Episode Transcript
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0:00
In her new book, Attack From
0:02
Within, former Us Attorney and Msnbc
0:04
Legal analyst Barber Mcquaid breaks down
0:06
the ways disinformation works. Mcquaid explains
0:08
why America is particularly vulnerable to
0:10
disinformation, how authoritarian to use this
0:12
information to seize power throughout history,
0:14
and she offer solutions to counter
0:16
this information. In this election year,
0:18
Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny
0:21
says this book is a necessary
0:23
call to the ethical commitment to
0:25
truth that all democracies require. Published
0:27
by Seven Stories, Press Attack From
0:29
Within is available. Now wherever books are
0:31
sold. Out I had
0:33
a big moment over the weekend was at. I
0:35
wore my Apple this and pro on an
0:38
airplane for the first time. Oh My. God.
0:40
Well yeah, you do appear to have any
0:42
visible injuries on, just doesn't look like you're
0:45
at it. As
0:47
I did aca ah well a a wig
0:49
great so I I i I pull it
0:51
out I put it on I connected the
0:53
the wife i just like join stern told
0:55
us last week it was possible to do
0:57
and I watch. Suits.
1:00
In. Like I max read, a full size.
1:02
Like the window that I am at. yeah,
1:04
I'm watching suits and is as big as
1:07
the freakin' Playing at. Meghan Markle has never
1:09
been larger is exactly. But I ran into
1:11
a dilemma which was you know how you
1:13
can turn the dial for immersion? Yeah, so
1:15
you can either turn it so that you
1:18
can see everything around you? Yeah, and you
1:20
just have this kind of floating window with
1:22
suits playing or you can turn the dial
1:24
all the way to the other side which
1:26
case you don't see anything around you and
1:28
your just you can pick your background. I
1:31
was on the surface of Mars
1:33
so this. Wasn't
1:35
the case for like wanting to see what's
1:37
around you. So here we go. So I
1:39
immersed myself. I'm on the surface of Mars
1:41
and watching suits. It works great except I
1:43
miss the drink cart. Ah,
1:46
Now I don't see the drink car coming by and
1:48
I miss my drink. Not so great. Be as
1:50
a flight attendant. could have just tap you on the
1:52
shoulder and said you a drink but instead they made
1:54
the right choices either through that. If I wanted to
1:57
let light of that. You. Get his oh damn
1:59
drink. So this is the. Lemme A Flying in the
2:01
vision pro I learned about. This is not actually
2:03
a dilemma issue if he wanted to write
2:05
a lunatic needs with reality of my friends have
2:07
much choice is yours. I'm
2:14
Kevin or is attack homes within your time. Passes
2:22
the House of Representatives, witness said
2:24
we were asked the same middleton
2:26
actually know how to photoshop and
2:28
finally with your side mail droids.
2:31
That's when investigation and. Maybe.
2:51
Or Casey. This week we have to
2:53
talk about what is happening with Tic
2:55
Toc because it has been a very
2:57
big week for that app and I
2:59
would say for social media in general.
3:01
Yeah, there had been a lot of
3:03
moves over the years to maybe ban
3:05
six talk, but what we have seen
3:07
this week is the most serious of
3:09
those moves that we've seen so far.
3:11
On Wednesday of this week the Us
3:13
House of Representatives voted to pass something
3:15
called the Protecting Americans From for an
3:17
Adversary Controlled Applications Act or papa ah
3:19
as A Citizen. So this bill. Passed
3:21
the House of Representatives on Wednesday with
3:24
a vote of three hundred and fifty
3:26
two to sixty five. So pretty overwhelming
3:28
bipartisan support for the spill season. It's
3:30
a bill that would essentially require By
3:32
Dance, the Chinese conglomerate that owns Tic
3:35
Tac to sell it. So Casey, let's
3:37
talk about what the still means and
3:39
how we got here and what the
3:41
implications are. But first, let's just. Say.
3:44
Like what's in the bill, so do
3:46
things. One epic insight into law: It
3:48
requires by Dance to sell tic toc
3:50
within a hundred and eighty days. And
3:52
two, if by chance to use is
3:55
not to do that, The Bill creates
3:57
a process that would ultimately let the
3:59
President decide. Whether the app should be
4:01
banned on national security grounds, right? So
4:03
basically, if you have tic tac on
4:05
your phone and this bill passes a
4:07
hundred and eighty days from when it
4:09
passes, your app will not be able
4:11
to get updates anymore and it will
4:13
be available in the app. Source loses.
4:15
So let us remind each other how
4:17
we got here because this is not
4:19
a new topic As you remember, Donald
4:21
Trump when he was the President tried
4:23
to ban tic toc are for sale
4:25
of tic toc. That came close to
4:27
happening but then sort of fell apart
4:29
in. The late stages of that process
4:32
of their been other attempts to ban
4:34
Tic Toc Montana actually passed a law
4:36
banning Tic Toc it within the state
4:38
that was overturned by a court. So
4:41
this has been a long process and
4:43
a lot of different organizations and lobbying
4:45
groups have been pushing for a Tick
4:48
tock banned for years. But why you
4:50
think this is coming to had now?
4:52
Well, in a way, there have been
4:55
a series of events that brought us
4:57
to this moment over the past year.
4:59
Tic. Toc was banned on federal devices.
5:01
A number of states moved to say
5:04
that hey if you are a state
5:06
employee we're going to sort of were
5:08
net. Take this thing off of your
5:10
thoughts are behind the scenes. By Dance
5:12
was having a bunch of conversations. They
5:14
tried to implement this program called project
5:17
Texas which would start a silo Americans
5:19
data. You end up as a create
5:21
a bunch of assurances essentially that to
5:23
talk or.be used for evil here in
5:25
the United States and all of those
5:27
things just fell on deaf ears and.
5:30
I think as we have begun to approach
5:32
or election here in the United States, kevin
5:34
lawmakers are increasingly concerned about what's happening in.
5:36
One thing we learned is that the binding
5:38
ministration with really wants to ban said talks
5:41
give a classified briefing to members of Congress.
5:43
recently. It's in which they made the can.
5:45
We don't know exactly what was said it
5:47
as briefings, but whatever it is, ah, seem
5:49
to really motivate a lot of members of
5:52
Congress to gather. see how? the upper? yeah,
5:54
the that's a good point. That Project Texas
5:56
thing that we've talked about on the show
5:58
before was not successful. Herms of convincing
6:00
Americans and American law makers that tic
6:03
Toc was no longer a potential threat
6:05
to national security am I also remember
6:07
you went down to a tick tock
6:10
Transparency Center has I wish they were
6:12
sort of giving tours of to various
6:14
reporters and lawmakers and skeptics to try
6:17
to say look we are we are
6:19
being transparent We are. Yeah, we're letting
6:21
people see our algorithm so they can
6:24
see there's no serve nefarious chinese are
6:26
in us plot to see propaganda in
6:28
there and that ultimately. Did not appear
6:30
to be convincing them a people either. Yeah,
6:33
I mean, a put Tic Toc in this
6:35
position of having to continuously prove a negative,
6:37
which is that it had never been used
6:39
to do anything bad and never would and
6:41
it's just really hard to do. that's yeah.
6:43
And I think for a lot of people
6:46
including me that the assumption was that there
6:48
would be this tension over Tic Toc, but
6:50
ultimately nothing would happen. But.
6:52
Now it appears there is this real
6:54
bipartisan effort that may actually succeed, and
6:56
the question of why is this happening
6:59
now is really interesting and I think
7:01
it has a lot to do frankly
7:03
with something that we haven't talked about
7:05
much on this show, which is the
7:08
conflict in Israel and Gaza, which has
7:10
brought new attention to Tick Tock in
7:12
part because there's a answer coalition of
7:14
people in Washington who believe that tic
7:16
toc is being used to turn American
7:19
public opinion against Israel and there's been
7:21
some viral analysis. That showed that pro
7:23
Palestinian videos on Tic Toc were dramatically
7:26
outperforming Pro Israel videos and the Wall
7:28
Street Journal Reports said this was a
7:30
big issue that caught the attention of
7:32
lawmakers on both sides of the aisle
7:35
who said this app is a problem.
7:37
It is basically you know, helping to
7:39
brainwash American youth into you know, not
7:42
supporting Israel, which I think is dubious
7:44
for all kinds of reasons, but that
7:46
does appear to benefactor. Yeah, you know
7:48
around this time there was a tool
7:51
that advertisers could. Use to track
7:53
the performance of various hash tags
7:55
and some researchers used it to
7:57
see that videos with pro Palestine
7:59
Hostile. Appeared at times to be
8:01
getting more than sixty times more views and
8:03
videos with pro Israel hashtags. We don't know
8:06
why, and there's not really any evidence that
8:08
Tic Toc was putting it's storm on the
8:10
scale, but that research really seems like it's
8:12
scandalize. Congress has once again drew attention to
8:14
the fact that if someone a tick tock
8:16
were by dance with the Chinese Communist Party's
8:18
did want to put their thumb on the
8:21
scale, there was absolutely nothing to stop them.
8:23
And this has been the core problem that
8:25
said talk as ads from the starts, which
8:27
is that even if it does nothing wrong,
8:29
there. Is always the potential that the
8:31
Chinese Communist Party could force them to
8:34
break Cillizza What the process from here.
8:36
So the first thing that is needed
8:38
to turn this bill puff aka into
8:40
law is that it needs to pass
8:42
the house. That is happens Now the
8:45
next step is it needs to be
8:47
introduced to and passed by the Senate.
8:49
Do think that's likely to happen to?
8:51
Well, actually maybe not. There's been some
8:53
reporting in the Washington Post this week
8:56
that Sen. Rand Paul has come out
8:58
and said that he does not. Intend
9:00
to support this bill. He thinks that
9:02
Americans should be free to use whatever
9:04
social media apps they want to and
9:06
he just as nazis the need for
9:08
this app to be bay and us.
9:11
I would also say that sucks. Schumer,
9:13
who is the Senate Majority leader and
9:15
a democrat, seems pretty wobbly on this
9:17
one as well. He has not committed
9:19
to bringing this thanks to a floor
9:21
vote. and I believe your title lobbyists
9:23
are on Capitol Hill and they'll tell
9:25
you that Chuck Schumer is a Big
9:27
Reasons that and a lot of tackles.
9:29
Don't get some ass because he's I
9:31
just sort of doesn't believe that they
9:33
need to be regulated it much at
9:36
all Silks. Because of those two reasons
9:38
and the fact that there is still
9:40
no companion bill in the Senate this
9:42
habit I think this one does have
9:44
long odds. had a bit, but will
9:46
you six? I think it's a passer
9:48
center. I think the I I've been
9:50
surprised at V or of bipartisan support.
9:52
We've seen a few lawmakers come out
9:54
vocally in defense of tic toc release
9:56
in opposition to forcing it to be
9:59
sold, but the. The already of Congress
10:01
people has signaled that they would support this
10:03
if it is pass by the senate. He
10:05
would then moved to President Biden who would
10:07
need to sign it's the White House has
10:09
indicated that he would and. From.
10:12
There then the bill would need to sort
10:14
of survive legal challenges. With spite Dance has
10:16
signaled it will mount. If this bill is
10:19
passed, they will try to stop this in
10:21
court so the bill would need to overcome
10:23
that challenge. But if it does say all
10:26
of that happens and is bill is passed
10:28
and holds up in courts it would give
10:30
by Dance about six months to undertake a
10:32
sale of a massive tech product that it
10:35
really doesn't wanna sell. Yeah, and when you
10:37
talk to the folks at Bite the and
10:39
they will say it's that. Make no mistake.
10:41
this. Is not about assailed. This is
10:44
a de facto bay and have to
10:46
talk in the United States and I
10:48
believe the reason that they are saying
10:50
that is that the Chinese government has
10:53
given indications that it will not allow
10:55
By Dance to divest. Tic Toc and
10:57
so By Dance will effectively have no
10:59
choice but tube stop offering the Up
11:01
and United States. Yeah, so Tic Toc
11:04
has obviously not taken this news of
11:06
this bill lying down. They have mounted
11:08
and aggressive lobbying campaign in Washington. They
11:10
have a huge lobbying team. There that
11:13
is presumably fanning out over Capitol Hill
11:15
trying to convince lawmakers to drop their
11:17
support for the spill. They also have
11:19
started mobilizing users. So this week Tic
11:22
Toc sent a push notification too many
11:24
many of It's United States users that
11:26
urged them to call their representatives and
11:29
called this law a quote. Total ban
11:31
on Tic talks with is not totally
11:33
true. It doesn't fancy target Us forces
11:35
by the have to sell it or
11:38
but the company wrote in this notification
11:40
that this bill would quotes damage. Millions
11:42
of businesses destroy the livelihoods of
11:45
creators across the country and deny
11:47
artists and audience. And did you
11:49
get this notifications? I did not
11:51
because I do not enabled sick
11:53
Hugs has said push notifications because
11:55
like every other Ap exams too
11:57
many right? So this was shown
12:00
to users who open their and
12:02
it did apparently result in a
12:04
flood of calls to congressional representatives
12:06
in their offices. Or one Congressmen
12:08
Florida's Neil Done at told the
12:10
Bbc that. His office had
12:13
received more than nine hundred calls
12:15
from Tic Talkers, many of which
12:17
were vulnerable school aged children and
12:19
some of whose extreme rhetoric had
12:21
to be flagged for security reasons.
12:26
With I don't I don't understand
12:28
where they like threatening the congress
12:30
person if I were banned going
12:32
to assume that Yes, they were
12:34
absolutely frightening the congressperson. So a
12:36
flood of kids contacting their their
12:38
representatives to complain about this bill.
12:41
What? Do you think about the
12:43
strategy? Well ah, we have seen
12:45
it used effectively before Goober would
12:47
do this and cities were that
12:50
were threatening to ban uber. they
12:52
would sort of show information in
12:54
the app saying hey, you know
12:56
what is yes, call your your
12:58
representative here. We've seen near Facebook
13:00
and Google put banners and the
13:02
op's talking about issues of concern
13:04
desire that neutrality and other things
13:06
mrs always been pretty non controversial
13:08
actually and it is demonstrated that
13:10
these apps do. Have really dedicated user
13:13
base of they wanna keep using these
13:15
apps And so I was laughing this
13:17
week's Kevin when Congress was just so
13:19
outraged at the fact that some of
13:21
their to their constituents called them to
13:23
express an opinion about a bill that
13:25
was have them for herself right? I
13:27
do think it was an interesting strategy
13:29
in part because one of the charges
13:31
that. Tic. Toc and by dancer trying
13:33
to dodge is this idea that they could
13:36
be used as like you know sir secret
13:38
tools of political influence and with one of
13:40
the way they were are responding to this
13:42
is by becoming and a non secret tool
13:45
of political influence like literally trying to like
13:47
influence the political process in the united with
13:49
these push notifications. But that aside I do
13:51
think this is a playbook we've seen before
13:54
from other companies are that are being challenge
13:56
despite new regulation as a game is is
13:58
the message from Congress. Don't want to
14:00
hear from their constituents about this. Is it
14:03
like only call as if you're a registered
14:05
lobbyist? like is that what they're telling
14:07
us? That kind of such. yeah I kind
14:09
of sucks but it all. it also
14:11
is the case of these like bees these
14:14
Congress these congressional offices are not set
14:16
up to handle the volume of of incoming
14:18
calls. Gyres I don't you try getting
14:20
nine hundred calls from angry T Y Y
14:22
you like it. Whilst with Ufos exist
14:24
in office of the progress of of have
14:26
lots of illicit constituent beanbag like a
14:28
what like your door- Order that the front
14:31
door that the message that was a getting through
14:33
auditors the a minor and I think they said
14:35
they should be able to isabella texture congress person
14:37
because in between a did they text us so
14:39
often when they're fundraisers rarely get elected I think
14:41
it would be it would be turnabout. As Fairplay
14:43
I grew that's. So. Another.
14:45
Wrinkle in this Tic Toc story is what
14:47
has been happening with Donald Trump. Because Donald
14:50
Trump obviously no fan of Tic Toc under
14:52
his administration tried to force the have to
14:54
be sold much like the by the ministry
14:56
son has done this time around. but you
14:58
flip flopped he does. He did a tick
15:01
tock flip flop and he now says that
15:03
he does not support are banning Tic Toc
15:05
in the U S. He told Cnbc on
15:07
Monday that quote there's a lot of good
15:10
and a lot of bad with Tic Toc
15:12
and he also said that if Tic Tac
15:14
were banned. It would make Facebook bigger
15:16
and that he considers Facebook to be
15:19
an enemy of the people. So they
15:21
see why Donald Trump now are changing
15:23
a student. Tic tacs? Well look, you
15:25
know you're always on shaky ground when
15:28
you try to project herself into the
15:30
mind of Donald Trump. But we know
15:32
a couple of things. One this is
15:34
that there is this billionaire with the
15:37
incredible name. Observe. Yeah, yeah, Yeah
15:40
as is a very risk
15:42
person and big donor who.
15:45
Recently befriended Trump's and yeah, says company
15:47
owns a fifteen percent stake and by
15:49
dance he and he ah we believe
15:51
has been lobbying front by the seeds
15:53
be and the thought they are. The
15:55
suspicion there is that there is some
15:57
sort of quid pro quo as a
15:59
cake you leave tic toc alone. I'm
16:01
going to be a big backer to
16:03
your campaign at a time when he
16:05
desperately need money. Yes, a Donald Trump
16:07
has officially gotten yeah, Sulfide. Rice's
16:10
a story about that yeah, suffocation
16:12
of Donald Trump assume So another
16:15
factor here is it: A lot
16:17
of people in Down From Camp,
16:19
including Kelly and Conway, his former
16:21
adviser, have been lobbying him in
16:23
Tic Tacs defense. The Washington Post
16:26
also reported recently that part of
16:28
Donald Trump's antipathy toward Face. Book
16:30
in particular has been fueled by watching
16:32
a documentary about how Mark Zuckerberg donations
16:34
to serve election integrity causes in twenties
16:36
when he helped fuel his defeat. According
16:38
to Wash and Post Down from Watch
16:40
this documentary about Mark Zuckerberg political donations
16:42
got very mad about it and as
16:44
ever since been as opposed to Facebook
16:46
and any grounds obviously banning Tic Toc
16:48
in the U S or one of
16:50
the main beneficiaries of that would be
16:52
Facebook and Matter because they have competing
16:54
for for video apps like Instagram. Real
16:56
yeah and we we should say them
16:58
the money Zuckerberg donated was to support
17:00
basic elections infrastructure so that people could
17:02
vote. These are not partisan donations. this
17:04
was on his and selects local elected
17:07
offices to make sure that the election
17:09
could just sort of runs smoothly and
17:11
because the Republicans lost it it's infuriated
17:13
them ever since. It is a huge
17:15
talking points on the right is that
17:17
Mark Zuckerberg as an enemy of the
17:19
people because he supported people being able
17:21
to vote self. Just want to say
17:23
that real quick Snell When I will
17:25
also say though cabin is that Trump
17:27
is right that one of the two
17:29
primary beneficiaries of such a ban is
17:31
Matt Us and we've spent a long
17:33
time now in this country worrying that
17:35
Matter is too big and too powerful
17:37
and it's would absolutely make Mother bigger
17:39
and more powerful and the other one
17:41
presumably as is you to wrangle and
17:43
you to beauty of already the most
17:45
used app among young people in the
17:47
United States. And if you take away
17:49
tix hawks you could you better believe
17:51
us of the average time they spend
17:53
on you tube is about to go
17:55
up so. One question that I have for you
17:58
that I'd i don't know the answer to his his. We
18:00
know if Mehta and Google, which owns
18:02
You Tube, are doing any kind of
18:04
lobbying around the spill. I remember several
18:07
years ago there were stories about how
18:09
many had hired a joke he lobbying
18:11
firm called targeted Victories basically to try
18:13
to convince lawmakers. the tick tock was
18:15
a unique danger to American teams. What
18:18
are Tic Tacs rivals doing this time
18:20
around? So I I don't have any
18:22
specific knowledge of what they're doing in
18:24
this case, but for the exact reason
18:27
that you just mentioned, I do assume
18:29
that their lobbyists. Are in the ears
18:31
of lawmakers saying hey this is the time
18:33
to get rid of this Thanks! This thing
18:35
is dangerous Met It is always scheming to
18:37
eliminate it's rivals whenever they can see. This
18:39
is a really juicy opportunity. Why why else
18:41
would you pay the lobbyists that they pay
18:44
it's you weren't telling them to go hard
18:46
after this rates. So let's talk about be
18:48
that are core argument here that tic toc
18:50
needs to be banned or sold because it
18:52
is a threat to national security and maybe
18:54
it is a good way to do this
18:56
would be for. Us just to
18:59
outline like what is the best possible
19:01
case for banning Tic Toc and then
19:03
we'll talk about the case against it.
19:05
but like let's let's like really try
19:07
to steal man the the worries that
19:09
people have hear. What? Is
19:11
the best possible argument you can imagine
19:13
for banning tic tacs. I would say
19:15
predicts what is essentially a fairness argument.
