Tech Brew Ride Home - Wed. 12/01 – Twitter Bans “Private” Sharing

Episode Date: December 1, 2021

Twitter bans “private” sharing, but there’s some confusion about what that actually means. A big executive departure throws more doubt on Meta’s crypto ambitions. There’s a new Snapdragon flagship chip and I’ve got the specs. And we get some raw data to answer the question: are foldable phones actually a thing or not? Sponsors: BoxOfAwesome.com, code techmeme for 20% off your first box FirstRepublic.com Links: Twitter bans sharing 'private' images and videos without consent (Engadget) Meta’s David Marcus, Creator of Embattled Diem Project, to Leave Company (Bloomberg) Quest v35 Update To Add iPhone Mixed Reality Capture, Messenger Calling (UploadVR) China to Close Loophole Used by Tech Firms for Foreign IPOs (Bloomberg) Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip is here to power the Android flagships of 2022 (The Verge) Q3’21 Was a Record Quarter for Foldable Smartphones, Samsung Enjoys a 93% Share per DSCC Report (DSCC) Dorsey’s Twitter Departure Hints at Tech Moguls’ Restlessness (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 4th, 2023, around 2 in the morning, a man was found stabbed multiple times on a sidewalk in downtown San Francisco. Hey, who did this to you? What happened next turned the story into a political firestorm. Reports have identified the victim as Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App. From Bloomberg Podcasts, this is Foundering, the Killing of Bob Lee, beginning April 16. Welcome to the Tech meme right home for Wednesday, December 1st, 2021. I'm Brian McCullough today. Twitter bans private sharing, but there's some confusion about what that actually means. A big executive departure throws more doubt on meta's crypto ambitions.

There's a new Snapdragon flagship chip, and I've got the specs. And we get some raw data to answer the question, are foldable phones actually a thing or not? Here's what you miss today in the world of tech. Twitter is banning the sharing of private images and videos without consent, with exceptions, made for newsworthiness, public figures, and the like, but Twitter will remove content that users report as violating this new rule, quoting Engadgett. The Twitter safety team wrote in a blog post that although anyone can be impacted by private media being shared, it, quote, can have a disproportionate effect on women, activists, dissidents, and members of minority communities, end

quote. If someone reports a photo or video that violates the policy, Twitter will remove the media and take action based on its enforcement options. Those include downranking the visibility of the tweet in replies and search results or telling the person who posted it to delete the tweet. Twitter also has the right to permanently suspend users who violate the policy. There are some exceptions to the policy. It doesn't cover private media of public figures or others if a photo or video and the text in the tweet, quote, are shared in the public interest or add value to public discourse, end quote. In other words, if it's newsworthy, Twitter may allow the media to remain on the platform. The company will consider factors such as whether the images

are available elsewhere, such as on TV, or in newspapers. That said, if the goal of sharing private photos or videos of public figures, quote, or individuals who are part of public conversations, is to harass, intimidate, or use fear to silence them, Twitter might remove the media. The abusive behavior and non-consensual nudity, i.e. revenge porn, policies still apply. Twitter has long banned sharing private information about other people, such as addresses, phone numbers, ID, or financial information. In other words, doxing someone. It also doesn't allow users to intimidate others by threatening to release such details. The company says it will start enforcing the private image rule today and that the new measure is part of its work to bring

its safety policies in line with human rights standards, end quote. Yes, but, as several folks have said on Twitter, doesn't this feel vague enough and broad enough as to be maybe somewhat ridiculous? Like, I am all for introducing things to speedbump trolls and cut down on harassment, but quoting Nate Iger Smith on Twitter, theoretically, this is great, but how do you enforce this? This seems like the easiest tool for trolls to abuse. It's like DMCA takedowns, where they act first and people get their content. taken down for no reason, and it takes weeks slash months to fight it, end quote. As I said last night on Twitter, this news makes me careen back to my previously held position

that we might not ever see a meaningful crypto project from Meta in the end. David Marcus, the co-creator of Diem and head of Novi, will leave Meta at the end of 2021. Current Novi VP of Product Stephanie Casreal will lead Novi after that. quoting Bloomberg. Marcus, who joined the Facebook parent company in 2014 from PayPal, ran the messenger service for years before moving over to form the company's blockchain division in 2018. He spent the last few years building Novi, the company's digital wallet that launched in October, and co-founded DM, a digital currency formerly known as Libra, that was intended as a way for people to send money cross-border. Getting DM off the ground has proven to be a

struggle for Meta and Marcus, since the project was unveiled in 2019, with great fanfare and dozens of partners, the currency's debut has been delayed, and its original ambitions have been scaled back. DM faced pushback from lawmakers and regulators when it was announced, and while Meta is still a partner on the effort, DM is now run independently. Marcus's departure adds more uncertainty to Meta's digital payment push, but the long-time entrepreneur and angel investor says, he has an itch to create something outside the company, end quote. To which I would say, if Marcus does something in either crypto or the Metaverse space, be prepared for the largest seed or series A round in history, and also quoting Cecilia Kang,

