TNW 323: A Sober Review of Apple Vision Pro - Bluesky, Malware Toothbrushes, OnlyFake

U.S. lawmakers are once again pushing ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a ban within the country. The Center for Countering Digital Hate published a report on AI images generated being used to create election disinformation. A Microsoft AI engineer warns the FTC about safety concerns with Microsoft's Copilot Designer. And some of the new features & products Apple has announced over the past few weeks!

• Abrar Al-Heeti joins Mikah this week! She talks about U.S. lawmakers making another push to get ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a ban within the country. Could this push get TikTok banned within the U.S., or at least divest the company?
• Mikah covers the report published by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, where the organization tested popular AI image tools and how they help contribute to disinformation during election periods.
• Emma Roth of The Verge stops by to share her coverage of the safety concerns brought up by a Microsoft engineer over Microsoft's Copilot Designer of its safety issues and flaws.
• And finally, Dan Moren of SixColors.com talks about Apple's announcement of M3 13" & 15" MacBook Airs and the iOS 17.4 update.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti

Guests: Emma Roth and Dan Moren

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The latest AI controversy with Google's Gemini, President Biden's new executive order restricting the sale of personal data, issues with popular but insecure video doorbell cameras, and more.

• Google's AI Controversy with Gemini: Reed Albergotti of Semafor discusses the backlash against Google's Gemini AI for generating biased content. Google CEO Sundar Pichai's response and the challenges of correcting AI behavior are explored.
• Apple's Project Titan Cancelation: Mikah focuses on Apple's decision to cancel its self-driving car project, Project Titan, reallocating resources to its AI division. The market's reaction and the implications for Apple's future in AI are discussed.
• Biden's Executive Order on Personal Data: Engadget's Karissa Bell explains President Biden's executive order banning the bulk sale of sensitive personal data to certain countries. The geopolitical context and potential impacts on privacy and national security are analyzed.
• Security Concerns with Video Doorbells: Mikah highlights a Consumer Reports study by TWiT-alumn Stacey Higginbotham that revealed security flaws in popular video doorbells, underscoring the risks of unencrypted personal data and the importance of consumer vigilance in product choices.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Guests: Reed Albergotti and Karissa Bell

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What is the Amazon Echo Hub, and how is it different from Amazon's current Echo lineup? If you own a Wyze camera, you may have received a notification of a security incident with the company. A review of Microsoft Copilot Pro. And Apple releases their Sports app and announce that iMessage is getting post-quantum encryption.

• Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge joins Mikah to talk about her review of the Amazon Echo Hub and the difference between this device and the overall Echo lineup from Amazon.
• Wyze announced a security incident with its devices that allowed a very small group of its users to access thumbnail images from other users.
• Chris Hoffman of The Intelligence & Computerworld chats with Mikah about his review of Microsoft Copilot Pro, the technology behind this offering from Microsoft, and what it can do.
• Finally, Apple released its very own sports app called Apple Sports, and Mikah explains the idea behind iMessage getting post-quantum encryption and what it means for the app.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Guests: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy and Chris Hoffman

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What's it like seeking love within AI? How web crawlers are suddenly controversial with the rise of AI. Are Meta's Ray-Ban Smart Glasses better than the Apple Vision Pro for what face computers are capable of now? And Amazon has created the largest text-to-speech model that they claim to exhibit "emergent" qualities to speak sentences more naturally.

• Emily Dreibelbis of PCMag joins the show to talk with Mikah about the AI "dating scene" AI through ChatGPT Plus and AI boyfriends and her somewhat lackluster experience.
• Mikah talks about the "robots.txt" file that exists within many if not all, websites and how AI is impacting the use of this file.
• Victoria Song of The Verge stops by to talk about Meta's and Apple's VR offerings and the differences between the two devices.
• Finally, Amazon researchers have trained a text-to-speech model that they claim exhibits "emergent" qualities that improve its ability to speak sentences more naturally than other text-to-speech models.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Guests: Emily Dreibelbis and Victoria Song

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Amanda Silberling from TechCrunch joins us this week as guest co-host! Amanda talks about how Bluesky is now open for the public to register to this decentralized social network. Did three million smart toothbrushes get infected with malware? What is OnlyFake and these neural networks where you can acquire fake IDs? And how does one reviewer of the Apple Vision Pro feel about the device and its future after a week?

• Amanda talks about Bluesky and how it's now open for anyone to sign up.
• Mikah shares how three million smart toothbrushes were NOT used in DDoS attacks as initially reported by several news outlets.
• Joseph Cox of 404 Media joins the show to talk about a dark web service that is generating very sophisticated fake IDs.
• And finally, Brian X. Chen of The New York Times talks about his review of the Apple Vision Pro and how he's not as enthusiastic about this first-generation Apple device as other reviewers.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling

Guests: Joseph Cox and Brian X. Chen

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Abrar Al-Heeti joins Mikah Sargent as this week's guest co-host! Abrar shares how Amazon Prime Video now has ads unless you pay more for the ad-free viewing experience, mirroring Disney+ and Netflix's decision to interject ads into its lowest-tier service. Amazon backs out of its acquisition of Roomba following opposition from the EU. Scott Stein of CNET shares his review of the Apple Vision Pro headset. And Reed Albergotti talks about data centers that are smack dab in the middle of nowhere!

• Abrar Al-Heeti shares her story of the week of how Amazon Prime Video now has ads in the basic tier unless you opt to pay 2.99 a month more, following similar moves from Disney+ and Netflix.
• Mikah talks about Amazon backing out of its Roomba acquisition following EU opposition and its plan to block the acquisition.
• Scott Stein of CNET joins the show to talk about his review of the Apple Vision Pro and his thoughts on the device from when it was initially announced to now after reviewing it.
• Finally, Reed Albergotti from Semafor stops by to talk about the mobile data centers, often in remote locations.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti

Guests: Scott Stein and Reed Albergotti

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What is Palworld, the most popular video game on Steam and Xbox? Apple announces changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the EU with some snark. Sean Hollister of The Verge reviewed the Framework 16" Laptop. And New York declared social media a public health hazard, the US's first city ever to do so.

• Ana Diaz of Polygon talks to Mikah Sargent about Palworld, the history behind the game, and the controversies surrounding the popular title.
• Apple recently announced changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the European Union to better align with the Digital Markets Act that the EU passed in 2022.
• Sean Hollister of The Verge joins the show to talk about the Framework Laptop 16" he reviewed and shared what he likes about the laptop and the aspects of the laptop that have him concerned about a product that aims to convince others this is a futureproof platform.
• Finally, Mikah talks about how New York has declared social media a public health hazard, the first time a city in the US has done so.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Guests: Sean Hollister and Ana Diaz

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The continuing saga of the Series 9 & Ultra 2 Apple Watches continues as these watches with blood oxygen features are banned again as of January 18th. What were the smart home trends at CES 2024 this year? How big is the scale of surveillance for each Facebook user on Meta's social platform? And a surprise guest returns to today's Tech News Weekly to discuss what was announced at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event.

• The sales ban of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US has resumed again as of January 18th as the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has denied Apple's request to pause the ban over the watches' blood oxygen features.
• Jennifer Pattison Tuohy returns to the show to talk about the trends of smart homes at this year's CES 2024 event.
• A study covered in The Markup that Consumer Reports conducted showcases the amount of data collected by companies and sent to Meta's social media platform, Facebook.
• And finally, Jason Howell returns to Tech News Weekly! He chats with Mikah about what was unveiled and discussed at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2024.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Guests: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy and Jason Howell

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There's a nine-month-long cruise ship that's hosting a plethora of TikTok creators. A company called Rabbit sells its 10,000 unit allotment of its R1 AI companion device. What are the details on the upcoming Apple Vision Pro, now set to launch on February 2nd? And how Generative AI may be helpful in 2024.

• Amanda Silberling joins the show as a guest co-host! You'll be seeing her every 2nd Thursday, sharing her story of the week and talking with Mikah about his story of the week. We start with how there's a nine-month-long cruise ship that's hosting a large number of TikTok creators.
• Mikah talks about a company called Rabbit and how they sold out of the 10,000 unit allotment of its R1 AI companion device that works as a "universal controller for apps."
• Dan Moren of Six Colors joins the show to talk about the Apple Vision Pro device and how the company announced a release date of February 2nd, with pre-orders beginning on Friday, January 19th, starting at 5:00 a.m. Pacific.
• Finally, Reed Albergotti from Semafor shares how generative AI in 2024 will be implemented more meaningfully to assist us in advancements in different fields.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling

Guests: Dan Moren and Reed Albergotti

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LastPass is enforcing a 12-character minimum master password. 23andMe blames victims, saying that it's their fault their data was breached. Which EVs now qualify for the full $7500 tax credit in the US? Roku announces plans for new TVs that use AI to optimize your TV settings. And what could the future be for AI with the NY Times lawsuit against OpenAI?

• LastPass will be enforcing a 12-character minimum master password following a massive security breach back in 2022.
• 23andMe is deflecting blame for its security breach from hackers to the victims because of users failing to "update their passwords following past security incidents."
• Sam Abuelsamid joins the show to talk with Mikah about the updated, shortened list of electric vehicles that now qualify for the US's full $7500 federal tax credit.
• Florence Ion of Gizmodo swings by to chat about Roku's new lineup of its Pro Series 4k TVs and how it will use AI to optimize your TV's settings.
• And Mikah talks about the New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI and Mike Masnick's of TechDirt's take on the lawsuit.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Guests: Sam Abuelsamid and Florence Ion

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