Bits: Farhad and Mike’s Week in Tech: Facebook Under Fire in Washington

Facebook got the brunt of lawmakers' ire in Washington View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, November 2, 2017 [For the latest updates, go to nytimes.com/bits »]( Facebook Under Fire in Washington [With the iPhone X, Apple changed how it distributed review units to journalists.] With the iPhone X, Apple changed how it distributed review units to journalists. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters Each Friday, Farhad Manjoo and Mike Isaac, technology reporters at The New York Times, review [the week’s news]( offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry. Want this newsletter in your inbox? [Sign up here](. Farhad: Good morning, Mike! Are you having a good time in our nation’s capital? I saw on Instagram that you got to ride the Senate subway. That sounds fun, but it really makes me doubt the wisdom of the Capitol Police. Mike: I picked the perfect time of year to come here. Leaves are changing colors, the air is brisk but not cold, and the smell of pumpkin spice abounds. I think I love D.C. Also, you jest, but I was stopped by Capitol Police multiple times trying to get into the Senate Press gallery. I don’t look that suspicious, do I? Farhad: Hmm, no comment. O.K., let’s get to tech. TECH GOES TO WASHINGTON Farhad: The big news happened there in D.C. Executives from Google, Facebook and Twitter appeared before lawmakers looking into claims that the Russian government used their platforms to influence the 2016 election. Among other things, the lawmakers released details on the scores of ads purchased by Russian operatives. The [ads are wild](. The Russians’ primary political goal seems to have been to create discord in American society; they took just about every side of every issue, promoting protests over religion, politics and other issues. Beyond the ads, though, did we learn anything new from the hearings? Mike: First, let me say attending House and Senate hearings is surreal. Members of Congress love to have aides blow up tweets and Facebook posts 1,000 percent, plaster them on big pieces of poster board, and then use them as visual aids in the hearing. I spent an hour looking at an [advertisement of Satan fighting Jesus]( in a hearing this week. Anyway, my takeaway: The whole ordeal was mostly orchestrated pageantry — a way for lawmakers to give tech execs a very public, rather embarrassing dressing down — with a few new facts and insights scattered throughout. For one, all three companies said the reach of Russia-backed ads stretched much further than they had originally known. Facebook estimated some 150 million people were served the ads across Facebook and Instagram. That’s a lot! But more than that, I found it fruitful that some members of Congress seemed to recognize the more pervasive issue of so-called organic content. That is, the posts that you and I and anyone else can create and post to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Those are much more difficult to track, and we still don’t know the extent to which Russia-linked organic content spread across all of these platforms. Farhad: I do wonder where this leads. The tech execs were all contrite and vowed to police themselves better. I noticed that even in Facebook’s earnings statement on Wednesday — in which the [company boasted record profits]( suggesting that the scandal hasn’t hurt its bottom line —Mark Zuckerberg downplayed the business and instead focused on the political climate: “Protecting our community is more important than maximizing our profits,” he said. I wonder if this contrition will be enough to head off any strong regulation. I suspect it will. Mike: Probably. And note that in the hearings this week, none of the tech companies said they [would back the Honest Ads Act]( the bill senators are proposing that could impose stricter regulations on digital advertising. So we’ll see how far the bill goes after this week. THE IPHONE IS HERE, AND TECH WRITERS ARE MAD Farhad: Mike, how excited are you for the new iPhone? Did you stay up late to order one? Mike: The only things I stay up late for are Radiohead concert ticket sales and New Year’s Eve. So, my answer is no. Farhad: I didn’t either, so mine is likely to ship in a month’s time — long after the first ones hit the shelves this weekend. It’s a strange feeling to be so left out. In previous years, Apple has given tech journalists a week to look over its latest iPhone. But it completely changed the plan with the coveted X, causing a lot