Zoom learns a few lessons in 24 hours
Zoom, by far the easiest-to-use web conferencing tool, learned over the weekend that its Mac desktop app can be hacked, giving others access to the Mac’s built-in camera. The company first said it would not completely remove the vulnerable feature, then, in an about face, promised to completely address the problem in a patch to be released Tuesday night. Wired
dis-rup-shun: A hands down favorite, Zoom has been riding high. This incident taught the company at least two lessons often learned by other technology companies: 1. You can’t tell the market that your conservative approach to a security problem will be just fine. Consumer outrage created a public relations crisis, and the company was reminded that the consumer is always right. 2. In consumer technologies, there is a trade off between ease of use and security. In Zoom’s case, making Macs seamlessly access web conferences in a manner easier than its competitors, introduced a security flaw. Better security, thus far, has meant more complexity for users. That’s a problem that few companies have successfully addressed.
Why traditional home security systems are not very effective
A survey by Cove research of 939 people who were robbed revealed that 47% did not have their alarm system on at the time of the robbery. ZDNet
dis-rup-shun: The next generation of smart home devices relies on machine learning and integrated sensors to know when occupants are home, away or asleep and automatically arm the home at the right time. By using data from all sensors and connected devices, the intelligent home will make correct decisions about the state of occupants in or out of the home and will make sure it is armed even if owners don’t.
Facebook’s Instagram combats bullying
Adam Mosseri, the new head of Instagram, stated that the company will use AI to determine and inform users when their posts are defined as bullying. He did not say, however, that the feature would block someone from posting offensive remarks. NBC
dis-rup-shun: The free market works again. After significant consumer backlash against Facebook for a string of bad choices over the past two years, the company and its Instagram subsidiary have taken a strong stance against offensive, false and damaging content. Too bad it took several years.
Uber offers helicopters in NYC
While in New York City, Uber users can choose a helicopter to travel from SOHO locations to JFK airport for about $200 for the 8 minute ride. CNN
dis-rup-shun: The service is a precursor to autonomous, flying cars (are those passenger drones?) that will create traffic jams above the traffic jams on the streets, will create consumer backlash from noise pollution, and will begin a reverse migration from cities to more rural areas where people can telecommute.
Wyze adds person detection to $20 camera
Wyze makes an impressive quality IP camera for $20. Now the camera can detect humans from other objects entering the field of view. TheVerge
dis-rup-shun: The price curve for tech products continues to dip sharply, bringing cutting edge technologies to mass markets at a blistering pace. The takeaways: hardware will rarely be profitable, the gadgets surrounding our lives in two years will be different from the one’s we use today, and our identities will be stored in thousands of shared databases and used for safety, profit, and, on some occasions, exploitation.