Welcome to the Tokyo Olympics, where public health, money, and politics collide

Facebook is ditching plans to make brain-reading headsets

Sponsored by Salesforce The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology The ominous Olympics 07.15.21 Good morning! Today: the Olympics could have a significant impact on cases in Japan, Facebook is abandoning work on a brain-reading headset, and why prisoners need to be able to get online. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. Welcome to the Tokyo Olympics, where public health, money, and politics collide   What’s happening: The Olympic and Paralympic games are set to begin on July 23 in Tokyo. The backdrop is far from ideal. Covid-19 cases are rising in Tokyo, prompting the city to announce its fourth state of emergency since the start of the pandemic. The rising caseload is especially troubling because the country’s vaccination rate remains low. Just 18% of Japan’s population is fully vaccinated. Nevertheless, the International Olympic Committee is pressing on. At stake are billions of dollars in sunk costs, as well as billions more in potential revenue. What’s next: Experts worry that the influx of 100,000 people during the games could worsen covid-19 in Japan, despite the safety measures. They will be tested at various intervals, and required to download a contact tracing app. There won’t be any audiences at all at venues in and around Tokyo. Despite this, the Olympics could have a ripple effect on covid cases in the country. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that polls show more than 80% of Japanese people don’t want the games to happen at all. Read the full story. —Mia Sato Facebook is ditching plans to make brain-reading headsets The news: Facebook has announced it is discontinuing a project launched in 2017 to build a headset or headband that would allow people to send text messages by thinking. It said consumer brain-reading remains very far off, and it will instead focus on an experimental wrist controller for virtual reality that reads muscle signals in the arm. The bigger picture: There’s still a craze around brain-computer interfaces more generally. That’s because companies see mind-controlled software as a huge breakthrough—as important as the computer mouse, graphical user interface, or swipe screen.  Woah there: As brain-computer interfaces advance, there are serious new concerns. What would happen if large tech companies could know people’s thoughts? Given Facebook’s poor record on privacy, the decision to halt this research may have the side benefit of putting some distance between the company and rising worries about “neurorights.” Read the full story. —Antonio Regalado Why prisoners need internet access  California recently promised to provide free computer tablets to all state prisoners by the end of 2021, allowing prisoners like Joe Garcia to email loved ones through a highly restricted prison messaging service and download content like movies and books. It’s a great first step, but without more open internet access, there’s no way prisoners will ever truly keep pace with the changing world.  Joe has been locked up since 2003. Back then Apple had barely launched iTunes. In all the years since then, he hasn't logged a single second of internet activity.  When his first parole opportunity arrives, in 2023, he'll be 53 years old. He will need to convince the parole board not only that he has been rehabilitated, but also that he is able to be a productive and employable citizen. That's virtually impossible when you can't get online. Read the full story in Joe's own words. This story is from the latest change-themed issue of our print magazine. Read the full edition and—subscribe if you haven't already. We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + This video of a man transforming himself into different objects is incredible.   + Diana Beltrán Herrera makes beautiful paper sculptures.   + An exhibition dedicated to happiness? Yes please.   + I don't know if mutant goldfish are nice, but they are definitely a thing, thanks to people dumping their pet fish into lakes. (WP)   + Some medieval gold coins unearthed in Poland have sparked a fascinating investigation. (NYT $)   + Hey, the Overton Window is an actual window.   + A ten-minute recipe for chili oil noodles.   + This is not a cat but a bumblebee.   + Photos of Silicon Valley before it became Silicon Valley. Sponsor Message Evolving to a more equitable AI AI can be a powerful tool in ushering in a post-pandemic normal—but it must be deployed and used in a way that’s fair to all. Learn more here. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Pfizer wants to give you a booster shot—but experts say it’s too soon  Those vaccines should be going to older adults in poor countries who haven’t yet received their first dose. (TR)   + The pandemic's impacts are going to get even more unequal. (NYT $)   + Can vaccine passports work? (Slate)   + The future of England and Wales' contact tracing app looks doubtful. (BBC)   + Cases are rising in New York City due to the Delta variant. (NYT $)   + "Long covid" has more than 200 symptoms. (The Guardian)    + This ‘super antibody’ for COVID fights off multiple coronaviruses. (Nature)  2 AI needs to learn to grasp analogies Until it does, it can't be truly intelligent. (Quanta)   3 If you find an online security issue in China, you'll have to report it to the government This looks like yet another power grab by Beijing. (NBC)   4 A brain implant enabled a paralyzed man to speak 🧠 For the first time since a car crash in 2003. Simply amazing. (NYT $)   5 Phone hacking tech is having a chilling effect on journalism Oppressive governments are increasingly turning to tools like those sold by Cellebrite, an Israeli surveillance firm. (The Daily Beast)   + Inside the industry that unmasks people en masse. (Vice)  6 A "green" pandemic recovery looks unlikely Trillions of dollars poured into rescuing economies have been spent in ways that worsen the climate crisis. (The Guardian)   + The Amazon rainforest is now emitting more CO2 than it absorbs. (The Guardian)   + Why is TV so bad at covering climate change? (Earther)  7 Is social media making us more tactful? Probably not. But maybe it's helping to make (some of) us more empathetic. (Wired $)   + Twitter is shutting down Fleets. They won’t be missed. (The Verge)   + Twitter saw a surge of government requests to take down content last year. (NBC)   + Facebook is planning to pay creators $1 billion to use its products. (NYT $)  8 Women are much more likely to have autoimmune diseases Sometimes by a factor of 16 or more, yet we remain largely ignorant about the causes.  (Nature)   + How pandemics strengthen links between viruses and autoimmunity. (Nature)   9 Can we trust Netblocks? It's informed us of virtually every internet shutdown for years. But who monitors the internet monitors? (Wired UK)   10 The concept of "cool" needs updating 😎 Maybe it's time to throw the whole thing in the trash. (Vox) Join MIT Technology Review's Global Panel (membership is free).  Take part in original research on tech and business, and get tools for making smarter decisions. Learn more. Quote of the day "We are planning for war and praying for peace." —Dr Catherine Monaghan, a consultant in respiratory medicine at the University Hospital of North Tees, tells the BBC how healthcare workers feel about the surge in covid-19 cases in England, as the country plans for full reopening on Monday.  Top image credit: DAMON COULTER | SOPA IMAGES | SIPA USA VIA AP Please send mutant goldfish to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up today Leading with Innovation. Join us virtually September 28-30. 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