143. FTC Destroys Algorithms; Uber Drives Down Pay

First up is old friend FTC’s recent actions ordering companies to destroy “models and algorithms” derived from “ill-gotten data.” This is a massive regulatory precedent that targets the underlying business model of tech companies, rather than just slapping them on the wrist with fines. We then roll into the latest news from old enemy Uber, who has rolled out a new secretive algorithm that determines how much drivers get paid. This is part of an ongoing agenda to make markets for everything into black-boxed, real-time, hyper-competitive technologies of governance. Some stuff we reference: ••• FTC Takes Action Against Company Formerly Known as Weight Watchers for Illegally Collecting Kids’ Sensitive Health Data | https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2022/03/ftc-takes-action-against-company-formerly-known-weight-watchers ••• The FTC Forced a Misbehaving A.I. Company to Delete Its Algorithm | https://onezero.medium.com/the-ftc-forced-a-misbehaving-a-i-company-to-delete-its-algorithm-124d9f7e0307 ••• Secretive Algorithm Will Now Determine Uber Driver Pay in Many Cities | https://themarkup.org/working-for-an-algorithm/2022/03/01/secretive-algorithm-will-now-determine-uber-driver-pay-in-many-cities ••• Law and the Future of Gig Work in California: Problems and Potentials (Part 1) | https://onlabor.org/law-and-the-future-of-gig-work-in-california-problems-and-potentials-part-1/ Subscribe to hear more analysis and commentary in our premium episodes every week! patreon.com/thismachinekills Grab fresh new TMK gear: bonfire.com/store/this-machine-kills-podcast/ Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (twitter.com/braunestahl)