Chinese users play cat-and-mouse with censors amid protests

Word of anti-lockdown protests in China spread on domestic social media for a short period last weekend, thanks to a rare pause in the cat-and-mouse game that goes on between millions of Chinese internet users and the country’s gargantuan censorship machine.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/chinese-users-play-cat-and-mouse-with-censors-amid-protests/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Seattle-area worker at SpaceX alleges age discrimination at Musk company

The former employee is alleging that he experienced ageism while working at the company, and has filed a complaint claiming discrimination with Washington state authorities.  

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/seattle-area-worker-at-spacex-alleges-age-discrimination-at-musk-company/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Amazon’s AWS cloud unit to add staff in 2023 as company sheds workers

The plans suggest that a hiring freeze elsewhere in the company hasn't derailed investment plans for Amazon's most profitable business. 

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazons-aws-cloud-unit-to-add-staff-in-2023-as-company-sheds-workers/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

EU warns Musk to beef up Twitter controls ahead of new rules

A top European Union official has warned Elon Musk that the company needs to beef up to protect users from hate speech, misinformation and other harmful content to avoid violating new rules.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/eu-warns-musk-to-beef-up-twitter-controls-ahead-of-new-rules/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Police: Deputy posed as teen online to lure California girl

Authorities are investigating whether a Virginia sheriff’s deputy posed as a 17-year-old boy online to groom and sexually extort a teenage girl in California before driving across country and killing her mother and grandparents and setting fire to their home.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/virginia-cop-posed-as-teen-to-groom-extort-california-girl/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Researchers seek lost Native American boarding school graves

The bodies of more than 80 Native American children are buried at the former Genoa Indian Industrial School in central Nebraska.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/researchers-seek-lost-native-american-boarding-school-graves/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

South Dakota Gov. Noem bans TikTok from state-owned devices

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has issued an executive order banning state employees and contractors from accessing the video platform TikTok on state-owned devices, citing its ties to China.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/south-dakota-gov-noem-bans-tiktok-from-state-owned-devices/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Twitter ends enforcement of COVID misinformation policy

Twitter is no longer enforcing its policy against misinformation about COVID-19.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/twitter-ends-enforcement-of-covid-misinformation-policy/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Competitors chip away at Tesla’s US electric vehicle share

New electric vehicle models from multiple automakers are starting to chip away at Tesla’s dominance of the U.S. EV market, according to national vehicle registration data.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/competitors-chip-away-at-teslas-u-s-electric-vehicle-share/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Sympathy, and job offers, for Twitter’s misinformation experts

Dozens of people responsible for keeping dangerous material in check on Twitter have resigned or lost their jobs. Attempts to recruit them have followed.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/sympathy-and-job-offers-for-twitters-misinformation-experts/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Apple Music reveals top music in 2022 and listener charts

The smash hit by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber “Stay” topped Apple Music’s global song chart in 2022 as the giant music streamer released its end-of-year lists and provided listeners with data on their own most listened-to tunes.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/apple-music-reveals-top-music-in-2020-and-listener-charts/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

UK waters down online restrictions after free speech outcry

The British government has abandoned a plan to force tech firms to remove internet content that is harmful but legal after the proposal drew strong criticism from lawmakers and civil liberties groups.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/uk-waters-down-online-restrictions-after-free-speech-outcry/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Amazon vows to replenish all the water it uses for data centers

Amazon Web Services, the largest cloud-computing provider, is promising by 2030 to replenish the water its massive data centers consume.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon-vows-to-replenish-all-the-water-it-uses-for-data-centers/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

BlockFi seeks protection as FTX collapse shakes crypto

Cryptocurrency lender BlockFi is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as the fallout from the collapse of FTX continues.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/blockfi-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-protection/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Irish watchdog fines Meta 265M euros in latest privacy case

Irish regulators have slapped Facebook parent Meta with a 265 million euro fine in what is the company’s latest punishment for breaching strict European Union data privacy rules.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/irish-watchdog-fines-meta-265m-euros-in-latest-privacy-case/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Meet your new corporate office mate: a ‘brainless’ robot

South Korea internet conglomerate Naver is trying to introduce robots into the world of cubicles and conference rooms without making employees uncomfortable.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/meet-your-new-corporate-office-mate-a-brainless-robot/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Women are key metaverse users, but men dominate jobs shaping it

