Amazon gives Parler the boot

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: This Tech Tent episode covers social media moderation after Trump's ban, Wikipedia's 20th anniversary, CES 2021 pandemic tech, and period tracker limitations. Jimmy Wales discusses platform power and community moderation. The show highlights tensions between free speech and safety, tech's pandemic response, and women's health app shortcomings.

Main Topics: Social Media Moderation and Trump Ban (Priority: 5/5): Discussion of Twitter, Facebook, and Amazon's actions against Trump and Parler, with concerns from figures like Angela Merkel about tech overreach. Wikipedia's 20th Anniversary and Community Moderation (Priority: 4/5): Jimmy Wales reflects on Wikipedia's neutral, community-driven model as an alternative to social media's top-down moderation. CES 2021: Pandemic Tech and Virtual Show (Priority: 3/5): Highlights from the virtual CES, including touchless tech, smart masks, reusable delivery boxes, and adjustable glasses. Period Tracker Apps: Limitations and User Needs (Priority: 4/5): Report on how menstrual cycle apps often fail to meet diverse user needs, with calls for more tailored, research-integrated tools. Tech News: WhatsApp Exodus, Tesla Recall, Bitcoin Password (Priority: 2/5): Brief updates on WhatsApp's terms causing user migration, Tesla's touchscreen recall, and a man's $240M Bitcoin password dilemma.

Key Arguments: Private platforms can choose to moderate content, but their power over infrastructure (e.g., Amazon Web Services) raises concerns akin to shutting off phone lines. Wikipedia's community-driven moderation avoids the scale and policy issues faced by social media giants like Twitter. Period trackers are often designed for one purpose (e.g., pregnancy) and fail to adapt to users' changing needs across reproductive life. Pandemic tech at CES focused on touchless and hygienic solutions, but virtual events lack hands-on experience crucial for tech showcases.

Data Points: New Telegram users in 72 hours: 25 million - After WhatsApp's updated terms announcement Tesla vehicles recalled: 158,000 - Model X and S over touchscreen safety concerns Bitcoin value per coin: $34,000 - At time of podcast, for a wallet worth $240 million Password attempts remaining: 2 - For a Bitcoin wallet with $240 million, after 8 wrong guesses

Pivotal Quotes: "These are not the telephone company, they are public platforms. And I think that principle is really important because if we stop to think for a minute, about imagine that you want to have a privately run message board that's about Star Wars, and someone who really, really hates Star Wars comes and starts trolling every day... you'd want to be able to say, yeah, actually, you're not welcome here." — Jimmy Wales: Defending private platforms' right to moderate content, using a Star Wars analogy "What is still lacking in that field is that most of the trackers have really focused on one specific purpose why women would like to track." — Laura Simel: Critiquing period tracker apps for not addressing diverse user motivations "I think it's an issue that AI might be able to solve in the future when it's good enough." — Zoe Kleinman: On the potential for AI to address one-size-fits-all problems in tech, including period trackers

Implications: The episode underscores the need for nuanced content moderation policies, user-empowered platforms, and inclusive tech design. It highlights ongoing tensions between free speech and safety, and the importance of adapting technology to diverse human needs, especially in health and crisis response.