Uber Is In The News (For The Wrong Reasons), Facebook Is In The News (For The Right Reasons) And More On This Week's CTRL ALT Delete Segment On CHOM 97.7 FM
Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 5 to 10 minutes every week – about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on iHeart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more of me blathering away about what’s going on in the digital world. I’m really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up on listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.
This week we discussed:
Uber is back in the media for all of the wrong reasons. The New York Times is reporting that Uber has a technology called Greyball, that would warn drivers if the potential user was tagged as law enforcement or city regulators and – in kind – the potential law enforcement officers/regulators would be served up a fake version of the app, populated with ghost cars to evade being caught. Uber used this technology, primarily, in cities where their service was being resisted/banned. According to the article, this is still going on.
Can artificial intelligence save a life? Facebook is using AI to prevent suicides. Using a combination of pattern recognition, live chat support from suicide prevention organizations and other tools, Facebook will (primarily) be using this in their live video streaming service. It will be showing people resources and allowing others to report someone attempting to take their life. Facebook will also be using AI for recognition of posts that include thoughts of suicide, etc…
Is YouTube your next cable provider? Last week, YouTube launched YouTube TV. For $35 per month, users will get CBS, Fox, ABC, NBC, ESPN, Fox Sports Networks, and more. Perhaps even more interesting is that there are no contracts, so you can cancel whenever you want. YouTube also has a virtual DVR service with unlimited storage, but shows will automatically delete after nine months. YouTube TV will launch in a few months in the US. No word on when/if Canada will get it.