The Daily Valet. - 3/24/23, Friday
✔️ The Clock Ticks
Friday, March 24th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
We made it to Friday. Let’s just celebrate that fact, okay?
Today’s Big Story
The Clock Ticks on TikTok
Lawmakers Appear Unconvinced by TikTok CEO’s Testimony after An Intense Hearing
Is the time up for TikTok? Probably not. But lawmakers lambasted the app's chief executive about the platform's ties to China in a particularly rough five-hour hearing on Thursday. Axios said Shou Zi Chew joined the illustrious club of Big Tech CEOs paraded before Congress for a public flogging, producing a viral spectacle that has hardened lawmakers' animus toward the Chinese-owned app.There are currently three bills in Congress that could affect American access to TikTok; two would legislate an outright ban of the platform, while the other would give the government the power to ban any technologies that are deemed a national security risk. The Biden administration has demanded that parent company ByteDance sell the app, threatening a total ban if the company fails to comply. On Thursday, a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said that the government would oppose a forced sale.In his first sworn testimony before lawmakers, Chew emphasized that there has never been any evidence of the Chinese government accessing TikTok user data. He said that countries that have banned the app on government devices have done so based on “hypothetical and theoretical risks.” (Last month, both the U.S. and Canada issued orders banning use of the app on government-issued mobile devices.)However, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle expressed doubts, and some even thanked the TikTok CEO for inspiring bipartisanship. “You have unified Republicans and Democrats and, if only for a day, we're actually unified because we have serious concerns,” said Rep. August Pfluger, a Republican from Texas.According to the New York Times, there are basically two paths for the app in America. The White House could ban the app, which may run into a difficult court challenge, or it could revisit stalled negotiations for a technical fix to data security concerns. While TikTok has proposed ways to wall off their data, no security agreement had been reached and U.S. intelligence officials have warned that the app might be an arm of the Chinese government that spies on Americans and spreads propaganda. When asked about a Forbes report that ByteDance planned to use TikTok to spy on individual Americans, Chew said, “I don't think 'spying' is the right way to describe it.” Cringe.
No Surprise:
In a new poll, most Generation Z voters say that while they are concerned about the Chinese government’s potential influence over TikTok, they oppose a full federal ban on the platform.
Fentanyl Drives a Surge in Overdoses
Meanwhile DHS launches A major border operation targeting fentanyl trafficking
The Department of Homeland Security has just launched a new, major multi-agency operation in order to step up efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking across the Southern border. Optimistically, it sounds like it's working. “Operation Blue Lotus” has already stopped nearly 1,000 pounds of fentanyl from coming into the U.S. in its first week, according to a DHS statement.Overdose deaths associated with fentanyl have now surpassed those due to heroin or other opioids. In 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration seized 50.6 million fentanyl-laced pills posing as regulated prescription pills like Xanax or oxycodone and more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder. But sadly, there isn't a federal mandate currently that emergency rooms test specifically for fentanyl. That's something that advocates are working to change in order to prevent more overdoses.While the face of the opioid crisis has predominantly been considered white and rural, overdose deaths among Latinos have skyrocketed in recent years, with experts attributing the growing numbers to the rise of fentanyl, especially mixed with other drugs. Overdose deaths among Latinos have nearly tripled since 2011, according to a report published this month in the American Journal of Epidemiology. It's not clear if this mix happens on purpose or by accident, but many believe dealers are mixing it in to make clients more dependent.
Dig Deeper:
What makes fentanyl so dangerous and how can people prevent overdoses? CNN's expert explains.
