New logo, same Facebook, Netflix doesn’t want you to share, and a feel-good campaign to help Google Assistant better understand people with speech impairments.
Facebook may have a new logo, but the social media giant hasn’t seemed to change. From Reddit, the company has admitted that dozens of third-party apps may have retained access to certain Facebook user data for months – despite the company moving to place limits on that information. Facebook says that as many as 100 app developers could have accessed information like names and profile pictures, through a programming interface for Facebook groups. The company cracked down on what information third party apps could collect from its users after the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018 – but the restrictions don’t seem to be working.
Next from LinkedIn is an update on the ongoing “streaming war”. Video streaming companies big and small have formed an anti-piracy industry group that aims to reduce unauthorized access to content, with password security and sharing being cited as the chief issue. In the wake of new streaming platforms like Disney Plus and Apple TV hitting the market, industry leader Netflix has already declared it is examining how to curtail password sharing among family and friends. But given the immense backlash record labels generated in the Napster era if you’re old enough for that, it’s an interesting tactic to see these companies team up to go after one of the best parts of the streaming model in search for more revenue.
And last but not least from Twitter is a feel-good initiative that was launched this week in Canada. We all know the struggles of being misunderstood by Siri, Alexa, and other voice assistants – but anyone with speech impediments know this better than anyone. That’s why the Canadian Down Syndrome Society started a campaign this week to help Google improve its voice-recognition technology. The program encourages people living with Down Syndrome to record phrases online as part of Project Understood to train the tech giant’s technology to better understand those with speech impairments. The society has partnered with Google for the campaign, which launched its own Project Euphonia last year to improve their voice-recognition systems for people with speech difficulties linked to diseases like ALS.
