Good morning. We’re halfway through the week. Let’s get caught up on the tech news.
1. Crypto warnings in the Northern Territory
Residents in the Northern Territory have been warned of cryptocurrency investment scams after one resident lost $5 million to a scam in 2022. As reported by The Guardian, the Northern Territory police said such losses have a big impact on the person and their family. “It is extremely difficult for police to recover funds once they have been transferred to these fake investment companies. The level of personal harm through anguish and embarrassment leads to distinct under reporting of these events,” the police force said.
2. Meta to penalise AI-generated content
Meta has announced plans to roll out labels for AI-generated content across Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, claiming that it has been working with industry partners on technical standards for the practice. Labels should be applied by the user to their content, and if not applied, the company said that penalties may be applied. “If we determine that digitally created or altered image, video or audio content creates a particularly high risk of materially deceiving the public on a matter of importance, we may add a more prominent label if appropriate, so people have more information and context.”
3. Bluesky welcomes all, RIP Twitter
Bluesky, the Jack Dorsey-led Twitter competitor launched as an invitation-only platform in its early days, has now opened the doors up – meaning it’s time to get off Twitter. As reported by Bloomberg, users will no longer need an invitation code to get access to the platform. The social media platform now claims to have three million users. The platform’s ‘Federation’ protocol is also launching in late February, meaning users will soon be able to use Bluesky’s tools to make their own communities, with their own rules on content and algorithms.
4. Taylor Swift doesn’t want you to know how much she flies
Via The Verge, attorneys for Taylor Swift have issued a cease and desist to Jack Sweeney, ordering him to stop recording the pop star’s flight routes on social media. The attorneys allege that the accounts that Sweeney uses to track celebrity flight history, not just limited to Swift, could cause “direct and irreparable harm, as well as emotional and physical distress.” Sweeney told The Verge: “I think it’s important to note that no where do I intend for harm. I actually think Swift has some good songs. I believe in transparency and public information.” The information that Sweeney shares is already available through the Federal Aviation Administration, though Sweeney has made access to this information easier through social media.
5. I’m getting over of writing this
DocuSign has announced that it’s restructuring its workforce, and that 6 per cent of its current employees (about 400 people) will be made redundant. The news comes a day after it was reported that two private equity firms were vying to buy Docusign, with talks halting due to pricing disagreements. How fun.
BONUS ITEM: I am obsessed.
Babe, are you ok? You barely touched your The Matrix Reloaded overdesigned yet stylish cell phone with a spring-loaded speaker, released as a real life movie tie-in model SPH-N270 by Samsung. pic.twitter.com/cNwzPv4gZh
— Arvy (@Arvydas_B) February 4, 2024
Have a lovely day.
Image: iStock