| Here's a look at today's Tech briefing: - X/Twitter has fewer content moderators than competitors.
- Apple to pay $25M to settle with DOJ over hiring discrimination.
- Microblogging platform Tumblr is scaling back after failing to meet goals.
- Meta plans to sell VR headsets in China.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | X/Twitter has only 2,294 content moderators to comply with EU online regulations, significantly fewer than Google and TikTok, according to a European Commission official. In September, the tech firms provided the EU with reports on their moderation efforts and other details in line with the bloc's new Digital Services Act (DSA). More: - The DSA requires large online platforms, like X and Google, to do more to address harmful and illegal content.
- X's report revealed that it employs 2,294 content moderators for the EU, while Google's YouTube has 16,974, Google Play has 7,319, and TikTok has 6,125.
- Concerns arose after owner Elon Musk laid off many of the company's content monitoring and regulating employees.
- Twitter's head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, who led its content moderation efforts, also departed in June.
Zoom out: - The EU's DSA covers 19 "very large online platforms" with over 45 million monthly users, including Amazon, Apple's App Store, Google Play, YouTube, and X.
- Companies must adhere to the rules governing content moderation, ad targeting for minors, sensitive data, and risk analysis, or face bans or fines of up to 6% of their annual revenue.
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| 2 | | Apple has agreed to pay $25M to settle allegations of favoring visa holders over U.S. citizens in its hiring. The U.S. Department of Justice found that Apple violated the Immigration and Nationality Act while recruiting foreign workers through a labor certification program. More: - The issue centers around the Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM), where employers must advertise open positions for anyone to apply, regardless of citizenship status.
- PERM supports company sponsorship of foreign workers for permanent residency, often hiring international graduates from U.S. universities.
- According to the DOJ, Apple did not advertise PERM job openings on its recruiting site, going against its standard practice.
- Apple also required mailed paper applications for the PERM positions. The actions limited hiring from individuals outside PERM, including U.S. citizens and permanent residents, as argued by the DOJ.
Response: - In the settlement terms, Apple denied engaging in illegal hiring practices. However, the company agreed to pay $6.75M in civil penalties and establish an $18.25M backpay fund to pay the affected victims.
- Apple will also follow a remediation plan involving an official PERM recruitment policy and biannual reporting of PERM hires and applicants to the DOJ.
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| 3 | | Microblogging platform Tumblr is scaling back its efforts after falling short of its audience and revenue goals, according to a leaked internal memo from parent company Automattic. As of August, Tumblr held a mere 0.36% share of the total visits among leading social media sites, highlighting its struggles since Automattic acquired the platform from Verizon in 2019. 
Details: According to the memo, most of Tumblr's 139 employees will now be reassigned to other Automattic projects, leaving a skeleton crew of trust and safety and support workers. Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg wrote in follow-up posts that Tumblr will approach 2024 with a sharper focus, emphasizing the site's "core functionality." The bigger picture: While not an end for Tumblr, the memo does suggest tough times ahead. Automattic, the company that runs WordPress, took over Tumblr in 2019 from Verizon, which acquired the platform from Yahoo in 2017. Tumblr has seen its fair share of ownership changes, and the decision to ban most adult content reportedly didn't help its revival. | | | |
| 4 | | Meta struck a preliminary deal with Chinese giant Tencent to sell a budget-friendly virtual reality headset in China. Meta's potential return to China would be its first since Beijing banned Facebook in 2009 during the country's internet crackdown. More: - Under the deal, Tencent would become the exclusive seller of Meta's VR headset in China.
- The device, expected to launch in late 2024, would be more powerful than Quest 2 but not as advanced as the Quest 3.
- The companies would split the earnings. Meta would take in a larger portion of device sales, while Tencent would earn more from content and service revenue, including games and subscriptions.
- The China-approved headset could also be sold in other markets.
Zoom out: | | | |
| 5 | | Samsung teased a "mobile AI experience" that's coming to its Galaxy smartphones early next year. The experience includes an "AI Live Translate Call" feature in its phone app that will translate audio and text in real-time. More: - "Galaxy AI" is powered by Samsung's on-device AI along with cloud-based AI.
- The AI experience is expected to arrive early next year, suggesting it will likely be part of Samsung's Galaxy S24 smartphone lineup.
- The reveal comes just as the company announced its own generative AI model, Gauss, which can power AI applications locally on smartphones.
- Gauss offers three capabilities: Gauss Language for text-related tasks, Gauss Code for coding assistance, and Gauss Image for image generating and editing.
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| 6 | | AI startup Humane unveiled details of its AI-powered wearable device. The "AI Pin" is designed to replace a smartphone, letting users make calls, send texts, and engage with its AI assistant via voice and gestures. Features: - The wearable projector has an ultrawide RGB camera for photos, and can make phone calls, text, email, play music, and answer questions using ChatGPT-like features.
- The square device weighs 55 grams and attaches magnetically to clothes. The clip doubles as a battery pack, allowing for battery replacement during the day.
- Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, the Pin has a built-in speaker and camera and flashes a "Trust Light" when either is turned on.
- The Pin will cost $699 and require a $24 monthly data subscription to T-Mobile's network. It opens for pre-orders on Nov. 16 and will ship sometime in early 2024.
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- Meta and Snap, along with TikTok and YouTube, have received formal requests from the European Commission to provide information about their measures to protect minors under the EU's Digital Services Act.
- Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, 73, was hospitalized in Mexico City after experiencing a minor stroke while attending a business conference. He is now returning to the U.S.
- Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking at this week's World Internet Conference Summit, called for international cooperation to address AI's risks.
- Darren Aronofsky is set to direct a biopic of Elon Musk, based on Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of the billionaire. A24 will produce the film, which is still in early development.
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Term of the Day Inferior good: Inferior goods are goods whose demand decreases when income increases, as opposed to normal goods whose demand increases when income increases. Question of the Week What perks would convince you to return to the office? Join the conversation |
 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is an editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters, with a career spanning journalism since 2007. She has written for publications including The Arizona Republic and USA Today and authored a book on the solar industry in 2016. Reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia | |
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