Men still hold 90% of executive positions at organizations shaping this emerging economy, according to a report.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/women-are-key-metaverse-users-but-men-dominate-jobs-shaping-it/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Shutterfly CEO sees ‘choppy’ times through her economic lens

Shutterfly CEO Hilary Schneider expects her digital photo and printing company to enjoy a busy holiday season.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/shutterfly-ceo-sees-choppy-times-through-her-economic-lens/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

What headline? ‘Gaslighting’ Merriam-Webster’s word of 2022

Merriam-Webster has chosen “gaslighting” as its word of the year for 2022.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/what-headline-gaslighting-merriam-websters-word-of-2022/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

As job cuts roil tech, workers confront post-boom reality

After years of exuberant growth and hiring, layoffs have burst the bubble of Big Tech inviolability.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/as-job-cuts-roil-tech-workers-confront-post-boom-reality/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Sound Generations wants to be your grandma’s IT so she can live longer, better

Social isolation can take years off a person's life, and has been an increasing issue for seniors since the pandemic. Sound Generations is trying to help.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/sound-generations-wants-to-be-your-grandmas-it-so-she-can-live-longer-better/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Frederick P. Brooks Jr., computer design innovator, dies at 91

Fredrick P. Brooks Jr. was a lead designer of the computers that cemented IBM’s dominance for decades. He later wrote a book on software engineering that became a quirky classic. Brooks died Nov. 17. He was 91.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/frederick-p-brooks-jr-computer-design-innovator-dies-at-91/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

How to fight email spam, end printer ink subscription and more | Q&A with Patrick Marshall

Find out how to get out of HP Instant Ink and move to using standard cartridges, reduce Gmail spam and more.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/how-to-fight-email-spam-end-printer-ink-subscription-and-more-qa-with-patrick-marshall/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Saluting in solidarity

As employees in tech face layoffs, an emoji meets its moment.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/saluting-in-solidarity/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Robert D. Kern, developer of emergency generators, dies at 96

Robert D. Kern, who started a company in a garage making portable backup power generators in 1959 and then sold Generac in 2006 for an estimated $1 billion, has died. He was 96.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/robert-d-kern-developer-of-emergency-generators-dies-at-96/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

US FCC bans sales, import of Chinese tech from Huawei, ZTE

The U.S. is banning the sale of communications equipment made by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE and restricting the use of some China-made video surveillance systems, citing an “unacceptable risk” to national security.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/us-fcc-bans-sales-import-of-chinese-tech-from-huawei-zte/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Amazon plans to invest $1 billion a year in movies for theaters

The world's largest online retailer aims to make between 12 and 15 movies annually that will get a theatrical release, putting it on par with major studios.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon-plans-to-invest-1-billion-a-year-in-movies-for-theaters/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Musk plans to relaunch Twitter premium service, again

Elon Musk says that Twitter plans to relaunch its premium service that will offer different colored check marks to accounts next week.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/musk-plans-to-relaunch-twitter-premium-service-again/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Welcome to Tumblr. Now go away.

With the future of Twitter uncertain, some people turn to Tumblr, where the niche user base of role-players and other creatives might not want their company.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/welcome-to-tumblr-now-go-away/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Twitter, others slip on removing hate speech, EU review says

European Union data shows that Twitter took longer to review hateful content and removed less of it in 2022 compared with the previous year.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/twitter-others-slip-on-removing-hate-speech-eu-review-says/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Lawsuit takes aim at the way AI is built

A programmer is suing Microsoft, GitHub and OpenAI over artificial intelligence technology that generates its own computer code.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/lawsuit-takes-aim-at-the-way-ai-is-built/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Can Big Tech get bigger? Microsoft presses governments to say yes.

Microsoft’s deal for Activision, which is undergoing reviews in 16 countries, has become a test for whether tech giants can buy companies amid a backlash.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/can-big-tech-get-bigger-microsoft-presses-governments-to-say-yes/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Foxconn apologizes for pay dispute at China factory

The company that assembles Apple Inc.’s iPhones has apologized for what it said was a technical error that led to protests by employees over payment of wages offered to attract them to a factory that is under anti-virus restrictions.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/foxconn-apologizes-for-pay-dispute-at-china-factory/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Commercial aviation, built on pollution, is getting a tiny bit greener

Commercial aviation is looking for ways to cut emissions, including the time aircraft spend circling airports, sitting on the tarmac or idling at the gate.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/commercial-aviation-built-on-pollution-is-getting-a-tiny-bit-greener/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

