Is Twitter Shifting the Balance of Power From Companies to Their Employees?

Last week leaked audio surfaced of investors arguing that journalists have too much power. But the Verge’s Silicon Valley editor asks, “What if you take the whole discussion of “tech versus journalism” and reframe it as ‘managers versus employees’? Then, I think, you get closer to the truth of what’s going on.”
After all, this conflict started with employees. They were the…

China Confirms Case of Bubonic Plague In Inner Mongolia

China has confirmed one case of bubonic plague in northern province Inner Mongolia, according to a statement on the local health authority’s website. From a report: The patient is now under treatment at a hospital and is in a stable condition, the Bayannur health commission said in a late Sunday night statement. It also issued a level-three alert, warning of the…

Americans Lag Behind Other Countries — and Pay More for Their Cellphone Service

“American consumers pay significantly more for cellphone service than people in many other countries,” reports the New York Times. It’s in an article headlined “The U.S. Is Lagging Behind Many Rich Countries. These Charts Show Why.” Although executives’ salaries have risen in most countries, relative to those of workers, in recent decades, the trend is more extreme in the U.S… The…

Facebook, Twitter, Google Face Free-Speech Test in Hong Kong

U.S. technology titans face a looming test of their free-speech credentials in Hong Kong as China’s new national-security law for the city demands local authorities take measures to supervise and regulate its uncensored internet. From a report: Facebook and its Instagram service, Twitter and YouTube, a unit of Alphabet’s Google, operate freely in the city even as they have been shut…

Inside the Plot To Kill the Open Technology Fund

An anonymous reader quotes a report from VICE News: [The Open Technology Fund is a U.S. government-funded nonprofit, which is part of the umbrella group called the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which also controls Radio Free Asia and Voice of America.] OTF’s goal is to help oppressed communities across the globe by building the digital tools they need and…

UK citizens’ assembly shows big support for green covid-19 recovery

A UK citizens’ assembly chosen to be representative of UK demographics wants the UK government’s coronavirus economic recovery plans to help the country meet climate goals Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2246693-uk-citizens-assembly-shows-big-support-for-green-covid-19-recovery/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

How Did Vietnam Become the Largest Nation Without Coronavirus Deaths?

Vietnam has reported no coronavirus deaths — and, for more than two months, no local infections (with a total for this year of just 349) — despite having a population of 97 million and a border shared with China. VOA News takes a closer look:
It is hard for outsiders to verify official data, though health experts say Vietnam headed off a…

As Virus Infections Surge, Countries End Lockdowns

Still struggling with rising coronavirus cases, India, Mexico, Russia, Iran and Pakistan have decided they must end lockdowns and restart their economies. From a report: At Nigambodh Ghat, the oldest cremation grounds in India’s capital, the bodies keep coming. One ambulance arrives with five inside. Then another. Then another, in an endless display of death. As the coronavirus pandemic surges in…

IBM Gets Out of Facial Recognition Business, Calls On Congress To Advanced Policies Tackling Racial Injustice

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna called on Congress Monday to enact reforms to advance racial justice and combat systemic racism while announcing the company was getting out of the facial recognition business. CNBC reports: “IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any technology, including facial recognition technology offered by other vendors, for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human…

In Data-Driven South Korea, AI is Monitoring 3,200 Senior Citizens

The search habits of thousands of South Korean senior citizens “are being monitored through virtual-assistant smart speaker technology,” writes Slashdot reader shirappu. The AP reports that around 3,200 people across the country, “mostly older than 70 and living alone, have so far allowed the SK Telecom speakers to listen to them 24 hours a day since the service launched in April…