Deepfakes Prove Disruptive Power
As Fake images spread around the web, it's clear the capabilities and accessibility have Run wild
Despite former President Donald Trump not being indicted this week, that doesn't mean you didn't see an image of him getting tackled by riot-gear-clad police officers on social media. Or maybe it was Russian President Putin sitting behind the bars of a jail cell? The highly detailed, sensational images have inundated Twitter and other platforms in recent days.As National Review points out, there's nothing inherently wrong with using artificial intelligence to quickly whip up images of Donald Trump getting arrested in New York City, as long as those images are clearly labeled as being AI-generated. Such images certainly constitute protected speech under the First Amendment ... like a political cartoon. But these are realistic-looking enough to fool the casual observer. And that can be problematic, especially with the way information ricochets around the web.Defects of AI's current technology that raise doubts about the authenticity of images (six-fingered hands or metallic skin, for example), don't undercut its disruptive potential, one human rights authority told the Washington Post. He also pointed out that the aim “may not be to convince people that a certain event happened but to convince people that they can't trust anything and to undermine trust in all images.”
Watch Out:
Voice deepfakes are the new frontier of scamming. Fast Company has some tips on how to detect them.
Remember Hipstamatic?
The photo sharing social media app relaunched as a no frills Instagram alternative
The retro iPhone camera app and one-time Instagram rival Hipstamatic has made a return to the App Store. Apparently, it never really left. It's been around in one way or another over the past decade.But according to TechCrunch, the original smartphone photo app is now hoping to take advantage of widespread user frustration with Instagram. The newly refreshed Hipstamatic is designed to directly answer Instagram users' complaints (like its algorithmic feed that diverts them from friends' updates).The app advertises itself as the return of the “original point-and-shoot analog camera,” on its site, adding, “Experience the retro camera that brings all the joy, quirk and randomness of film photography to your pocket.” The app not only won't allow uploaded videos, but it also doesn't have an algorithmic feed, meaning instead of seeing popular ranked photos or photos based on past views, the content is chronological. It does sound kinda refreshing.
FYI:
Hipstamatic won Apple's first ever “App of the Year” award, back in 2010.
In Other News
U.S. forces retaliated with “precision airstrikes.”
Have you heard about ...
A Weekend Pairing
‘Succession’ + a French White Wine
It's back! Succession is back. And not a moment too soon. This is one of the few shows I have to watch immediately and can’t wait for half the season to pile up before binging. The Roys—that highly dysfunctional, media-dynasty family loosely based on the Murdochs—are back for one final season of plotting, backstabbing, scheming glory, starting this Sunday on HBO. Since first airing during the summer of 2018, the show has racked up over a dozen Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series (in 2020 and 2022). The third season saw Brian Cox’s patriarch Logan Roy foil the latest scheme by his offspring, who were finally united against him.Apparently the fourth season kicks off a while later—rather than dwelling on the immediate aftermath, which seems to have played out as one would expect. Family relationships? Busted. Shiv's marriage? A wreck. The sale to GoJo? About to close. What's more, it's Logan's birthday again. I won’t go into any more detail, but the critics seems to like what they’ve seen so far. NPR says the show excels at “the comedy and the tension that's inherent in the unseen.” And Vulture calls the season “a shining example of the best qualities of long-form storytelling, and of TV in particular.”
Pair It With
This is a show where there’s a lot of toasting (and roasting) of wine. Domaine de Montille was one of the early adopters of organic and biodynamic farming in Burgundy. This bottle, especially, showcases the acid-driven, mineral-laden qualities of wines from Puligny—and it’s a steal for just $45.
Also Worth a Watch:
‘Love Is Blind,’ season 4 on Netflix; FX’s ‘Great Expectations’ on Hulu; and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ on Prime Video
Shopping
What We’re Buying
A single-monk boot
Over a decade ago, double-monk straps ruled the formal shoe space. Some say they're coming back, but now might be time for the single-monk shoes to have their moment. A single-monk boot has more duality—wear them with dark or black denim or pull them on with a natty double-breasted suit. Leave it to a Parisian company to craft something this stunning. Fursac's interpretation is made by hand from 100% calf leather and has the height of a formal Chelsea boot, finished with a simple, single strap. What's more, it's Goodyear welted, so these will literally last you a lifetime, as long as you get them resoled every ten years or so—not a horrible investment shoe if you ask me.
Get It:
Buckle ankle boot, $568 by Fursac
Morning Motto
Give yourself some time
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