TWiT 1071: Image Pickles - Are Social Platforms Addictive or Just Too Good?
Is social media addictive by design or just irresistible entertainment? The panel tackles the lawsuit that's dragging tech giants onto the witness stand and how surveillance tech is quietly expanding while lawmakers and users scramble to catch up.
Jury told that Meta, Google 'engineered addiction' at landmark US trial
Instagram Chief Says Social Media Is Not 'Clinically Addictive' in Landmark Trial
Section 230 turns 30 as it faces its biggest tests yet
Meta apparently thinks we're too distracted to care about facial recognition and Ray-Bans
Amazon Ring's Super Bowl ad sparks backlash amid fears of mass surveillance
Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash
TikTok is tracking you, even if you don't use the app.
Discord backtracks on controversial age verification rollout...kind of
Discord/Twitch/Snapchat age verification bypass
The DJI Romo robovac had security so poor that this man remotely accessed thousands of them
HP's laptop subscriptions are a great deal — for HP
FTC Ratchets Up Microsoft Probe, Queries Rivals on Cloud, AI
T-Mobile announces its network is now full of AI by rolling out real-time translation
Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags
SpaceX Prioritizes Lunar 'Self-Growing City' Over Mars Project, Musk Says
Elon Musk declares victory with Medicaid data release
Waymo Is Getting DoorDashers to Close Doors on Self Driving Cars
Backblaze Drive Stats for 2025
$1.8 million MST3K Kickstarter brings in (almost) everyone from the old show
OpenAI Is Nuking Its 4o Model. China's ChatGPT Fans Aren't OK
Hideki Sato, designer of all Sega's consoles, has died
Byte magazine artist Robert Tinney, who illustrated the birth of PCs, dies at 78
Launching The Rural Guaranteed Minimum Income Initiative
Host: Leo Laporte
Guests: Wesley Faulkner, Stacey Higginbotham, and Thomas Germain
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[Image: This Week in Tech]
Feb 15th 2026
This Week in Tech 1071
Image Pickles
Hosted by
Leo Laporte
Are Social Platforms Addictive or Just Too Good?
Records live every Sunday at 5:15pm Eastern / 2:15pm Pacific / 22:15 UTC.
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Guests:
Wesley Faulkner,
Stacey Higginbotham,
Thomas Germain
Category:
News
Is social media addictive by design or just irresistible entertainment? The panel tackles the lawsuit that’s dragging tech giants onto the witness stand and how surveillance tech is quietly expanding while lawmakers and users scramble to catch up.
- Jury told that Meta, Google 'engineered addiction' at landmark US trial
- Instagram Chief Says Social Media Is Not ‘Clinically Addictive’ in Landmark Trial
- Section 230 turns 30 as it faces its biggest tests yet
- Meta apparently thinks we're too distracted to care about facial recognition and Ray-Bans
- Amazon Ring’s Super Bowl ad sparks backlash amid fears of mass surveillance
- Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash
- TikTok is tracking you, even if you don't use the app.
- Discord backtracks on controversial age verification rollout…kind of
- Discord/Twitch/Snapchat age verification bypass
- The DJI Romo robovac had security so poor that this man remotely accessed thousands of them
- HP’s laptop subscriptions are a great deal — for HP
- FTC Ratchets Up Microsoft Probe, Queries Rivals on Cloud, AI
- T-Mobile announces its network is now full of AI by rolling out real-time translation
- Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags
- SpaceX Prioritizes Lunar 'Self-Growing City' Over Mars Project, Musk Says
- Elon Musk declares victory with Medicaid data release
- Waymo Is Getting DoorDashers to Close Doors on Self Driving Cars
- Backblaze Drive Stats for 2025
- $1.8 million MST3K Kickstarter brings in (almost) everyone from the old show
- OpenAI Is Nuking Its 4o Model. China’s ChatGPT Fans Aren’t OK
- Hideki Sato, designer of all Sega’s consoles, has died
- Byte magazine artist Robert Tinney, who illustrated the birth of PCs, dies at 78
- Launching The Rural Guaranteed Minimum Income Initiative
Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
- Transcripts: This Week in Tech 1071 Transcript
#### Links
- Jury told that Meta, Google 'engineered addiction' at landmark US trial
- Instagram Chief Says Social Media Is Not ‘Clinically Addictive’ in Landmark Trial
- Section 230 turns 30 as it faces its biggest tests yet
- Meta apparently thinks we're too distracted to care about facial recognition and Ray-Bans
- Amazon Ring’s Super Bowl ad sparks backlash amid fears of mass surveillance
- Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash
- TikTok is tracking you, even if you don't use the app.
- Discord backtracks on controversial age verification rollout…kind of
- Discord/Twitch/Snapchat age verification bypass
- The DJI Romo robovac had security so poor, this man remotely accessed thousands of them
- HP’s laptop subscriptions are a great deal — for HP
- FTC Ratchets Up Microsoft Probe, Queries Rivals on Cloud, AI
- T-Mobile announces its network is now full of AI by rolling out real-time translation
- Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags
- SpaceX Prioritizes Lunar 'Self-Growing City' Over Mars Project, Musk Says
- Elon Musk declares victory with Medicaid data release
- Waymo Is Getting DoorDashers to Close Doors on Self Driving Cars
- Backblaze Drive Stats for 2025
- $1.8 million MST3K Kickstarter brings in (almost) everyone from the old show
- OpenAI Is Nuking Its 4o Model. China’s ChatGPT Fans Aren’t OK
- Hideki Sato, designer of all Sega’s consoles, has died
- Byte magazine artist Robert Tinney, who illustrated the birth of PCs, dies at 78
- Launching The Rural Guaranteed Minimum Income Initiative
#### Sponsors
- zscaler.com/security
- monarch.com with code TWIT
- ZipRecruiter.com/twit
- helixsleep.com/twit
- cachefly.com/twit
Download Options
Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join Club TWiT today!
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[Original source](https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech/episodes/1071)