Welcome to the Tech Mem Right Home for Wednesday, January 31st,

2024, I'm Brian McCullough today. The Tech Exexx have been called

before Congress once again. Universal Music Group pulls its songs from

Tik-Tok. Is 23 and Me in danger of going out of business?

Figure is an AI robotics company that Microsoft and Open AI might be about to

invest in and say hello to the chief AI officer job title.

Here's what you miss today in the world of tech.

It's been a while since we've done this but big tech CEOs including Mark Zuckerberg,

Evan Spiegel and the CEOs of X and Tik-Tock are testifying before Congress today right now as I record this.

Specifically, the US Senate Committee that is looking into child safety online.

Ahead of the hearing, Zuckerberg called for requiring Apple and

Google to verify the ages of users via App Stores, quoting the Financial Times.

Several proposed pieces of federal legislation are in train that target the Silicon Valley groups such as the controversial Kids Online Safety Act which requires platforms to protect children from online harms.

The Senate and the House have so far failed to find

consensus on the precise measures that should be taken. Bills such as the

Kids Online Safety Act have faced pushback from tech platforms and the trade groups

that represent them.

In pre-prepared testimony, Meada Zuckerberg called for lawmakers instead to mandate regulation

requiring Apple and Google App Stores to verify the age of younger users.

He reiterated the longstanding assertion that the platform has

introduced quote more than 30 tools and features to protect children. We're also in

favor of setting industry standards on age-appropriate content and limiting signals for advertising to teens to age and

...