. Uh. But also it's 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:09.720 too early to suggest that the company is really at 0:09:09.720 --> 0:09:12.880 the beginning of the end. This could be a blip 0:09:13.480 --> 0:09:16.920 in Netflix's history, a serious one, but one that the 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:20.640 company fully recovers from. We just have to wait and see. 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:24.000 The Verge reports that Apple has retained the services of 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:28.400 a law firm called Littler Mendelssohn, widely known as a 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:31.960 union busting law firm. This is the same firm that 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:36.200 Starbucks hired in that company's efforts to counteract various union 0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:39.920 pushes throughout its stores, and this comes on the heels 0:09:39.960 --> 0:09:43.480 of an Atlanta Apple stores recent successful push to secure 0:09:43.600 --> 0:09:48.360 enough employee signatures to warrant a union election. The flagship 0:09:48.400 --> 0:09:50.200 Apple store in New York City is also in the 0:09:50.240 --> 0:09:54.120 process of gathering signatures in order to have the same 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:57.200 kind of vote. And I am left to wonder if 0:09:57.440 --> 0:10:00.840 the hiring of law firms like this one ultimately ends 0:10:00.920 --> 0:10:05.080 up fueling the resolve of employees rather than discourages them. 0:10:05.120 --> 0:10:07.439 It's hard for me to say from the outside. I 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:11.160 don't have an inside perspective of these things. It may 0:10:11.200 --> 0:10:15.640 well be that the efforts to organize our succeeding despite 0:10:15.679 --> 0:10:20.680 heavy opposition, rather than becoming energized by companies efforts to 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:25.080 squash them. I honestly can't tell. But again, it's another 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:28.240 indication that employees in the tech sector are really pushing 0:10:28.280 --> 0:10:32.160 back against the established status quo. We've got several more 0:10:32.240 --> 0:10:34.640 stories to go over before we get to those. Let's 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:45.959 take a quick break. We're back and over in Japan. 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:50.319 Apple is facing another battle, as is Google. Government report 0:10:50.360 --> 0:10:54.160 in Japan named Apple and Google as essentially a duopoly 0:10:54.280 --> 0:10:58.080 when it comes to the smartphone operating system market, and 0:10:58.200 --> 0:11:01.840 that's totally true. Google is way in the lead worldwide. 0:11:02.120 --> 0:11:05.560 Google has about a seventy percent of the smartphone operating 0:11:05.600 --> 0:11:09.199 system market share according to stat Counter. Apple is at 0:11:09.200 --> 0:11:12.520 a healthy twenty seven point five seven, which means that 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:17.760 together Apple and and Google or you know, iOS and Android, 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:22.320 make up about percent of the smartphone operating system market. 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:25.720 Kind Of hard to argue against the duopoly when you 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:29.199 have a figure like that. The government report expressed concern 0:11:29.360 --> 0:11:33.360 that this arrangement, this du woppoly creates an unfair marketplace 0:11:33.400 --> 0:11:37.160 for app developers and consumers alike, pointing out that it 0:11:37.280 --> 0:11:40.440 is common practice for Android phones to come pre installed 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:44.640 with say the Chrome browser, or for Apple to favor Safari, 0:11:45.640 --> 0:11:50.640 and the report argues that this stifles competition from other 0:11:50.760 --> 0:11:56.439 browsers and and that it is actively discouraging users from 0:11:56.520 --> 0:12:00.360 installing other browsers besides the ones that come pre installed 0:12:00.440 --> 0:12:04.760 on the operating system. Further, the report argues that developers 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:07.440 are forced into ecosystems in order to have their work 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:11.280 accessible by people who use these smartphones, and that Apple 0:12:11.320 --> 0:12:15.040 and Google should allow developers and users to choose alternative 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:18.120 app stores from the official ones on the platform. So, 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:20.439 in other words, you should be able to go to 0:12:20.600 --> 0:12:24.240 other stores besides the Apple App Store and download apps 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:27.280 for your iPhone. Now, this is pretty much the opposite 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:31.360 of Apple's market strategy, and unsurprisingly, the company has protested 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:36.360 the report, arguing that Apple faces fierce competition in every arena. 