Africa internet riches plundered, contested by China broker

Outsiders have long profited from Africa’s riches of gold, diamonds, and even people

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/africa-internet-riches-plundered-contested-by-china-broker/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Blue Origin defends culture as ex-employee criticizes workplace

Blue Origin defended its workplace culture Thursday after a former employee published an essay accusing the rocket company of fostering a toxic environment.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/blue-origin-defends-culture-as-ex-employee-criticizes-workplace/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Lawmakers hammer Facebook for hiding how its products may hurt kids

Senators accused Facebook of dodging questions and burying internal research about how its products may harm children, pledging to further investigate the tech giant during heated confrontations at a congressional hearing Thursday.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/lawmakers-hammer-facebook-for-hiding-how-its-products-may-hurt-kids/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Foes united vs Facebook over Instagram’s effect on teens

Political adversaries in Congress are united in outrage against Facebook for privately compiling information that its Instagram photo-sharing service appeared to grievously harm some teens, especially girls, while publicly downplaying the popular platform’s negative impact

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/foes-united-vs-facebook-over-instagrams-effect-on-teens/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

AP: Military units track guns using tech that could aid foes

The Associated Press has found that a technology some units in the U.S. military are using to keep track of guns could let enemies detect troops on the battlefield

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/ap-military-units-track-guns-using-tech-that-could-aid-foes-2/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Takeaways: AP’s investigation of military gun tracking tech

The Associated Press has found that a technology some units in the U.S. military are using to keep track of guns could let enemies detect troops on the battlefield

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/takeaways-aps-investigation-of-military-gun-tracking-tech/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

AP: Military units track guns using tech that could aid foes

The Associated Press has found that a technology some units in the U.S. military are using to keep track of guns could let enemies detect troops on the battlefield

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/ap-military-units-track-guns-using-tech-that-could-aid-foes/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

The melting face emoji has already won devoted fans

The face, fixed with a content half-smile even as it dissolves into a puddle, is one of 37 new emojis approved this year. Other emojis that made the cut include saluting face, dotted line face and a disco ball.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/the-melting-face-emoji-has-already-won-devoted-fans/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Amazon settles with two Seattle workers who say they were wrongfully fired for their advocacy

Amazon has settled a National Labor Relations Board charge that it wrongfully terminated the employment two Seattle office employees in retaliation for advocating on behalf of warehouse workers at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazon-settles-with-two-seattle-workers-who-say-they-were-wrongfully-fired-for-their-advocacy/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

AT&T to require vaccines for 90,000 of its union workers

AT&T has become one of the largest employers in the U.S. to mandate vaccines for a significant number of frontline workers

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/att-to-require-vaccines-for-90000-of-its-union-workers/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Russia arrests leading cybersecurity exec on treason charges

Russian authorities have arrested an executive of a top cybersecurity company on the charges of high treason, a move that has sent shock waves through Russia’s business community

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/russia-arrests-leading-cybersecurity-exec-on-treason-charges/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Boeing appoints digital engineering chief to prepare for its next all-new airplane

Boeing has appointed a digital engineering chief to lead preparations for both the design of its next all-new commercial jet and and the integrated production system that will build it, the company announced internally Wednesday.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/boeing-appoints-digital-engineering-chief-to-prepare-for-its-next-all-new-airplane/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Fighting wave of misinfo, YouTube bans false vaccine claims

Video-sharing tech platform YouTube on Wednesday announced immediate bans on false claims that vaccines are dangerous and cause health issues like autism, cancer or infertility

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/fighting-wave-of-misinfo-youtube-bans-false-vaccine-claims/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

YouTube is banning prominent anti-vaccine activists and blocking all anti-vaccine content

YouTube is taking down several video channels associated with high-profile anti-vaccine activists, who experts say are partially responsible for helping seed the skepticism that's contributed to slowing vaccination rates across the country.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/youtube-is-banning-prominent-anti-vaccine-activists-and-blocking-all-anti-vaccine-content/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Your drawer full of old tech could have a new life — or start a fire. Here’s how to handle it.

E-waste is a growing problem, but there are ways to avoid making it worse. Here's what you should know about repurposing and recycling old smartphones, tablets and computers. Plus, how to dispose of batteries.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/your-drawer-full-of-old-tech-could-have-a-new-life-or-start-a-fire-heres-how-to-handle-it/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Upgrading? Here’s what you can do with an old mobile device.

