China Will Track Everybody And More On CHOM 97.7 FM

Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 10 minutes every week – about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on i Heart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more of me blathering away about what’s going on in the digital world. I’m really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed: 

• Black Mirror comes to life… “China’s plan to judge each of its 1.3 billion people based on their social behavior is moving a step closer to reality, with Beijing set to adopt a lifelong points program by 2021 that assigns personalized ratings for each resident.” They will reward (and punish). The “green channel” will get better benefits, while those who violate laws will have a difficult life, according to their website. Orwell comes to life. 
• Is this creepy or cool? Say someone close to you passed away. Would you still want to chat/text with them whenever you want? Eternime was founded in 2014 and wants to make people “virtually immortal” by creating these digital avatars of those who have passed. The app harvests your data with the goal being to collect enough data about you, so that it can create a chatbot which loved ones can interact with after you die. 40,000 people have already signed up.
• App of the Week: TikTok and Jimmy Fallon likes it too.