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:38.800 And it remains to be seen what this report will 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:41.400 actually lead to in Japan, but it marks another spot 0:12:41.440 --> 0:12:44.000 in the world where the big companies like Apple and 0:12:44.040 --> 0:12:48.560 Google are starting to face resistance from regulators, like serious resistance. 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:52.520 And we've got another story about the shaky world of 0:12:52.679 --> 0:12:55.320 n f t s. All right, So quick reminder, and 0:12:55.440 --> 0:12:58.480 n f T is a non fungible token, which really 0:12:58.520 --> 0:13:02.360 means it's a digital seartificate showing ownership of some sort 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:06.960 of digital asset, and it is tracked on a blockchain 0:13:07.080 --> 0:13:11.400 of some sort so that there is a clear uh 0:13:12.600 --> 0:13:16.160 chain of transactions so you can trace who owned it 0:13:16.240 --> 0:13:19.600 at what point and who currently owns that digital asset. 0:13:19.880 --> 0:13:21.840 As far as what that asset is, it could be 0:13:21.920 --> 0:13:24.040 a line of code, it could be a piece of 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:27.959 digital art, it could be an item within a video game, 0:13:28.880 --> 0:13:32.120 or pretty much anything else that's digital. And n f 0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:34.240 t s have been put through the wringer after a 0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:39.079 chaotic hype cycle that had its fair share of speculation, scams, 0:13:39.120 --> 0:13:43.679 and other shenanigans, and The Verge reports that a hacker 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:46.360 has managed to steal n f t s, estimated to 0:13:46.360 --> 0:13:50.760 be worth millions of dollars, using one really tricky method 0:13:51.000 --> 0:13:54.680 and one super easy method. Now, the tricky part was 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:56.840 that the hacker was able to gain access to the 0:13:56.880 --> 0:14:01.720 official Instagram account for the board Ape Yacht Club or 0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:04.760 b A y C. That's one of the entities that 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:08.600 is famed for minting n f T s of digital art, 0:14:09.120 --> 0:14:13.000 and folks have been speculating ridiculous amounts of money on 0:14:13.160 --> 0:14:16.240 these pieces of art like this is the kind of 0:14:16.240 --> 0:14:20.040 stuff that got people a bit wary of n f 0:14:20.040 --> 0:14:21.640 T s in the first place, when they look at 0:14:21.640 --> 0:14:24.600 the art and they say, wait, how much money are 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:28.640 people spending for a digital certificate showing ownership of this thing? 0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:32.640 And uh, we actually don't know how the hacker managed 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:35.200 to get access of that Instagram account. As of the 0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:38.320 recording of this podcast, the b A y C says 0:14:38.400 --> 0:14:42.960 that it had activated two factor authentication on its Instagram account, 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:46.800 so it should have been impossible for anyone not in 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:50.600 possession of whatever that second factor was to be able 0:14:50.640 --> 0:14:54.120 to get access to the account. Maybe it was an 0:14:54.120 --> 0:14:57.640 inside job, but the hacker then used the official account 0:14:57.720 --> 0:15:01.200 to send out a fishing link that, if followed, would 0:15:01.280 --> 0:15:04.560 prompt n f T holders to interact with that link, 0:15:05.080 --> 0:15:08.560 and the link would lead the hacker to joint crypto 0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:11.880 tokens right out of those users wallets. So, in other words, 0:15:12.160 --> 0:15:14.920 folks got a link from