Before you retire that smartphone or tablet to the bottom of a drawer, there are ways to get more life out of it around the house.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/upgrading-heres-what-you-can-do-with-an-old-mobile-device/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Amazon’s newest products expand its surveillance inside the home

Amazon touts a few new gadgets and upgrades in addition to a new partnership with Disney in its annual tech announcements.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazons-newest-products-expand-its-surveillance-inside-the-home/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Theranos CEO wooed investors while lab director saw trouble

Fallen Silicon Valley star Elizabeth Holmes convinced media mogul Rupert Murdoch and other billionaires to invest in her biotechnology startup despite warnings its unconventional blood tests were dangerously unreliable

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/theranos-ceo-wooed-investors-while-lab-director-saw-trouble/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Amazon unveils ‘Jetsons’-like roaming robot for the home

Amazon’s new robot can hear, see and follow you around the home, but its no Rosey the Robot

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon-unveils-jetsons-like-roaming-robot-for-the-home/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Activision Blizzard settles US workplace discrimination suit

Activision Blizzard, the high-profile video game maker facing growing legal problems stemming from allegations of a toxic workplace culture, has settled with U.S. workplace discrimination regulators

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/activision-blizzard-settles-us-workplace-discrimination-suit/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

For flagging Amazon Games unit, ‘New World’ ‘has to be our breakthrough’

Amazon has been successful in nearly every industry it has entered, from books and grocery shopping to cloud computing and movie streaming. So it has been puzzling to many that success in the lucrative video game business has eluded the tech giant.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/for-flagging-amazon-games-unit-new-world-has-to-be-our-breakthrough/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Keystroke tracking, screenshots, and facial recognition: The boss may be watching long after the pandemic ends

Companies are increasingly turning to surveillance software tools as they consider permanent remote work policies. Some workers say remote-work surveillance has gone too far, calling the tracking systems intrusive, dysfunctional or annoying.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/keystroke-tracking-screenshots-and-facial-recognition-the-boss-may-be-watching-long-after-the-pandemic-ends/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

EXPLAINER: Why Facebook is holding off on kids’ Instagram

Bowing — if only for a moment — to pressure from lawmakers, critics, the media and child development experts, Facebook said Monday it will “pause" its work on a kids' version of its photo-oriented Instagram app

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/explainer-why-facebook-is-holding-off-on-kids-instagram/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Activision to pay $18 million over misconduct

Video game publisher Activision Blizzard said it would pay $18 million in a settlement with a federal employment agency that filed a civil-rights complaint against the company, accusing it of sexual harassment and discrimination against employees.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/activision-to-pay-18-million-over-misconduct/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

‘The Big Delete:’ Inside Facebook’s crackdown in Germany

Days before Germany's federal elections, Facebook removed a network of accounts that it said had spread COVID-19 misinformation and encouraged violent responses to COVID restrictions

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/the-big-delete-inside-facebooks-crackdown-in-germany/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

DeSantis asks secretary of state to investigate Facebook

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking Florida’s secretary of state to investigate Facebook based on a news article that reported the social media company gives preferential treatment to prominent people

source https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/desantis-asks-secretary-of-state-to-investigate-facebook/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Greece, France, expected to announce major warship deal

Greek state ERT TV has reported that the leaders of Greece and France are expected to announce a major, multi-billion euro deal in Paris on Tuesday involving the purchase by Greece of French-built warships

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/greece-france-expected-to-announce-major-warship-deal/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Facebook Is Delaying an Instagram App for Users Under the Age of 13

Facebook said Monday that it had paused development of an “Instagram Kids” service that would be tailored for children 13 years old or younger, as the social network increasingly faces questions about the app’s effect on young people’s mental health.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/facebook-is-delaying-an-instagram-app-for-users-under-the-age-of-13/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

South Africa pledges more ambitious climate targets

South Africa has pledged more ambitious emissions targets, a move that was welcomed by climate activists

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/south-africa-pledges-more-ambitious-climate-targets/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Earth-monitoring satellite launches from California

The latest in a series of U.S. satellites that has recorded human and natural impacts on Earth’s surface for decades has been launched into orbit from California to ensure continued observations in the era of climate change

source https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/earth-monitoring-satellite-launches-from-california/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

India turns to Amazon, Microsoft to harness data to help farmers boost yields

India, which is seeking to ensure food security in the second-most populous nation, is betting that Amazon and Microsoft can help farmers boost yields with apps and tools built from information such as crop output, soil quality and land holdings.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/india-turns-to-amazon-microsoft-to-harness-data-to-help-farmers-boost-yields/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Facebook puts Instagram for kids on hold after pushback

Instagram is putting a pause on its Instagram Kids platform, geared towards children under 13, so it can address concerns about accessability and content

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/instagram-pausing-instagram-kids-eyes-changes/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Michigan and Indiana race to build the nation’s first electrified road to charge vehicles

Imagine being able to charge an electric vehicle without stopping to plug in. Michigan could have the first wireless charging infrastructure on a public road anywhere in the country, although the state is likely to be challenged to meet that goal.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/michigan-and-indiana-race-to-build-the-nations-first-electrified-road-to-charge-vehicles/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Twitter’s business reboot is off to a troubling start

In February, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey vowed that the company was on a new course, headed for rapid-fire innovation and game-changing product rollouts. But seven months later, not much has changed.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/twitters-business-reboot-is-off-to-a-troubling-start/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

China’s factories, households grapple with power cuts

Global shoppers face possible shortages of smartphones and other goods ahead of Christmas after power cuts to meet government targets forced Chinese factories to shut down and left some households in the dark

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/chinas-factories-households-grapple-with-power-cuts/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Companies are hoarding personal data about you. Here’s how to get them to delete it.

In February, Whitney Merrill, a privacy attorney who lives in San Francisco, asked audio-chat company Clubhouse to disclose how many people had shared her name and phone number with the company as part of its contact-sharing feature, in hopes of getting that data deleted. As she waited to hear from the company, she tweeted about […]

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/companies-are-hoarding-personal-data-about-you-heres-how-to-get-them-to-delete-it/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Google in court to appeal EU’s 2018 Android antitrust case

Google is heading to a top European Union court to appeal a record EU antitrust penalty imposed for stifling competition by abusing the dominance of its Android operating system

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/google-in-court-to-appeal-eus-2018-android-antitrust-case/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Are you ready for a 3D-printed house? They’re cheaper, stronger and long-lasting, developers say

We’re all becoming used to hearing about such 3D printed objects as face masks, jewelry, jet engines, construction equipment and even guns. Turns out houses can be built that way, too, the process just requires a much larger printer.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/are-you-ready-for-a-3d-printed-house-theyre-cheaper-stronger-and-long-lasting-developers-say/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Apple iPhone 13 review: the most incremental upgrade ever

The new iPhone is 10% faster than the last one, and the photos are slightly better. Tech writer Brian X. Chen says it may be the most incremental update ever to the iPhone.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/apple-iphone-13-review-the-most-incremental-upgrade-ever/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Are there apps that do what Windows Briefcase did? | Q&A with Patrick Marshall

Patrick Marshall answers questions from readers this week about finding replacements for Windows Briefcase and how to connect to old hard drives to find out what is on them.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/are-there-apps-that-do-what-windows-briefcase-did-qa-with-patrick-marshall/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

States at disadvantage in race to recruit cybersecurity pros

Hiring and retaining people capable of helping fend off a constant stream of cyberattacks and other online threats tops the list of concerns for state technology leaders

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/states-at-disadvantage-in-race-to-recruit-cybersecurity-pros/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Neo-Nazis are still on Facebook. And they’re making money

Dozens of far-right extremists use Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter to promote their brands, new research shows

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/neo-nazis-are-still-on-facebook-and-theyre-making-money/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

GLIMPSES: Phone in hand, Barbados PM dials into issues at UN

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley didn’t phone in her speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Friday

source https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/glimpses-phone-in-hand-barbados-pm-dials-into-issues-at-un/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Amazon’s Whole Foods will charge for delivery beginning Oct. 25

Amazon's Whole Foods Market is implementing a grocery delivery fee across the U.S., rolling back a perk the retailer had offered for paying Prime members since it began offering home delivery from the organic grocer.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazons-whole-foods-will-charge-for-delivery-beginning-oct-25/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Elon Musk, singer Grimes ‘semi-separated’ after three years

Elon Musk and singer Grimes have ended their romantic relationship after three years

source https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/elon-musk-singer-grimes-semi-separated-after-three-years/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

U.S. military eyes prototype mobile nuclear reactor in Idaho

The U.S. Department of Defense is taking input on its plan to build an advanced mobile nuclear microreactor prototype at the Idaho National Laboratory in eastern Idaho

source https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/us-military-eyes-prototype-mobile-nuclear-reactor-in-idaho/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Justice Dept: Huawei exec poised to resolve criminal charges

The chief financial officer of Chinese communications giant Huawei Technologies is preparing to resolve the criminal charges against her

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/justice-dept-huawei-exec-poised-to-resolve-criminal-charges/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

EU warns Russia over cyberattacks ahead of German elections

The European Union is warning Russia against allowing hackers to attack data bases or spread disinformation in the bloc just as Germans prepare to go the polls for parliamentary elections

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/eu-warns-russia-over-cyberattacks-ahead-of-german-elections/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

AI’s benefits are clustering in cities like Seattle. It’s tech inequality again.

Artificial intelligence will reshape companies, industries and jobs just like electrification, the internal combustion engine and the telephone. Seattle is among the few immediate winner regions from the technology, but we'll still see disruption.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/ais-benefits-are-clustering-in-cities-like-seattle-its-tech-inequality-again/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

China declares all cryptocurrency transactions illegal

China’s central bank has declared all transactions involving Bitcoin and other virtual currencies illegal, stepping up a campaign to block use of unofficial digital money

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/china-declares-all-cryptocurrency-transactions-illegal/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology