vox--2020-08-06--The pandemic is fueling the private tutoring industry

Around mid-July , Meghan Colasanti joked to her business partner , Karmin Braun , that they might need to hire a secretary .
The co-owners of Mathletes and Bookworms Tutoring had become inundated with phone calls and emails from families in the Denver area .
Their client list was rapidly expanding ( the business had already grown by 50 percent in April ) , but as parents faced the prospect of having to help their kids with virtual learning this fall , those with disposable income sought out additional tutoring , educational consulting , or supplemental curriculum — sometimes for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caregiver present multiple times a week .
“ Right now , parents are trying to smash both education and child care together , ” Braun told me .
“ But for us , our whole reason for having this tutoring business for the past eight years is to help kids learn , and it takes a lot of effort and work to design meaningful lessons to engage them.
” With some districts starting school as early as August , some parents have gravitated toward the idea of “ pods , ” in which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ socioeconomic circles — bring their kids together in small groups to socialize or share a learning space .
As Anna North previously reported for Vox , the concept is highly appealing to busy parents , many of whom have joined regional or neighborhood Facebook groups advocating for independent pod creation .
Pods can exist solely as a supplement to online curriculum , while others may operate more like microschools .
Critics , however , worry that these closed-off learning groups will exacerbate the educational inequalities brought on by the coronavirus pandemic , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the resources and benefits of in-person teaching .
Although pods could be helmed by working parents who trade off child-watching responsibilities during the week , some middle- and upper-class families are exclusively hiring private tutors for their groups , the Washington Post reported in July .
Therein lies the predicament of a pod network , especially ones that offer extra schooling : “ Not every child has an equal opportunity to be in a pod , ” North wrote .
“ Low-income parents can ’ t afford to pay a tutor or rent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mostly among neighbors , they risk further amplifying the kinds of residential segregation that already exist in the American school system.
” Consequently , demand for tutoring and child care services has exploded over the summer due to the interest in learning pods , fueled by parental concerns about remote learning and the lack of direct teacher-to-student interaction .
There ’ s demand across every grade level , but pod queries for elementary school children have become especially popular , according to the companies I spoke to .
“ Parents are feeling that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-owner of NoCo Tutoring & Enrichment in Colorado .
“ Kids might be able to do this schoolwork by themselves , but mom and dad are realizing they can ’ t help them with this material anymore.
” “ Kids might be able to do this schoolwork by themselves , but mom and dad are realizing they can ’ t help them with this material anymore ” Tutoring companies have tweaked their business models to accommodate what families are looking for , with many promoting in-person group options and highlighting their online offerings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were already turning to online tutors such as Outschool to prevent their kids from “ falling behind , ” as one mother told the Wall Street Journal .
Even parents who are trained as educators say they struggle with supervising their kids , as children are more likely to take parental criticisms to heart .
“ There ’ s just so much more emotional weight that goes into teaching your own kids , ” Vasco Lopes , a school psychologist , told The Cut .
These child-care-related stressors are facilitating the growth of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which some parents see as a solution to their problems .
Beyond tutoring companies tailoring their services to groups , training programs like Pod School Prep have sprung up , selling themselves as a sort of “ virtual teaching aide ” to both individuals and companies tasked with leading their own pods .
The Texas Learning Pod — a service founded by a University of Texas Austin student that connects families with college undergrads for tutoring — charges between $ 20 and $ 55 per hour for group packages , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site dedicated to caregivers , housekeepers , and tutors , saw a 92 percent increase in groups of families hiring a caregiver or tutor for multiple children on the platform in July .
“ We ’ re seeing a real surge in demand for child care overall , and specific to pods , there ’ s been a lot of interest in homeschooling pods , as well as hiring people to help you provide distance learning , ” said Carrie Cronkey , Care.com ’ s chief marketing officer .
“ When we surveyed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority of them didn ’ t feel prepared for distance learning again this fall.
” Thanks to Facebook and sites like Care , pod networks can easily connect with local teachers and specialized tutors to discuss the number of students per group , length of care , and hourly rates .
Parents are especially keen on hiring former teachers who have worked in their area or school district , said Mathletes and Bookworms ’ Colasanti .
“ Parents want teachers who are familiar with the curriculum , and to possibly design lessons to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
Her company — which works only with certified teachers — charges $ 75 an hour for one-to-one tutoring , although it offers classes for groups of up to six students .
“ We ’ ve always offered small-group sessions , or pods , as people now call them , ” Colasanti said , noting that she and Braun , her business partner , haven ’ t significantly changed their services since the pandemic began .
The rate for these group lessons starts at $ 100 per hour for two students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional child and a minimum commitment of three sessions per month .
Depending on the length and frequency of tutoring sessions , it ’ s likely that families will spend hundreds of dollars a week on tutoring or homeschooling .
One former teacher in Minnesota wrote in a local Facebook group that she ’ s able to teach about five to seven students in her home , at a rate of $ 10 per child per hour for a regular school day .
“ I plan to keep them for the entire day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and activities to keep their day exciting while staying on track with schoolwork and standards , ” the teacher wrote .
An ESM Prep tutor in the San Francisco Bay Area said on Facebook that the company ’ s “ mentors , ” as they ’ re officially called , can make $ 50 to $ 60 an hour , provided they ’ re able to commute to clients ’ homes and teach groups of four to seven students .
Price listings on Care.com range from $ 12 to $ 40 an hour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to supervise or help kids with their schoolwork throughout the week .
At NoCo Tutoring , Smosna and her fellow co-owners have adjusted their rates to better suit the growing interest in group work , while also ensuring they ’ re fairly compensating their teachers .
“ Typically , our rates for a private one-to-one would be $ 50 an hour for one and $ 70 for two , ” Smosna told me .
“ It used to be about $ 600 [ a week ] for two students , if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now we ’ ve reduced it to $ 400.
” However , Smosna added that she ’ s seen rates “ across the gamut ” as more and more people — even those who aren ’ t certified educators — try to hop on the bandwagon .
This wave of interest in independent microschooling , or the establishment of at-home learning sites , could vastly decrease the amount of public school funding in both the long term and short term , according to public school advocates .
The number of kids enrolled in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it receives per academic year .
In some locales , parents are being encouraged to stay enrolled in both the district and the virtual school , so that no funding is lost .
This option isn ’ t consistent across states or districts , however .
Some schools pursuing a hybrid model ( with both in-person and online learning ) could require parents to withdraw enrollment from the institution if they want to pursue an online-only option for the year .
Meanwhile , in places such as Washington , DC , private schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
These factors , combined with shrinking local and state budgets , could lead to financial cuts in staff and educational resources .
Well-off parents have the means to outsource labor to certified teachers to teach a “ pod ” of kids who , statistically , are expected to succeed in the classroom .
“ A strong indicator of school achievement is education and income levels within the family , ” said Shayla Griffin , co-founder of Justice Leaders Collaborative , an organization focused on social justice education , training , and coaching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race and education , recently self-published several Medium articles on the social justice implications of pandemic pods and why parents who stay home with their kids should be paid for child care .
“ There ’ s this middle-class parenting angst occurring among people who assume that online learning isn ’ t perfect for their kids , and so they hire private tutors , ” Griffin said .
“ The truth is , their kids will be fine even if this year is crappy .
If anything , middle- and upper-class families should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and energy toward advocating for better virtual learning options.
” Although some pod groups on Facebook have raised concerns about equity and even proposed sponsoring “ scholarships ” or spots for low-income students , that doesn ’ t necessarily solve the overarching issue of educational inequality , Griffin said .
“ Parents have to figure out what to do with their kids , and if they need a network to do so , they should , ” she added .
“ But that ’ s entirely different than hiring a teacher to create @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In spite of equity concerns voiced by advocates of public education , families are still looking out for their own self-interests .
Jason Calacanis , a well-known angel investor and tech entrepreneur in Silicon Valley , posted a Twitter callout for “ the best 4-6th grade teacher in [ the ] Bay Area ” to teach a group of two to seven students in his backyard .
The job comes with a “ 1-year contract , that will beat whatever they are getting paid.
” Teaching salaries have always varied from state to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Department of Education , the average salary for a public school teacher in the US was $ 61,730 for the 2018- ’ 19 school year .
And while that number has increased over the past few decades , when adjusted for inflation , the average salary is actually about 1.3 percent lower than what it was in the early 2000s , Business Insider reported .
Some public educators , then , are also turning to pods or independent tutoring companies ; and although hourly pay could shift depending on the frequency and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a temporary solution for those who either don ’ t feel comfortable going back into a classroom environment or are unable to do so for their own safety .
“ I need to take charge of my own health .
I don ’ t know how long this is going to last , ” one public school teacher in Dallas said in an interview with local news channel WFAA .
“ But if I can control something , then I have more power .
My health is my wealth.
” After coming down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decided to host virtual classes and teach small in-person groups this year .
Many teachers , as well as their respective labor unions , are concerned about whether districts will implement enough safety measures or offer enough personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer for students and staff when they reopen , which means teachers could be tasked with independently stocking up on supplies for their own classrooms .
“ I don ’ t think there ’ s a lot of confidence among teachers right now that public schools are going to be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them or their families , ” Smosna told me .
“ We ’ ve had quite a few teachers come out of retirement looking for us , wanting to get their teaching fix .
Some who are being asked to teach in person have the option with us to be virtual , if they want to work with online clients.
” NoCo Tutoring has gone from working with about 10 to 12 certified teachers before the pandemic to 25 , and is also considering expanding the number of contractors , Smosna added .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this newfound reliance on private tutoring is alarming — even if it is a supplement for kids who need it .
“ The part that I struggle with as a former public educator is that there ’ s a real social and economic divide that ’ s happening , ” said Smosna .
“ It ’ s something we ’ ve struggled as a business : How can we support the kids who need it the most ?
And on top of the financial gap we ’ re setting up , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is frightening to me.
” Some of NoCo Tutoring ’ s clients have lost their jobs during the pandemic , so Smosna and the other co-owners have picked up additional tutoring shifts for free .
“ We used to have scholarships funded by local businesses , but that money dried up when Covid hit , ” she added .
Economically privileged families have always had the means to provide extra schooling for their children , and Griffin acknowledges the possibility that won ’ t ever change — even if schools and local governments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t mean you can ’ t try to have wealthier families think about it differently , ” she told me .
“ I don ’ t think the choices they ’ re making are malicious , but with the resources some of these parents have , they should be advocating for more local and statewide solutions that will benefit all families.
” Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Around mid-July, Meghan Colasanti joked to her business partner, Karmin Braun, that they might need to hire a secretary.
The co-owners of Mathletes and Bookworms Tutoring had become inundated with phone calls and emails from families in the Denver area. Their client list was rapidly expanding (the business had already grown by 50 percent in April), but as parents faced the prospect of having to help their kids with virtual learning this fall, those with disposable income sought out additional tutoring, educational consulting, or supplemental curriculum — sometimes for groups of children that would need a caregiver present multiple times a week.
“Right now, parents are trying to smash both education and child care together,” Braun told me. “But for us, our whole reason for having this tutoring business for the past eight years is to help kids learn, and it takes a lot of effort and work to design meaningful lessons to engage them.”
With some districts starting school as early as August, some parents have gravitated toward the idea of “pods,” in which families — usually those within the same socioeconomic circles — bring their kids together in small groups to socialize or share a learning space. As Anna North previously reported for Vox, the concept is highly appealing to busy parents, many of whom have joined regional or neighborhood Facebook groups advocating for independent pod creation. Pods can exist solely as a supplement to online curriculum, while others may operate more like microschools. Critics, however, worry that these closed-off learning groups will exacerbate the educational inequalities brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, as students no longer have equal access to the resources and benefits of in-person teaching.
Although pods could be helmed by working parents who trade off child-watching responsibilities during the week, some middle- and upper-class families are exclusively hiring private tutors for their groups, the Washington Post reported in July. Therein lies the predicament of a pod network, especially ones that offer extra schooling: “Not every child has an equal opportunity to be in a pod,” North wrote. “Low-income parents can’t afford to pay a tutor or rent a space, and if pods form mostly among neighbors, they risk further amplifying the kinds of residential segregation that already exist in the American school system.”
Consequently, demand for tutoring and child care services has exploded over the summer due to the interest in learning pods, fueled by parental concerns about remote learning and the lack of direct teacher-to-student interaction. There’s demand across every grade level, but pod queries for elementary school children have become especially popular, according to the companies I spoke to. “Parents are feeling that panic,” said Niel Smosna, co-owner of NoCo Tutoring & Enrichment in Colorado. “Kids might be able to do this schoolwork by themselves, but mom and dad are realizing they can’t help them with this material anymore.”
“Kids might be able to do this schoolwork by themselves, but mom and dad are realizing they can’t help them with this material anymore”
Tutoring companies have tweaked their business models to accommodate what families are looking for, with many promoting in-person group options and highlighting their online offerings. In the spring, some parents were already turning to online tutors such as Outschool to prevent their kids from “falling behind,” as one mother told the Wall Street Journal. Even parents who are trained as educators say they struggle with supervising their kids, as children are more likely to take parental criticisms to heart. “There’s just so much more emotional weight that goes into teaching your own kids,” Vasco Lopes, a school psychologist, told The Cut.
These child-care-related stressors are facilitating the growth of a cottage industry around pandemic pods, which some parents see as a solution to their problems. Beyond tutoring companies tailoring their services to groups, training programs like Pod School Prep have sprung up, selling themselves as a sort of “virtual teaching aide” to both individuals and companies tasked with leading their own pods. The Texas Learning Pod — a service founded by a University of Texas Austin student that connects families with college undergrads for tutoring — charges between $20 and $55 per hour for group packages, according to the Texas Tribune.
Care.com, a listings site dedicated to caregivers, housekeepers, and tutors, saw a 92 percent increase in groups of families hiring a caregiver or tutor for multiple children on the platform in July. “We’re seeing a real surge in demand for child care overall, and specific to pods, there’s been a lot of interest in homeschooling pods, as well as hiring people to help you provide distance learning,” said Carrie Cronkey, Care.com’s chief marketing officer. “When we surveyed about 2,000 members on Care, the majority of them didn’t feel prepared for distance learning again this fall.”
Thanks to Facebook and sites like Care, pod networks can easily connect with local teachers and specialized tutors to discuss the number of students per group, length of care, and hourly rates. Parents are especially keen on hiring former teachers who have worked in their area or school district, said Mathletes and Bookworms’ Colasanti. “Parents want teachers who are familiar with the curriculum, and to possibly design lessons to meet children where they are,” she said. Her company — which works only with certified teachers — charges $75 an hour for one-to-one tutoring, although it offers classes for groups of up to six students.
“We’ve always offered small-group sessions, or pods, as people now call them,” Colasanti said, noting that she and Braun, her business partner, haven’t significantly changed their services since the pandemic began. The rate for these group lessons starts at $100 per hour for two students, with another $10 for each additional child and a minimum commitment of three sessions per month.
Depending on the length and frequency of tutoring sessions, it’s likely that families will spend hundreds of dollars a week on tutoring or homeschooling. One former teacher in Minnesota wrote in a local Facebook group that she’s able to teach about five to seven students in her home, at a rate of $10 per child per hour for a regular school day. “I plan to keep them for the entire day, so we can plan for breaks and activities to keep their day exciting while staying on track with schoolwork and standards,” the teacher wrote. An ESM Prep tutor in the San Francisco Bay Area said on Facebook that the company’s “mentors,” as they’re officially called, can make $50 to $60 an hour, provided they’re able to commute to clients’ homes and teach groups of four to seven students. Price listings on Care.com range from $12 to $40 an hour for pandemic pod teachers, who are expected to supervise or help kids with their schoolwork throughout the week.
At NoCo Tutoring, Smosna and her fellow co-owners have adjusted their rates to better suit the growing interest in group work, while also ensuring they’re fairly compensating their teachers. “Typically, our rates for a private one-to-one would be $50 an hour for one and $70 for two,” Smosna told me. “It used to be about $600 [a week] for two students, if we met for eight hours a week. Now we’ve reduced it to $400.” However, Smosna added that she’s seen rates “across the gamut” as more and more people — even those who aren’t certified educators — try to hop on the bandwagon.
This wave of interest in independent microschooling, or the establishment of at-home learning sites, could vastly decrease the amount of public school funding in both the long term and short term, according to public school advocates. The number of kids enrolled in a school district affects how much money it receives per academic year. In some locales, parents are being encouraged to stay enrolled in both the district and the virtual school, so that no funding is lost. This option isn’t consistent across states or districts, however. Some schools pursuing a hybrid model (with both in-person and online learning) could require parents to withdraw enrollment from the institution if they want to pursue an online-only option for the year. Meanwhile, in places such as Washington, DC, private schools or learning centers are attracting more interest. These factors, combined with shrinking local and state budgets, could lead to financial cuts in staff and educational resources.
Well-off parents have the means to outsource labor to certified teachers to teach a “pod” of kids who, statistically, are expected to succeed in the classroom. “A strong indicator of school achievement is education and income levels within the family,” said Shayla Griffin, co-founder of Justice Leaders Collaborative, an organization focused on social justice education, training, and coaching. Griffin, who has written about race and education, recently self-published several Medium articles on the social justice implications of pandemic pods and why parents who stay home with their kids should be paid for child care.
“There’s this middle-class parenting angst occurring among people who assume that online learning isn’t perfect for their kids, and so they hire private tutors,” Griffin said. “The truth is, their kids will be fine even if this year is crappy. If anything, middle- and upper-class families should be directing their money, time, and energy toward advocating for better virtual learning options.”
Looking for the best 4-6th grade teacher in Bay Area who wants a 1-year contract, that will beat whatever they are getting paid, to teach 2-7 students in my back yard#microschool
If you know this teacher, refer them & we hire them, I will give you a $2k UberEats gift card — jason@calacanis.com (@Jason) August 2, 2020
Although some pod groups on Facebook have raised concerns about equity and even proposed sponsoring “scholarships” or spots for low-income students, that doesn’t necessarily solve the overarching issue of educational inequality, Griffin said. “Parents have to figure out what to do with their kids, and if they need a network to do so, they should,” she added. “But that’s entirely different than hiring a teacher to create a separate curriculum for your kids.”
In spite of equity concerns voiced by advocates of public education, families are still looking out for their own self-interests. Jason Calacanis, a well-known angel investor and tech entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, posted a Twitter callout for “the best 4-6th grade teacher in [the] Bay Area” to teach a group of two to seven students in his backyard. The job comes with a “1-year contract, that will beat whatever they are getting paid.”
Teaching salaries have always varied from state to state, but according to data from the Department of Education, the average salary for a public school teacher in the US was $61,730 for the 2018-’19 school year. And while that number has increased over the past few decades, when adjusted for inflation, the average salary is actually about 1.3 percent lower than what it was in the early 2000s, Business Insider reported. Some public educators, then, are also turning to pods or independent tutoring companies; and although hourly pay could shift depending on the frequency and type of teaching, it’s a temporary solution for those who either don’t feel comfortable going back into a classroom environment or are unable to do so for their own safety.
“I need to take charge of my own health. I don’t know how long this is going to last,” one public school teacher in Dallas said in an interview with local news channel WFAA. “But if I can control something, then I have more power. My health is my wealth.” After coming down with the coronavirus in July, she decided to host virtual classes and teach small in-person groups this year.
I’m so sorry Nick.
Teachers I work with on online tutoring make more doing this than their teaching salaries.
There’s a huge demand for this. — Trinity (@TrinityResists) July 25, 2020
Many teachers, as well as their respective labor unions, are concerned about whether districts will implement enough safety measures or offer enough personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer for students and staff when they reopen, which means teachers could be tasked with independently stocking up on supplies for their own classrooms.
“I don’t think there’s a lot of confidence among teachers right now that public schools are going to be able to set up a place safe for them or their families,” Smosna told me. “We’ve had quite a few teachers come out of retirement looking for us, wanting to get their teaching fix. Some who are being asked to teach in person have the option with us to be virtual, if they want to work with online clients.” NoCo Tutoring has gone from working with about 10 to 12 certified teachers before the pandemic to 25, and is also considering expanding the number of contractors, Smosna added.
To educational researchers and public school advocates, this newfound reliance on private tutoring is alarming — even if it is a supplement for kids who need it. “The part that I struggle with as a former public educator is that there’s a real social and economic divide that’s happening,” said Smosna. “It’s something we’ve struggled as a business: How can we support the kids who need it the most? And on top of the financial gap we’re setting up, the achievement gap as a result of Covid-19 is frightening to me.”
Some of NoCo Tutoring’s clients have lost their jobs during the pandemic, so Smosna and the other co-owners have picked up additional tutoring shifts for free. “We used to have scholarships funded by local businesses, but that money dried up when Covid hit,” she added.
Economically privileged families have always had the means to provide extra schooling for their children, and Griffin acknowledges the possibility that won’t ever change — even if schools and local governments step in to help. “That doesn’t mean you can’t try to have wealthier families think about it differently,” she told me. “I don’t think the choices they’re making are malicious, but with the resources some of these parents have, they should be advocating for more local and statewide solutions that will benefit all families.”


vox--2020-08-06--Trump issued an executive order effectively banning TikTok if it doesn’t sell in the next 45 days

President Trump issued an executive order on Thursday night that will effectively ban any US company or individual from making transactions with ByteDance , the Chinese parent company of the TikTok app , after 45 days .
While this conditional ban on TikTok ’ s US business operations will likely face serious legal challenges , and it ’ s unclear how immediately enforceable it is , the order creates a serious challenge for TikTok , a wildly popular video streaming app with some 100 million US users .
For months , Trump and other bipartisan politicians have periodically raised concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat , worrying that the app ’ s Chinese parent company could censor content in the US or access American users ’ sensitive data at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party .
The executive order states that TikTok “ automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users , ” and that this “ threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans ’ personal and proprietary information — potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors , build dossiers of personal information for blackmail , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vehemently denied these accusations , saying repeatedly that it does not share user data with the Chinese government .
But reports last year showed a lack of TikTok content about subjects controversial with the Chinese government — such as videos of the Hong Kong protests .
These reports have fueled US government suspicions that the company is influenced by the Chinese government , particularly as China has been expanding its surveillance state in recent years and US-China diplomatic relations have become more strained .
Trump has gone back and forth about how he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As recently as last Friday , he warned of an eminent executive ban on TikTok .
On Monday though , Trump seemed to reverse his stance and said in a White House press briefing that instead of banning it , he would allow a US-based company to purchase the app .
“ I don ’ t mind if — whether it is Microsoft or someone else — a big company , a secure company , a very American company , buys it , ” said Trump about TikTok .
Trump also warned that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the United States ” by September 15 if the company doesn ’ t reach a deal to sell by then .
Now , the executive order has established timeline of 45 days from Thursday ( which would be September 20 ) for the sale to happen before TikTok will no longer be able to conduct business as usual in the US .
Though TikTok , which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance , is best known as a place where teens share short , often lighthearted musical videos , it has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US and China over technological power .
But getting rid of an app used by some 100 million Americans isn ’ t easy , even if you ’ re the president .
According to a New York Times report on Sunday , after Trump ’ s advisers convinced him that an executive action to ban TikTok would face severe legal and political consequences , Trump decided he would allow the tech giant Microsoft to continue its previous talks to buy the app , which had reportedly been in the works for weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the idea is that if Microsoft took control , it would ensure all of TikTok ’ s user data is stored in the US , secure from the potentially prying eyes of the Chinese government .
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talked to Trump about it over the weekend , according to a Microsoft blog post published on Saturday evening , and has agreed to work out a deal — or not — by September 15 .
Here ’ s a rundown of the recent controversy surrounding TikTok and what ’ s expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intense political scrutiny for months leading up to Trump ’ s executive order .
Republicans escalated their attacks on TikTok this summer , with some bipartisan support from Democrats as well .
Last Thursday , Sens .
Richard Blumenthal ( D-CT ) and Josh Hawley ( R-MO ) sent a letter to the Justice Department demanding that the agency open an investigation into TikTok and Zoom over reported violations of “ Americans ’ civil liberties ” and national security concerns about relationships between these companies and China .
This followed statements in July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pompeo , who both said the Trump administration was considering banning TikTok altogether .
For the past year , it ’ s been thought that the app has been under government review for national security reasons .
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed this last week , and said he ’ s expecting the review to conclude soon .
The government committee in charge of this review , the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ( CFIUS ) , has the power to recommend the president force TikTok to sell to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t enforce a full-on ban , a government decision that forces TikTok ’ s parent company to sell it off would be a game changer for the social media industry , and would threaten to disrupt the app ’ s extraordinary popularity .
And for established social media giants Facebook and Google , the decision could significantly weaken their fiercest new competitor .
A forced sale of TikTok could have negative consequences beyond the people running TikTok , too .
The move threatens to jeopardize the success of an app that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relative underdog to one of the most downloaded apps in the world .
And since TikTok is one of the only recent social media startups to compete with tech giants like Facebook , weakening TikTok could further concentrate power among a few tech giants in the US .
“ While we do not comment on rumors or speculation , we are confident in the long-term success of TikTok , ” a spokesperson for TikTok told Recode on Friday , adding the company is “ committed to protecting their privacy and safety as we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform.
” You may be asking how Trump can force a company as popular as TikTok to sell itself , or go so far as to try to ban it .
The answer is complicated and bureaucratic .
To force a sale , Trump could issue an order for ByteDance to divest from TikTok through CFIUS , an interagency committee that reviews foreign acquisitions and investments in US businesses that can threaten national security .
The committee , chaired by Mnuchin , has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acquisitions involving US and foreign companies .
Increasingly , the agency has been exercising its authority over foreign-owned tech companies operating in the US .
Last year , CFIUS helped block one of the biggest deals in tech history , after Trump followed its recommendations to stop Singapore-based Broadcom from acquiring the US semiconductor company Qualcomm .
The committee also forced Chinese owners to divest from the dating app Grindr and the health startup PatientsLikeMe .
But as Brookings Institution fellow Geoffrey Gertz has written , tech companies weren ’ t always the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the committee “ tended to focus on companies with military or intelligence connections , ” but more recently , personal data and high-tech intellectual property have become a bigger focus for the committee .
Last year , CFIUS started investigating ByteDance , which had purchased the Chinese-owned lip-sync video platform Musical.ly in 2017 and then rebranded and launched a similar app in the US under the name TikTok .
When that investigation comes to a close , the committee ’ s recommendations will reportedly lead to Trump ’ s order for ByteDance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operations .
It ’ s unclear how CFIUS would enforce a potential unwinding of ByteDance and TikTok , but last year , the committee issued a $ 1 million fine to an undisclosed company for not following through on a mitigation agreement , its first penalty of that kind .
It could also fine TikTok — or Trump could just continue to dangle the threat of banning TikTok altogether , no matter how legally or politically contentious that would be .
In a press briefing on Monday , Trump said that whoever ends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department of the US government a “ substantial amount of money ” as part of the deal .
As some have pointed out , including Axios ’ s Dan Primack , Trump ’ s comments could be “ skating very close to announcing extortion.
” It ’ s not immediately clear how Trump would try to ensure the US government gets a cut of the sale or whether it ’ s even legal to do that .
What comes next If Microsoft or another major US company does purchase TikTok , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would remain largely unchanged .
TikTok is a valuable brand in a lucrative industry with a massive , devoted user base — so for Microsoft , buying TikTok would be an opportunity to seriously compete with other major tech companies like Facebook and Google in the social media space .
Microsoft also has experience when it comes to purchasing already successful companies and allowing them to retain their independence — as it did when it acquired the platform for software developers , GitHub , in 2018 , and the video game Minecraft @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chooses to run TikTok — if it acquires it — the app could continue to grow , and with the backing of a major US tech company , it might more seriously take on other social media companies , including Facebook .
Microsoft isn ’ t the only potential buyer — other firms could try to buy TikTok or share ownership .
Reportedly , Microsoft may invite outside investors to join them in the deal , according to the Wall Street Journal .
It ’ s too soon to say what impact a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s popularity and growth .
But in the meantime , there are plenty of Clippy jokes to make .
On Monday , a spokesperson for TikTok told Recode in a statement that the company is “ committed to continuing to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform as we build TikTok for the long term .
TikTok will be here for many years to come.
” Update , August 6 , 9:54 pm ET : This article has been updated to include news of Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , August 3 , 3:05 pm ET : This article has been updated to include new comments from President Trump and new reporting about ongoing negotiations between Microsoft and TikTok .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

President Trump issued an executive order on Thursday night that will effectively ban any US company or individual from making transactions with ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of the TikTok app, after 45 days.
While this conditional ban on TikTok’s US business operations will likely face serious legal challenges, and it’s unclear how immediately enforceable it is, the order creates a serious challenge for TikTok, a wildly popular video streaming app with some 100 million US users.
For months, Trump and other bipartisan politicians have periodically raised concerns about TikTok as a potential national security threat, worrying that the app’s Chinese parent company could censor content in the US or access American users’ sensitive data at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party.
The executive order states that TikTok “automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users,” and that this “threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information — potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.”
The company has vehemently denied these accusations, saying repeatedly that it does not share user data with the Chinese government. But reports last year showed a lack of TikTok content about subjects controversial with the Chinese government — such as videos of the Hong Kong protests. These reports have fueled US government suspicions that the company is influenced by the Chinese government, particularly as China has been expanding its surveillance state in recent years and US-China diplomatic relations have become more strained.
Trump has gone back and forth about how he planned to take action on TikTok. As recently as last Friday, he warned of an eminent executive ban on TikTok. On Monday though, Trump seemed to reverse his stance and said in a White House press briefing that instead of banning it, he would allow a US-based company to purchase the app.
“I don’t mind if — whether it is Microsoft or someone else — a big company, a secure company, a very American company, buys it,” said Trump about TikTok. Trump also warned that TikTok will be “out of business in the United States” by September 15 if the company doesn’t reach a deal to sell by then. Now, the executive order has established a timeline of 45 days from Thursday (which would be September 20) for the sale to happen before TikTok will no longer be able to conduct business in the US.
Related The case for and against banning TikTok
Though TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, is best known as a place where teens share short, often lighthearted musical videos, it has become the center of geopolitical controversy between the US and China over technological power.
But getting rid of an app used by some 100 million Americans isn’t easy, even if you’re the president. According to a New York Times report on Sunday, after Trump’s advisers convinced him that an executive action to ban TikTok would face severe legal and political consequences, Trump decided he would allow the tech giant Microsoft to continue its previous talks to buy the app, which had reportedly been in the works for weeks. Since Microsoft is a US-based company, the idea is that if Microsoft took control, it would ensure all of TikTok’s user data is stored in the US, secure from the potentially prying eyes of the Chinese government. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talked to Trump about it over the weekend, according to a Microsoft blog post published on Saturday evening, and has agreed to work out a deal — or not — by September 15.
Do you work at TikTok and have thoughts about what’s going on? Please email Shirin Ghaffary at shirin.ghaffary@protonmail.com to reach her confidentially. Signal number available upon request.
Here’s a rundown of the recent controversy surrounding TikTok and what’s expected to happen next:
TikTok’s political troubles
TikTok has faced intense political scrutiny for months leading up to Trump’s executive order.
Republicans escalated their attacks on TikTok this summer, with some bipartisan support from Democrats as well. Last Thursday, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) sent a letter to the Justice Department demanding that the agency open an investigation into TikTok and Zoom over reported violations of “Americans’ civil liberties” and national security concerns about relationships between these companies and China. This followed statements in July from Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who both said the Trump administration was considering banning TikTok altogether.
For the past year, it’s been thought that the app has been under government review for national security reasons. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed this last week, and said he’s expecting the review to conclude soon. The government committee in charge of this review, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), has the power to recommend the president force TikTok to sell to a US company.
Even if Trump can’t enforce a full-on ban, a government decision that forces TikTok’s parent company to sell it off would be a game changer for the social media industry, and would threaten to disrupt the app’s extraordinary popularity. And for established social media giants Facebook and Google, the decision could significantly weaken their fiercest new competitor.
A forced sale of TikTok could have negative consequences beyond the people running TikTok, too. The move threatens to jeopardize the success of an app that’s had a meteoric rise from a relative underdog to one of the most downloaded apps in the world. And since TikTok is one of the only recent social media startups to compete with tech giants like Facebook, weakening TikTok could further concentrate power among a few tech giants in the US.
“While we do not comment on rumors or speculation, we are confident in the long-term success of TikTok,” a spokesperson for TikTok told Recode last Friday, adding the company is “committed to protecting their privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform.”
How a sale would work
You may be asking how Trump can force a company as popular as TikTok to sell itself, or go so far as to try to ban it. The answer is complicated and bureaucratic.
To force a sale, Trump could issue an order for ByteDance to divest from TikTok through CFIUS, an interagency committee that reviews foreign acquisitions and investments in US businesses that can threaten national security. The committee, chaired by Mnuchin, has the power to block or reverse mergers and acquisitions involving US and foreign companies.
Increasingly, the agency has been exercising its authority over foreign-owned tech companies operating in the US. Last year, CFIUS helped block one of the biggest deals in tech history, after Trump followed its recommendations to stop Singapore-based Broadcom from acquiring the US semiconductor company Qualcomm. The committee also forced Chinese owners to divest from the dating app Grindr and the health startup PatientsLikeMe.
But as Brookings Institution fellow Geoffrey Gertz has written, tech companies weren’t always the target of CFIUS. In the past, the committee “tended to focus on companies with military or intelligence connections,” but more recently, personal data and high-tech intellectual property have become a bigger focus for the committee.
Last year, CFIUS started investigating ByteDance, which had purchased the Chinese-owned lip-sync video platform Musical.ly in 2017 and then rebranded and launched a similar app in the US under the name TikTok. When that investigation comes to a close, the committee’s recommendations will reportedly lead to Trump’s order for ByteDance to sell TikTok or divest its US operations.
It’s unclear how CFIUS would enforce a potential unwinding of ByteDance and TikTok, but last year, the committee issued a $1 million fine to an undisclosed company for not following through on a mitigation agreement, its first penalty of that kind. It could also fine TikTok — or Trump could just continue to dangle the threat of banning TikTok altogether, no matter how legally or politically contentious that would be.
In a press briefing on Monday, Trump said that whoever ends up owning TikTok should pay the Treasury department of the US government a “substantial amount of money” as part of the deal. As some have pointed out, including Axios’s Dan Primack, Trump’s comments could be “skating very close to announcing extortion.” It’s not immediately clear how Trump would try to ensure the US government gets a cut of the sale or whether it’s even legal to do that.
What comes next
If Microsoft or another major US company does purchase TikTok, it’s likely that TikTok as we know it would remain largely unchanged.
TikTok is a valuable brand in a lucrative industry with a massive, devoted user base — so for Microsoft, buying TikTok would be an opportunity to seriously compete with other major tech companies like Facebook and Google in the social media space.
Microsoft also has experience when it comes to purchasing already successful companies and allowing them to retain their independence — as it did when it acquired the platform for software developers, GitHub, in 2018, and the video game Minecraft in 2014.
Depending on how Microsoft chooses to run TikTok — if it acquires it — the app could continue to grow, and with the backing of a major US tech company, it might more seriously take on other social media companies, including Facebook. Microsoft isn’t the only potential buyer — other firms could try to buy TikTok or share ownership. Reportedly, Microsoft may invite outside investors to join them in the deal, according to the Wall Street Journal.
It’s too soon to say what impact a sale would have on the app’s popularity and growth. But in the meantime, there are plenty of Clippy jokes to make.
On Monday, a spokesperson for TikTok told Recode in a statement that the company is “committed to continuing to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform as we build TikTok for the long term. TikTok will be here for many years to come.”
Update, August 6, 9:54 pm ET: This article has been updated to include news of Trump’s executive order against TikTok.
Update, August 3, 3:05 pm ET: This article has been updated to include new comments from President Trump and new reporting about ongoing negotiations between Microsoft and TikTok.


vox--2020-08-06--Facebook is extending its work-from-home policy until July 2021

Mark Zuckerberg told Facebook employees that the company would be extending its policy for corporate employees to work from home until July 2021 .
The social media company has around 48,000 employees worldwide .
The Facebook CEO announced the move in a weekly Q & A virtual meeting with employees .
Previously , Facebook said employees would start returning to its offices in January 2021 .
But as coronavirus infection rates continue to spike across the US , Facebook is following Google and Uber to become the latest tech company to extend its timeline for office closures .
The move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that office life will not be back to normal until much later than initially anticipated at the onset of the pandemic .
“ Based on guidance from health and government experts , as well as decisions drawn from our internal discussions about these matters , we are allowing employees to continue voluntarily working from home until July 2021 , ” said Pamela Austin , a spokesperson for Facebook in a statement to Recode .
The company will also be giving employees an additional $ 1,000 for home office needs .
On Facebook ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he saw “ no end in sight ” for when his staff would be able to return to the company ’ s offices .
But his latest comments represent the first time he ’ s given a hard date for how long Facebook ’ s offices will remain largely closed .
Facebook had also previously stated it was canceling all large corporate events until June 2021 .
The extended timeline may prompt many Facebook employees to move .
In a recent company poll , about 75 percent of Facebook ’ s corporate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would move to a different city if they could work remotely .
However , Facebook has said it will adjust employees ’ salaries if they leave the regions in which they were hired , like the San Francisco Bay Area , for comparatively cheaper areas .
The poll was seemingly taken before employees were aware their salaries may be docked if they did choose to move .
In May , Zuckerberg said Facebook would start allowing some high-performing , senior-level employees to request to permanently work from home .
It was positioned as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of having some 50 percent of the company ’ s workforce be working entirely remotely in the next five to 10 years .
While many of Facebook ’ s corporate engineers , designers , and business managers can mostly perform their jobs from home , it ’ s unclear what will happen to the thousands of service workers who normally keep Facebook ’ s physical offices running .
Facebook uses third-party contractors to staff positions such as janitors , cafeteria workers , and shuttle bus drivers who take corporate employees to work and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Google , Apple , and other major tech companies promised to continue to pay their support staff their pre-pandemic wages even during temporary office closures .
But it ’ s unclear if these companies will maintain that promise as offices are staying closed for longer than expected .
“ We have continued to work closely with our vendor partners and pay our CWs [ contract workers ] while working from home even if they are not able to perform their roles , ” a Facebook spokesperson told Recode .
“ We ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as COVID-19 evolves.
” The spokesperson did not directly respond to Recode ’ s question about whether the company will continue to pay contracted service employees until July 2021 at pre-pandemic levels , or if the company is planning cuts to these positions .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Mark Zuckerberg told Facebook employees that the company would be extending its policy for corporate employees to work from home until July 2021. The social media company has around 48,000 employees worldwide.
The Facebook CEO announced the move in a weekly Q&A virtual meeting with employees. Previously, Facebook said employees would start returning to its offices in January 2021. But as coronavirus infection rates continue to spike across the US, Facebook is following Google and Uber to become the latest tech company to extend its timeline for office closures. The move reflects a broader sense among tech companies that office life will not be back to normal until much later than initially anticipated at the onset of the pandemic.
“Based on guidance from health and government experts, as well as decisions drawn from our internal discussions about these matters, we are allowing employees to continue voluntarily working from home until July 2021,” said Pamela Austin, a spokesperson for Facebook in a statement to Recode. The company will also be giving employees an additional $1,000 for home office needs.
On Facebook’s earnings call last week, Zuckerberg said he saw “no end in sight” for when his staff would be able to return to the company’s offices. But his latest comments represent the first time he’s given a hard date for how long Facebook’s offices will remain largely closed. Facebook had also previously stated it was canceling all large corporate events until June 2021.
The extended timeline may prompt many Facebook employees to move. In a recent company poll, about 75 percent of Facebook’s corporate employees said they were highly confident they would move to a different city if they could work remotely. However, Facebook has said it will adjust employees’ salaries if they leave the regions in which they were hired, like the San Francisco Bay Area, for comparatively cheaper areas. The poll was seemingly taken before employees were aware their salaries may be docked if they did choose to move.
In May, Zuckerberg said Facebook would start allowing some high-performing, senior-level employees to request to permanently work from home. It was positioned as part of Zuckerberg’s long-term goal of having some 50 percent of the company’s workforce be working entirely remotely in the next five to 10 years.
While many of Facebook’s corporate engineers, designers, and business managers can mostly perform their jobs from home, it’s unclear what will happen to the thousands of service workers who normally keep Facebook’s physical offices running. Facebook uses third-party contractors to staff positions such as janitors, cafeteria workers, and shuttle bus drivers who take corporate employees to work and home. In March, Facebook, Google, Apple, and other major tech companies promised to continue to pay their support staff their pre-pandemic wages even during temporary office closures. But it’s unclear if these companies will maintain that promise as offices are staying closed for longer than expected.
“We have continued to work closely with our vendor partners and pay our CWs [contract workers] while working from home even if they are not able to perform their roles,” a Facebook spokesperson told Recode. “We’ll continue to assess what we can do as COVID-19 evolves.”
