Tag: content
Netflix’s ad tier won’t let you download content for offline viewing
Roblox shop update makes user-created content harder to find
A recent Roblox shop update that changes the search functionality may make it more difficult for users to discover and purchase avatar items from independent creators. As a result, Robloxians are lashing out over the update and questioning the sandbox game’s commitment to its creator community.
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Oracle is reviewing TikTok’s algorithms and content moderation systems
Oracle has put TikTok’s algorithms and content moderation models under its microscope in an attempt to make sure Chinese officials aren’t meddling with them. TikTok is in the process of moving all of the data it has on US users to Oracle cloud storage based in the country. Oracle’s audit is said to have started last week, after TikTok started routing all new traffic from US users through the former’s systems.
A spokesperson told Axios that the reviews examine how TikTok’s algorithms — the app’s secret sauce — bubble up content “to ensure that outcomes are in line with expectations and that the models have not been manipulated in any way.” Engadget has asked Oracle for clarification on what it means by manipulation in this context. On the moderation side, Oracle will regularly look at TikTok’s practices related to both automation and human content reviewers.
In 2020, the Trump administration attempted to force through a sale of TikTok to a US company. Former President Donald Trump gave tentative approval to a deal that would have seen Oracle and Walmart run the American side of the business, but that didn’t transpire.
Meanwhile, TikTok has committed to being more transparent and it’s trying to convince regulators and lawmakers that US user data is secure. CEO Shou Zi Chew recently wrote in a letter to nine Republican senators that TikTok was “working with Oracle on new, advanced data security controls that we hope to finalize in the near future.”
The senators asked a question about engineers at TikTok’s parent company ByteDance playing a part in shaping the app’s algorithms. “ByteDance engineers around the world may assist in developing those algorithms, however our solution with Oracle will ensure that training of the TikTok algorithm only occurs in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and will also ensure appropriate third-party security vetting and validation of the algorithm,” Chew wrote in his response.
In June, BuzzFeed News reported that China-based ByteDance engineers repeatedly accessed non-public data on TikTok’s American users. Chew said those workers were only able to access such information with “robust cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols overseen by our US-based security team” in place.
The report led to Brendan Carr, the Federal Communication Commission’s senior Republican commissioner, urging Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores. Amid the scandal, TikTok’s global security chief stepped down last month.
Walmart Plus subscribers are about to get a lot of streaming content for free
Walmart has looked at the field of streaming services and finally settled on Paramount Plus as a partner to bundle into its subscription service, Walmart Plus. The company is hoping all those plus signs will help it compete with Amazon, its biggest rival in the “ship everything under the sun directly to a customer’s home” department.
Rumors of a possible partnership first emerged last week when The New York Times reported that Walmart was eyeing Paramount, Comcast, and Disney as possible partners. Earlier today, The Wall Street Journal reported that a deal had been signed between Walmart and Paramount. This was followed not long afterward by a press release from Walmart confirming the news and announcing that Walmart Plus subscribers…
Peloton may open its workout content to competing bikes and treadmills
Peloton may soon allow users of competing fitness equipment to stream its workouts to their bikes and treadmills. In an interview with Bloomberg, CEO Barry McCarthy said the company is “rethinking” its digital strategy. As a first step, Peloton could adopt a freemium model that would see the company begin offering some features and workouts found in its mobile and TV app for free. Currently, the software costs $13 per month after a 30-day trial.
In the future, people with stationary bikes or treadmills from companies like Bowflex, Echelon and NordicTrack could also stream Peloton’s content to their equipment’s display. McCarthy didn’t say how deeply the company’s software would integrate with competing models. For instance, it’s not clear if you would see in-workout metrics like you do on a Peloton bike or treadmill.
McCarthy also told Bloomberg Peloton plans to redesign its bikes to make it possible for customers to assemble them at home. At the moment, the company has a professional come to your house or apartment to help with setup. “We’ve been working on it for a while, and it’s a real thing,” he said. “We’ll continue to cost-reduce the hardware and we will engineer it so that you can assemble it, so that we can ship it via FedEx.”
The moves come as Peloton struggles to regain profitability. Following a $757 million net loss in the first three months of 2022, the company raised prices and laid off 784 employees (after it previously cut 2,800 jobs). The idea that Peloton would let you access its software on competing hardware would have seemed unthinkable only a year ago, but with its very survival now on the line, it’s doing what it has to do to stay afloat.
Mailchimp bans crypto content creators without prior notice
The email marketing service provider temporarily suspended crypto-related accounts due to alleged terms of service violations.