This Week in Tech 1008 Transcript
Dec 1st, 2024
Please be advised this transcript is AI-generated and may not be word for word. Time codes refer to the approximate times in the ad-supported version of the show.
Introduction
It's time for Twit This Week in Tech. What a great panel. It's going to be kind of conversational today because it's so much fun to talk to Devendra Hardawar, senior editor from Engadget, Jennifer Patterson-Tui, who is a home automation expert at the Verge, and, of course, Doc Rock, our aloha man from Hawaii. Jennifer and Devendra are getting excited about CES. We'll take a look at what they expect, including Matter updates. Does Matter really matter? Big screen TVs less expensive than ever before. We'll also talk about Australia's plan to ban social networks for people under 16. Could that possibly work? It's all coming up next on This Week in Tech Podcasts you love From people you trust.
Discussion Highlights
Devindra Hardawar (Guest)
Let's say hello.
Leo Laporte (Host)
Hope. So that was a slip. Let's say hello to Jennifer passatui. She works at the verge where she's the home automation mama, smart home, mama hi. Hello, welcome back thank you, jennifer's a regular on tech news weekly and we somehow managed to lose her number and couldn't get you back on Twitter. But we got it, thanks to Micah. So great to have you. Doc Rock is also here the doctor of the rockter. He's director of strategic partnerships at Ecamm, which has nothing to do with why he's on. He's on because, man, you did something good.
Doc Rock (Guest)
Yeah, we did, we actually won a game. They won a game. Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations. Okay, and no, you're on because we love you.
Devindra Hardawar (Guest)
Good to see you. Happy to be back, yeah.
Leo Laporte (Host)
A lot of times you're on when I'm not here because you're kind of one of my regular, esteemed fill-in people, so it's nice to have you. I could just relax. You should relax in the conversation, that's god knows. I've been doing that for 20 years. Nothing wrong with that. Uh, the biggest story of the week is that Australia has done what everybody else has been waiting and wondering they've banned social media for everyone. Banned it for everyone under 16. Doesn't go into effect until next year. I mean next, next year, like it's a year away, but still that's a big deal.
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy (Guest)
It feels a lot like a kind of this is a warning, you guys need to sort this out. It's going to get, or we're going to, really crack down because there's no penalties for the people that sign up. This is all designed to penalize the companies.
Leo Laporte (Host)
They have to take reasonable steps or the corporations. We find about 32 million dollars for systemic failures to implement age requirements. Is it possible to do age checks without violating the privacy of everyone who uses the medium?
Devindra Hardawar (Guest)
I don't really think so. Like we've been seeing this, reports of this happening for a while, but also this same conversation happens around like limiting porn access in the US, in some states too, and it is from what I've seen from the researchers like it is kind of impossible to do that without infringing on other rights or making the experience more complicated.
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy (Guest)
To be fair, though, you know, this social media is a little bit more intense and pervasive than TV or rock and roll, but it does feel like it has a similar kind of this generation. This is what we're dealing with.
Doc Rock (Guest)
I do feel that. Yes, I understand why people think the tech is scary, but a lot of that has to do with in the US at least, it's our education system, because when we had opportunity, when people like Leo and I dove into tech when we were young, everybody else thought we were absolutely insane. This is crazy.
Conclusion
Imagine if Australia had announced a ban for television for kids under 16 in 1967. Yeah, no television for kids under 16. The difference this time is that it's technology and there's something um. A certain group of people feel technology, have this kind of attitude towards it like it's dangerous magic. But it's.
