Here are a few of the tech stories I’ve found interesting over the last couple days
Facebook Whistleblower Testifies Before US Senate
Frances Haugen, who leaked thousands of internal documents from Facebook, testified in front of the US Senate this week. Haugen told lawmakers that the company prioritizes profit over public good, and accuses the company of trying to bury data and research that makes it look bad.
Anyone who follows Facebook closely will not find any of the revelations here a surprise. However, is Facebook any better or worse than other huge companies like it? Facebook has an almost unmatched global reach, which is why these leaks are a big deal. Facebook is not the most altruistic company in the world, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone.
The real question will be what will come of these leaks, and this testimony. Will governments attempt to regulate Facebook and its properties? Should they? I don’t have the answer to these questions, and I’m glad I’m not the one who has to make those decisions.
https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-whistleblower-details-moral-bankruptcy-to-congress/
Twitch Suffers Massive Data Breach
Twitch, one of the largest live streaming video platforms on the internet, had over 125GB of data leaked. This includes the complete source code of the platform, as well as data such as creator payout numbers and statistics.
Data breaches are unfortunately common place, but this one is notable just due to the sheer volume of data. 125GB is a huge amount of data in a breach like this, and Twitch says it was visible on the internet due to a server configuration change that obviously went very bad. This has the potential to be disastrous for the Amazon owned company, as data on how much creators were paid over a 3 year period is a huge gold mine for competitors and malicious actors. Nevermind the fact that the entire source code of the Twitch platform is in the leak. This could let bad actors scour it for security vulnerabilities and other data. This one is not good
https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/6/22712365/twitch-data-leak-breach-security-confirmation-comments
YouTube Will Not Show Ads on Videos That Deny Climate Change
I wish YouTube would do more here, but the company has announced that it will demonetize all videos that deny climate change. This means that accounts that post these vidoes will not have ads running on them, so they will not receive venue as part of the YouTube ad program. As I said, I wish YouTube would do move, but this is a start.
https://www.engadget.com/youtube-bans-ads-on-climate-change-denial-videos-213242793.html
Eidos Montreal Moving to 4 Day Work Week
Video game development company Eidos Montreal has announced its intention to shift to a permanent 4 day work week, beginning in November. The company is moving to a 32 hour work week without cutting staff salaries or reducing benefits.
This is a big step for Eidos, especially with the reputation that game development companies have around forced overtime to get games completed by a certain date. As the pandemic has shown, many companies and employees can be just as productive with more flexible working conditions and options, and Eidos Montreal is one of the first workplaces in North America to move to this model. There will likely be many companies watching closely.
https://www.engadget.com/eidos-montreal-sherbrooke-4-day-work-week-184509137.html
Microsoft Unveils Transparent Controller and Headset for the Xbox 20th Anniversary
The original Xbox console released on November 15, 2001. To celebrate this, Microsoft is releasing a limited edition Xbox controller and headset. The controller especially looks fantastic, with a transparent front shell and green accents to match the original Xbox. I want one.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2021/10/07/xbox-20th-anniversary-see-through-series-x-gamepad/