in case you're having trouble keeping up with this news, quote, Head of Novi, formerly known as Libra, leaving Meta, formerly known as Facebook, end quote. Speaking of Meta, Oculus is rolling out version 35 of its OS, adding Messenger calling in VR, a new cloud backup system, and most interesting, I think, a mixed reality camera feature that requires an iPhone 10S or above to use. To use for what? Quoting upload VR. Mix Reality Capture refers to recording a VR player with an iPhone's camera and having the capture present them within their given VR app. So you could film someone playing Beat Sabre, for example, but rather than them swinging their arms in their living room, the end result would see them in the level of the game holding their

two sabers. You'll need a green screen for this feature to work, of course. The feature isn't to be confused with live overlay, which arrived in Quest version 29, and let users cast their VR view to an iPhone that also overlays them playing in the real world on top of that feed. Currently, mixed reality support is limited to a handful of apps, including Beatsaber, pistol whip, synth writers, and Super Hot. Also arriving with V-35 is Messenger calling, likely allowing you to use your quest as a web call device, just as you would, a smartphone or PC and support for cloud backup. Finally, Zuckerberg also confirmed there would be new customization options for Horizon workrooms in the coming weeks, end quote. No mention made of any possible

Android compatibility at this time. Follow up to a story that was big news earlier in the fall, I suppose. Bloomberg is reporting that China plans to ban companies, Chinese companies, from going public on non-Chinese marketplaces through variable interest entities, thereby closing a loophole used by its tech companies up until this point to offer their shares to largely Western investors. The ban intended in part to address concerns over data security is among changes included in a new draft of China's overseas listing rules that may be finalized as soon as this month, said the people asking not to be identified discussing private information. companies using the so-called VIE structure would still be allowed to pursue initial public offerings in Hong Kong, subject to regulatory approval, the people said.

Companies currently listed in the U.S. in Hong Kong that use VIs would need to make adjustments so their ownership structures are more transparent in regulatory reviews, especially in sectors off limits for foreign investment, the people said. It's unclear if that would mean a revamp of shareholders or, more drastically, a delisting of the most sensitive firms, moves that could revive fears of a decoupleasing. of a decoupling between China and the U.S. in areas like technology. Details of the proposed ruling are still being discussed and could change. While a universal ban on the VIE structure isn't being contemplated, a halt on foreign listings and additional review for Hong Kong IPOs would mean the model will no longer be a viable way for many startups to tap capital markets. Some investment banks have already been advised by regulators to stop work on new deals

involving VISE, a person familiar with the matter said. the demise of the Vi-Rout would further threaten a lucrative line of business for Wall Street banks, which have helped almost 300 Chinese firms raise about $82 billion through first-time share sales in the U.S. over the past decade, end quote. Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, a new chip with improved camera and AI processing, and up to 20% better performance and 30% better power efficiency over the Snapdragon 888. Quoting the Verge. The successor to last year, Snapdragon 8888,

the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 1 is the first chip set to bear Qualcomm's new naming scheme, which the company had previously teased last week, ditching the triple-digit numbering system

that Qualcomm has previously used for new generation-based monikers. Let's start with the hard specs. As expected, the Snapdragon 8-Gen 1 is the first chip from Qualcomm to use the latest ARM v-9 architecture from Arm, specifically the new 8-core cryo-cri-cule CPU will feature a single prime core based on the Cortex 2 at 3.0 gigahertz, along with three

performance cores based on Cortex A710 at 2.5 gigahertz and a quartet of efficiency cores based on the cortex A510 design at 1.8 gigahertz. Additionally, the new chip jumps to a four nanometer process from the five nanometer process on which the Snapdragon 888 was built. All told Qualcomm promises that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 will offer up to 20% better performance and up to 30% more power efficiency over last year's model. Meanwhile, the new Adrino GPU, much like the Gen 1's cryo CPU Qualcomm didn't give a specific number for the updated hardware here, promises to offer 30% faster graphics rendering in addition to 25% better power efficiency compared to the Snapdragon 888. It'll also offer a new GPU control panel for fine-tuning how games are running on your

phone. Making its debut on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is Qualcomm's Snapdragon X-65 modem, which promises a whole suite of 5G features and first, as Qualcomm's fourth-generation 5G modem, it builds on the existing MMWave and sub-6 gigahertz compatibility

that came before, adding support for up to 10 GBS speeds, and the latest 3GPP release 16 specification. As is always the case, you almost certainly won't actually see that kind of speed in the real world. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 also supports Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth LE Audio, a first for Qualcomm, and the company's Snapdragon sound technology for enabling AptX lossless wireless audio.

