FTC’s new Office of Technology will help mop up tech ‘oozing with snake oil’The FTC is embracing change with the establishment of an Office of Technology (OT) that will help it effectively regulate the fast-moving tech world. Citing “systemic concerns” relating to tech and its potential for fraud and abuse, the FTC’s new division will ensure the agency doesn’t get left in the dust by tech-savvy scammers.
Because the FTC is a wide-ranging agency, it is something of a generalist, and when a case requires specialist knowledge, it can bring in outside experts. You definitely want a few good finance people, but do you need a full-timer just for, say, logging regulations? Probably not, but at some point a problem or industry may become prominent enough to warrant a serious and permanent dedication of resources.
That is the case being described today with issues arising in the tech world, against which of course FTC chair Lina Khan has personally inveighed. Whether it’s antitrust or consumer protection, or just telling influencers they need to declare that post is sponsored, the tech world is a large and diverse setting for bad behavior and regulation.
The announcement of the OT fell to the agency’s CTO, Stephanie Nguyen. Providing as historical context the response to scammy ads propagating at unprecedented speed over radio back when that was new, she says that while the challenges of tech are new, the “systemic concerns” they present are familiar:
The common thread is that some technologies can facilitate substantial injury to consumers, are misleading, or may negatively affect competitive conditions. From the rise of the surveillance economy, to companies’ widespread application of artificial intelligence, to business models that employ tech to disrupt markets, the shift in the pace and volume of technological changes means that more FTC matters need team members with tech expertise.
The Office of Technology’s top priority is to work with staff and leadership across the agency to strengthen and support the agency on enforcement investigations and litigated cases. This could mean dissecting claims made about an AI-powered product to assess whether the offering is oozing with snake oil, or whether automated decision systems for teacher evaluations adversely impact employment decisions and make inferences that impact compensation and tenure. We will also keep a finger on the pulse of business model change, like shifts in digital advertising ecosystems, to help the FTC understand the implications on privacy, competition, and consumer protection. We’re working with attorneys and data scientists to decipher the collection and sale of location data and how that data may harm consumers, and to understand the opaque algorithms making decisions affecting millions of consumers.
Naming each of these potential violators tells those businesses to watch out. It may be fashionable to say your HR productivity tool is AI-powered, but if you can’t show that it is safe and effective, the FTC may be knocking on your (virtual) door soon.

Amazon betrays its fear with petition to sideline FTC Chair and antitrust hawk Lina Khan

To be clear, it’s not like the FTC has just let tech run wild for the last decade. In fact, there are already several tech-focused departments, like the Division of Privacy and Identity Protection. But it must have been clear enough to FTC leadership that they needed a larger, more centralized effort to stay abreast of trends and be more proactive about guidelines and enforcement.
They’re hiring, so if you’re a tech worker thinking of getting out of the rat race and into a comparatively sedate (in some ways) federal job, take a gander.
FTC’s new Office of Technology will help mop up tech ‘oozing with snake oil’ by Devin Coldewey originally published on TechCrunch

AES source separation webinar CEDAR Audio founder Gordon Reid will be delivering an AES lecture on the uses of source separation technology.  

From Snoop Dogg and Death Row’s TikTok exclusive to Hipgnosis’ investment in Timbaland’s Beatclub… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpOur biggest stories of the week, brought to you in association with Centtrip
Source

Revealed Recordings Revealed Spire Arps Vol. 5 Revealed Spire Arps Vol. 5 is a collection of 64 presets carefully crafted to melodically fill in gaps and bring new life into your music. You'll find a diverse selection of... Read More

How to use ChatGPT to create Social Media posts and save 100s of hoursOur friend Ariel Hyatt of Cyber PR Music, has a new resource for all musicians who have been unsure about what to do with all the hype around ChatGPT. In this article,. Continue reading
The post How to use ChatGPT to create Social Media posts and save 100s of hours appeared first on Hypebot.

SkyNet Is A FREE Reverb Plugin Based On A Guitar Pedal
Shift Line offers SkyNet, a FREE reverb plugin for macOS and Windows. SkyNet is a reverb plugin based on algorithms of the same name (SkyNet-1/Skynet-2) from the Astronaut Space Reverb pedal. Shift Line has released the plugin on a pay-what-you-want basis, so anyone who wants to contribute something can do. SkyNet isn’t a subtle reverb, [...]
View post: SkyNet Is A FREE Reverb Plugin Based On A Guitar Pedal

How do Spotify royalties work?While many argue that Spotify royalties should be higher, the specifics of how those royalties are calculated aren’t always well understood. This week’s Hypebot Flashback Friday post answers that question.. Continue reading
The post How do Spotify royalties work? appeared first on Hypebot.

CD vs. Streaming: The answer to which did better in 2022 is not as simple as you thinkWe live in a streaming world — yet revenues from physical media (i.e., CDs and vinyl LPs) continue to grow every year. by Tony van Veen of Disc Makers Blog. Continue reading
The post CD vs. Streaming: The answer to which did better in 2022 is not as simple as you think appeared first on Hypebot.

