Weekly News #32 | Updates Worth Your Attention 👀

Block Layoff

Block, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s payment company, announced that it will lay off 4000 employees. On his X post, Dorsey said the move, which represents about 40% of the workforce, was driven by artificial intelligence. However, many in the industry are skeptical of this explanation.
Observers suggest that the real reasons may be overhiring during the Covid-19 pandemic and the downturn in the crypto market.

The Guardian →

Meta Glasses Don’t Care About Your Privacy

Meta is facing allegations that visual recordings from its Ray-Ban smart glasses are being reviewed by employees of a data aggregation subcontractor in Kenya. According to claims reported by a Swedish news outlet, subcontractor employees stated that they can view users’ recordings, including private moments captured in places such as bathrooms and bedrooms. Some employees reportedly expressed discomfort with this situation.
The access is believed to be a data collection pipeline for training Meta’s AI models. In the glasses’ privacy policy, users are warned in complex legal language not to record “sensitive moments,” effectively shifting responsibility to users who may not fully understand the implications of this permission.

Yahoo News →