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Maps is where the money is
Your five-minute guide to what's happening in tech this Friday, from how AB 5 has been bad for Uber riders to the latest twists in the internet-provider space race.
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Your five-minute guide to what's happening in tech this Friday, from how AB 5 has been bad for Uber riders to the latest twists in the internet-provider space race.
Good morning! This Friday, Google Maps gets an update, how an old privacy law is increasingly important for technology companies, and a developer wants to charge you $1,000 a month for an underground bunk bed.
AB 5 has been bad for Uber riders, says CEO Dara Khosrowshahi:
Existing cybersecurity problems will only get worse with 5G, Akamai security chief Andy Ellis told Protocol's Adam Janofsky:
Russian trolls didn't influence American voters, according to a Russian troll indicted for influencing American voters:
Twitter is looking outside SF to grow its talent pool, says CEO Jack Dorsey:
Google Maps is 15 years old, and, like any 15-year-old, really ought to start earning its keep. So Google's making some big changes to one of its most quietly important products. Maps has a new icon (not a fan, personally), a new Contribute tab that's going to infuriate everyone at Yelp, and a new focus on helping people find places to go rather than just helping them get there.
For years, Google has obsessed over how it might translate its excellence in searching on a screen to searching in the real world. Glass, Lens and countless other projects have aimed at that same goal. Maps seems to be the obvious place for Google to focus those efforts — and the company knows it.
Does your business advertise on Google Maps? How do you as a user feel about the way it's changed? Send me a note: david@protocol.com.
Last week, Facebook paid $550 million to settle an Illinois lawsuit from 2015 that actually pertains to a law the state passed in 2008. Protocol's Charles Levinson has the story of how the Biometric Information Privacy Act was passed and why 12 years later it matters in a big way.
Facebook agreed to the settlement after the Supreme Court declined to hear its appeal. Privacy advocates are now using the hefty settlement to make the case to legislators debating privacy laws in other states that they should emulate the tough provisions in the Illinois law, like an individual's private right to sue companies.
Read Charles' story for the full details on BIPA, the fight over privacy legislation, and what it might take for these questions to actually be answered in court.
Nasdaq Technology is reshaping the future of global markets by redefining what a marketplace can be.
It's still not clear if the future of internet connection involves balloons or drones hovering above us, but it definitely involves satellites. And there's a bit of an arms race going on:
Both companies are planning to offer a service in the next year or so, though with very different business models: Starlink plans to compete directly with Comcast and Verizon, while OneWeb plans to partner with them to extend their range to hard-to-reach places.
If you're counting, that's a lot of satellites heading into the skies. And the Times reports that some astronomers are worried about radio interference — and all that machinery getting in the way of their view of the stars.
You know those SF real estate stories that pop up every now and then, where you can buy a bunch of broken boards that someone calls a "house" for the low, low price of $9 million? I can beat that: A developer wants to build 88 underground "sleeping pods" underneath apartment buildings in the city — and charge $1,000 a month in rent. Key amenities: No doors and no windows, but you do get a "privacy curtain" and plenty of company from the five other people sleeping in fancy bunkbeds right next to yours. Want your own bathroom? Too bad, that's only for the upstairs people paying twice as much for hardly any more space. Don't get your hopes up, though, because the project hasn't cleared the city yet — and rent will probably double before it does.
Nasdaq Technology is daring to think differently.
Thoughts, questions, tips? Send them to me, david@protocol.com, or our tips line, tips@protocol.com. See you tomorrow.
Correction: An earlier version of this newsletter incorrectly characterized Facebook's recent settlement related to Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act. The settlement is being used to argue in favor of a right to sue in privacy laws being debated elsewhere; it did not end any private citizens' right to sue. An earlier version also misspelled the name of Protocol reporter Levi Sumagaysay. This story was updated Feb. 7, 2020.
David Pierce ( @pierce) is Protocol's editor at large. Prior to joining Protocol, he was a columnist at The Wall Street Journal, a senior writer with Wired, and deputy editor at The Verge. He owns all the phones.
Better Zoom calls, simpler email attachments, smart iPhone cases and other patents from Big Tech.
Turning your stories into images.
Mike Murphy ( @mcwm) is the director of special projects at Protocol, focusing on the industries being rapidly upended by technology and the companies disrupting incumbents. Previously, Mike was the technology editor at Quartz, where he frequently wrote on robotics, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics.
Hello and welcome to 2021! The Big Tech patent roundup is back, after a short vacation and … all the things … that happened between the start of the year and now. It seems the tradition of tech companies filing weird and wonderful patents has carried into the new year; there are some real gems from the last few weeks. Microsoft is trying to outsource all creative endeavors to AI; Apple wants to make seat belts less annoying; and Amazon wants to cut down on some of the recyclable waste that its own success has inevitably created.
And remember: The big tech companies file all kinds of crazy patents for things, and though most never amount to anything, some end up defining the future.
Mike Murphy ( @mcwm) is the director of special projects at Protocol, focusing on the industries being rapidly upended by technology and the companies disrupting incumbents. Previously, Mike was the technology editor at Quartz, where he frequently wrote on robotics, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics.