Tag Archives: misinformation

PTJ 345: At Last

October 19, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer 2 Comments

What day is it? Does it matter? Time may be a flat circle that got hit by the Covid Truck for many people, but things have happened this month: Apple finally rolls out its four iPhone 12 models, Facebook finally bans Holocaust-denial content and and a House committee finally produces its report on Big Tech and monopoly. El Kaiser and J.D. muse upon it all, along with with a new set of headphones that gets the Rosado Review. Hear it all on PTJ 345!

• Six Russian GRU Officers Charged in Connection with Worldwide Deployment of Destructive Malware and Other Disruptive Actions in Cyberspace (United States Department of Justice)
• The Citizen Browser Project—Auditing the Algorithms of Disinformation (The Markup)
• Facebook says it rejected 2.2m ads for breaking political campaigning rules (The Guardian)
• Twitter, Responsibility, and Accountability (Stratechery by Ben Thompson)
• Apple Launches ‘Apple Music TV,’ a 24-Hour Music Video Livestream (Variety)
• Apple introduces iPhone 12 Pro an d iPhone 12 Pro Max with 5G (Apple Newsroom)
• Apple announces iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini: A new era for iPhone with 5G (Apple Newsroom)
• Apple introduces HomePod mini: A powerful smart speaker with amazing sound (Apple Newsroom)
• Removing Holocaust Denial Conten t (About Facebook)
• Why Facebook Can’t Fix Itse lf (The New Yorker)
• The new Nest Thermostat: more energy savings for more people (Google Nest)
• Amazon’s Latest Gimmicks Are Pushing the Limits of Privacy (WIRED)
• Amazon launches an AR app that works with new QR codes on its boxes (TechCrunch)
• The House Antitrust Report on Big Tech (The New York Times)
• Google’s merger with ITA helped it grow into the giant that the Justice Department is scrutinizing (The Washington Post)
• E U targets Big Tech with ‘hit list’ facing tougher rule s (Financial Times)
• Exclusive: TikTok rival Triller explores deal to go public – sources (Reuters)
• Disn ey reorganizes to focus on streaming, direct to consumer (CNBC)
• AKG K553 MKII Headphones

Episode Links

PTJ 343: Battle Royale

August 20, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Epic Games has fired antitrust shots at Apple and Google over their app stores, Facebook does a bit of cleaning and fans of Microsoft Fight Simulator can take to the virtual skies again in a glorious new version of the program . Meanwhile, back on the ground, El Kaiser has thoughts on Star Wars: Resistance and J.D. shares some tips on what to do with your old gear after you upgrade to new stuff. All this and more, right here on PTJ 343!

Star Wars: Resistance (StarWars.com)
Epic used its playbook for Fortnite events against Apple and Google (The Verge)
Apple’s Epic retaliation: Unreal Engine on iOS and Mac in jeopardy (VentureBeat)
Epic Games’ Fortnite lawsuits against Apple and Google, explained (Polygon)
“Nighteen Eighty-Fortnite” (YouTube)
Apple tells Epic ‘we won’t make an exception’ for Fortnite (The Verge)
Facebook restricts more than 10,000 QAnon and US militia groups (The Guardian)
QAnon: Facebook takes action on conspiracy groups (BBC News)
Facebook algorithm found to ‘actively promote’ Holocaust denial (The Guardian)
A Single Way to Log Into Oculus and Unlock Social Features (Oculus)
A Facebook Account Will Be Mandatory for Future Oculus Devices (Gizmodo)
Instagram launches QR codes globally, letting people open a profile from any camera app (The Verge)
A more detailed, colorful map (Google blog)
TikTok announces a deal with UnitedMasters, its first music distribution partnership (TechCrunch)
TikTok Starts Website to Take on Rumors, Misinformation (Bloomberg)
Cops in Miami, NYC arrest protesters from facial recognition matches (Ars Technica)
Save 50%: CBS and Showtime bundle offer now available for Apple TV+ subscribers (9to5Mac)
Microsoft outlines its IE, legacy Edge phase-out timetable (ZDNet)
Microsoft Flight Simulator: The entire world in a game (BBC News)
Opinion | I Tried Microsoft’s Flight Simulator. The Earth Never Seemed So Real. (The New York Times)
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator (Steam)
Protect Your Privacy and the Environment While Upgrading Your Gear (The New York Times)

Episode Links

PTJ 340: Money Walks

June 29, 2020 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

As a boycott from major advertisers heats up, Facebook announces it will finally start taking action against hate and harmful posts. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss The Social Network’s latest moves, along with the other tech news of recent days, like Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference announcements and product updates from Google. J.D. also spins up a (Hopefully) Helpful Hint about searching newspaper archives for mention of your ancestors back in their day. PTJ 340 is right here ready to go!