19:17
China does not allow us social networks
19:19
to operate their even though we allow
19:22
their social networks to operate. See Earth
19:24
and I think that there is a
19:26
question of essentially fair play rights. China
19:28
gets this rug were if they wanted.
19:30
they could push pro China narratives using
19:33
these big apps that they have built
19:35
in the United States. The United States
19:37
is not have the same opportunity inside
19:39
China, so that's one. Thing I would
19:41
say it's the second thing is that
19:44
I think that of the data privacy
19:46
argument is real. We have had Emily
19:48
Baker White on this show Bite Dance
19:51
use data about her tits talk accounts
19:53
to surveil her and other journalists because
19:55
they were worried about what she was
19:57
reporting on about their companies. Said. Question
20:00
of could buy dance use Americans data
20:02
against them If thought abstract, it's already
20:04
happened. The company's hands are not leads.
20:06
How many Americans you want that to
20:08
happen to until you take action. So
20:11
those are two things that I would
20:13
say What: What? What are using whatever
20:15
reasons might what you might want to
20:17
be a by dance. Well one argument
20:19
is just that we already have laws
20:21
in this country that restrict the foreign
20:23
ownership of important media properties like a
20:26
Chinese. Companies would not automatically be allowed
20:28
to by Cnn or Fox News tomorrow.
20:30
If they wanted to, they would have
20:32
to basically go through an approval process
20:34
with the Se seats because our laws
20:36
limit be foreign ownership of those kinds
20:38
of broadcast networks. Rupert Murdoch in fact
20:41
basically had to become an American citizen
20:43
before he could buy Fox News because
20:45
that was the law on the book
20:47
fan and the Lawn the books now.
20:49
So in some cases it is frames
20:51
that. We. Would allow a Chinese
20:54
company company owned by an adversary of
20:56
the United States to own a very
20:58
important broadcast medium in the United States.
21:00
We don't allow it on Tv. Why
21:03
would we allowed on smartphones? So that's
21:05
one argument there. Another argument for banning
21:07
Chicago is essentially that the existence of
21:10
an app that is so popular with
21:12
Americans that is. Controlled by
21:14
an adversary of the U S is
21:16
not that already has, and gazing has
21:18
sneaky attempts to sway American public opinion,
21:20
but just that it could. We've now
21:22
seen just this week that when Tic
21:24
Toc wants, you can try to get
21:26
a bunch of American young people to
21:28
call their Congress people. That is a
21:30
political influence campaign. It's one. The Tic
21:32
Toc itself was behind. And.
21:34
You have to think like, what could
21:37
Tic Toc do in the upcoming election?
21:39
What would it do in the case
21:41
of a war between China and the
21:43
Us? If it can mobilize American citizens
21:45
to oppose a tick tock bands, Consider
21:47
what it could do if for example,
21:49
China invaded Taiwan. What it could do
21:52
if there was a war between you
21:54
know, Chinese backs of state and the
21:56
United States, or it's allies. There's.
21:59
So many ways. The Ap this powerful
22:01
in the hands of an adversary could be
22:03
a danger to us interests. and so in
22:05
a while I do think that some of
22:07
the more extreme arguments for banning tic toc
22:09
on national security grounds am don't really register
22:11
with me. For me, it's more of like
22:13
our well, what could happen in the future
22:15
How could this thing be used in a
22:17
way that that resists American interests well at
22:20
the same time Come in. There are reasons
22:22
why I say it would be bad to
22:24
ban sucked out and we suck bothers. Yeah,
22:26
so what are the what are the most
22:28
convincing reasons not to Been sick, talkative, To
22:30
oppose the bill. So one big reason
22:32
is that you're not addressing the root
22:35
of the problem here. We don't have
22:37
data privacy laws in this country. If
22:39
you're worried that your data might be
22:41
misused by Ted Talks, I guarantee you
22:43
there are a lot of other companies
22:45
that are actively miss using your data
22:48
and profiting from it. In for a
22:50
fact, we're going to talk about that
22:52
leader in this very show rates Silks.
22:54
This is. He goes far beyond sick
22:56
talks and I'm continually surprise that Americans
22:58
aren't more upset about. All the ways
23:01
of their data is being misused today.
23:03
and my worry is that when we
23:05
ban sick talks, Congress will say, essentially
23:07
wash their hands of the issue even
23:09
though Americans are gonna continue to be
23:11
harmed actively by things that at least
23:14
when it comes a tick tock are
23:16
still mostly theoretical vs. the other argument
23:18
against this bill that I've sound compelling
23:20
I'm is one that organizations like the
23:22
A C L U and the Electronic
23:24
Frontier Foundation have been making. Both of
23:27
those groups oppose this bill in part
23:29
because they say. That what's happening on
23:31
Tic Toc his First Amendment protected speech
23:33
and that essentially by banning this app
23:35
because you don't like what's being shown
23:38
to people on it's you are not
23:40
just punishing a foreign government, you are
23:42
also punishing millions of Americans were engaging
23:44
in constitutionally protected speech on this apps.
23:46
And moreover, these order this and say
23:49
this just gives a blueprint and a
23:51
playbook and a vote of support to
23:53
any authoritarian government around the world who
23:55
wants to censor their own citizens speech
23:58
on social media. If you are you
24:00
a dictator and in some country and
24:02
you don't like what people are sharing
24:04
on an app, you can now point
24:06
to this bill and say look, the
24:09
U S is banning social media apps
24:11
because it deems them a threat to
24:13
national security and we are going to
24:15
ban an app that we don't like
24:18
as well. Yeah, and I think that
24:20
that concern is particularly pointed given that
24:22
it really does seem like a big
24:24
factor motivating Congress here is that the
24:26
content on said talk is to pro
24:29
Palestinian for them. That really does
24:31
seem to be one of the big
24:33
reasons why does Bill game so much
24:35
momentum so quickly is something about specific
24:37
political speech Self's I do think the
24:39
courts will weigh in there. I think
24:42
there's one other saying that is worth
24:44
saying about why. I think banning Tic
24:46
Toc could be bad, which is that
24:48
it takes the other biggest platforms in
24:50
his country and it makes them bigger
24:52
and richer and more powerful. Rights Self
24:55
matter he and Google and You Tube
24:57
are as the other platforms were all
24:59
sorts of. Video is being uploaded every
25:01
day. That is where more video it
25:03
is being consumed in saran. Had more
25:05
downloads than said taught last year. You
25:07
Tube is the most used app among
25:10
young people in the United States. and
25:12
when you get rid upset, talk and
25:14
out that has one hundred seventy million
25:16
users are months. they are all just
25:18
one to go. Spend more time on
25:20
you Tube, more time on Instagram and
25:22
other met a property so it's gonna
25:24
be hugely beneficial to those companies. I
25:27
before that since talks controversy came along.
25:29
Cabbage people, you. And me spend most of
25:31
our time worrying that matter and google were
25:33
too rich and too powerful. So this is
25:35
just something that worsens that problem even more.
25:37
Total. And we know that this is not
25:39
hypothetical. Ah, as a result, because. To.
25:42
Talk has actually been banned before in India
25:44
of it was banned in India in Twenty
25:46
Twenty and we saw that what happened after
25:48
the Tic Toc band went into effect of
25:51
there were some like little home grown serve
25:53
in the In app that pops up to
25:55
serve taps or some of the audience but
25:57
the vast vast majority of users. Just
26:00
started using Instagram real and you Tube instead.
26:02
those companies got bigger in India because Tic
26:04
Toc was bands and I think it's fair
26:06
to assume that the same thing would happen
26:09
here and for all kinds of reasons. You
26:11
might not want that to happen if you're
26:13
regulator. Yeah, so we'll look, We'll see what
26:15
happens here. I do think that this bill
26:17
still has a long road ahead event, you
26:19
know, look at. We have never pass attack
26:22
regulations in this country since the big tech
26:24
last began in twenty seventeen. So if this
26:26
happens, it would truly be silly to unprecedented
26:28
in the modern. Era Us but at the same
26:30
time, that house bill. Move faster. The basically
26:32
you know anything we've seen during that time
26:35
when it seems regulating big tax and so
26:37
this is something we should keep our eyes
26:39
on. Bread cookies, the weighing all of these
26:41
arguments for and against banning tic Toc like
26:43
where'd you. Come. Out of this,
26:45
what is your preferred outcome here I
26:47
have to say and it makes me
26:49
uncomfortable the say, but I do sort
26:51
of lean on the side of the
26:54
banning. It really is. Yeah, I you
26:56
know again that fairness thing bothers me.
26:58
The fact that we can't have us
27:00
social networks in China, but they can
27:02
of social networks year. There's just like
27:04
kind of an imbalance there. We have
27:06
rules in this country around media ownership
27:08
by foreign entities Would you describe for
27:10
us? I don't understand why you would
27:13
have those rules for broadcast. That were
27:15
of sense newspapers that arguably don't even
27:17
matter anymore and not have them for the
27:19
internet where maybe the majority of political discourse
27:21
takes place. Now Silks, this is feels like
27:24
a moment where we need to update or
27:26
threat models up the our understanding of how
27:28
the media works and say hates it does?
27:30
It actually makes sense for their to be
27:33
something like this in the United States. Am
27:35
I say that knowing that if Congress follow
27:37
through we are going to get rid of
27:40
a lot of protected political speech? We are
27:42
going to make matter and you to bigger.
27:44
And more powerful in ways that make me totally
27:46
uncomfortable. So I hate be options that I have
27:49
the earth But if you were to make me
27:51
pick one of pride the one I would pick
27:53
where have O W E as I I think
27:55
my preferred outcome here would be that by dance
27:57
cells to talk to an American company to. You
28:00
know, Microsoft or Liberal, an Oracle and
28:02
Walmart. We're going to team up to
28:04
bid on Tic Toc his back during
28:06
the Trump days. I like something like
28:08
that I think would actually a swathe
28:10
a lot of my fears about Tic
28:12
Toc as a sort of covert your
28:15
propaganda app for the Chinese government's I
28:17
was the same time allowing it to
28:19
continue to exist. If that doesn't happen,
28:21
I think I'm with you. I think
28:23
I. I am more and more persuaded
28:25
that are banning Tic Toc would be
28:27
a good idea in part because of
28:29
the reaction. That we've seen from By
28:31
Dance and Tic Toc just over the
28:33
past few weeks. As this bill has
28:35
made it's way through Congress, we have
28:38
not seen them eat of engaging in
28:40
good faith. We've seen them sort of
28:42
exaggerating, calling this a total ban, and
28:44
we also seen pushback from by deaths
28:46
and and presumably from the Chinese government
28:48
to which indicates to me that they
28:51
do view Tic Toc as a strategic
28:53
asset in the United States and that
28:55
they do not want to give that
28:57
up. So for all those reasons. I
29:00
am. I was skeptical of a tick tock
29:02
ban and now I think I could get
29:04
paid who well sounds like in the meantime
29:06
then if they're need sick talks the love
29:09
my want to go and save with him.
29:15
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The retired Miss America? Nice. If you
30:04
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30:06
unfold like when a movies for radio.
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31:01
Y times.com/audio Lab. So.
31:03
Today we have to talk about the biggest
31:05
story on the internet this week which is
31:07
what is happening. With. Kate Middleton
31:10
are also known as the Princess of
31:12
Wales specific wait what is happening with
31:14
her photograph that she posted as many
31:16
questions that has raised about the seeds
31:19
of our share. Reality is so lessons
31:21
give a view. Not been keeping up
31:23
with this story. Let's just give a
31:25
basic timeline of what's been happening and
31:28
truly everyone has been keeping up with
31:30
the story. So make it snappy. Russo
31:32
gets So basically. About. Two
31:34
months ago, on January seventeenth, Kensington
31:36
Palace released a statement notifying the
31:39
public for the first time that.
31:41
Princess. Catherine had gone into
31:43
the hospital for planned abdominal surgery and
31:45
Princess Catherine is Kate Middleton because one
31:48
set of prints as you get a
31:50
bunch of new name spread. Technically it's
31:52
her Royal highness The Princess of Wales.
31:55
Was admitted to the hospital yesterday for planned
31:57
a doddle surgery. The statement comes as a.
32:00
Cries to people who watch the royal
32:02
Family No one said anything about her
32:04
having a.little surgery she had great abs
32:06
is as add the royal family's pretty
32:09
withholding about personal details of people sort
32:11
of role with it's then. A
32:13
couple days later we get the start
32:15
of the conspiratorial talk and a Spanish
32:17
journalist. The concept Calais ha ha who
32:20
as or have written a lot about
32:22
the Royal family over the years is
32:24
also something of a conspiracy theorist Herself
32:26
I wrote a book the suggested that
32:28
Michael Jackson had been murdered To give
32:30
you a sense of sort of where
32:32
this person falls on the truth versus
32:34
fiction spectrum exactly the not exactly Walter
32:37
Cronkite, but this report is widely talked
32:39
about. I see reports that Kate Middleton
32:41
was actually admitted to the hospital several
32:43
weeks. Before Kensington Palace said she was
32:45
and that she wasn't doing very well
32:47
about a week later, the same Spanish
32:50
certainly suggests that actually the Princess of
32:52
Wales is in a medically induced coma.
32:55
Following. This report a spokesperson for
32:57
Kensington Palace response basically saying this is
32:59
all total nonsense. I'm from what I
33:02
understand, this is quite rare that a
33:04
royal family spokesperson will comment on what
33:06
are essentially internet rumors, so the fact
33:09
that even they deny that said may
33:11
be raised some suspicions read. So then
33:13
following this denial from Kensington Palace, their
33:16
bunch of seemingly small things that are
33:18
kind of like tip people more into
33:20
the land of conspiracy theories and Prince
33:23
William pulled out of a planned memorial
33:25
service. That he was going to go to
33:27
at the last minutes are claiming that it
33:29
was a personal matter. Then a few weeks
33:32
later on March fourth, paparazzi take some greenie
33:34
photos of the Princess of Wales with her
33:36
mom are driving in a car and people
33:38
immediately start to think like this isn't Kate
33:41
Middleton. This is this a body double? This
33:43
is. You know, the people come up with
33:45
all kinds of theories about why this is
33:47
not actually the Princess of Wales? This is
33:49
someone pretending to be the Princess of Wales.
33:52
What has happened? The Princess a well as
33:54
successors. This this was essentially stage for the
33:56
benefit of the paparazzi, Exactly. And then ah,
33:58
just a couple days. Go! We got
34:00
the biggest turn of events in a
34:03
saga so far, which was that on
34:05
Sunday I was his Mother's Day in
34:07
the Uk which side note, I didn't
34:09
know they had a different Mothers Day
34:11
than we have here, well as his.
34:13
They have a different where they called
34:15
the Mumps Surf so on Mother's Day
34:18
Kensington Palace for least a photo of
34:20
Princess Catherine with her kids and it
34:22
was signed with a C which is
34:24
when Princess Catherine does with all of
34:26
her social media posts and this photo
34:28
was presumably intended to. Sort of dispel
34:30
these rumors and say, look here, she is
34:33
looking happy with all of her kids surrounding
34:35
us. Instead, this totally backfires because people start
34:37
pointing out that this photo has been pretty
34:40
obviously manipulated. I mean, the forensic analysis that
34:42
was immediately apply to this, for I truly
34:44
do not remember anything like it. And on
34:46
one hand, yes, it's obvious that people are
34:49
going to be pouring over this photo for
34:51
any signs of strange things. But man, people
34:53
do this. And a hearse. Yeah, dig up
34:55
the full read or treatment of his photo.
34:58
Did people notice that big? The kids. Hands
35:00
were sort of oddly position there were
35:02
some like you clearly the editing done
35:05
on one of the daughters sleeves am
35:07
Princess Khadr with not wearing any of
35:09
her wedding rings and there was one
35:12
window pane that looked kind of blurred
35:14
over the zipper that was Missile Line.
35:16
And following this uproar about this photo,
35:18
the Major A Photo wires that distribute
35:21
photos to the news media from Kensington
35:23
Palace issued what is known as a
35:25
kill order kill that they killed it.
35:28
This is like the equivalent of. Lose
35:30
the all in the old newspaper days when
35:32
you realize you're about to make a mistake
35:34
and so you run down to the printing
35:37
presses that you would say stop The Presses
35:39
rights. This does does not happen all that
35:41
often. Cabinet We see when a kill order?
35:43
Yes. So basically a kill order something that
35:45
you know daddy or the A P or
35:47
another news agency can like issue. And to
35:50
people who might use their photos sing, Do
35:52
Not Use This Photo Anymore Or in this
35:54
case these agency said this. It appears that
35:56
the photo has been manipulated and so we
35:58
do not think you should use it anymore
36:01
and this rarely happens. Me that it was.
36:03
a reporter for The Verge looked into this
36:05
and and reported that I have somewhat of
36:07
a wire service. Told her they could count
36:09
on one hand the number of kill orders
36:12
are the issue in an entire year. so
36:14
this is a big deal it it. So
36:16
shortly after this kill order came out, Kensington
36:18
Palace release another statements this one supposedly from
36:20
K as well also signed with a C
36:23
Quotes: Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally
36:25
experiment with editing. I wanted to express my
36:27
apologies for any confusion. The family photograph we
36:29
shared yesterday. Cause I hope everyone
36:31
celebrating had a very happy
36:33
Mother's Day! See. So
36:36
they also didn't release any other photos or
36:38
give the unedited version of the manipulated photo.
36:40
And so this statement. It did not do
36:42
a good job of of placating either. The
36:44
critics who believe that something more is going
36:46
on Now this is a real raised more
36:48
questions than answers moment because you know, if
36:50
she wanted to see, might have said at
36:52
least one or two things about how was
36:54
he edited the photo right or like if
36:56
there was any particular thing he says oh
36:58
you know, like might my daughter sweater didn't
37:00
look quite right and so I want to
37:02
see if I could fix that. You know,
37:04
obviously what. Make that mistake. A guess that was
37:06
not what happened. You read this was not a simple
37:08
case of sort of and taking out some red eye
37:10
or may be using the blur tool to cover up
37:13
like as it on your face or something like that
37:15
right? are trying to smooth out your skin or make
37:17
you look younger like you know you would. I want
37:19
to your photos. So
37:22
we should say tits are close the loop
37:24
on the saga of V the Princess of
37:26
Wales. Their lot of theories going around out
37:29
there on social media about what has happened
37:31
to the Princess of Wales and what's the
37:33
most irresponsible was. On
37:36
the one that I've seen guys rather
37:38
I think of the funniest with someone
37:40
actually compared us the the timeline of
37:42
her disappearance with the production schedule for
37:44
the Mast Singer of. Feel
37:47
the same Have been hiding because these are
37:49
the math singer I don't think that is
37:52
our probably daughter. was that the real answer
37:54
here? Who are so rich by these? None
37:56
of our business Where the Princess of Wales
37:58
is either. The payer funded position
38:01
over there, right? So like arguably there is
38:03
some public interest in you know, how is
38:05
the Princess Wells doing? Surprised that agencies none
38:07
of our business as the host of it
38:09
as up with a nightmare organisms Exactly. Yes,
38:11
exactly. And we fought a war to not
38:13
have to care about the whereabouts of the
38:15
royal family. I would say we fought a
38:17
war. It's only care about them when it
38:19
was interesting. Okay, you don't I mean so
38:21
if you may be wondering, why are we
38:23
talking about this isn't just like this and
38:25
spurious gossip about the royal family. Is this
38:27
really attack Stories and Casey what his answer
38:29
to that. Well, let your rights
38:31
have been dead. Generally speaking, that when
38:33
is the last time that a member
38:36
of the royal family was seen in
38:38
public is not typically something that we're
38:40
interested in. But there were so many
38:43
weird things about this photo that it
38:45
actually did wind up squarely in our
38:47
zone. Because what? What do we often
38:49
talk about here? We talk about media
38:52
being manipulated, We talk about our shared
38:54
sense of reality. How do we separates
38:56
truth from big sense? And all of
38:58
a sudden it's. A very frivolous worried
39:01
had raised. why would say rak to some
39:03
pretty important questions yet? So the first thing
39:05
that people surmise from this was that this
39:07
may have been a I manipulation in some
39:09
way because it is twenty twenty four and
39:12
a lot of a I image manipulation is
39:14
going on. Admittedly very funny to think that
39:16
the palace was like as we need to
39:18
put out of a photo of K and
39:20
sort of went into Chat Cbt and was
39:22
like Zola the Princess of Wales and her
39:25
family smiling for a mother's day photo right?
