In this week's episode of This Week in Tech, Leo Laporte and guests Devindra Hardawar, Doc Rock, and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy discuss a wide range of topics including Australia's ban on social media for under 16s, the latest in smart home technology and Matter protocol, CES 2024 expectations, Black Friday sales records, Elon Musk's legal battles, the FTC's efforts to protect consumers, and the growing threat of infrastructure sabotage. The panel also touches on the lifespan of smart devices, the ownership of social media accounts, and the growth of Bluesky.

• Australia bans social media for everyone under 16, sparking a discussion on the challenges of age verification, the necessity of such measures, and the potential impact on children's social lives
• Jennifer shares her thoughts on the progress and challenges of Matter protocol, the future of smart home technology, and the killer use cases like energy management that could drive broader adoption
• Devindra looks forward to checking out the latest tech at CES 2024, while the panel discusses the impact of potential tariffs on consumer electronics prices
• Black Friday online sales hit a record $74.4B, up 5% from last year, with over half of spending done on mobile devices and a surge in traffic to retail sites from AI chatbots
• Elon Musk files for an injunction to halt OpenAI's transition to a for-profit, accusing the company of discouraging investors from backing rivals like his own xAI
• Musk admits X is throttling links, effectively limiting people from reading news on the platform, which could impact content creators and marketers
• The panel discusses the implications of X's objection to The Onion buying InfoWars, reminding users that they do not own their social media accounts or followers
• As alternative social media platforms like Bluesky gain traction, the panel considers the challenges of managing multiple platforms and the potential for a more decentralized social media landscape
• The FTC releases a report on the hidden lifespan of smart devices, highlighting the need for transparency and the potential security risks of unsupported devices
• FTC changes its telemarketing rules to better protect consumers from growing 'tech support scam' calls
• Supreme Court considers whether ISPs should be liable for users' piracy, with potential far-reaching consequences
• Concerns rise over infrastructure sabotage as a Chinese ship's crew is suspected of deliberately dragging an anchor for 100 miles to cut Baltic cables
• Meta plans to build a $10B subsea cable spanning the world to support its services and ensure data traffic flow

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, Doc Rock, and Devindra Hardawar

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In this episode of This Week in Tech, the panel tackles the "biggest hack in US history," the future of AI, and the role of government in tech. From the Chinese hack's implications to Microsoft's AI-powered Recall, the Supreme Court's tech-related cases, and the push for social media age verification, Leo Laporte, Patrick Beja, Wesley Faulkner, and Alex Wilhelm provide insightful analysis and lively discussion on the most pressing issues facing the industry today.

• China's "Salt Typhoon" hack, dubbed the "worst hack in our nation's history," which compromised US telecommunications infrastructure and allowed surveillance of high-profile individuals
• The panel debates the challenges of securing outdated infrastructure and the role of government in regulating tech companies
• DOJ's push for Google to sell off Chrome to break its search monopoly, and the potential implications for competition and innovation
• Alex Wilhelm's article "If you like startups, you should love anti-trust" and the importance of fostering competition in the tech industry
• Microsoft's Windows 365 Link, a $349 mini PC that streams Windows from the cloud, and the potential for thin client computing
• Microsoft's Recall AI feature, which records and indexes users' screen activity, raising security concerns but offering potential benefits for users
• The Supreme Court's involvement in cases related to Facebook's Cambridge Analytica data breach and the fate of America's low-income broadband fund
• The panel also discusses their personal experiences with parenting in the digital age and the challenges of balancing screen time, privacy, and education for children
• Meta's push for Apple and Google to verify users' ages on social media platforms, and the challenges of implementing effective age verification while protecting user privacy
• Amazon's talks with Instacart, Uber, Ticketmaster, and others to enhance its AI-powered Alexa assistant
• Spirit Airlines filing for bankruptcy amidst financial losses and mounting debt payments
• Alex laments the addition of ads to Amazon Prime Video and the panel debates the tradeoffs of bundled subscription services

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Patrick Beja, Wesley Faulkner, and Alex Wilhelm

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• How Bluesky, Alternative to X and Facebook, Is Handling Explosive Growth
• Netflix's Live Mike Tyson Vs. Jake Paul Fight Battling Sound & Streaming Glitches In Lead-Up To Main Event
• Biden Asked Microsoft to "Raise the Bar on Cybersecurity." He May Have Helped Create an Illegal Monopoly.
• CFPB looks to place Google under federal supervision, setting up clash
• Apple's Tim Cook Has Ways to Cope With the Looming Trump Tariffs
• Apple Removes Another RFE/RL App At Request Of Russian Regulator
• Here's Why I Decided To Buy 'InfoWars'
• Elon Musk's X Corp. files notice in Alex Jones' Infowars bankruptcy case
• Spotify's Plans For AI Generated Music, Podcasts, and Recommendations, According To Its Co-President, CTO, and CPO Gustav Söderström
• This 'AI Granny' Bores Scammers to Tears Congress ponders underwater alien civilizations, human hybrids, and other unexplained stuff
• In Memoriam: Thomas E. Kurtz, 1928–2024

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Alex Kantrowitz, Daniel Rubino, and Iain Thomson

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