what they assumed to be 0:15:15.040 --> 0:15:17.480 a trusted source. They got it from the official b 0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:22.560 A y C Instagram account, which should be trustworthy, and 0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:25.720 they ended up getting robbed because of that. Now, the 0:15:25.760 --> 0:15:29.040 hacker convinced folks to follow follow the fishing link by 0:15:29.120 --> 0:15:31.560 leaning on one of the most reliable techniques in the 0:15:31.640 --> 0:15:35.720 history of humans, which is counting on greed. So the 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:38.920 link proclaimed to be an air drop of tokens, and 0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:43.920 if folks joined and they connected their wallets to the link, 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.560 they were supposedly going to be showered with what amounts 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:51.640 to be free money, really free digital assets which could 0:15:51.720 --> 0:15:55.280 later be sold or auctioned off for money, and folks 0:15:55.320 --> 0:15:57.720 love the idea of free money, so there were a 0:15:57.760 --> 0:16:03.000 lot of takers. Open C famous crypto exchange, has subsequently 0:16:03.080 --> 0:16:07.120 banned the hackers wallet address on that platform, but it 0:16:07.240 --> 0:16:10.840 is still visible on other platforms. No word yet on 0:16:10.960 --> 0:16:14.000 how or if those who are affected by this theft 0:16:14.320 --> 0:16:18.560 will be compensated. The Register reports that the Department of 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:23.880 Homeland Security, after initiating a hack DHS program in which 0:16:23.920 --> 0:16:27.720 the department invited hackers to look for vulnerabilities and exploits 0:16:27.800 --> 0:16:32.200 in the homeland securities systems, discovered that its systems are 0:16:32.280 --> 0:16:36.160 far from secure. The four fifty security researchers who took 0:16:36.200 --> 0:16:40.640 part in this event uncovered one hundred twenty two vulnerabilities, 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:45.640 seven of which they deemed to be critical. That's pretty 0:16:45.720 --> 0:16:49.480 darned bad, but it really illustrates how these events are 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:54.880 critical for organizations, government or otherwise offering bug bounties. That 0:16:55.080 --> 0:16:58.880 is a payment to people who uncover and subsequently report 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:03.240 vulnerabilities and systems. That gives organizations a chance to patch 0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:07.920 those holes and prevent actual black hat hackers from exploiting 0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:12.479 those vulnerabilities. I find it, frankly a little scary that 0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:15.679 a department that has, let's face it, a checkered past, 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:20.480 had so many critical vulnerabilities and its various systems, But 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:22.679 I am glad that the department is taking steps to 0:17:22.720 --> 0:17:26.960 address that in a responsible way. Penetration testing is a 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:29.399 pretty big deal, and I might need to get my 0:17:29.480 --> 0:17:32.119 friend Shannon Morris back on the show to talk about 0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:36.880 how that process typically works. She's an expert in that 0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:42.240 field and I am not. The White House has urged 0:17:42.400 --> 0:17:46.080 Congress to pass legislation that would allow more law enforcement 0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:50.480 agencies in the United States access to drone tracking systems Now, 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:54.440 to be clear, this isn't about those agencies operating drones 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:59.320 in an effort to track citizens or identify suspects. Instead, 0:17:59.400 --> 0:18:03.560 this is about giving those agencies the ability to detect 0:18:03.720 --> 0:18:07.720 and track the drones themselves, presumably in an effort to 0:18:07.760 --> 0:18:12.760 counteract crime and terrorism efforts that rely on drone technology. Now, 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:15.560 this is not yet a law. It's just a suggestion 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:18.439 to Congress, and it marks the continuation of the U. 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:23.240 S government's increased concern about drones and drone operation. One 0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:26.919 story that I missed in one was the f a 0:18:27.080 --> 0:18:30.959 a S new drone rules that require any new drones 0:18:31.200 --> 0:18:35.640 sold in the United States to broadcast the drone operators 0:18:35.920 --> 0:18:41.040 physical location. And that kind of makes sense in some scenarios, 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:43.720 like say there's a person who's operating a drone that's 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:47.359 in a restricted area which could pose as a threat. 0:18:47.600 --> 0:18:50.840 Even if the person didn't intend to do that, it 0:18:50.880 --> 0:18:53.760 could be critically important to track that person down and 0:18:54.040 --> 0:18:56.760 be able to stop that person or to you know, 0:18:56.800 --> 0:18:59.199 tell that person what's going on so that they can 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:03.200 move the drown out of the restricted area, because drones 0:19:03.240 --> 0:19:07.000 could pose a threat to things like aircraft, for example. However, 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:10.760 this capability The idea of being able to track an 0:19:10.760 --> 0:19:15.440 operator's physical location also has some troubling consequences. For instance, 0:19:15.960 --> 0:19:20.080 during the Black Lives Matter protests in some folks were 0:19:20.160 --> 0:19:23.320 using drones to keep an eye on police activity, and 0:19:23.400 --> 0:19:25.680 it doesn't take much of a stretch of the imagination 0:19:25.720 --> 0:19:29.040 to assume that a law enforcement agency that was under 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:33.920 citizens surveillance might use the drones broadcasting of the operator's 0:19:33.960 --> 0:19:38.280 physical location to track down and stop that operator. So 0:19:38.440 --> 0:19:41.600 it really does go both ways here, and it also 0:19:41.680 --> 0:19:45.440 raises the point that drone tracking technology now is effectively 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:50.800 operator tracking technology, right if you're talking about a drone 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:54.200 that was purchased legally in the United States after this 0:19:54.359 --> 0:20:00.000 f a A rule came into effect, then you could say, well, yeah, 0:20:00.320 --> 0:20:02.960 it's important to track the drones, but we also have 0:20:03.000 --> 0:20:06.920 to remember that this could be abused so that police 0:20:06.960 --> 0:20:11.600 could track the operators. It's not even necessarily about the 0:20:11.640 --> 0:20:15.320 technology in that respect. It's more again a kind of 0:20:15.400 --> 0:20:20.480 citizen surveillance. So there are definitely some you know, dark 0:20:20.520 --> 0:20:23.960 consequences to this as well. A UK watchdog called the 0:20:24.000 --> 0:20:27.360 Competition and Markets Authority may soon have some new powers 0:20:27.359 --> 0:20:30.680 when it comes to holding companies accountable for fake reviews 0:20:30.720 --> 0:20:36.000 posted on sites websites, So we're talking about user generated 0:20:36.080 --> 0:20:38.399 reviews for the most part, and the practice of certain 0:20:38.520 --> 0:20:42.879 entities like shady product companies or sometimes the PR firms 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:48.159 hired to promote those products of either posting directly or 0:20:48.240 --> 0:20:52.920 hiring people to post positive fake reviews in an effort 0:20:52.960 --> 0:20:57.360 to market their goods. UH. The proposals in the UK 0:20:57.520 --> 0:21:02.120 suggest making it quote clearly illegal end quote to hire 0:21:02.240 --> 0:21:06.680 someone to write or host fake reviews, and if found guilty, 0:21:07.000 --> 0:21:11.200 the c m A could find the responsible party, presumably 0:21:11.280 --> 0:21:14.200 either the site that's hosting the reviews or the people 0:21:14.200 --> 0:21:17.720 who are hiring people to post fake reviews up to 0:21:17.920 --> 0:21:21.919 ten percent of their global turnover. This will create a 0:21:21.960 --> 0:21:25.720 new responsibility for sites that host reviews, namely that they 0:21:25.800 --> 0:21:29.399 need to have practices in place to be reasonably certain 0:21:29.480 --> 0:21:33.200 that the reviews posted on the site are legitimate. So presumably, 0:21:33.600 --> 0:21:37.119 if a website shows that it has taken reasonable action 0:21:37.200 --> 0:21:41.040 to guard against fake reviews, the c m A won't 0:21:41.160 --> 0:21:45.720 levy finds on that site should some fake reviews slip through. UM, 0:21:45.760 --> 0:21:49.199 I'm guessing that there's going to be uh a grace 0:21:49.280 --> 0:21:52.800 period where if a site is alerted to a fake review, 0:21:53.359 --> 0:21:57.760 it has the opportunity to remove it before um any 0:21:57.840 --> 0:22:00.960 kind of consideration would fall on it. In addition, the 0:22:01.040 --> 0:22:03.879 UK government is looking to make it easier for consumers 0:22:03.880 --> 0:22:07.720 to cancel subscriptions should they not want a service any longer. 