39:27
So he does not actually appear that this
39:29
was due to. A I have you to
39:31
obviously I ever generators and have you to
39:33
well documented problem. Sometimes they put extra fingers
39:36
on your hand sometimes they make your eyes
39:38
zone for your hands on your fingers is
39:40
it affects do But it seems pretty clear
39:42
this point that this was not a eyes
39:44
are in fact people of it's have been
39:47
examining be met a data of this image
39:49
and have concluded that it was shot and
39:51
a ten and five the mark for camera
39:53
and that it was edited on a photo
39:56
shop for Mac. So does this is like
39:58
not a gendered of a eyes. Though
40:00
it appears but this actually is a really
40:02
important piece of met a day that kevin
40:04
it because somebody that has happened over the
40:07
past several years is that the question what
40:09
is a photograph has gotten very complicated. Our
40:11
friends over at the Verge can talk about
40:13
this a lot because when you take a
40:16
photo with your smartphone it's taking many many
40:18
images at once and then it is creating
40:20
a composite out of them and so any
40:23
him as that you're seeing your your phone's
40:25
camera all these days they're good chances that
40:27
it's not actually what the camera sauce it
40:29
is. A bit of a generative A
40:32
I experience that you're getting now with
40:34
every single photos. So if the melody
40:36
the had come back about that Kate
40:38
Middleton photo, Thanks! This was sort of
40:40
I phone fifteenth. In some ways this
40:42
would be a more complicated question. Yes
40:44
is not just that people can now
40:46
easily edit photos on their smartphones. is
40:49
that the actual cameras that are built
40:51
into the smartphones often these days have
40:53
a I manipulation built into them. So
40:55
one example is the new Google Pixel
40:57
phone has a feature called Best Take
40:59
Were. Basically, it's takes a bunch of photos
41:02
say you're posing for a photo with your
41:04
family and in one milliseconds when one photo
41:06
was taken, someone is blinking and the next
41:08
milliseconds someone elses blinking or someone not smile.
41:11
it's you can essentially have a take a
41:13
bunch of photos and pick out the best
41:15
version of each person's face and kind of
41:17
smurfs that all into one composite image and
41:20
that all happens without the user sort of
41:22
having to do anything pro active. That's just
41:24
like the basic camera on the phone does
41:27
that. We also know that there's this whole
41:29
field of what. Was called computational photography
41:31
which is basically building algorithms and a
41:33
ice into the way that cameras actually
41:35
capture images. So for example, on the
41:37
I phone if you use portrait mode,
41:39
that portrait mode is using a eyes
41:42
to do things like segmentation. To say
41:44
this is part of the background space
41:46
to be blurry. it's this is part
41:48
of the the subject of the photo
41:50
that's to be crisp and clear and
41:52
that is essentially a form of a
41:54
I would appeal. He said that is
41:56
taking place inside the I phone camera
41:59
itself. Yeah, all. This is just to
42:01
say that there actually is a lot of
42:03
Ai manipulation going on these days in every
42:05
photo that you're taking with your I phone.
42:07
and of course we think of this is
42:09
generally benign because this is not inventing children
42:11
that you don't have. It's not usually putting
42:13
a smile on your face if there was
42:15
that one there. Although if your eyes were
42:17
closed, it will open your eyes for you,
42:19
right? So I just think that's good to
42:21
keep in mind as we move into this
42:23
new era us is that the images that
42:25
we're seeing these are not the polaroids that
42:28
we were taking an elementary school my friends.
42:30
Yes I would say be biggest angle that
42:32
got me interested in the story is what
42:34
it means for kind of beats what people
42:36
are calling the post truth landscape right? We've
42:39
had lots of people writing or their takes
42:41
on this as we talking about how this
42:43
is sort of these be canary in the
42:45
coal mine for this new era of sir
42:48
post truth reality making that we have entered
42:50
into Charlie Wars. L had a good piece
42:52
in the Atlantic this week where he writes
42:55
quotes. For years researchers and journalists have warned
42:57
that the pigs and centered of Ai tools
42:59
me destroy. Any remaining shreds of share realities
43:01
the Royal Portrait debacle illustrates of this era
43:03
isn't forthcoming. Were living in it's so easy.
43:06
Do think this or tens anything different about
43:08
art, social media, landscape or the way that
43:10
we sort of make or determine what's true
43:12
in this new era? I think it's definitely
43:15
a step down that road. But at the
43:17
same time I think that if the this
43:19
of worse comes to pass, will actually look
43:21
back and we will be nostalgic for this
43:24
moment Happens because this was a case where
43:26
we could just look at the photo with
43:28
our own eyes and know with. Total
43:30
certainty that the image had been doctored to
43:32
the point that the palace had to come
43:35
out relatively soon afterwards as that yeah, you're
43:37
caught us. Our expectation I think is that
43:39
within a couple of years the Palace my
43:41
people to come up with a totally convincing
43:43
image of the princess with her children. As
43:46
you know, people who study a maybe we'll
43:48
be able to determine. Okay, yeah, this was
43:50
created with generative air tools, but maybe they'll
43:52
say we actually can't say one way or
43:55
another. That is the truly scary moment. But
43:57
is this a step on the road together?
43:59
Absolutely. The at me for me. The
44:01
one thing that surprised me as just
44:03
how quickly people jumped to skepticism when
44:05
the photo was really. it feels like
44:07
sort of in the span of like
44:09
ten years we've gone from pics or
44:11
it didn't happen to like picks and
44:14
and I'm in a study the pics
44:16
to tell you I didn't happen. It's
44:18
like like that the mere existence of
44:20
photographic evidence is not enough to assuage
44:22
people's concerns about something being real or
44:24
fake or not of in. in fact,
44:26
in this case, putting this photo out
44:28
just fueled the speculation more. absolutely. Now one
44:30
I think funny subplot your capital. I wonder if
44:32
you have an opinion on this and it is.
44:34
Does it? The Princess of Wales use photo shop
44:37
Like some people saw the statement and said that's
44:39
absolutely ridiculous If you're the princess of well there's
44:41
no way you're gonna sit down and learn how
44:43
to use for us us I've been sort of
44:46
see it from the reversal. you're cooped up in
44:48
that palace all day. Yeah you're ladies and waiting
44:50
taking care of most of the household affairs. Maybe
44:52
you should of Beauty Few pictures of the kids
44:54
that is our I don't like the way that
44:57
my daughter's in a sweater looks. I miss the
44:59
if I could. Play that ourselves. In a
45:01
way. I find totally plausible that the Princess
45:03
would learn how to use photoshop for fun.
45:05
Where you think he I think if you'd
45:07
told me that like he noted that the
45:09
decaying ah who's who's who's elderly it's yeah
45:12
King Charles was was using photo shop. I
45:14
would have said i that any disease more
45:16
proof of that the Us but you know
45:18
female then she's. In. Her forties see
45:20
the mom mom looked at it for their
45:22
kids. you know, have I edited a photo
45:24
of my kid ever to like, you know,
45:26
remove some mass some pride from his certain
45:29
yeah, you know, I'm guilty or it. So
45:31
this is sort of a coin flip. We
45:33
think whether Cade males who knows how to
45:35
use photoshop yeah, I got for Yet I
45:37
can also see reasons for skepticism. Another argument
45:40
that I thought was interesting that wanted to
45:42
talk to about today is something that Ryan
45:44
Roderick wrote about in his newsletter Garbage Day.
45:46
I'm in a post that was titled misinformation
45:48
is fun precisely. Saying look we now you
45:50
know this happens all the time something comes
45:52
out, people get upset or nervous about the
45:54
accused of being fake. We get all these
45:56
expert researchers and reporters sort of coming out
45:58
of fact sec. if actually this is fake
46:01
who doesn't troops but it's basic thing is
46:03
like look. People. Are missing that.
46:05
This stuff is fun. It's fun to
46:07
speculate. It's fun to spread rumors. It's
46:09
fun to try to connect the dots
46:11
on some complicated conspiracy theories. Yeah, this
46:13
is a piece that people miss when
46:15
they write about conspiracy theories as both
46:17
you and I have done over the
46:19
years. Yeah, and it's important because all
46:22
these platforms that seek out often for
46:24
good reasons. I think To wants to
46:26
eliminate misinformation, are fighting an uphill battle.
46:28
And the uphill battle is their users
46:30
love that stuff. Their users want to
46:32
spend time on their platforms arguing. Incessantly
46:34
about the fate of Kate Middleton. Refresh
46:36
rate and as you think that the
46:39
platforms have a responsibility, I'm in this
46:41
case. This was not a platform story.
46:43
This this photo was disseminated. I guess
46:45
it was the some it was put
46:47
on Instagram and and maybe other social
46:49
media networks but it was really the
46:51
photo wires and the be photo agencies
46:54
stepping in an issue with kill or
46:56
the really turn this the volume up
46:58
on the story considerably. So what do
47:00
you think the says about some who
47:02
is responsible? Fourth Date: Keeping. Here and
47:04
telling whether of and images taken off well the
47:06
the the photo wires here are a great example
47:09
of an institution that does still have some authority
47:11
and else does still have some at trust and
47:13
and and those are becoming fewer and further between
47:15
and as current role So I'm very grateful that
47:17
we have with folks like that who can come
47:19
in and say oh yeah this is obviously doctor
47:21
to get it that the heck out of their
47:23
up there will probably be examples like in our
47:26
lesson for for for example where that that is
47:28
is not the case and there is no authority
47:30
that can come in and sort of say definitively
47:32
one way or another this was. Doctored are
47:34
not Vs and I just think this
47:36
whole discussion about doctored imagery is going
47:38
to get so much harder as more
47:40
and more cameras to come by default
47:42
Wii Tools installed in them selects. That
47:45
will lead in five years from now.
47:47
Is it even going to be possible
47:49
to take a quote unquote Real Photo
47:51
or is every camera and smartphone on
47:53
the market gonna have some kind of
47:55
a I image processing or or improvement
47:57
built into it? I've actually hired and
47:59
oil. Or just a sort of the
48:01
that my like medicine has. It's the only
48:03
way that I can. Just that's enough that
48:05
I'm seeing has a cabin. I like that.
48:07
Yes, took his. I remember a few years
48:09
ago and I was doing a lot of
48:11
reporting on crypto answer block chain projects. One
48:14
of the things that people would pits to
48:16
me periodically in the space is like here's
48:18
a way to use the block chain to
48:20
keep a kind of and entered a bull
48:22
version of the Met a data to tell
48:24
the provenance of an image so that you
48:26
can have a a record on the block
48:28
chain that says this image is real. It
48:30
was not doctor to manipulate it anyway and
48:32
here's how anyone can go prove it. So
48:34
does this. Scandal. And the
48:37
associated drama make you think that something
48:39
like that is actually necessary. Still,
48:41
look, I don't like solutions that are on
48:44
the block. say. I'm not going to say
48:46
that no one could ever come up with
48:48
a way to do that. that would be
48:50
Sas on episode of A Worthwhile. I don't
48:53
think it's possible to do that today. It's
48:55
but there are initiatives or verify the authenticity
48:57
of images on the internet. so there's something
49:00
called the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity.
