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It's Thursday and Neuralink is on the hunt for brain implant volunteers. So…are you ready to get chipped?

FULL DISCLOSURE

TikTok just announced two updates—one for creators and one for advertisers

It’s shaping up to be a big week for TikTok. On September 19, the app announced the launch of two new features: AI content labels and first-party attribution metrics. The former of those tools was accompanied by an update to TikTok’s community guidelines, which now state that “synthetic media” with “realistic scenes” must be “clearly disclosed.”

Although eagle-eyed tech expert Matt Navarra first spotted the AI labels about a month ago, TikTok officially revealed their existence in a Newsroom post uploaded Tuesday:

TikTok’s quest for proper attribution goes way beyond content labels.

In a report published earlier this month, the platform argued that its impressions are massively undervalued by traditional click-through metrics, which don’t account for buyers who visit other sites before deciding on their purchases. TikTok says its new feature—a platform called Attribution Analytics—will solve that problem by examining the “non-linear customers’ path to purchase”:

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Your creative process doesn’t stop at the perfect shot. For vlogging, short-form video and social media content, you need the Z 30.

Creators like you do it all, all the time—and that means you need a lightweight, wear-resistant camera that goes way beyond simple product shots and video.

That’s where ​the Nikon Z 30​ comes in.

With the Z 30, creators can record remotely with time-lapse and slo-mo options or unplug to vlog on the go. No ring light? No worries: the Nikon Z 30 captures brilliant detail in even low-light settings and keeps you front and center with full-time eye detection.

By adding the Nikon Z 30 to your creative arsenal, you’ll gain access to an ​innovative toolkit of creator-ready features​, including….

• A flip-out touchscreen designed for first-person videos and selfies 🤳

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Hit the button below to find out how the Nikon Z 30 can take your content to the next level:

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has begun courting potential voters on TikTok after receiving encouragement from influencer Jake Paul. (Tubefilter)
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• Meta is reportedly expanding its paid verification service to include Instagram and Facebook business accounts. (Engadget)
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• Roblox is doubling down on its voice chat ambitions with the acquisition of Speechly, a Finland-based voice tech startup. (TechRunch)
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• Meta says Facebook’s new-and-improved logo was designed to be “bolder, electric and everlasting.” Can you spot the difference? (The Verge)

DATA • STREAMERS ON THE RISE 📈

This creator’s goldfish might be better at video games than you are

PointCrow does the impossible. Or, at least, he does things that most people would think are impossible—like “eating water with chopsticks” or helping his beloved goldfish play Elden Ring.

Those examples might sound like minor exaggerations, but they’re actually pretty major understatements. In reality, PointCrow’s goldfish (whose name is Tortellini, by the way) didn’t just play Elden Ring. He beat the RPG’s toughest boss and can now “control any game” that PointCrow sends his way.

And that’s only the beginning.

PointCrow (aka Eric Morino) got his start streaming playthroughs of Zelda: Breath of the Wild before upping the ante with a series of absolutely grueling challenges. He’s now accomplished tasks most gamers would never even attempt, from completing Breath of the Wild without turning left to beating Pokémon White with only level one Pokémon.

That ability to dominate seemingly impossible challenges has earned Morino an avid fanbase. In the last couple months, his YouTube channel has jumped from an average of around 10 million monthly views to over 40 million.

PointCrow isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

The gamer has big plans for the future, from developing new merch to (possibly) launching a new channel—and, of course, commissioning a custom streamer setup for Tortellini’s tank. You can find out more about Morino’s incredible gaming escapades here.

WATCH THIS 📺

Did a podcast network scam creators out of $4 million? Coffeezilla is on the case.

Kast Media describes itself as “one of the fastest growing and most exciting podcast networks and publishers in podcasting.” Its partners say otherwise.

Back in July, comedian Theo Von claimed that Kast had defrauded creators out of $4 million. Those allegations raised a lot of eyebrows—including Coffeezilla’s. The investigative YouTuber dug into the case to discover Kast’s shady accounting, its broken promises to partners, and its ultimate plan to get creators paid. The resulting video is a hard-hitting expose, complete with input from both aggrieved podcasters and Kast CEO Colin Thomson.

As for Coffeezilla’s takeaway?

The YouTuber has some words of advice for creators: “Do not trust people with your business who promise you the world.”

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.