Zoom reveal UAC-232 Zooms latest interface uses 32-bit floating point technology to offer clip-free recordings without the need to set gain levels. 

Massenburg update MDWDRC2-Native A number of fixes and improvements have been made to MDW's Dynamic Range Controller plug-in, along with the release of a new User Guide and presets created by George Massenburg. 

Bitcoin price derivatives look a bit overheated, but data suggests bears are outnumberedBullish BTC traders are using excessive leverage, but bears’ reluctance to fight back could extend the current Bitcoin price rally.

Apple TV+ unveils ‘Tetris’ movie trailerApple TV+ released the first trailer for its–shall we say, block-busting–movie “Tetris,” based on the origin story of the popular puzzle video game. The movie will first premiere at South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival in March. Apple will then release it worldwide on the streaming service on March 31.
Starring “Black Bird” actor Taron Egerton, who plays American video game salesman Henk Rogers, “Tetris,” tells the story of Rogers and his mission to secure the distribution rights of the game.
Rogers travels to the Soviet Union during the end of the Cold War to meet the inventor, Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov), a Soviet software engineer. However, according to Communist law, the game belonged to the people of the Soviet Union, so Rogers must negotiate directly with the Soviet regime to get the rights.
“When he sets out to bring the game to the world, he enters a dangerous web of lies and corruption behind the Iron Curtain,” Apple wrote in the film description.

Tetris was created in 1984 and since then has sold over 520 million copies, per The Tetris Company.
 
Apple TV+ unveils ‘Tetris’ movie trailer by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

MADISENXOXO Signs to Pack Records and Nancy Wilson's New Mgmt FirmPortland, OR based Singer/Songwriter MADISENXOXO has signed has signed to Pack Records and is exclusively managed by Roadcase Management, a new company formed late last year by Heart’s Nancy Wilson along with her husband, music industry vet Geoff Bywater. Nancy Wilson, who celebrates 50 years in the music business, and was just honored by the Recording Academy for a Lifetime Achievement Award, expresses why it’s so important to help cultivate new talent. “After so many years of being an artist in this business, I would love to use my experience to help elevate other talented and deserving musicians. I was introduced to Madisenxoxo’s music and fell in love. We had been talking for quite some time about forming a management company and this seemed like the perfect time to launch Road Case Management with Madisenxoxo as our first artist!” Madisen combines disparate sounds and textures in adventurous and surprising ways on her sophomore effort, Mothership, to be released on April 28, 2023. Produced by her long-time collaborator/now-fiancé Josh Horine (otherwise known as Mana Garden), these five songs find the artist dipping into pop, rock, folk, and electronic music. “You’re So Pretty,” her new single out today, benefits from Madisen’s years of classical choral studies. She wields her instrument combining delicate layers upon layers of harmonies that sweep elegantly over a menagerie of instruments. The monotony of doom-scrolling has never sounded so beautiful, as she sings ‘I’ll be just fine, I’ve watched your video for the 100th time…’  her reserved diaphanous vocals gently float and climb ever higher abruptly running into a sonic buzzsaw, exploding unexpectedly. “You’re So Pretty,” arrives on the heels of the first single and video from Mothership which perfectly set the tone for the whole project - aptly titled, “Control Freak.” 

Watch the video for “You’re So Pretty” here

 “When we were making all these songs, we were exploring different genres and ideas,” Madisen says. “We weren't limited by any certain sounds. Somehow it ended up being cohesive together in a really cool way that I didn't expect. I think it was really good for me to branch out and lose focus—in a good way. It enabled us to find sounds that we wouldn't have been able to find otherwise.” Madisen grew up listening to the ’70s soft rock artists her parents loved—including the Carpenters, Chicago and Bread—and started piano lessons at age four, after showing early interest in the instrument. While in high school, she studied classical piano and then choral music, which led to her performing with her college’s chamber choir. “That's where I really fell in love with harmonies and singing together with other people,” Madisen explains. “I've tried to incorporate that a lot in my music. I love the way people's voices meld together.” More significantly, in college she also started writing her own original music. When the 2020 halt to everyone’s lives happened, Madisen and partner/producer, Josh Horine recorded her backlog of songs. She posted a behind-the-scenes look at the process of making one tune, the swerving, beat-heavy electro tune “Baby in Blue,” to TikTok. Unexpectedly, the video went mildly viral. When Hallberg posted the entire song on Spotify, it continued to rack up streams (currently over 5 million) —paving the way for where she is now.

SoundCloud expands artist services business globally; enters JV with Jax Jones’ and Dan Stacey’s record label WUGD (What You Gonna Do)SoundCloud says it's teamed up with UK-based WUGD  'to discover, nurture, and invest in emerging electronic music artists featured on the platform internationally'
Source

Susan Wojcicki to step down as CEO of YouTubeYouTube Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan named as new head of YouTube
Source