0:22:07.920 --> 0:22:10.480 I mentioned this in an earlier tech stuff News episode. 0:22:10.800 --> 0:22:13.119 I'm sure all of you had some sort of experience 0:22:13.359 --> 0:22:15.439 where you were put through a wild goose chase in 0:22:15.480 --> 0:22:19.639 an effort to cancel a subscription. Now, personally, I think 0:22:19.720 --> 0:22:23.600 these are good steps, assuming that the enforcement is reasonable 0:22:23.680 --> 0:22:27.359 and fair, which admittedly is much easier said than done. 0:22:27.800 --> 0:22:29.800 We have a couple more news stories to get through 0:22:30.040 --> 0:22:32.639 before we get to those, Let's take another quick break. 0:22:40.359 --> 0:22:43.159 Several years ago, I wrote an article for how stuff 0:22:43.160 --> 0:22:47.240 works dot com about how the large had drawn Collider works, 0:22:47.560 --> 0:22:51.199 And at the time of me writing that article, the 0:22:51.520 --> 0:22:55.240 LHC had not yet graduated to full power experiments. Didn't 0:22:55.240 --> 0:22:59.080 stop people from speculating on what the LHC would find 0:22:59.400 --> 0:23:04.439 or potential calamity it might cause once it goes into power. 0:23:05.000 --> 0:23:08.840 But yeah, I wrote the article on that, and then 0:23:08.840 --> 0:23:12.600 it got up to doing full power experiments. But then 0:23:12.880 --> 0:23:16.320 over the last three years, the LHC has been pretty quiet. 0:23:16.800 --> 0:23:20.879 Scientists did initiate some pilot particle beams around the facility 0:23:20.880 --> 0:23:25.520 in October twenty twenty one, but otherwise it's been offline. Now. 0:23:25.520 --> 0:23:30.080 The purpose for that multi year hiatus was well, there's 0:23:30.200 --> 0:23:32.880 it was manifold. There were quite a few One big 0:23:32.920 --> 0:23:36.680 one was that there was a massive upgrade to the LHC, 0:23:37.000 --> 0:23:40.000 and there were also repairs and maintenance to the facility. 0:23:40.760 --> 0:23:44.600 And now it's back baby. Last week the LHC sent 0:23:44.680 --> 0:23:48.399 out opposing beams of protons at an injection energy of 0:23:48.440 --> 0:23:53.240 four fifty billion electron volts. All right, now, let's do 0:23:53.280 --> 0:23:55.680 a quick rundown in case none of this is making 0:23:55.760 --> 0:23:58.560 any sense to you. The Large Hadron Collider is a 0:23:58.600 --> 0:24:04.480 particle accelerator, so it uses extremely powerful electromagnets to both 0:24:04.520 --> 0:24:09.680 propel and direct opposing beams of particles such as protons, 0:24:09.680 --> 0:24:12.120 but it could be other stuff too, so that these 0:24:12.160 --> 0:24:17.560 particles collide at specific points along the pathway. Now located 0:24:17.600 --> 0:24:21.320 at these specific points are a selection of different experiments. 0:24:21.359 --> 0:24:25.760 These experiments focus on different elements of particle science, so 0:24:26.520 --> 0:24:30.119 the collisions create scenarios that are otherwise impossible for us 0:24:30.160 --> 0:24:34.560 to replicate. On Earth, including the formation of teeny tiny 0:24:34.600 --> 0:24:38.600 black holes that last for a fraction of a fraction 0:24:38.840 --> 0:24:41.080 of a second. That black hole thing is one of 0:24:41.119 --> 0:24:44.160 the things that trips some people out, But it's really 0:24:44.160 --> 0:24:46.600 important to note that the energy of these black holes 0:24:46.680 --> 0:24:49.680 is such that they cannot last. It is less than 0:24:49.960 --> 0:24:55.040 a gnat's beating of its wings once like it's it's tiny, tiny, 0:24:55.080 --> 0:24:58.520 tiny amounts of energy, and they're gone before you can 0:24:58.560 --> 0:25:01.800 even be aware that they were there without the use 0:25:01.880 --> 0:25:06.160 of incredibly sensitive equipment, so they blip out of existence 0:25:06.160 --> 0:25:09.800 almost as quickly as they appear. Anyway, the science done 0:25:09.840 --> 0:25:12.639 at the LHC is expanding our understanding of how the 0:25:12.760 --> 0:25:15.840 universe works. You know, how energy and how matter work, 0:25:16.480 --> 0:25:19.520 and it's gone a long way to proving or disproving 0:25:19.640 --> 0:25:24.639 various hypotheses in physics. And just because the facility wasn't 0:25:24.680 --> 0:25:28.720 actively blasting particles around for three years and some change 0:25:29.000 --> 0:25:32.040