This is at this time’s version of The Download, our weekday publication that gives a day by day dose of what’s happening on this planet of expertise.
Elon Musk’s plans to revive Vine face one massive downside: the rationale it closed initially
Good information, everybody: Vine is (in all probability) coming again. The a lot beloved short-form-video-sharing app ran from simply 2012 to 2017, when it was reduce off in its prime. Even now, it occupies a particular place in lots of millennials’ hearts because the final superb stand earlier than the social net grew to become tarnished and commoditized and each app began trying the identical.
The indisputable fact that so many maintain a candle for Vine could be why Elon Musk, who’s dealing with criticism as he takes over Twitter and enacts dramatic workers cuts and a worrying swing within the social media platform’s insurance policies, has mooted rejuvenating the app.
But it’s not simply the prospect of wrangling decade-old code into shippable form that ought to dissuade Musk from relaunching Vine. No matter how a lot nostalgia Vine conjures up amongst its followers, it’s unlikely to chop by to customers who’ve since moved on to its much more highly effective algorithmic rival, TikTok. Read the complete story.
—Chris Stokel-Walker
How to outlive as an AI ethicist
It’s by no means been extra vital for firms to make sure that their AI methods perform safely, particularly as new legal guidelines to carry them accountable kick in. The accountable AI groups they set as much as just do which can be imagined to be a precedence, however funding in it’s nonetheless lagging behind.
These staff face colossal strain from their organizations to repair massive, systemic issues with out correct help, whereas typically dealing with a near-constant barrage of criticism on-line. Dealing with these points may be particularly taxing to girls, folks of colour, and different marginalized teams, who are likely to gravitate towards AI ethics jobs. Consequently, AI ethicists are burning out—and it’s harming all the subject. Read the complete story.
—Melissa Heikkilä
Melissa’s story is from The Algorithm, our new weekly publication overlaying all issues AI. Sign up to obtain it in your inbox each Monday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you at this time’s most enjoyable/vital/scary/fascinating tales about expertise.
1 The crypto trade is making an attempt to get out the vote
The downside for that plan is that crypto house owners don’t all lean the identical approach politically. (Recode)
+ Celebrities are forgetting they used to endorse crypto. (The Information $)
+ It’s okay to choose out of the crypto revolution. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Mark Zuckerberg is making himself unpopular with shareholders
He’s plowing extra money into the metaverse, regardless of their protestations. (FT $)
+ Facebook has misplaced near $800 billion of its market capitalization in a 12 months. (Motherboard)
3 Fighting local weather change shouldn’t be left to shoppers
We can solely obtain massive outcomes when governments and companies pitch in too. (Vox $)
+ Children within the US aren’t being taught about local weather change. (NYT $)
+ Climate motion is gaining momentum. So are the disasters. (MIT Technology Review)
4 The creeping, regarding rise of Rumble
The right-wing’s go-to video web site is gaining traction, as Big Tech falters. (The Atlantic $)
+ Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform is rising too. (NYT $)
5 Chinese crime networks are duping Facebook customers into fashionable slavery
Victims are pressured into working telephone scams and bogus crypto schemes. (LA Times $)
6 Gaming firms can’t ignore cellular anymore 
Not everybody has a console, however virtually everybody has a telephone. (Protocol)
7 The way forward for plastics might be plant-based
The trick is to crack making them in massive sufficient portions. (Wired $)
+ Australia’s New South Wales state is cracking down on single-use plastic. (BBC)
8 India’s feminine tech staff are pushing again in opposition to sexism
And it’s girls from deprived backgrounds who’re struggling essentially the most. (Rest of World)
+ Why can’t tech repair its gender downside? (MIT Technology Review)
9 Returning to the workplace isn’t so dangerous, in spite of everything
But provided that staff really feel the commute is price their whereas. (NYT $)
+ Bosses must be constant when deciding who is available in. (Insider $)
+ Not all places of work look the identical as they did. (Economist $)
10 How to (quickly) virtually eradicate mosquitoes 
Just a little little bit of genetic modifying may assist to cease the unfold of Zika and, ultimately, malaria. (New Scientist $)
+ The new malaria vaccine won’t be excellent, however it’s going to save numerous lives. (MIT Technology Review)
Quote of the day
“$20 a month to keep my blue check? Fuck that, they should pay me.”
—Author Stephen King makes his emotions on Twitter’s new plan to cost verified customers to take care of their verified standing extraordinarily clear.
The massive story
South Africa’s personal surveillance machine is fueling a digital apartheid
April 2022
Thami Nkosi factors to the telltale black field atop a utility pole on a road as soon as house to 2 Nobel Peace Prize laureates: South Africa’s first Black president, Nelson Mandela, and the anti-apartheid activist and theologian Desmond Tutu.
It at all times occurs this manner, Nkosi says. First the fiber; then the surveillance cameras. The cameras are ineffective until there’s dependable connectivity to ship their video feeds again to a management room the place they are often monitored by people and algorithms.
This is Vilakazi Street in Soweto, a historic suburb of Johannesburg—a sprawling megacity now birthing a uniquely South African surveillance mannequin influenced by the worldwide surveillance trade and set to affect it in flip. Civil rights activists say it’s already fueling a digital apartheid—and unraveling folks’s democratic liberties within the course of. Read the complete story.
—Karen Hao & Heidi Swart
We can nonetheless have good issues
A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction in these bizarre occasions. (Got any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)
+ A helpful information to enhance your possibilities of successful seeds (thanks Ralph!)
+ If you’ve bought any Halloween sweet left over, see the way it measures up on this Highly Official rating.
+ This beautiful little seal has made my day.
+ Consider this an indication to begin your very personal tiny classic pc museum.
+ As for those who wanted another excuse to need to go to Europe, listed here are a few of its friendliest cities.