$740M in crypto assets recovered in FTX bankruptcy so far

The company tasked with locking down the assets in the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX said they’ve managed to recover and secure $740 million in assets so far, a fraction of the potential billions that is likely missing from bankrupt company’s coffers.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/740m-in-crypto-assets-recovered-in-ftx-bankruptcy-so-far/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Reports: Employees at Chinese iPhone factory protest

Videos and postings on Chinese social media say employees at the world’s biggest Apple iPhone factory have been beaten and detained in protests over contract disputes amid anti-virus controls.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/reports-employees-at-chinese-iphone-factory-protest/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

NY gov signs novel law that limits cryptomining, for now

New York is tapping the brakes on the spread of cryptocurrency mining.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/ny-gov-signs-novel-law-that-limits-cryptomining-for-now/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

HP to cut up to 6,000 jobs over 3 years as PC demand falters

CEO Enrique Lores said HP will cut as much as 10% of its 61,000-employee global workforce over the next three years and reduce its real estate footprint.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/hp-to-cut-up-to-6000-jobs-over-3-years-as-pc-demand-falters/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

What Elon Musk is doing to Twitter is what he did at Tesla and SpaceX

Elon Musk is using the same crisis-inducing playbook he went to at Tesla and SpaceX, where he put immense pressure on those working for him.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/what-elon-musk-is-doing-to-twitter-is-what-he-did-at-tesla-and-spacex/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Amazon’s Twitch makes changes to address child predation on platform

The video game livestreaming site popular with teens and kids announced changes on the platform to increase safety for its young users.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazons-twitch-makes-changes-to-address-child-predation-on-platform/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Teenage driver charged in crash of stolen car that killed 4

A 16-year-old accused of driving a stolen Kia involved in a high-speed crash that killed four passengers is facing charges.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/teenage-driver-charged-in-crash-of-stolen-car-that-killed-4/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Which King County neighborhoods have the most tech workers

We don't know yet how recent layoffs will impact Seattle, writes FYI Guy. But we can see where tech workers are most heavily concentrated — which might be where the greatest impact will be felt.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/which-king-county-neighborhoods-have-the-most-tech-workers/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Amazon backed out of stake in self-driving startup Argo. Then it folded

Argo, a once-promising self-driving startup, backed by Ford, Volkswagen and Amazon, is no longer. Amazon was to invest several hundred million dollars in Argo.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazon-backed-out-of-stake-in-self-driving-startup-argo-then-it-folded/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Rivian workers say rapid production caused injuries, safety issues

Workers allege the company ignored known hazards and deprioritized safety resources, leaving some to share respirators needed during the manufacturing process.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/rivian-workers-say-rapid-production-caused-injuries-safety-issues/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Elon Musk’s Twitter reinstates Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Twitter has reinstated the personal account of far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was banned in January for violating COVID misinformation policies at the time.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/elon-musks-twitter-reinstates-rep-marjorie-taylor-greene/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Musk fires more Twitter sales workers after ‘hardcore’ purge

The billionaire is reportedly using the cuts to balance out the remaining staff.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/musk-fires-more-twitter-sales-workers-after-hardcore-purge/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

New this week: Lizzo, ‘Criminal Minds’ and ‘The Woman King’

This week’s new entertainment releases include an live posthumous album from Tom Petty, the criminal profile spinoff series “Criminal Minds: Evolution,” a documentary about the plucky Mars Rover Opportunity and a TV series that focuses on the backstage melodrama at the Chippendale’s male strip clubs.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/new-this-week-lizzo-criminal-minds-and-the-woman-king/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Germany offers Poland Patriot missiles to defend airspace

Germany's defense minister says the country has offered Eurofighters and Patriot defense systems to Poland to help it defend its airspace.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/germany-offers-poland-patriot-missiles-to-defend-airspace/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Dude, where’s my catalytic converter? Probably back in the supply chain

So far this year, some 2,500 catalytic converters have been reported stolen in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, up from a total of 41 in 2019.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/dude-wheres-my-catalytic-converter-probably-back-in-the-supply-chain/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology

Musk restores Trump’s Twitter account after online poll

The decision reverses a ban that has kept the former president off the social media site since a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

source https://www.seattletimes.com/business/musk-to-restore-trump-to-twitter-after-holding-online-poll/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_technology