Tech Hangover: Zuckerberg and Musk are wild, and not in a good way
There was a lot to cover today.
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We get it, you have a life. There’s no way you can read all of the day’s news in one single shot, let alone visit every web page, which is why we’re here to help. Well, sort of.
There’s a ton of tech news we weren’t able to cover throughout the day (hey, give us a break, we’re a small independent outfit), so to help you stay up to speed with everything we didn’t get to, we rounded up some of the biggest stories, which should help you keep up to date. Hence the tech hangover.
Here’s some tech news you probably missed out on today (and when we say you, we mean us, but also…you).
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in an interview he fears ‘erosion of truth’ but defends allowing politicians to lie in ads
Image: CIO
Reptile Lizardman, Mark Zuckerberg, is making rounds in the headlines today. He did a speech today at Georgetown University where he talks about free speech and Facebook. But mostly Facebook. Anyways, there’s a lot of narratives here, but here’s a good take:
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said in an interview he worries “about an erosion of truth” online but defended the policy that allows politicians to peddle ads containing misrepresentations and lies on his social network, a stance that has sparked an outcry during the 2020 presidential campaign.
“People worry, and I worry deeply, too, about an erosion of truth,” Zuckerberg told The Washington Post ahead of a speech Thursday at Georgetown University. “At the same time, I don’t think people want to live in a world where you can only say things that tech companies decide are 100 percent true. And I think that those tensions are something we have to live with.” – Washington Post
SpaceX says 12,000 satellites isn’t enough, so it might launch another 30,000
Image: Tristar Media Wire
There’s a lot going on here. SpaceX wants permission to launch more satellites but it’s too early to tell if they’re going to do it. Anyways, the gist of it is more satellites flooding the orbit. Perfect.
SpaceX is seeking permission to launch another 30,000 low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites for its Starlink broadband network, which would be in addition to the nearly 12,000 satellites the company already has permission to launch. But it’s too early in the process to determine whether SpaceX is likely to launch most or all of the additional 30,000 satellites. – ArsTechnica
Huge child porn ring busted as authorities cite the ability to crack Bitcoin privacy
This is good on the child porn ring being busted. 100%. But ehhhh, the privacy part is concerning. But if it’s being used to take down creeps and thugs, I’m totally ok with that too.
Federal authorities in the U.S. have unsealed charges against the South Korean operator of a child porn ring that’s been billed as the world’s “largest dark web child porn marketplace.” The child porn site, known as Welcome to Video, charged some users in Bitcoin and authorities say they successfully unmasked those Bitcoin transactions in order to catch the perpetrators. An additional 337 people from around the world have been charged in relation to the Tor-based site. – Gizmodo
The UK’s controversial porn block law has been scrapped for good
Hooray for boners!
The UK has scrapped a controversial plan to require age verification for accessing porn online, after repeated delays. Digital Secretary Nicky Morgan said the measure — which was initially scheduled to go into effect in March 2018 — “will not be commencing.” Instead, the government plans to accomplish the goal of “protecting children online” as part of a “propsed online harms regulatory regime.” – The Next Web
Tesla Model Y prototype spotted in Washington – start of long-distance testing?
Image: Tesla
I don’t know, Joe suggested we put this story in, but apparently someone spotted Tesla’s upcoming crossover vehicle. Honestly, anything can be under that tarp. But this report sounds pretty convincing.
The Tesla Model Y prototype sightings continue and now a Model Y has been spotted in the state of Washington – indicating the likely start of long-distance testing. – Electrek
How A Massive Facebook Scam Siphoned Millions Of Dollars From Unsuspecting Boomers
In another episode of why human beings are absolutely the worst…
Asher Burke built his company, Ads Inc, on the back of one of the internet’s most persistent, lucrative, and sophisticated scams — the subscription trap. And then it all fell apart. There was just one problem: Ads Inc.’s business was a massive Facebook scam, and it had little, if any, expertise in legitimate e-commerce. – BuzzFeed News
Elon Musk smoking up on Joe Rogan cost the taxpayers $5 million
Image: YouTube
Last year, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk went on YouTube host Joe Rogan’s show and smoked some weed. That was unfortunate, because SpaceX happens to be a U.S. military contractor with security clearances, and the U.S. government does not like marijuana—and in this instance, it disliked it so much it spent $5 million to demonstrate its displeasure. – Gizmodo
Niantic data let Kotaku see just how much one user went to Burger King
I don’t care what anyone says, Kotaku is out here doing the lord’s work with this hard-hitting journalism. There’s a lot here in this piece, but one of the main takeaways is how much data Niantic has on its players.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the latest game from the company behind Pokémon Go, lets players harness the magic of their childhood to combat monsters and collect shimmering digital artifacts across their local neighborhoods. Niantic’s apps certainly encourage gamers to get outdoors and get active, but behind the scenes, Wizards Unite is quietly casting another spell: collecting a surprising amount of data about where you go. – Kotaku
And in just case you missed some of our stuff earlier, here’s what you may have missed:
- Review: Broski noise-canceling headphones – Impressive sound on the cheap
- The Google Pixel 4’s camera takes some sick shots – here’s what it is capable of
- Why I’m getting an iPhone 11 Pro instead of the Pixel 4
- Analogue just released the best handheld gaming console since the Game Boy
- A nasty Samsung Galaxy S10 bug lets anyone with a fingerprint unlock it
- Lady Gaga didn’t mince her words with Ninja in a recent Twitter exchange
- Quick, score a JBL Link 10 for just $40 (down from $179)
- Master & Dynamic just took aim at the AirPods crowd
- Play 400 classic 8-bit games anywhere you go with this console
Notable Mentions
Volvo unveils its first fully electric car — and a bold pledge to go carbon-neutral
The ‘blob’: zoo showcases slime mold with 720 sexes that can heal itself in minutes
Deepfakes: For now women, not democracy, are the main victims
The Death of Cars Was Greatly Exaggerated
Hot Online Bank Startup Leaves Customers Without Access to Their Cash
Did we miss anything? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
Previous Hangovers…
- Tech Hangover: I think I need to fix my MacBook
- Tech Hangover: Oh right, Google sort of announced a new phone today
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