The spokesperson did not directly respond to Recode’s question about whether the company will continue to pay contracted service employees until July 2021 at pre-pandemic levels, or if the company is planning cuts to these positions.


vox--2020-08-06--The big lesson from South Korea’s coronavirus response

Both South Korea and the US identified their first positive case of Covid-19 on January 20 .
But where other countries failed to contain their epidemics , South Korea succeeded .
By April , as the US remained in lockdown due to the coronavirus ’ s unceasing spread , South Korea had begun to open up .
Citizens returned to public spaces and businesses began welcoming back customers .
Although there have been minor surges in the time since , South Korea ’ s case rates continue to remain lower than other countries that have experienced a major outbreak .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ so successful in part because the country had seen it before .
In 2015 , South Korea had an outbreak of MERS ( Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ) caused by a coronavirus similar to the one responsible for Covid-19 .
Thirty-eight people died , and South Korea suffered the largest outbreak outside of the Middle East .
Based on that experience , the country undertook extensive measures to plan and prepare for the next outbreak .
This time , it was ready .
Before the coronavirus arrived in January , South Korea ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials to prepare a plan of action that included a stockpile of testing kits and clear guidelines for identifying and isolating positive cases .
The plan ’ s success prevented the country from suffering death tallies seen elsewhere in the world — and South Korea has become a model , both now and for future pandemics .
You can find this video and all of Vox ’ s videos on YouTube .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Both South Korea and the US identified their first positive case of Covid-19 on January 20. But where other countries failed to contain their epidemics, South Korea succeeded. By April, as the US remained in lockdown due to the coronavirus’s unceasing spread, South Korea had begun to open up. Citizens returned to public spaces and businesses began welcoming back customers. Although there have been minor surges in the time since, South Korea’s case rates continue to remain lower than other countries that have experienced a major outbreak.
South Korea’s Covid-19 containment was so successful in part because the country had seen it before. In 2015, South Korea had an outbreak of MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) caused by a coronavirus similar to the one responsible for Covid-19. Thirty-eight people died, and South Korea suffered the largest outbreak outside of the Middle East. Based on that experience, the country undertook extensive measures to plan and prepare for the next outbreak.
This time, it was ready. Before the coronavirus arrived in January, South Korea’s government had worked closely with health officials to prepare a plan of action that included a stockpile of testing kits and clear guidelines for identifying and isolating positive cases. The plan’s success prevented the country from suffering death tallies seen elsewhere in the world — and South Korea has become a model, both now and for future pandemics.
You can find this video and all of Vox’s videos on YouTube.


vox--2020-08-06--Perhaps months too late, a Covid-19 contact tracing app comes to America

The Apple-Google coronavirus exposure notification tool , which the companies are offering to public health authorities to help build their Bluetooth-based Covid-19 contact tracing apps , was announced in April and debuted in May .
Now it ’ s August , and we finally have one US state — Virginia — that has launched a contact tracing app that uses the technology .
Outside of the US , several countries have launched or are developing apps that use the Apple-Google tool , with varying degrees of success .
But it has yet to achieve anything close to widespread global usage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showing for what seemed to be a promising technical solution from two of the biggest tech companies in the world whose mobile operating systems power nearly all of the world ’ s mobile phones .
Though contact tracing apps were , in theory , a great way to track the spread of the virus at scale , the reality hasn ’ t lived up to the hype .
Despite Apple and Google ’ s best efforts to make a tool that could keep track of users ’ contacts while still preserving their anonymity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorities , many people don ’ t like the idea of tech companies or the government having any access to their health information .
And in the US , the effort has been further complicated by the federal government declining to create a national app and leaving the decision and execution up to states .
It ’ s surprising that Virginia is first to use the tech , considering that Apple and Google once said Alabama , North Dakota , and South Carolina would be the first three states to use the tool @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Health and Environmental Control now says it is not using a contact tracing app , and North Dakota still says the app is “ coming soon.
” Alabama has incorporated the tool into a closed pilot program for its “ GuideSafe ” platform , which is available to its college students .
So Virginia was pretty pleased with itself to be the first state to actually release something on Wednesday .
The app is called Covidwise and is available now in Apple ’ s and Google ’ s respective app stores .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Julie C. Grimes , Covidwise was developed for $ 229,000 and the state is devoting $ 1.5 million to marketing in the hope of getting as many Virginians as possible to download it .
“ We have begun a marketing campaign to heavily promote the app , ” Grimes told Recode .
“ Those efforts include making citizens aware of the app , the privacy protection features , and how the app can be used to support public health and to help reduce the spread of the virus.
” Experts estimate that at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to use a contact tracing app in order for it to be effective — a tough number to reach when the program is voluntary and depends on participants both having smartphones and the ability to download and use apps .
This has proven to be a stumbling block for all of the countries that have voluntary contact tracing apps , none of which , so far , have been able to achieve widespread adoption .
The first country to develop a contact tracing app , Singapore ( which does not use the Apple-Google @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent adoption rate by July , despite it making the app mandatory for migrant workers .
Apple and Google had hoped that their tool ’ s privacy-preserving measures , including sending almost no data to public health authorities and not tracking users ’ locations , would encourage more users to download and use it .
But those measures have had their own drawbacks , as some public health authorities have said they need more data in order to effectively track the virus ’ s spread .
They ’ ve chosen to forgo the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will transmit such data , but those apps don ’ t have access to Apple-Google ’ s technology that makes it possible for different operating systems to communicate with each other and run at all times with minimal battery drain .
Elina Lidere , a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health for Latvia , which was one of the first countries to roll out an app that used the Apple-Google tool in late May , told Recode in July that its Apturi Covid app “ recently reached 100,000 downloads , and the count @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Apturi Covid app has been successful as well , ” Lidere said .
Switzerland , another early adopter of the tool for its SwissCovid app , has fared better , with 2.15 million app downloads as of August 1 , roughly five weeks after its public release ( Switzerland ’ s population is about 8.5 million people ) .
“ The app has been number one on the App Stores of both Google and Apple , ” spokesperson Marco Stücheli told Recode .
“ We are pleased with the launch of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and every other public health authority that uses the Apple-Google tool , the US will not issue a nationwide app but is instead leaving it to states to decide if they want to make their own apps , which technology to use if so , and doing the work of promoting it to their residents — all for an app that is rendered pretty much meaningless as soon as the user crosses the state border .
Many states have decided against using any contact tracing app at all , and are depending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states told Recode they were looking at or using different options for contact tracing apps .
Apple and Google did not respond to request for comment on Virginia ’ s app or whether other states would soon be coming out with their own .
Google recently announced that 20 states and territories are looking into building apps using the exposure notification tool .
Given that Apple and Google are American companies , one might expect their home country to be among the first to eagerly adopt the technology .
But the federal government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and left most of that work to individual states .
This has resulted in a fractured and wholly inadequate response that helped make the country with the world ’ s largest economy one of the hardest-hit by the virus .
Even Apple and Google can ’ t fix that .
Open Sourced is made possible by Omidyar Network .
All Open Sourced content is editorially independent and produced by our journalists .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

The Apple-Google coronavirus exposure notification tool, which the companies are offering to public health authorities to help build their Bluetooth-based Covid-19 contact tracing apps, was announced in April and debuted in May. Now it’s August, and we finally have one US state — Virginia — that has launched a contact tracing app that uses the technology. Outside of the US, several countries have launched or are developing apps that use the Apple-Google tool, with varying degrees of success. But it has yet to achieve anything close to widespread global usage. It’s a somewhat disappointing showing for what seemed to be a promising technical solution from two of the biggest tech companies in the world whose mobile operating systems power nearly all of the world’s mobile phones.
Though contact tracing apps were, in theory, a great way to track the spread of the virus at scale, the reality hasn’t lived up to the hype. Despite Apple and Google’s best efforts to make a tool that could keep track of users’ contacts while still preserving their anonymity and sending minimal data to public health authorities, many people don’t like the idea of tech companies or the government having any access to their health information. And in the US, the effort has been further complicated by the federal government declining to create a national app and leaving the decision and execution up to states.
It’s surprising that Virginia is first to use the tech, considering that Apple and Google once said Alabama, North Dakota, and South Carolina would be the first three states to use the tool. But South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control now says it is not using a contact tracing app, and North Dakota still says the app is “coming soon.” Alabama has incorporated the tool into a closed pilot program for its “GuideSafe” platform, which is available to its college students.
