5 Bonkers Tech Headlines from August Everyone should know on Substack

And 5 other tech stories.

Sep 01, 2024

If you are on the internet, tech news has become akin to a medicine already in your consumption. The massive flood of updates, developments, and advancements each day can be overwhelming. Even if you’re a nerd or a geek, just someone full of intrigue, it’s hard to grasp the full picture of what exactly is happening with the one thing that can potentially change all our lives.

If you are on substack and have somehow fallen into this crevasse, you care about how the technological landscape is going to shape the near future. A superabundance of news dropped in August. I got stumped when I heard about paying a fee to activate your mouse, and when I heard about the conviction of the content distribution app Telegram’s creator. This was also the month I accepted the fact that creepy robots are here to stay. Plus, tons of artificial intelligence stuff everyday folks should know.

Here are 5 important news stories (not just AI) from August to keep an eye on

1. Apple wants more fees, again!

If you’re a writer on Substack with a slight chance to get support from the readers, it may come at an additional cost soon. According to Patreon news, Apple is requiring that Patreon use their in-app purchasing system and remove all other billing systems from the Patreon iOS app by November 2024.

2. The fight for net neutrality is still ongoing.

Net neutrality rules require internet service providers to treat internet data and users equally rather than restricting access, slowing speeds, or blocking content for certain users. The rules also forbid special arrangements in which ISPs give improved network speeds or access to favored users.

The rules would bar internet service providers from blocking or slowing down traffic to certain websites, or engaging in paid prioritization of lawful content, as well as give the FCC new tools to crack down on Chinese telecom companies and the ability to monitor internet service outages.

It is important to note that Net Neutrality is merely a first step toward basic privacy rights, often withheld by depicting the term as a pivotal achievement.

3. Google’s unsettling news trend continues…

That, and so many other Google reports popped up in August.

Earlier in the month the tech giant was officially declared a monopoly. Big news indeed, probably going to result in another tech campus. It is important to note the timing of this obvious declaration of search malpractices when AI companies are hawking to make their own search engine.

A few weeks later, Google held its flagship event in which AI demo spirits were acknowledged on stage. The company was adamant about competing in the voice assistant battle with OpenAI without a shred of concern over existing risks and a mountain of growing lawsuits. The list of newly launched features avoided the questions of data and privacy risks, and parodied the infamous authorless quote, What is a Photo?

4. Choose your role models wisely…Tech Institutions only want the best for _____?

Premier institutions revolve around Silicon Valley tycoons daily. If these celebrities are visiting campus, everything else except them is secondary. When Eric Schmidt delivered his candid talk at Stanford, he seemed to forget it was being live-streamed. And it was not just about Tiktok or AI, it was about how to reach success. Of course, the video is taken down. Here’s a brief on Reddit (if it’s still up).

Don’t tell anyone I said this. In short — copy, then use money to settle legal issues — that’s how a lot of innovation in Silicon Valley actually operates.”

5. News sources are shutting down.

As Riley Murdock from Techlinked described:

Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the US, has decided to shut down its USA Today product website where reviews blaming changes to Google's algorithm affecting search traffic. So far so normal, sadly, but it's notable that the site's own Unionized staff accused Gannett of using it to publish AI-written articles just last October. Suspicions were raised not just by the article's strange stilted writing, but also by the fact that several articles were structured near identically to one another. Furthermore, the authors cited in the by-lines, seemed to have no other traceable web presence, making them either AI Fabrications or privacy-conscious ghosts with a passion for Consumer journalism.

That is just the tip of the iceberg on the growing disruptions in the tech journalism sector—a key reason for writing this piece. Just another day, one of the most influential websites, AnandTech shut down after 27 years. A piece of news breaks only after the worst-case scenarios, while suits, layoffs, and investments earn a profit just from virality. It’s high time we restrict the use of foul AI and promote real writers.