Links to Stories in This Week’s News Segment

“The Letter For the King” (Netflix)
“Titans,” Season Two (DC Universe)
#StopHateForProfit
Verizon pulling advertising from Facebook and Instagram (CNBC)
In Reversal, Facebook To Label Politicians’ Harmful Posts As Ad Boycott Grows (NPR)
Starbucks latest company to pause ads across social media platforms (CNBC)
How Facebook wrote its rules to accommodate Trump (The Washington Post)
Zuckerberg: Facebook will prohibit hate speech in its ads (CNBC)
Exclusive: Facebook ad boycott campaign to go global, organizers say (Reuters)
Facebook Looks to Contain Advertising Boycott Over Hate Speech (The Wall Street Journal)
All the Companies Quitting Facebook (The New York Times)
Parler CEO wants liberal to join the pro-Trump crowd on the app (CNBC)
Widespread allegations of harassment & abuse reported in gaming, comics (Polygon)
Virtual Conferences Mean All-Access—Except When They Don’t (WIRED)
Here’s everything Apple announced in the WWDC 2020 keynote today (TechCrunch)
Here’s what’s happening to Boot Camp amid the Apple silicon transition (Ars Technica)
Kuo: Apple will not include earbuds or charger in iPhone 12 box (9to5Mac)
TikTok and 53 other iOS apps still snoop your sensitive clipboard data (Ars Technica)
New iOS 14 feature prompts TikTok to end clipboard snooping (Appleinsider)
A new licensing program to support the news industry (Google blog)
YouTube tests feature to upload, merge 15-second clips (9to5Google)
A redesigned Google Photos, built for your life’s memories (Google blog)
Fortnite Movie Nite: Christopher Nolan’s hit films screen in-game (BBC)
Movie Nite @ Party Royale’s Big Screen Features Inception, Batman Begins Or The Prestige (Epic Games)
Watching Movies in ‘Fortnite’ Is More Fun Than a Theater (VICE)
Bigscreen
BBC Together
Netflix Party

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint / Productive Use of Stay-at-Home Time

How to Dig Up Family History Online (The New York Times)

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 302: Social Disorder

February 22, 2019 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

Has social media become more trouble than it’s worth? El Kaiser and J.D ponder the topic while discussing virtual-reality pioneer Jaron Lanier’s 2018 book, “Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now.” And as always, this week’s episode of Pop Tech Jam serves up a look at the recent tech headlines. Fire up Episode 302 to hear it all!

News Stories Discussed on This Week’s Show

What’s Next for Smartphones? Samsung’s New Galaxy Line Offers a Few Answers (The New York Times)
Samsung debuts the Galaxy S10e, S10, and S10+ (VentureBeat)
Samsung’s foldable phone is the $1,980 Galaxy Fold (The Verge)
Galaxy S10’s in-screen fingerprint scanner is ultrasonic. Here’s exactly what that means (CNet)
Apple Is Said to Target Combining IPhone, IPad, Mac Apps by 2021 (Bloomberg)
Google to Unveil Netflix-Like Game Streaming Service in March (Fortune)
Google plans to announce long-rumored ‘Yeti’ hardware at GDC event (9to5Google)
Facebook reportedly gets deeply personal info from some apps, like ovulation times and heart rate (CNBC)
Facebook will shut down its spyware VPN app Onavo (TechCrunch)
Improving Location Settings on Android (Facebook Newsroom)
‘Sustained and ongoing’ disinformation assault targets Dem presidential candidates (Politico)
Russian Hackers Targeted European Research Groups, Microsoft Says (The New York Times)
Defending Democracy Program (Microsoft)
How an Investigation of Fake FCC Comments Snared a Prominent D.C. Media Firm (Gizmodo)
On YouTube, a network of paedophiles is hiding in plain sight (WIRED UK)
Pinterest Quietly Blocks All Vaccine-Related Searches, Which Is One Solution, I Guess (Gizmodo)
Ten threats to global health in 2019 (World Health Organization)
Nike app for self-tying shoe comes undone (BBC)

Is It Time to Dump Social Media?

“Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now” by Jaron Lanier
Click ‘Delete’ to Save Your Soul (The New York Times Book Review)
Jaron Lanier interview on how social media ruins your life (Channel 4 on YouTube)
We Need to Remake the Internet: Jason Lanier TED Talk

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint, Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 296: “Ring Out the False, Ring In the True!”

December 28, 2018 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

As 2018 comes clanging to a close. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss Amazon’s healthy holiday sales, Instagram’s effects on people, Snapchat’s “dog lenses” and a new essay that wonders just how much of the Internet is real anymore. And in the last (Hopefully) Helpful Hint of the year, J.D. offers a guide for preserving your one-of-a-kind family photographs and slides in the digital realm.
Ring up Episode 296, right here!

Links to Stories on This Week’s Show

Amazon’s Record Holiday Shows Consumers’ Spending Splurge (Bloomberg)
How Instagram has been good for independent bookstores like Books Are Magic and the Last Bookstore (Vox)
Instagram Apologizes for Horizontal-Scrolling Test Glitch, Rolls It Back After Quick and Furious Backlash (Variety)
Android TV sees huge growth thanks to 100 pay TV partners (9to5Google)
Apple’s Future Looks Rotten (Gizmodo)
Patreon Bars Anti-Feminist for Racist Speech, Inciting Revolt (The New York Times)
Snapchat Adds Dog Lenses, But I Still Won’t Use It (Gizmodo)
How Much of the Internet Is Fake? (New York magazine)
We finally started taking screen time seriously in 2018 (TechCrunch)
Hot tub hack reveals washed-up security (BBC News)
“Ring out, wild bells,” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

(Hopefully) Helpful Hint: Digitize and Fix Your Ancient Photos

How to Rescue, Repair and Revive Old Family Photos (The New York Times)
Printers & Scanners (Wirecutter)
Google PhotoScan
Adobe Photoshop Fix

Episode Links, Podcast

PTJ 287: Say “Hey,” Kids

September 21, 2018 J.D. Biersdorfer Leave a comment

If it’s September, Apple has a new iPhone to sell you. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss this year’s crop of gear, along with news from FitBit, Amazon and GoPro. And, as election season looms closer, J.D. has some advice and links for those who see misinformation on social-media sites and want to stop it from spreading. Buckle up for Episode 287, y’all!

Links to Stories Discussed on This Week’ s Show

The iPhone XS and XS Max Review: Big Screens That Are a Delight to Use (The New York Times)
Apple Watch Series 4 Review: A Big Step for Wearable Gadgets (The New York Times)
Fitbit Launches Fitbit Care, A Powerful New Enterprise Health Platform for Wellness and Prevention and Disease Management (FitBit Investor News)
Another Victim of the Magecart Assault Emerges: Newegg (RiskIQ)
Expanding Emergency Location Service in Android to the U.S. (Google Keyword blog)
Code in iOS 12.1 beta hints at Memoji syncing over iCloud, references ‘iPad2018Fall’ (AppleInsider)
Chrome Releases: Stable Channel Update for Chrome OS (Google blog)
Twitter Lets Users Switch to a Chronological Feed (Search Engine Journal)
The 14 biggest announcements from Amazon’s surprise hardware event (The Verge)
Amazon Said to Plan Up to 3,000 Cashierless Stores by 2021 (Bloomberg)
GoPro’s Hero 7 Black sets a new bar for video stabilization (The Verge)
Official YouTube Blog: Gaming gets a new home on YouTube (YouTube blog)
Introducing PlayStation Classic, with 20 Pre-Loaded Games (PlayStation.Blog)

Help Stomp Out Fake News

How do I mark a post as false news? (Facebook Help)
Report violations (Twitter)
Report inappropriate content (YouTube)
Statistics & Facts about Fake News (Statista)
Inside Facebook’s Election ‘War Room’ (The New York Times)
If You See Disinformation Ahead of the Midterms, We Want to Hear From You (The New York Times)
Facebook’s attempts to fight fake news seem to be working. (Twitter’s? Not so much.) (Nieman Lab)

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