Axios PM — Peach State summit: Bidens visit Carters

Plus: "Disaster girl" makes bank | Thursday, April 29, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Facebook   Axios PM By Mike Allen ·Apr 29, 2021 Good afternoon: Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 397 words, a 1.5-minute read.     1 big thing: Inside the push to make cameras more inclusive Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   Axios chief tech correspondent Ina Fried says that while reporting this story, she learned how early camera film was optimized for light skin — and how insights from chocolatiers helped film makers to capture dark tones better. The big picture: Around 5 billion pictures are taken using Snapchat's camera each day. Those images form the starting point to how many people see themselves, their friends and their world. But "the camera is, in fact, racist," says Snapchat engineer Bertrand Saint-Preux. Some early digital cameras had trouble detecting the faces of people with darker skin tones. Between the lines: For Snapchat, the "inclusive camera" effort is broader than just capturing dark skin as well as light skin. It means identifying and removing biased assumptions (e.g. that smaller, thinner noses are better) when automatically adjusting people's appearance. The companywide effort started with a presentation made to top executives by Saint-Preux last summer in the wake of the protests over George Floyd's killing by police. What's next: Snapchat is working on a variety of efforts that will take longer to bring to market. One part is expanding the inclusive camera effort to other groups, such as ensuring that those with glasses or other assistive aids can fully use the company's filters. Share this story.     2. Pics du jour: Bidens visit Carters Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images Above: President Biden picks a dandelion for first lady Jill Biden as they walk to Marine One en route to Georgia. Below: The Bidens' armored limo arrives at the home of former president Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in Plains, Georgia. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images     A message from Facebook The internet has changed a lot since 1996 - internet regulations should too     It's been 25 years since comprehensive internet regulations passed. See why we support updated regulations on key issues, including: Protecting people's privacy Enabling safe and easy data portability between platforms Preventing election interference Reforming Section 230     3. Catch up quick A Long March 5B rocket carrying a module for a Chinese space station lifts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in southern China's Hainan Province. Photo: Jin Liwang/Xinhua via AP China successfully launched its first module for a planned space station. — CNN America's economic growth rate accelerated to 6.4% in the first quarter of 2021, picking up from 4.3% in the final quarter of 2020. Go deeper. Warning signs for Biden agenda: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) expressed concern to CNN about President Biden's massive proposals on health care, child care, education and infrastructure. Go deeper.     4. 1 smile to go: "Disaster girl" makes bank Zoë Roth at 4 (left) and 19. Photos: Dave Roth (left) and Noam Galai/Getty Images for BuzzFeed   Zoë Roth, a 21-year-old student at the University of North Carolina, scored nearly $500,00 off the sale of an NFT from the meme above, based on a photo taken when she was 4. "Firefighters had intentionally set the blaze as a controlled fire, so it was a relaxed affair," the New York Times reports. "Roth remembers watching the flames engulf the house when her father, an amateur photographer, asked her to smile." "'Disaster Girl' was born." "She hopes to one day do something meaningful enough to shift 'Disaster Girl' to the second page of search results for her name."     A message from Facebook Why Facebook supports updated internet regulations     2021 is the 25th anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the last major update to internet regulation. It's time for an update to set clear rules for addressing today's toughest challenges. See how we're taking action on key issues and why we support updated internet regulations.     Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: