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No one had predicted how quickly three of China’s strongest influences would fall. On June 3, 30-year-old Austin Li, who has more than 60 million followers, abruptly cut the live broadcast after a tank-shaped ice cream dessert appeared on screen. Although he later reported that this was due to “technical difficulties,” most people understand that as triggering government censors interpreting it as a reference to the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Li’s arrest is unknown and his account is active, but he has not posted or posted on social media since. Fans suspect that he may not be allowed to air again.
Live streaming e-commerce in China is a huge industry worth over $180 billion. Influencers like Li have risen to rival the popularity of A-list celebrities and are known to facilitate billions of dollars in overnight online purchases.
But in Li and at least two other cases, these online empires were toppled overnight in what appears to be a government crackdown stretching back to late 2021 – suggesting a showdown is underway. Read the full story.
—Zeyi Yang
must read
I scoured the internet for today’s most entertaining/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 We’re still kept in the dark about the origins of covid
We need more data from China, according to a new WHO report. (NYT $)
+ He also wants to further investigate the theory that it was leaked from a lab. (WP $)
+ Meet the scientist at the center of the lab leak controversy. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Quantum computers can create an entirely new form of matter
The like has never been seen before in nature. (New Scientist $)
+ Data is at risk of being corrupted by computers that do not yet exist. (Spectrum IEEE)
+ The US is already concerned about the threat they pose to encryption. (MIT Technology Review)
How do eBay sellers evade the assault weapons ban?
Some listings are obvious about what they’re selling, while others are more nuanced. (LA Times)
+ While you’re not theoretically allowed to sell guns on Facebook, you have to break this rule 10 times for it to be enforced. (WP $)
4 Is community governance the solution to social media problems?
Relying on the cooperation of strangers is risky, but so is allowing one man to have unlimited power over a platform. (Atlantic Ocean $)
+ Eight legal complaints were filed against Facebook this week. (Protocol)
+ Big Tech spent $36 million on ads opposing US antitrust law. (WSJ $)
5 NASA joins to hunt for UFOs 🛸
He wants to collect data about phenomena we don’t understand. (WP $)
+ Astronomers rethink how planets form. (quantum)
+ Important material for life found in asteroid samples. (CNET)
+ Japan’s space agency is testing a quadrupedal lunar robot. (CNN)
6 East Asians’ sight is getting worse
More sunlight exposure could help future generations. (Economist $)
7 Electrically stimulating your muscles is the latest fitness trend
But there’s no evidence that it’s any more effective than old-fashioned exercise. (Neo.Life)
8 Silicone breast implants still make women sick
Although its problems have been known for decades. (slate)
9 The internet was supposed to make life easier
Now we rely on intermediaries that our grandparents never needed. (Atlantic Ocean $)
10 The moral consequences of whether animals dream 💤
And why one day we may know what they are dreaming about. (motherboard)
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