So Virginia was pretty pleased with itself to be the first state to actually release something on Wednesday. The app is called Covidwise and is available now in Apple’s and Google’s respective app stores.
According to Virginia Department of Health spokesperson Julie C. Grimes, Covidwise was developed for $229,000 and the state is devoting $1.5 million to marketing in the hope of getting as many Virginians as possible to download it.
“We have begun a marketing campaign to heavily promote the app,” Grimes told Recode. “Those efforts include making citizens aware of the app, the privacy protection features, and how the app can be used to support public health and to help reduce the spread of the virus.”
Experts estimate that at least 60 percent of the population needs to use a contact tracing app in order for it to be effective — a tough number to reach when the program is voluntary and depends on participants both having smartphones and the ability to download and use apps. This has proven to be a stumbling block for all of the countries that have voluntary contact tracing apps, none of which, so far, have been able to achieve widespread adoption. The first country to develop a contact tracing app, Singapore (which does not use the Apple-Google tool), achieved only a 35 percent adoption rate by July, despite it making the app mandatory for migrant workers.
Apple and Google had hoped that their tool’s privacy-preserving measures, including sending almost no data to public health authorities and not tracking users’ locations, would encourage more users to download and use it. But those measures have had their own drawbacks, as some public health authorities have said they need more data in order to effectively track the virus’s spread. They’ve chosen to forgo the Apple-Google tool for their own apps that will transmit such data, but those apps don’t have access to Apple-Google’s technology that makes it possible for different operating systems to communicate with each other and run at all times with minimal battery drain.
Elina Lidere, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health for Latvia, which was one of the first countries to roll out an app that used the Apple-Google tool in late May, told Recode in July that its Apturi Covid app “recently reached 100,000 downloads, and the count is growing.”
Latvia’s current population is nearly 2 million people.
“The technical performance of the Apturi Covid app has been successful as well,” Lidere said.
Switzerland, another early adopter of the tool for its SwissCovid app, has fared better, with 2.15 million app downloads as of August 1, roughly five weeks after its public release (Switzerland’s population is about 8.5 million people).
“The app has been number one on the App Stores of both Google and Apple,” spokesperson Marco Stücheli told Recode. “We are pleased with the launch of the app.”
Unlike Latvia, Switzerland, and every other public health authority that uses the Apple-Google tool, the US will not issue a nationwide app but is instead leaving it to states to decide if they want to make their own apps, which technology to use if so, and doing the work of promoting it to their residents — all for an app that is rendered pretty much meaningless as soon as the user crosses the state border. Many states have decided against using any contact tracing app at all, and are depending solely on human contact tracers. Other states told Recode they were looking at or using different options for contact tracing apps.
Apple and Google did not respond to request for comment on Virginia’s app or whether other states would soon be coming out with their own. Google recently announced that 20 states and territories are looking into building apps using the exposure notification tool.
Given that Apple and Google are American companies, one might expect their home country to be among the first to eagerly adopt the technology. But the federal government largely abdicated its responsibility to its citizens and left most of that work to individual states. This has resulted in a fractured and wholly inadequate response that helped make the country with the world’s largest economy one of the hardest-hit by the virus. Even Apple and Google can’t fix that.
Open Sourced is made possible by Omidyar Network. All Open Sourced content is editorially independent and produced by our journalists.


vox--2020-08-06--What Lebanon needs to recover from the explosion

As Lebanon recovers from a deadly explosion in its capital city , Beirut , much of the country has a serious request for the world : Please , whatever you do , don ’ t give aid money to our government .
The reason is few trust Lebanon ’ s leaders to use such funds wisely .
They mismanaged the economy for decades with a Ponzi-like scheme that whisked away the hard-earned money of Lebanese people from banks to keep the government afloat and line the pockets of those in charge .
The troubled policy screeched to a halt after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of cash last year , meaning Lebanese workers lost savings they ’ d stored in accounts and expected to be available when needed .
The blast — which killed nearly 140 people , left thousands wounded , displaced over a quarter of a million people , and decimated Beirut ’ s once-bustling streets — deepened an economic crisis the government created .
And few want to give Lebanon ’ s top officials the opportunity for a repeat performance .
That was evident during French President Emmanuel Macron ’ s visit to Beirut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of condolence and support , some pleaded he keep Lebanon ’ s government out of any recovery efforts .
“ We hope this aid will go to the Lebanese people , not the corrupt leaders , ” one man told the French leader , Reuters reported .
But some want Macron to go further than that : Almost 52,000 people signed a petition calling on France to take control of Lebanon for the next 10 years .
“ Lebanon ’ s officials have clearly shown a total inability to secure and manage the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We believe Lebanon should go back under the French mandate in order to establish a clean and durable governance , ” referring to the European nation ’ s control of the Middle Eastern country from 1920 to 1945 .
Meanwhile , people are taking to social media to share links to aid organizations that locals say need more resources help to better provide care for explosion victims .
It seems many countries are abiding by the general request to avoid the government .
For example , Australia pledged $ 1.4 million to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Lebanese Red Cross , and others , like France , Germany , and Russia , are sending search-and-rescue and medical teams to assist civil society groups .
Experts I spoke to said all of this is a good start , and may put Lebanon on a stronger path toward recovery .
But they also warn that much , much more needs to be done .
What Lebanon must do now Regional experts and humanitarian workers I interviewed were clear Lebanon ’ s recovery has both a humanitarian and a political aspect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will fail to bounce back from the blast .
Let ’ s start with the humanitarian bit , as it ’ s the most pressing .
Bujar Hoxha , the Lebanon country director for the aid group CARE , told me “ the top priority is to find missing persons.
” Search-and-rescue workers say it ’ s still possible to find living missing persons even 72 hours after an incident like this , so there ’ s hope more will be rescued in the coming day or two .
Beyond that , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beirut have identified four key needs .
About 80 percent of Lebanon ’ s imports came in through Beirut , and the port in Tripoli , which brought in the other 20 percent , can ’ t scale up .
Some nourishment can come in via cargo planes , but that will increase the prices of the goods .
The country ’ s economic crisis has already made most food items expensive for the everyday Lebanese person to buy , so the need to alleviate mass hunger is immediate .
It doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out all but a month ’ s worth of grain stores .
Beirut ’ s hospitals are already overrun with those wounded in the blast , while others sustained so much damage they can ’ t safely treat patients .
People seeking professional medical attention , whether for explosion-related injuries or coronavirus symptoms , are being turned away in droves .
“ The situation is a disaster , ” Pamela Makhoul , a nurse at St. George Hospital in Beirut , told CBS News on Wednesday .
“ There ’ s nothing left.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ aid groups in the capital are working overtime to set up field hospitals and bring in needed medicines and disinfectants to treat patients .
About 300,000 people have been displaced and now live without basic accommodations .
Local groups are working to set up tents and other makeshift homes to keep the affected out of the elements and families together .
Lebanon was already in the midst of multiple crises : an economic one , a public health one amid the pandemic , and a political one .
The blast has compounded the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cope with it all .
“ These people were already facing immense trauma , but this adds more fuel to what they were feeling , ” said Hoxha .
“ I don ’ t know how much more they can take.
” As those herculean efforts proceed , political aspects of the recovery will still be important .
Randa Slim , a Lebanese American expert at the Middle East Institute , has two main suggestions for how they should be handled .
From the start , an international committee of Lebanese and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of ammonium nitrate — the suspected fuel for the explosion — could have been stored at such a vital port for six years .
Normally , government officials would undertake such a probe , but that ’ s just not an option in this case .
“ There is no trust whatsoever in the Lebanese government to get to the truth , ” Slim told me .
Not only did the government leave the materials there , but decades of corruption have also eroded the public ’ s faith in what the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a committee — which could include some trusted Lebanese officials and foreign leaders — to oversee how reconstruction money will be spent in Beirut .
This is vital , Slim warned , because after Lebanon ’ s civil war from 1975 to 1990 , the country ’ s leaders pocketed funds meant to rebuild the nation .
Without transparency , she added , Lebanese people will expect history to repeat itself .
Others have suggested similar ideas .
Rami Khouri , a senior public policy fellow and journalism professor at the American University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which humanitarian aid would be “ overseen by a newly created consortium comprising a few credible and efficient government officials , proven non-governmental organizations and humanitarian foundations , a few credible international aid agencies , and some individuals with respected professional expertise.
” France , Slim suggested , may want to take the lead on international aid efforts , since it ’ s clear the country remains respected by many ( though certainly not all ) in Lebanon .
“ There is more trust in France among many Lebanese than in the Lebanese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There are , of course , a few problems with these proposals , Slim admits .
Namely , Lebanon ’ s government would have to agree to cede some of its sovereignty to foreign officials , and a government led by Hezbollah — a Shia Muslim party and militant group with close ties to Iran that the US considers a terrorist organization — likely won ’ t want other countries taking a deep look into its operations .
What ’ s more , every country in the world is focused on their local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders therefore may not have the political space or resources with which to offer long-term help to Lebanon .
But , based on the assistance Lebanon clearly needs , it would be a mistake not to provide the most effective assistance wherever and whenever possible .
“ It ’ s important to continue to support Lebanon and its civil society , ” said CARE ’ s Hoxha .
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As Lebanon recovers from a deadly explosion in its capital city, Beirut, much of the country has a serious request for the world: Please, whatever you do, don’t give aid money to our government.
The reason is few trust Lebanon’s leaders to use such funds wisely. They mismanaged the economy for decades with a Ponzi-like scheme that whisked away the hard-earned money of Lebanese people from banks to keep the government afloat and line the pockets of those in charge. The troubled policy screeched to a halt after the country’s banks simply ran out of cash last year, meaning Lebanese workers lost savings they’d stored in accounts and expected to be available when needed.
The blast — which killed nearly 140 people, left thousands wounded, displaced over a quarter of a million people, and decimated Beirut’s once-bustling streets — deepened an economic crisis the government created.
And few want to give Lebanon’s top officials the opportunity for a repeat performance.
International community must not offer aid through the government without strict conditions or international oversight or it will provide a lifeline to the corrupt political elite Enough. We need help, desperately but not if it fattens yet again those who got us to this point. — Kim Ghattas (@KimGhattas) August 5, 2020
That was evident during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Beirut on Thursday. As he offered words of condolence and support, some pleaded he keep Lebanon’s government out of any recovery efforts.
“We hope this aid will go to the Lebanese people, not the corrupt leaders,” one man told the French leader, Reuters reported. But some want Macron to go further than that: Almost 52,000 people signed a petition calling on France to take control of Lebanon for the next 10 years.
“Lebanon’s officials have clearly shown a total inability to secure and manage the country,” the petition reads. “We believe Lebanon should go back under the French mandate in order to establish a clean and durable governance,” referring to the European nation’s control of the Middle Eastern country from 1920 to 1945.
Meanwhile, people are taking to social media to share links to aid organizations that locals say need more resources help to better provide care for explosion victims.
It seems many countries are abiding by the general request to avoid the government. For example, Australia pledged $1.4 million to the United Nations’ World Food Program and the Lebanese Red Cross, and others, like France, Germany, and Russia, are sending search-and-rescue and medical teams to assist civil society groups.
A French “sécurité civile” rescue team of 55 firemen and woman is boarding in Paris to fly to #Beirut #Lebanon and bring with them drone, search dogs, cameras and medical equipment. Another team with medical staff is also leaving from #Marseille. #BeirutExplosion https://t.co/eyKtrBPDHz — Charles Thépaut (@diplocharlie) August 5, 2020
Experts I spoke to said all of this is a good start, and may put Lebanon on a stronger path toward recovery. But they also warn that much, much more needs to be done.
What Lebanon must do now
Regional experts and humanitarian workers I interviewed were clear Lebanon’s recovery has both a humanitarian and a political aspect. Without addressing both, the country will fail to bounce back from the blast.
Let’s start with the humanitarian bit, as it’s the most pressing.
Bujar Hoxha, the Lebanon country director for the aid group CARE, told me “the top priority is to find missing persons.” Search-and-rescue workers say it’s still possible to find living missing persons even 72 hours after an incident like this, so there’s hope more will be rescued in the coming day or two.
Beyond that, though, CARE and other humanitarian groups in Beirut have identified four key needs.
Food
About 80 percent of Lebanon’s imports came in through Beirut, and the port in Tripoli, which brought in the other 20 percent, can’t scale up. Some nourishment can come in via cargo planes, but that will increase the prices of the goods. The country’s economic crisis has already made most food items expensive for the everyday Lebanese person to buy, so the need to alleviate mass hunger is immediate.
It doesn’t help that the explosion also took out all but a month’s worth of grain stores.
Tripoli's port authority trying to allay fears of a food crisis in #Lebanon after the country's grain silos were destroyed in #BeirutBlast, says shipment of 5500 tons of wheat coming in from Ukraine today.https://t.co/gw9vxJ7FEl — Leila Molana-Allen (@Leila_MA) August 6, 2020
Medical care
Beirut’s hospitals are already overrun with those wounded in the blast, while others sustained so much damage they can’t safely treat patients. People seeking professional medical attention, whether for explosion-related injuries or coronavirus symptoms, are being turned away in droves. “The situation is a disaster,” Pamela Makhoul, a nurse at St. George Hospital in Beirut, told CBS News on Wednesday. “There’s nothing left.”
It’s why Hoxha said aid groups in the capital are working overtime to set up field hospitals and bring in needed medicines and disinfectants to treat patients.
Shelter
About 300,000 people have been displaced and now live without basic accommodations. Local groups are working to set up tents and other makeshift homes to keep the affected out of the elements and families together.
Mental health support
Lebanon was already in the midst of multiple crises: an economic one, a public health one amid the pandemic, and a political one. The blast has compounded the hardship, and many will need help to cope with it all. “These people were already facing immense trauma, but this adds more fuel to what they were feeling,” said Hoxha. “I don’t know how much more they can take.”
What a catastrophe. Not a single person I know in Beirut and around wasn't affected somehow. Broken glass, destroyed rooms, narrow escapes and many many losses. This is so hard to process. — Karl Sharro ***** ***** ***** **** (@KarlreMarks) August 4, 2020
I can’t remember the last time I stayed awake all night like that, traumatized, alert, shaken, hurting. People I know are dead, injured. The devastation is indescribable. Beirut is broken. #BeirutBlast — Dalal Mawadدلال معوض (@dalalmawad) August 5, 2020
As those herculean efforts proceed, political aspects of the recovery will still be important. Randa Slim, a Lebanese American expert at the Middle East Institute, has two main suggestions for how they should be handled.
From the start, an international committee of Lebanese and international experts should investigate how 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate — the suspected fuel for the explosion — could have been stored at such a vital port for six years. Normally, government officials would undertake such a probe, but that’s just not an option in this case.
“There is no trust whatsoever in the Lebanese government to get to the truth,” Slim told me. Not only did the government leave the materials there, but decades of corruption have also eroded the public’s faith in what the government says.
The other part includes forming a committee — which could include some trusted Lebanese officials and foreign leaders — to oversee how reconstruction money will be spent in Beirut. This is vital, Slim warned, because after Lebanon’s civil war from 1975 to 1990, the country’s leaders pocketed funds meant to rebuild the nation. Without transparency, she added, Lebanese people will expect history to repeat itself.
Others have suggested similar ideas. Rami Khouri, a senior public policy fellow and journalism professor at the American University of Beirut, outlined a proposal in which humanitarian aid would be “overseen by a newly created consortium comprising a few credible and efficient government officials, proven non-governmental organizations and humanitarian foundations, a few credible international aid agencies, and some individuals with respected professional expertise.”
France, Slim suggested, may want to take the lead on international aid efforts, since it’s clear the country remains respected by many (though certainly not all) in Lebanon. “There is more trust in France among many Lebanese than in the Lebanese government,” she told me.
There are, of course, a few problems with these proposals, Slim admits. Namely, Lebanon’s government would have to agree to cede some of its sovereignty to foreign officials, and a government led by Hezbollah — a Shia Muslim party and militant group with close ties to Iran that the US considers a terrorist organization — likely won’t want other countries taking a deep look into its operations.
What’s more, every country in the world is focused on their local Covid-19 outbreaks and other problems. Foreign leaders therefore may not have the political space or resources with which to offer long-term help to Lebanon.
But, based on the assistance Lebanon clearly needs, it would be a mistake not to provide the most effective assistance wherever and whenever possible.
“It’s important to continue to support Lebanon and its civil society,” said CARE’s Hoxha.