Marketplace Tech

This election has included almost every type of disinformation, including deepfake videos that are manipulated to look real, and even the creation of a fake persona with a very real-looking face that was generated by a computer. In fact, software that uses artificial intelligence to create photos of people who don’t exist is increasingly cheap and widespread. Molly speaks with Jevin West, a professor at the University of Washington and director of the Center for an Informed Public. He says fake faces work for disinformation because people relate to human faces. But that’s not even the biggest concern.

This election has included almost every type of disinformation, including deepfake videos that are manipulated to look real, and even the creation of a fake persona with a very real-looking face that was generated by a computer. In fact, software that uses artificial intelligence to create photos of people who don’t exist is increasingly cheap and widespread. Molly speaks with Jevin West, a professor at the University of Washington and director of the Center for an Informed Public. He says fake faces work for disinformation because people relate to human faces. But that’s not even the biggest concern.

Election Day won’t mean the end of campaign ads, of course, but the volume and frequency should go way, way down after today, we hope. And you, dear listener, have no doubt encountered dozens, maybe hundreds in recent weeks, a lot of them online. Starting this past weekend, for example, the Trump campaign has taken over the YouTube homepage. But it’s not just Google and Facebook raking in political ad dollars. A combination of bans on political advertising and a simple lack of digital inventory mean political ads are showing up way more often in places like Roku, Hulu, PlayStation and Pandora. Molly Wood speaks with Tim Lim, a political advertising consultant who works with Democrats.

Election Day won’t mean the end of campaign ads, of course, but the volume and frequency should go way, way down after today, we hope. And you, dear listener, have no doubt encountered dozens, maybe hundreds in recent weeks, a lot of them online. Starting this past weekend, for example, the Trump campaign has taken over the YouTube homepage. But it’s not just Google and Facebook raking in political ad dollars. A combination of bans on political advertising and a simple lack of digital inventory mean political ads are showing up way more often in places like Roku, Hulu, PlayStation and Pandora. Molly Wood speaks with Tim Lim, a political advertising consultant who works with Democrats.

There’s a lot riding on the 2020 election, and that’s no less true for the tech industry. Criticism has become bipartisan over the past four years. There was wide support for an antitrust lawsuit against Google, for example. But on other issues the parties and candidates differ profoundly, like on their views over how tech platforms should or should not control users’ speech, their legal liabilities and net neutrality. Host Sabri Ben-Achour speaks with Issie Lapowsky, a senior reporter at Protocol.

There’s a lot riding on the 2020 election, and that’s no less true for the tech industry. Criticism has become bipartisan over the past four years. There was wide support for an antitrust lawsuit against Google, for example. But on other issues the parties and candidates differ profoundly, like on their views over how tech platforms should or should not control users’ speech, their legal liabilities and net neutrality. Host Sabri Ben-Achour speaks with Issie Lapowsky, a senior reporter at Protocol.

As a record number of voters cast their ballots by mail this year, more than half of the states are relying on signatures to verify voters’ identities. Nearly 30 counties in at least eight states use automatic signature verification software to help — yes, software. And while humans aren’t always that great, software makes mistakes too, and some experts worry it could even contribute to voter disenfranchisement. Host Sabri Ben-Achour speaks with Kyle Wiggers, who reports on artificial intelligence for VentureBeat.

As a record number of voters cast their ballots by mail this year, more than half of the states are relying on signatures to verify voters’ identities. Nearly 30 counties in at least eight states use automatic signature verification software to help — yes, software. And while humans aren’t always that great, software makes mistakes too, and some experts worry it could even contribute to voter disenfranchisement. Host Sabri Ben-Achour speaks with Kyle Wiggers, who reports on artificial intelligence for VentureBeat.

The CEOs of Google, Facebook and Twitter testified Wednesday at a Senate hearing that was supposed to be about a fundamentally important internet law called Section 230 — which is about liability protection for tech companies. Instead, the hearing ended up being about how much power big tech companies hold, and how they wield it. Republicans accused social media platforms of anti-conservative bias, but Marketplace Tech’s Molly Wood says the evidence does not support that.

The CEOs of Google, Facebook and Twitter testified Wednesday at a Senate hearing that was supposed to be about a fundamentally important internet law called Section 230 — which is about liability protection for tech companies. Instead, the hearing ended up being about how much power big tech companies hold, and how they wield it. Republicans accused social media platforms of anti-conservative bias, but Marketplace Tech’s Molly Wood says the evidence does not support that.