As is traditional for Qualcomm's top-tier processor, the company is putting a big emphasis on its beefed-up camera capabilities, which the company is bundling together for the first time under a new Snapdragon site brand. While the Spectra ISP is once again a triple-ISP system, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 upgrades things to an 18-bit system up from 14 bits on the 888. That translates to 4,096 times more camera data and up to four additional stops of dynamic range for a very bright or very dark scenario. The triple ISP or image signal processor also allows for things like shooting 24012 megapixel photos in a single second or simultaneously shooting in 8K with HDR while snapping 64 megapixel stills, thanks to an increased 3.2 gigapixel per second throughput.

Qualcomm is also offering more high-end camera features out of the box, including support for shooting in 8K video with HDR-10 plus and shooting in 18-bit raw, assuming your phone has the camera hardware to actually pull it off, end quote. And this is something that I've been wondering about. Are foldable phones, after all this time, actually a thing? Have they penetrated the marketplace in any meaningful way? I feel like I used to have my finger on the pulse of smartphone uptake by riding the subway every day, twice a day, but I don't do that quite as often anymore.

Subways still aren't quite as crowded as they were. Well, according to a new report from display supply chain, foldable smartphone shipments reached a record 2.6 million units in Q3, up 480% year over year, with Samsung accounting for 93% of shipments followed by Huawei at 6%. quote. Q3 2021 was a record quarter for foldable smartphone shipments as expected, given the successful launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3, as revealed in DSCC's latest quarterly foldable, rollable display, shipment, and technology report. How strong was the quarter? Q321 foldable smartphone shipments were larger than the previous four quarters combined and grew 215% quarter over quarter and 480% year over year to 2.6 million phones. Samsung accounted for a 93% share of foldable smartphone shipments with Huawei number two at 6%.

Samsung's August release of its improved foldables, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3, at more attractive prices, along with strong promotional efforts and attractive trade-ins ensured the unprecedented growth of the foldable market. Furthermore, additional growth is expected in Q4, 2021 when the products are available for full quarter, according to DSCC co-founder and CEO Ross Young, end quote. According to DSCC's new report, Q4 2021 will also be a record for foldable smartphone shipments, which are expected to rise another 47% quarter over quarter and over 450% year-over year to 3.8 million units. Samsung's share is expected to reach 95% in Q4 on its big marketing push,

boosting awareness and improving affordability of the rapidly emerging category. The Z-flip 3 is expected to remain dominant in Q4 with a 58% share, followed by the Z Fold 3, rising to 36%, and the mate X2-4G at 4%, end quote. Finally today, Kevin Ruse takes a look at Jack Dorsey's departure from Twitter. I mean, on the one hand, this is probably just a generational turnover thing, right? Like basically Mark Zuckerberg is the only founder of a tech giant slash tech platform, at least of the modern variety that is still in the CEO chair. But also, Rousse argues that Dorsey joins other tech founders,

who seem to have grown tired of managing their platforms amid increasing political controversy and hard-to-fix problems. Basically, it's no fun anymore. I mean, note that Jack didn't step down from square, quote, today running a giant social media company is, by the looks of it, pretty miserable. Sure, you're rich and famous, but you spend your days managing a bloated bureaucracy and getting blamed for the downfall of society. Instead of disrupting and innovating, you sit in boring meetings and fly to Washington so politicians can yell at you. The cool kids no longer want to work for you. They're busy flipping NFTs and building defy apps in Web3, and regulators are breathing down your neck. Silicon Valley Tech is the old guard. Distributed crypto is the frontier, Neval Ravacant,

another crypto booster and an early Twitter investor tweeted this month. Square, which builds mobile payment systems, has always been the most natural outlet for Mr. Dorsey's crypto dreams, but he has tried to incorporate some of Bitcoin's principles into Twitter. The company added Bitcoin tipping and started a decentralization project called Blue Sky last year with the goal of creating an open protocol that would allow outside developers to build Twitter-like social networks with different rules and features from the main Twitter app. Mr. Agrawal, who is taking over for Mr. Dorsey at Twitter, has been closely involved with these initiatives, meaning they probably won't disappear when Mr. Dorsey does. One cynical interpretation of what's happening with Mr.

Dorsey and his peers is that they're simply trying to evade responsibility, shooting themselves into space and fooling around in crypto while other people clean up the messes they made at their old jobs. Still, there's something to be said for knowing when to pass the torch. And after he has seen what it's like to wind up in the center of power, it's hard to fault Mr. Dorsey for wanting to decentralize the internet, starting with himself, end quote. Twitter space tonight, the usual time, 9 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Pacific. Not sure of the topic yet, but I actually think it might be about video games in some capacity, but also talking about Jack and Twitter, I'm sure.

Oh, and congrats to our friend Jane Mention Wong for being included in this year's 30 under 30 list, well-deserved. And one more, one more thing. I think Spotify is sending out that year-end Shopify-wrapped thing, the notifications of what you've listened to the most over the year. If you get this podcast as your most listened to podcast of the year, tweet it out with the hashtag Spotify Rapt. Rapt. Rapt as in Rapped like a present.

Try to screenshot it. Like, I think it tells you how many episodes you've listened to, and for how many hours I'd be interested to see that. So tag me at Brian MCC. Talk to you tomorrow.