of heartache for us whiny writers. Apple gave some outlets — including TechCrunch, Buzzfeed and Backchannel, which is part of Wired — a week with the device. But many others, including The Times, were given just a day with the new phones. Meanwhile, Apple also offered review devices to several YouTube stars and some out-of-left-field choices, like the political journalist Mike Allen. Mike: Don’t tell the others, but [Mike Allen’s review]( was my favorite. Hegave the phone to his nephew, who is more tech savvy than him, and relayed what the kid loved about it. I’m totally asking a cousin to write my next Facebook story. Farhad: Ordinarily the question of who gets to review the iPhone would be too inside baseball for us. But as [Jake Swearingen at New York points out]( Apple’s shifting review policies are a good way to document how much the media business has changed since the original iPhone came out in 2007. That year, Apple provided early review units to big print outlets — the Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Newsweek. In 2017,Apple has the pick of any outlet it wants; it knows that a review will get a lot of traffic on virtually any site, so it doesn’t really matter whether it chooses an established media brand or some YouTuber with a fan base. Mike: I loved Jake’s piece! Aside from chuckling at the angry posts from reviewers who felt slighted, it was a clear insight into how Apple believes people buy things these days, and how the older model of going to a select few reviewers perhaps isn’t the only way to drive purchasing decisions. Frankly, I agree! I don’t really read traditional consumer reviews anymore, and I suspect the crowd for deep tech and gadgety reviews is growing smaller over time. Farhad: I guess we should talk about the actual substance of these reviews. They were mostly positive. After two days of using it, our colleague [Brian X. Chen found]( that the phone was “incredibly fast and took exceptional photos,” and that the face-detection unlock system mostly worked very well. But like several other reviewers, Brian said the X is not a must for most people. You’ll probably get by just fine with a cheaper phone. Mike: I’m not going to buy one because my phone is only a year old. Also, I think if I try to unlock a device with my face I’ll break the entire phone. Farhad: O.K., have fun in D.C. Say hi to the president for me! Mike: Adiós! Farhad Manjoo writes a weekly technology column called [State of the Art](. Mike Isaac covers Facebook, Uber and Twitter. You can follow them on Twitter here: [@fmanjoo]( and [@MikeIsaac]( ADVERTISEMENT In Case You Missed It [Russia-Financed Ad Linked Clinton and Satan]( By CECILIA KANG, NICHOLAS FANDOS AND MIKE ISAAC After months of avoiding a public debate about whether Russia helped tip the election, Republicans sought to portray the Kremlin-backed effort as a broader misinformation campaign. [These Are the Ads Russia Bought on Facebook in 2016]( By SCOTT SHANE A look at some of the ads designed by Russia to exploit divisions in American society and to tip the 2016 election in favor of Donald J. Trump. State of the Art [The Upside of Being Ruled by the Five Tech Giants]( By FARHAD MANJOO What if it’s not that bad that so much economic, social and political power is held by Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook and Microsoft? [Alibaba’s Earnings Jump as China’s Online Shopping Boom Continues]( By RAYMOND ZHONG The e-commerce giant posted strong results for its most recent quarter but still faces challenges that include growing outside of its core business. [Sony’s Fortunes Improve, From Rising Profit to a Return for Aibo]( By JONATHAN SOBLE The Japanese electronics giant has projected what would be its largest-ever annual operating profit, and announced a revival of its mechanical dog. [Apple Report Expects New iPhones to Jump-Start Growth]( By KATIE BENNER Apple posted strong revenue and profit increases and, buoyed by a slate of new iPhones, including the $999 iPhone X, forecast that growth would continue. Tech Fix [The iPhone X Is Cool. That Doesn’t Mean You Are Ready for It.]( By BRIAN X. CHEN Apple’s newest iPhone takes a big leap from past models by shedding a home button and including a face scanner. And remember the price: $999. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [bits_newsletter@nytimes.com](mailto:bits_newsletter@nytimes.com?subject=Bits%20Newsletter%20Feedback%20223). ADVERTISEMENT LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. 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