Big "Drone" Brother and the Surveillance Economy

Amazon was just awarded a patent designed to allow for delivery drones to double as "surveillance-as-a-service" devices, allowing them to periodically scan your home for open doors, windows, etc. Pretty cool, but it brings up the issue of the vast amount of visual/physical data that autonomous devices (drones or automobiles) will soon be collecting. THIS WEEK's FAST FIVE > Google won't be delivering anymore tablets. Good. > Google isn't as smart as Genius, who proved Google was lifting song lyrics from its site by using straight and curly apostrophes to embed the phrase "red handed" — in morse code — into its song lyrics. > Three EU Central Bankers are claiming oversight of Facebook's new Libra Cryptocurrency. > Huawei may be looking to Russia's Avrora OS to replace Google's Android (and further lessoning it's reliance on US tech). > Terry Gou is a household name (in Taiwan) and his company, Foxconn, a household name around the world. Now this Apple manufacturing powerhouse wants to become the president of Taiwan and bring iPhone manufacturing from mainland China with him. This week's Tech Bites Winner: The "Amazon Choice" recommendation doesn't mean it's a great product, it means it's the product Amazon would like you to choose. Bad form, Amazon! Our Crystal Ball: Will Amazon actually offer its "Surveillance-as-a-Service" to the general public, and if so, when? Hint: Look for commercial applications first. INFORMATION: This Futurum Podcast features Daniel Newman (@danielnewmanUV), Fred McClimans (@fredmcclimans) and Olivier Blanchard (@OABlanchard). If you haven't already, please subscribe to our show on iTunes or SoundCloud. For inquiries or more information on the show, email the team at [email protected] or follow @FuturumPodcast on Twitter. To learn more about Futurum Research please visit www.futurumresearch.com. DISCLOSURE: Futurum Research is a research and analysis provider, not an investment advisor. The Futurum Tech Podcast (and all related written notes and materials) is a newsletter/podcast intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. Futurum Research does not provide personalized investment advice and no investment advice is offered or implied by this podcast.