View source for US FTC Reportedly Fines Facebook $5 Billion

[[Category:Daily Tech Headlines Episodes|.890]]
{{Infobox Episode|
  title  = US FTC Reportedly Fines Facebook $5 Billion |
  number = 890 |
  date   = JULY 15, 2019|
  length = 8:04 |
  hosts  = [https://about.me/Stroffolino Rich Stroffolino]}}
The US FTC reportedly drops a $5 billion fine on Facebook, Amazon expands its Transparency program to Europe, Canada, and India, and Twitch accounted for 72% of live-stream video viewed in Q2.

==Headlines==
*[https://www.wsj.com/articles/ftc-approves-roughly-5-billion-facebook-settlement-11562960538 FTC Approves Roughly $5 Billion Facebook Settlement]
::Sources tell the Wall Street Journal that the US Federal Trade Commission voted this week to approve a roughly $5 billion settlement with Facebook over an investigation into the tech giant’s privacy violations. The vote was reportedly 3-2, with the 2 commissioners against wanting stricter restrictions on Facebook. The settlement would need approval from the Justice Department before going into effect. The fine would be the largest for the federal government to levy on a tech company, exceeding Google's then record $22 million fine in 2012. In its Q1 earnings report, Facebook reported $15.08 billion in revenue, and recorded a $3 billion charge for a then estimated FTC fine.
*[https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/10/amazon-expands-transparency-anti-counterfeit-codes-to-europe-india-and-canada/ Amazon expands Transparency anti-counterfeit codes to Europe, India and Canada]
::Amazon announced the expansion of its anti-counterfeiting program, Transparency, to Europe, India, and Canada. Transparency launched in the US in 2017, and this is the first expansion to other markets. Transparency works by allowing manufacturers to put an embedded QR codes, in the shape of a T, on manufactured goods. Amazon scans this when shipping to ensure authenticity, and customers can scan it to verify as well, although the customer scanning app appears to still be limited to US users. Since launching, Amazon claims over 4000 brands use Transparency, leading to the halt of over 250,000 counterfeit sales.
*[https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/12/twitch-continues-to-dominate-live-streaming-with-its-second-biggest-quarter-to-date/ Twitch continues to dominate live streaming with its second-biggest quarter to date]
::A new report from Streamelements found that Twitch accounted for 72.2% of live-stream video views in Q2 2019, with 2.72 billion hours watched. YouTube Live came in second with 735.5 million hours viewed, Facebook Gaming jumped to #3 with 197.76 million hours, and Microsoft's Mixer service fell to number 4 with 112.29 million hours in the quarter. Twitch actually saw a 2% decline in overall hours viewed in the quarter. The report found 2 billions hours came from the top 5000 channels on Twitch.
*[https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/11/twitter-will-start-testing-its-hide-replies-feature-next-week-in-canada/ Twitter will start testing its ‘hide replies’ feature next week, in Canada]
::Starting next week, Twitter is rolling out a new "hide replies" feature to users in Canada. The posts aren't removed from Twitter, just hidden from the default view. The company says it knows "distracting, irrelevant, and offensive replies can derail the discussions that people want to have. We believe people should have some control over the conversations they start."
*[https://venturebeat.com/2019/07/11/gartner-pc-shipments-grew-1-5-in-q2-2019/ Gartner: PC shipments grew 1.5% in Q2 2019]
::Gartner and IDC both report that after more than six years of quarterly PC shipment declines, 2018 and 2019 both showed postive growth in Q2 after Q1 slumps. Both point to a Windows 10 refresh contributing to the 2019 gain. But IDC predicts the gain won't last, and Gartner points to a U.S.-China trade war eventually affecting the PC market, as most laptops and tablets are still manufactured in China.
*[https://9to5google.com/2019/07/11/google-news-tab-redesign/ Google introduces redesigned News tab for desktop Search]
::Google is rolling out a redesign of its News tab on desktop that more prominently highlights headlines and publishers, and a carousel that notes what “People also search for.” The redesign means fewer links per page, and fewer related In-Depth or Opinion articles appearing underneath a story.
*[https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/15/qualcomm-snapdragon-855-plus/ Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 Plus chip is built for gaming and VR]
::Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC, which features higher clock speeds than the existing Snapdragon 855 and is targeted at gaming and VR. The 855 plus the eight-core Kryo 485 CPU, now clocked at up to 2.96GHz, paired with Adreno 640 graphics that Qualcomm claims will by 15% faster than the standard 855. The SoC will only have 4G onboard, so 5G will require a separate modem. The Snapdragon 855 Plus will be available in device in the second half of 2019, with Asus confirming it in the upcoming ROG Phone II.
*[https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-office-365-banned-in-german-schools-over-privacy-fears/ Microsoft Office 365: Banned in German schools over privacy fears]
::The Office for Data Protection and Information Freedom in the German state Hesse ruled that using Office365 in schools is illegal as its default configuration risks exposing personal information of teachers and students to US officials. Hesse data privacy commissioner, Michael Ronellenfitsch, had previously ruled that Office365 use was allowed if all data remained in Germany, but joint venture between Microsoft and Deutsche Telekom to provide a German-only cloud shut down in 2018. The commissioner recommended schools switch to using similar office products with on-premises licenses.
*[https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/10/k12-exposed-student-data/ K12.com exposed 7 million student records for a week]
::Security researchers at Comparitech claim that the education platform k12.com exposed the personal information of over 7 million students. The data includes full names, email addresses, birthdates and gender identities, schools attending, authentication keys for accessing accounts. The exposure came from a misconfigured database on K12's AnyWhere Learning System, which was open from June 23rd through July 1st. It's unknown if the database was accessed by malicious actors during that time.
*[https://www.abacusnews.com/future-tech/move-over-humans-startup-making-facial-recognition-pets/article/3018307 Move over humans, this startup is making facial recognition for pets]
::The Chinese AI startup Megvii announced it developed a way to biometrically identify dogs and cats by their nose. The method uses a photo of the animal's nose to locate key identifying markers, then create a unique profile for it in a database. Megvii claims it can verify an animals identify by photo once in the DB with 95% accuracy. This isn't the first use of biometrics to identify pets, since 2015 the app Finding Rover uses facial recognition to match missing pet photos to dogs in shelters.
*[https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/14/microsoft-shuts-down-internet-games/ Microsoft is shutting down its internet board and card games]
::Microsoft announced it will shutdown Internet Games services for Windows 7, XP and ME, including games like Spades, Hearts, Backgammon and MSN Go. XP and ME users will lose access to the games on July 31, 2019, while Windows 7 users have until January 22, 2020.

==Links==
*[http://www.dailytechnewsshow.com/us-ftc-reportedly-fines-facebook-5-billion-dth/ This episode on dailytechnewsshow.com]
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{{Succession box|
preceded   = Week in Review for the Week of 7/8/19 |
followed   =  Wing Launches Drone Air Traffic Control App OpenSky}}