49:02
This is a consortium of a bunch of
49:04
tech companies including Adobe's Google, Intel, Microsoft and
49:06
they are trying to come up with some
49:09
kind of standard so that we you can
49:11
embed. In your photo the idea that this
49:13
image was taken with a camera and it
49:15
was not just spat out by an ai
49:17
generator. Now even in a world where that
49:19
exist be worse of the share these photos
49:22
on social media they're still than have endless
49:24
debates. but it does empower gatekeepers, redditors some
49:26
image that for whatever reason is like playing
49:28
a role in an election and a metre
49:30
or he are as a you tube or
49:32
maybe even have a tick tock of that
49:34
still exists a big and look at the
49:37
meditate and say oh yeah this was as
49:39
obviously created with generative a ice. Maybe then
49:41
they're. Able to attach a warning label to
49:43
a maybe than they're able to sack? Check
49:45
it and that's really useful, right? I in
49:47
newspapers other journalistic outlets will be able to
49:50
do the same thing, so it's still a
49:52
little bit tricky. Can you actually come up
49:54
with a melody The standard that isn't easily
49:56
removed from the image of the sub to
49:58
be figured out? Blood. If you want
50:01
to know how do I think we will
50:03
solve this problem is still have some like
50:05
us yet. So lot of people are saying
50:07
like this is it has told them or
50:09
informed of that. We are so headed into
50:11
this post truth dystopias. I actually took a
50:13
different lesson from this. This whole thing has
50:15
served made me more optimistic is A because
50:17
it is so that people actually do care
50:19
what's true. People actually do want the stuff
50:21
that they are relying on. it's in their
50:24
social media feeds. They do actually care whether
50:26
or not it's realistic or that it represents
50:28
realities and they are willing to go to
50:30
extravagant. Length including picking apart pixel by pixel
50:32
photographs of the royal family to determine
50:34
whether what they are looking at is
50:36
real or not. I do with a
50:38
really smart point because I do think
50:40
that there is a kind of defeatism
50:42
that creeps into these discussions ago. we're
50:44
gonna have an info apocalypse and will
50:46
never know what's real anymore, but I
50:48
think what you said is exactly right
50:50
that we have a profound need to
50:52
know what is true and false, and
50:54
people are clearly ready to volunteer a
50:56
significant part of every to figuring out
50:58
what is true or false. At the store
51:01
is important enough. Yeah, I think we should
51:03
like have a sort of a a coalition
51:05
of amateur sleuths with instead of like picking
51:07
apart these photos of maybe that's a good
51:09
use of their time For one week, both
51:12
of these people clearly have time on their
51:14
hands. They clearly have expertise and digital sleuthing.
51:16
Let's put them to work doing something more
51:18
socially beneficial. Absolute and Themselves And Cold Cases.
51:20
Yeah, A lesson from Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew,
51:23
The Hardy Boys Everything and read when I
51:25
was nine. Is Rhonda something. Where
51:29
we. Car
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is snitching on you. It's
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driving me crazy. This
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This. Podcast needs that infusion of cold
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hard cash. Kashmir her Assist Assist
52:32
assist us. Yesterday we're talking with
52:34
my colleague. guess we Hill writes
52:36
about technology and privacy for the
52:38
New York Times. Abs you've got
52:40
a a new story as it.
52:42
it's a bear. This is one
52:44
that really caught people's attention. He
52:46
adds up for good reason because
52:48
the more of this story that
52:50
you read, the higher your blood
52:52
pressure goes. it's to it at.
52:54
This is a story about cars
52:56
and all the data. That cars
52:58
collect about their users and drivers and
53:00
how cars have become kind of a
53:02
privacy nightmare. It's a really good sorry
53:04
it's about somebody. New programs that car
53:07
companies have installed in their cars that
53:09
allow them to remotely collect data and
53:11
then that's a seat that data for
53:13
themselves but actually sell that to places
53:15
like insurance companies which can use it
53:17
to say I Will Case is a
53:19
very bad driver. He breaks seventy two
53:22
times yesterday for some reason so we're
53:24
going to raise as premium payments side
53:26
of being a bad driver. Breaking Physicists
53:28
or whatever other choice is it. Cars are
53:30
now basically smartphones on wheels. Stan Smiths is
53:32
on Wheels is what they are and they
53:34
are being used to keep tabs on the
53:36
people who drive them increasingly and with all
53:39
kinds of consequences for consumers. Get, you truly
53:41
may have been route roped into one of
53:43
these games without even knowing it. And so
53:45
if you have the your car connected to
53:47
the internet it anyway and you have it
53:49
yet read catcher story. I promise you this
53:51
is one you're gonna want to listen to.
53:54
Own tests are looking into the sea. Learned
53:56
about this whole survey. hidden world of shady.
53:58
Data Brokers and Company. That
54:00
are selling your data from your car
54:02
to insurance companies. And today we wanted
54:04
and talks cast about what she found
54:06
out in her reporting it was eating
54:08
says gonna happen next if there's any
54:11
hope for us in this new world
54:13
of connected cars or of we're all
54:15
just destined to be surveilled and soup
54:17
done by the things that we drive
54:19
around. So today we're turning hard fork
54:21
kinda hard fork. This isn't worth a.
54:26
Lot of success of a.
54:41
Hassle. I. Think. It's
54:43
wonderful to be on this award winning part. Of
54:47
a lot to do We we
54:49
did win an award did. You
54:51
guys win the Oscar for best technology
54:53
podcast. With. Early discusses his the I
54:55
Hope Podcast Award the Oscar of
54:57
Podcast who many many people are
55:00
saying it in in that case
55:02
that was Us Vs. Oppenheimer. things
55:04
are still a cast. Let's.
55:06
Talk about the story. Where did you
55:08
decide to write about data collection and
55:10
cars? And wise, So.
55:13
I was spending a lot of
55:15
time travel lurking on online car
55:17
forums like. Forums are people who drive
55:19
corvettes and tomorrow's and. Savvy bullets
55:21
were tied rights and I
55:24
started to see people saying
55:26
that their insurance had gone
55:28
up and. When. They ask
55:30
why they are told the pull their
55:32
Lexis Nexis consumer disclosure file like than
55:34
Isis is as big data broker and
55:36
I have a division called Miss Loose
55:38
Ends that have profiles people's risk and
55:40
when they did that they would get
55:42
these. These. Files from Lexisnexis that
55:45
had hundreds of pages, including every
55:47
trip that these people had taken
55:49
in their cars over the previous
55:51
six months, including how many miles
55:53
they drove. When. The trip started
55:55
when it ended how many times they hit
55:57
the brakes. Too hard. accelerated, rapid,
56:00
The and sped. And
56:02
when they looked at how Lexisnexis had
56:04
gotten the data is had the provider
56:06
with general. Motors who you know the
56:08
company that manufactured the car wreck for
56:10
Your story starts with this anecdote about
56:13
this man named Ken Doll which by
56:15
the a great name and key is
56:17
as sixty five year old as Chevy
56:20
Bolt driver and is like you he
56:22
under Chevy Bolt or yeah I guess
56:24
he drives a least Chevy Bolt and
56:26
his car insurance went up by twenty
56:29
one percent in twenty twenty two and
56:31
he would serve like what the heck
56:33
where my premiums going up I've never
56:36
been in. A responsible for a car
56:38
accident as he goes looking and he
56:40
asked for his like you know Lexis
56:42
Nexis report and gets back a two
56:44
hundred and fifty eight page. Document.
56:48
Detailing basically his entire
56:50
driving history. So. Does
56:53
he then make the conclusion that this is
56:55
why his premiums have gone up? because he's
56:57
a bad driver. Well ah, he
56:59
says he's a very safe driver.
57:02
He. Says as his wife has a little bit
57:04
more aggressive than an. Assessor
57:06
blame like wow, explain parties.
57:09
Band. See also Dices car ah
57:11
and I yeah said that the trips
57:13
that sita ah it's during the weekdays
57:15
he said when he doesn't usually use
57:17
the car had a few more hard
57:19
acceleration hard braids and and yeah it
57:22
looked at him like this is why
57:24
his insurance when up and we. Should.
57:26
Say like just because you accelerate
57:28
hard in a car doesn't necessarily
57:30
mean that you did anything wrong
57:32
rights And if you had to
57:35
break really hard that also might
57:37
not have been your fault. And
57:39
so I think one of the
57:41
things that's infuriating cast reading your
57:43
story is that this data which
57:45
lacks a lot of really important
57:48
contacts is being hoover that often
57:50
without the knowledge of the people
57:52
involved and a being used to
57:54
gouge them on price. But. I
57:56
really was just struck by the way
57:58
that these insurance companies. There are so
58:00
eager to use data that might not actually
58:03
be incriminate. Right? And Lexisnexis said they
58:05
don't actually give the trip data to
58:07
insurance companies. They give a score of
58:09
that. Lexisnexis gives the driver driver score
58:12
based on that data and that that's
58:14
what they're sharing. But interestingly, they didn't
58:16
give Ken Doll his score so he
58:19
doesn't actually noticed. Score is. Evidently such
58:21
a corporate thing as a as like oh
58:23
don't worry, work can be v individual data
58:25
We've created a mysterious, impenetrable black box and
58:28
added that to the insurance companies with you
58:30
know, just trust As As as actually really
58:32
what the other company of. Or. Esque. Ah
58:34
did say we does give all the trip
58:37
data and. To Score! So let's have
58:39
been out. How widespread is this with?
58:41
Cars are sending data about their drivers
58:43
to insurance companies which companies are involved
58:46
in. This league is a serve an
58:48
industrywide practice or is this just like
58:50
Gm and Lexisnexis? Is it pretty? Can
58:52
tell. Is your car has connected services
58:55
like a Here have a Gm car
58:57
and you have on Onstar. ah I'm
58:59
or a Subaru and have on Starlink
59:01
your car is sending data about how
59:03
he he said back to Automatic Thatcher's
59:05
I'm at this point the only ones
59:08
that I know of who are providing
59:10
it to insurance companies are T M
59:12
T. Honda. I
59:14
am day. On. Mitsubishi.
59:18
These. Are companies that on Subaru
59:20
been exception? Subaru says they only
59:22
give odometer data ah to Lexis
59:24
but the other companies all have
59:26
in their apps. Now this this
59:28
driver scoring driver feedback with yeah
59:30
it's called smart Driver and if
59:32
you turn it on they give
59:34
you feedback about your driving Like
59:36
drive slower on, be gentle with
59:39
the accelerator, buckle your seat belt,
59:41
drive. Faster at risk because
59:43
it seems the music get
59:45
out of the carpool lane.
59:49
With Apple, Use your phone. Which has given
59:51
your the sea bass on success
59:53
but. For. People that turn this
59:56
on. It and they may not
59:58
have realized it but they were saying
1:00:00
yes a like a lot of these
1:00:02
programs are actually kind of run by
1:00:04
Sariska or by Lexisnexis. they're the ones
1:00:06
give you the feedback not the automaker
1:00:08
and so York have just sharing it
1:00:10
with found this was not well disclose
1:00:12
nikita Gm. it was no evidence all
1:00:14
from from any the language and a
1:00:16
lot of people said that Smart Driver
1:00:18
was turned on for. Their. Cars and they didn't
1:00:20
turn it on the new node. It was and
1:00:23
it does. He a Gm give
1:00:25
bonuses to sales people at dealerships
1:00:27
who get people to turn on
1:00:29
onstar including smart drivers to. They
1:00:31
may have been enrolled by the
1:00:33
salesmen when they both are car
1:00:35
on but for other people, have
1:00:37
you turn this on? Your.
1:00:39
Sharing your data and when you go out
1:00:41
shopping for a car insurance and you're trying
1:00:43
to get quotes. Lot of insurance
1:00:45
companies will say can we have permission to
1:00:47
get third party reports on you like your
1:00:50
your your credit file and when you say
1:00:52
yes to that. That. Releases.
1:00:55
Oh. That date of the go over to
1:00:57
the insurance company and this is just I I
1:00:59
people did not realize this was happening and ends.
1:01:01
At you know that detail about us
1:01:04
sales people being incentivized to enroll people
1:01:06
often without even fully informing people of
1:01:08
what their and roll? You know my
1:01:10
six is really important because at the
1:01:13
end of the day this products exists
1:01:15
because it is essentially free money for
1:01:17
G M and these other a car
1:01:19
manufacturers. right? Like I think in your
1:01:22
store you say they're making millions of
1:01:24
dollars a year by selling this data
1:01:26
and didn't the is. This. Really anything
1:01:28
more than a cash grab. I'm in
1:01:30
the car company say that this is
1:01:32
about safety that they're china help people
1:01:34
be safer drivers with says like you
1:01:37
know driving coach but you know for
1:01:39
some these people that smoke driver turned
1:01:41
on they didn't even know with on
1:01:43
they're not getting the feedback and you
1:01:45
know as you say ah General Motors
1:01:47
on my understanding is they make and
1:01:49
the low millions of dollars per year
1:01:51
with this program on which they described
1:01:54
the Senator Edward Markey he asked them
1:01:56
are you selling data and they said.
1:01:58
You know, the day that we sell. That we
1:02:00
commercially benefit from his de minimis.
1:02:03
To. Art Twenty Twenty Two Revenue. So
1:02:05
for them it's it's nothing you know
1:02:07
this is. This is. Where it's a
1:02:09
drop in the bucket it is wrong on about
1:02:12
moving their overall but finances and it's not de
1:02:14
minimis for the people who have to pay twenty
1:02:16
percent more on their car insurance all of a
1:02:18
sudden for reasons that they don't even understand mine.
1:02:20
So. This is I think or say
1:02:22
as you know the surveillance capital as
1:02:24
a model is that Google the say
1:02:26
spark that you get something for free
1:02:28
or paying with your data. It's really
1:02:31
spreading to all of these other companies
1:02:33
and the automakers are like more. We're
1:02:35
getting all this data we can monetize
1:02:37
this to ah right now they're not
1:02:39
actually making that much money like low
1:02:41
millions is small and some of the
1:02:43
automakers told me we don't get paid
1:02:46
for sharing the data. We only get
1:02:48
paid when an insurance company buys it.
1:02:50
So. They don't even have a
1:02:53
good business deal unless like this is easy money for
1:02:55
all the day. I like. A. Very something
1:02:57
really damning about saying to the center as
1:02:59
I hate we would even make all that
1:03:01
much money off this. okay what why you
1:03:03
violating the privacy of your entire user base
1:03:06
if you can't even get a good place
1:03:08
for it? Yes one cause I have for
1:03:10
you cast is like so many other uses
1:03:12
our car companies finding for this data are
1:03:14
they just selling it to insurance companies to
1:03:17
raise people's premiums or semi I can imagine
1:03:19
a situation where he go up be a
1:03:21
company might like to know you know which
1:03:23
drivers are driving past their store every day
1:03:25
so they can show. Them you'd have
1:03:27
targeted ads on social media or
1:03:29
how how many buyers are there
1:03:31
for this kind of car? Data.
1:03:34
I. Mean look there's a lot of
1:03:36
information at spoiling our your car and
1:03:38
a lot of potential buyers at this
1:03:40
point. but I mainly have been focusing
1:03:43
on is this insurance thing and when
1:03:45
it comes to the and servants data.
1:03:47
The one thing the other automakers pointed
1:03:49
out is that they're not providing location
1:03:51
details said just when he started the
1:03:54
trap when it ended how far he
1:03:56
drove and it doesn't actually include location
1:03:58
data but that's not. They the companies don't.
1:04:00
Have it there. Just in this case. Not selling
1:04:03
that. While. So you know this
1:04:05
is in some ways like not a new
1:04:07
phenomenon. Insurance premiums are either. Did they vary
1:04:09
based on things like where you live and
1:04:11
how new your car is and like are
1:04:14
you are? You write a young man who
1:04:16
is statistically more likely than someone who's older
1:04:18
to be in an accident? Those kinds of
1:04:20
things are used to change the prices of
1:04:23
insurance premiums all the time. And I guess
1:04:25
from the insurance companies perspective, this is just
1:04:27
one more piece of data that they can
1:04:29
use to make decisions about how much of
1:04:32
a risk someone is out on. The Road
1:04:34
Did you hear any sir? Principal defenses of
1:04:36
this? Was you reporting the story from the
1:04:38
insurance companies are the companies that sell data
1:04:41
to them. Let the automakers really focus
1:04:43
on is that they sat these programs
1:04:45
to help people get discount. I'd sell
1:04:47
like the some of the program like
1:04:49
Honda's for example as the Toronto ever
1:04:51
seen bad and then you have a
1:04:53
good score as the actual Apple can
1:04:55
offer to connect you with some company
1:04:57
his gonna give you a twenty percent
1:04:59
discount. So they're really focusing on were
1:05:01
trying to help our customers and get
1:05:03
them discount. What they're not talking about
1:05:05
is when that data is flowing out
1:05:07
and it's hurting their customers like a
1:05:09
talk the one today like driver silly.
1:05:12
Who lives in Palm Beach, Florida
1:05:14
and in December it was time
1:05:16
for him to get new insurance
1:05:18
and he got rejected by seven
1:05:21
different companies and he was like
1:05:23
why is going on. Like we just
1:05:25
wouldn't sell him his shirts for any night. Hover him
1:05:27
and his auto insurance is about to expire
1:05:30
and he said like what is going on
1:05:32
He orders as Lexisnexis reports and he has
1:05:34
six months or driving data in there and
1:05:36
he says. He says leg work.
1:05:38
I don't consider myself. An aggressive
1:05:40
driver. I'm safe Bet he's like
1:05:43
yeah I like to have fun in my
1:05:45
car and I break the law as his
1:05:47
hand I excel or a like my passengers
1:05:49
head isn't hitting the dashboard or something like
1:05:51
that. But yeah, I know
1:05:53
whether you're doing, don't desire to
1:05:56
live with what I've never. Been
1:05:58
an accident and I couldn't. Get
1:06:00
insurance here to go to a private broker
1:06:02
and ended up paying double what he was
1:06:04
paying before for insurance. so you know it,
1:06:07
it really in that case, Hurt him
1:06:09
a lot. So you know, eight years
1:06:11
where I I guess like him with
1:06:13
you know, maybe same some sort of
1:06:15
sympathy for the idea of doing this
1:06:17
which is like I do want worst
1:06:19
drivers dab higher insurance premiums right? Like
1:06:21
I see. That is how we want
1:06:23
the insurance market to work ethic. If
1:06:25
you're a good driver your insurance to
1:06:27
be lower end of the best way
1:06:29
or know who is a good driver
1:06:31
and who's a bad driver is to
1:06:33
monitor them obsessively blade as what you
1:06:35
have reveals your cash is that once
1:06:38
we implemented. This sort of surveillance systems.
1:06:40
It seem to do what all surveillance
1:06:42
systems do which is needlessly penalize innocent
1:06:44
people's rights. So like we have all
1:06:47
of the downsides of a surveillance system
1:06:49
with really none of the i don't.
1:06:51
Like you want safer roads D C I
1:06:53
get annoyed as aggressive drivers and I thought
1:06:55
of this one law professor from year at
1:06:58
University of Chicago and he said you know,
1:07:00
usage based insurance has what you call that
1:07:02
When you tell an insurance company they can,
1:07:04
they can watch you, they can see you're
1:07:06
driving. He said it works. He. Said
1:07:09
the impact on Cc is enormous and
1:07:11
that people drive better when they know
1:07:13
that they're being monitored and that they're
1:07:15
gonna pay more you know as a
1:07:17
drive ah aggressively or or and safely.
1:07:19
But that's not what was happening here.
1:07:21
people were being secretly mind or it's
1:07:23
and then they're paying more and they
1:07:25
don't know why it's and that is
1:07:27
not gonna make the road. That any safer?
1:07:29
Yeah that that does feel like the stick
1:07:31
is. Part of this to me is like the
1:07:33
disclosure be like if you know in not
1:07:35
I've I've had experiences of in the past couple
1:07:38
years ago. a while I'll go rent a car,
1:07:40
pharma like a work trip or something and. Part.
1:07:43
Of what. I. Know when I'm renting the
1:07:45
car is that the rental car company is tracking
1:07:47
that car and I notice because they tell you
1:07:49
when you sign up and and it's you very
1:07:51
clearly disclose like we will track this car it
1:07:54
You know if it gets stolen or something we
1:07:56
can help you track about that kind of things.
1:07:58
I I know that I'd be. Auditor: While
1:08:00
I'm driving a rental car and so I'd
1:08:02
eat, I do tend to drive a little
1:08:05
bit more conservatively in a rental car. I
1:08:07
can imagine that expanding to lots of other
1:08:09
cars, but. The. People have to
1:08:11
know that they're being monitored in order
1:08:14
to be able to drive safer as
1:08:16
a result of being monitored. Absolutely so
1:08:18
can talk about your reporting a little
1:08:20
bit on this. A huge You started
1:08:22
looking through these car forums. You started
1:08:25
seeing evidence that people were having their
1:08:27
premiums raised as a result of this
1:08:29
surveillance by their cars. When you approach
1:08:31
the the car companies, the data brokers,
1:08:34
the insurance companies. did they try to
1:08:36
deny what was going on where they
1:08:38
pretty open about it Hundred they re.
1:08:41
You know, I thought that I was
1:08:43
expecting denials I was expecting ah that
1:08:45
yeah they would say this this less
1:08:48
than half think that just seems sense
1:08:50
socking to me that they would be
1:08:52
doing this but they he ended up
1:08:55
kind of confirming it that there was
1:08:57
some of these of language about how
1:08:59
it works on one of the big
1:09:02
things as asking different companies as where
1:09:04
do you disclose this is happening and
1:09:06
with Gm the spokeswoman said it's in
1:09:09
the on star privacy policy in the
1:09:11
sec. St. Paul. Which everyone before
1:09:13
they protest it must have
1:09:16
been allowed. Sharing data
1:09:18
with third parties and so I go and
1:09:20
read that sets in and. The. Sex
1:09:22
and Doesn't say anything about Lexis, Nexis or
1:09:24
of Arrest or Telematics which is what you
1:09:26
call this driving Data It says like you
1:09:29
know if they have a business deal with
1:09:31
somebody like Sirius Xm which is the company
1:09:33
they named their Sirius Xm is gonna get
1:09:35
some data from your car and I just
1:09:37
was very soft. The town. Is nothing
1:09:39
more explicit anywhere And. I. Actually, I
1:09:41
told you I have a Chevy Bolt. So.
1:09:44
I went to the my Chevrolet out
1:09:46
by connected my car on to this
1:09:48
third. this the my several apps and
1:09:51
went through. This is the smart driver
1:09:53
and Roman and all it says his
1:09:55
leg get digital bad as they can
1:09:57
get like a to a serious and.
1:10:00
We met hero. Ah. One
1:10:04
of my favorite bands from the last year
1:10:06
and putting that on my linkedin profile. Certified
1:10:08
Bratty. Rising Tips and their cyst?
1:10:10
Absolutely nothing. Ah that would make
1:10:12
you realize that saves you turn
1:10:14
smart driver on. That. General
1:10:17
Motors is gonna start sharing everything about
1:10:19
how I drive my ball. With
1:10:21
Lexis, Nexis, and Forest and whoever else
1:10:23
I didn't find out. About in
1:10:25
my reporting it's initial you like the
1:10:27
splash screen of a panoply cod at
1:10:29
it should say is this the future
1:10:31
you want Just tap jazz to continue
1:10:33
with. Why did I really. Do think
1:10:36
like every company wants this model now
1:10:38
they're just thinking about how can I
1:10:40
get an extra you know revenue stream
1:10:42
through monetizing the data of my customers
1:10:44
on. this is not just Automakers, this.
1:10:46
Is just anything were buying now
1:10:48
that internet connected. And. He
1:10:50
would. It made me think i when
1:10:53
I read your story with tvs because
1:10:55
a very similar you know scenario has
1:10:57
been happening with smart tvs which collect
1:10:59
all kinds of data about what people
1:11:01
watch on them and then they can
1:11:03
sell that beta to advertisers so it
1:11:05
is actually in some cases I I
1:11:07
i bought a new Tv a few
1:11:09
years ago and I went through this
1:11:11
process of a realizing that is actually
1:11:13
cheaper to buy a smart tv that
1:11:15
are non smart tv in many cases
1:11:18
because part of how the the smart
1:11:20
tv makers. Are making money is not
1:11:22
through selling you, the hardware is actually
1:11:24
through capturing the data and selling the
1:11:26
data. So it is sort of. We
1:11:28
do sort of have this this phenomenon
1:11:31
where as hardware any hardware whether it's
1:11:33
a car or a Tv or of
1:11:35
refrigerator or a smart toaster something as
1:11:37
it becomes more connected and more like
1:11:39
you to add a device it's own
1:11:42
rights. The. Data actually in some cases becomes
1:11:44
more valuable than the actual piece of hardware for
1:11:46
Oracle so we to see us all the time
1:11:48
that privacy as as increasingly a luxury good for
1:11:50
rich people to pay for. Ah yeah, I
1:11:52
mean I guess so, but even rich
1:11:54
people I'm in there by expensive cars
1:11:56
in there are still sending a setback
1:11:58
of bell gas. One objection I saw
1:12:00
from drivers like people it and are motors They said
1:12:03
the hey, I paid a ton of money for this
1:12:05
car. If you're gonna sell my date I want to
1:12:07
cut of the hey. Yeah, here's how I
1:12:09
would solve this problem. I think that your
1:12:11
each manufacturer should be allowed to make one card.
1:12:13
The just sort of sense all your data. They're
1:12:15
everywhere in. There's nothing you can do about
1:12:17
you can disrupt shoots so if you buy a
1:12:19
Gm snitch you know that that's what's gonna
1:12:21
happen. Agent costs one
1:12:24
hundred dollars on two hundred dollar car. On the
1:12:26
mark is it was one hundred dollars. A mental
1:12:28
Gm Smith says the has a direct flight to
1:12:30
the police and up or I like sort of
1:12:33
cross over the center divider ads are. Other than
1:12:35
that. Knock. It off the a cast.
1:12:37
What is the response? Been to your story
1:12:39
is a our our our lawmakers outrage or
1:12:41
or driver I'd outrage or drivers sending you
1:12:43
stories about being spied on what is one
1:12:45
of the reactor man. As I'm deathly hearing
1:12:48
from lots of other drivers who are discovering that
1:12:50
they had to some these features turned on they
1:12:52
didn't know it. ah they're turning it off I
1:12:54
did a kind of like news you can use
1:12:57
box at the bombed the story and and said
1:12:59
here's how to figure out assists way a car
1:13:01
ceilings on and one of those with their says
1:13:03
this website called the vehicle privacy report that you
1:13:06
can go to and it'll tell you you put
1:13:08
in your been number and it tells you what
1:13:10
your car's capable of collecting. So the person who
1:13:12
runs outside sudden like I've had tens of thousands
1:13:14
of people come in and do it. Off
1:13:17
of your Story on I included.
1:13:19
The. Linked to Lexis Nexis to
1:13:21
go request or consumer disclosure file. and
1:13:24
not just for auto data. That file
1:13:26
is Crazy. It had me associated. I
1:13:28
mean had tons of pages for me.
1:13:31
Had me associated with my sister's email
1:13:33
address from middle school. And
1:13:35
a nice amount of like was I
1:13:37
applies. I think everyone's request that you
1:13:40
know requests the virus file. And.
1:13:42
He has had to sen Edward Markey
1:13:44
for the story and it isn't very
1:13:46
interested in what data is being collected
1:13:49
by. Car Them Automakers are doing. With
1:13:51
that and that, he said when
1:13:53
I described to him what Gm
1:13:55
had dies at this this sounds
1:13:57
like a violation of the law.
1:14:00
That protects us from unfair and deceptive
1:14:02
business practices. So I'm sure this can
1:14:04
be more to come from the story.
1:14:06
Yes, and what can drivers. Do.
1:14:09
If they if they are worried that
1:14:11
their car is snooping on them and
1:14:13
sending data to a data broker or
1:14:15
to their insurance company to raise their
1:14:18
premiums which they actually do to prevent
1:14:20
that are Are there certain car makers
1:14:22
who are not collecting this kind of
1:14:24
data work amid average driver do I.
1:14:26
Mean there there are items that can tell
1:14:29
you from my time the car for hims.
1:14:31
I mean there's some people that don't want
1:14:33
their data going out from their cars the
1:14:35
they. Say. The Hacker: Basically
1:14:37
they like turn off the connected services.
1:14:39
They make sure that data can't lose,
1:14:41
can't leave their car on. I
1:14:44
mean if you sign up for connected
1:14:46
services, you are without connecting your car
1:14:48
back to the auto manufacturers. The Oh
1:14:50
cloud servers are an average, sending data
1:14:52
itself just turning that. I'm. Means
1:14:54
Adidas getting sent back and that's well I
1:14:56
these companies. you know when you buy their
1:14:59
car they're like oh you get this for
1:15:01
thirty days for free. Ah and so most
1:15:03
people turn it on and and even if
1:15:05
you don't pay your still connected after that.
1:15:07
so on. Why we're so even if
1:15:09
is so they get connected and then
1:15:12
you're free. Trial rubs us, but they
1:15:14
still keep collecting the data about you
1:15:16
that they constantly. Understanding and as stuff will
1:15:18
you agreed to and you in a red The.
1:15:22
Sixty thousand. Word privacy policy to well
1:15:24
see. I would at least like my my
1:15:26
car surveillance data to be like helpful to
1:15:28
me and some with a thick I would
1:15:30
like to. I would like to pop up
1:15:33
a little notification and this is the third
1:15:35
time you've driven through Mcdonalds in the past
1:15:37
week. Are you okay and something going on
1:15:39
in your life? You need? Do need therapy
1:15:41
as the last question cast. Do you think
1:15:44
this will create a a bull market for
1:15:46
used cars that don't have any of this
1:15:48
stuff? Is it like are we gonna see
1:15:50
people you know running out to the the.
1:15:52
Car lots to buy like the Nineteen Eighty
1:15:55
Five Ford Bronco that doesn't have any technology
1:15:57
and it's or this is the basic premises
1:15:59
of the Battles Are Delighted Reboot matter where
1:16:02
it is that the only spaceship that
1:16:04
survive was the one that was not connected
1:16:06
to the space internet's and so that when
1:16:08
it's the sort of a Isi lawns attached
1:16:10
only Battlestar Galactica was a while sensor. And
1:16:13
I have seen a lot of people commenting.
1:16:15
In that way the like on so the i still have a
1:16:17
car from two. Thousand and Nine Us if you've
1:16:19
got a Cd player. In your car.
1:16:21
It is privacy protective of her
1:16:23
sentence. Of
1:16:26
yeah I am going to go back to the Flintstones
1:16:28
car that you have to peddle with your feet. I
1:16:30
don't think that was collecting my stayed on as the
1:16:32
drivers. High Castle
1:16:35
thanks to mister during a face Yeah,
1:16:37
my pleasure. I'm. A worked up. Now
1:16:39
if. You have a car,
1:16:41
does he? No, I don't have an adult. Of
1:16:44
Apartheid. Are
1:16:46
you in for on? Apparently. Davis
1:17:25
last average of House were edited
1:17:27
by Ten Point Three so it
1:17:29
was engineered by Elizabeth. Original music
1:17:31
by Elisa Be Getting Marry Lasagna,
1:17:33
The Damp House or Audience Editor
1:17:36
Novel: A video production meeting cylinder
1:17:38
so check out what we're doing
1:17:40
on you to bite us that
1:17:42
you to.com Artworks Special thanks to
1:17:45
Polish humans we went to am
1:17:47
still have received a Jeffrey Merida
1:17:49
You can email us at heart
1:17:51
forth and why time like a
1:17:53
specific references. All.
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