theverge--2020-06-02--Hublot made a $5,800 Wear OS smartwatch

Hublot made a $5,800 Wear OS smartwatch

Hublot is taking another crack at the smartwatch market with the Hublot Big Bang e , a high-end watch running Wear OS that will set you back thousands of dollars .
The Big Bang e comes in two variations : titanium , which retails for $ 5,200 , and black ceramic , priced at $ 5,800 .
Both include a 42mm OLED high-definition touchscreen covered with sapphire crystal along with a Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor , 1GB of RAM , 8GB of storage , and a 300mAh battery .
The watch includes a few extra features beyond those typically found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Big Bang e has its own watchfaces with some additional abilities , such as one that keeps track of the lunar calendar and another that changes color throughout the day as part of the # HuboltLovesArt initiative .
Hublot also made a smartwatch back in 2018 with the debut of the Big Bang Referee , in reference to the 2018 FIFA World Cup , for which the company was an official sponsor .
The watch was priced at a steep $ 5,200 .
The typical Wear OS smartwatch costs a few hundred dollars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purchase .
Not only is the Big Bang e ’ s retail price far higher , but it doesn ’ t even include expected features such as GPS .
Hublot isn ’ t the only company to try making an unusually pricey smartwatch , though .
Apple made a high-end version of its smartwatch in 2015 , a gold Apple Watch that would cost you double the amount of Hublot ’ s latest gadget .
The Big Bang e has yet to receive a release date and preorders are not open , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ via email for updates on the watch .

Hublot is taking another crack at the smartwatch market with the Hublot Big Bang e, a high-end watch running Wear OS that will set you back thousands of dollars.
The Big Bang e comes in two variations: titanium, which retails for $5,200, and black ceramic, priced at $5,800. Both include a 42mm OLED high-definition touchscreen covered with sapphire crystal along with a Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and a 300mAh battery.
The watch includes a few extra features beyond those typically found in the Android-based operating system. The Big Bang e has its own watchfaces with some additional abilities, such as one that keeps track of the lunar calendar and another that changes color throughout the day as part of the #HuboltLovesArt initiative.
Image: Hublot
Hublot also made a smartwatch back in 2018 with the debut of the Big Bang Referee, in reference to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, for which the company was an official sponsor. The watch was priced at a steep $5,200.
The typical Wear OS smartwatch costs a few hundred dollars depending on the brand and model you purchase. Not only is the Big Bang e’s retail price far higher, but it doesn’t even include expected features such as GPS. Hublot isn’t the only company to try making an unusually pricey smartwatch, though. Apple made a high-end version of its smartwatch in 2015, a gold Apple Watch that would cost you double the amount of Hublot’s latest gadget.


theverge--2020-06-02--Instacart will expand sick pay to more gig workers

Instacart will expand its COVID-19 sick pay to include more gig workers as part of an agreement with the attorney general for Washington , DC .
Under the agreement , the company is also launching a telemedicine pilot in the DC area to remotely diagnose shoppers who believe they may have contracted the disease , and provide childcare assistance pay to eligible workers while schools are closed .
“ We thank Instacart for doing the right thing ” In March , Instacart announced that employees who were quarantined or tested positive for COVID-19 would receive 14 days of sick pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home rather than spreading the disease further .
But getting that pay has proven difficult for shoppers who have often been blocked from the benefit either by the unavailability of tests or confusion around which agencies are authorized to recommend quarantine .
In May , a Verge investigation found that Instacart ’ s sick pay was difficult to access in practice , with little clear logic as to when claims were granted or denied .
Out of eight shoppers who spoke to us , only three successfully received the benefit , often because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under the new policy , anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 by their health care provider would be eligible for sick pay — even if they have not received a positive test .
Instacart will also allow shoppers to actively seek a diagnosis through a new telemedicine system , administered through Doctor on Demand .
Instacart also pledged to provide sick pay to shoppers who live in the same residence as someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 , seeing them as particularly at risk of contracting the disease .
The new policy will still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order or a positive diagnosis — and the agreement does not contain any provisions for improving how the company processes those requests .
Still , DC Attorney General Ken Racine said the new measures were vital to preventing further spread of the ongoing pandemic .
“ We thank Instacart for doing the right thing , ” said Racine .
“ During this pandemic , grocery delivery workers are risking their health to connect District residents to essential goods .
Instacart ’ s new policy will ensure that workers who are sick can stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helps protect their colleagues , consumers , and the public during this crisis.
” While the agreement was obtained through legal channels , there ’ s been no allegation that Instacart acted illegally , and the agreement does not contain any admission of wrongdoing .
Instacart president Nilam Ganenthiran put the agreement in sunnier terms .
“ Throughout the COVID-19 crisis , our team has been singularly focused on supporting the health and safety of our shopper community , ” he said in a statement .
“ We ’ re proud to partner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offerings and continue supporting our valued shopper community .
”

Instacart will expand its COVID-19 sick pay to include more gig workers as part of an agreement with the attorney general for Washington, DC. Under the agreement, the company is also launching a telemedicine pilot in the DC area to remotely diagnose shoppers who believe they may have contracted the disease, and provide childcare assistance pay to eligible workers while schools are closed.
“We thank Instacart for doing the right thing”
In March, Instacart announced that employees who were quarantined or tested positive for COVID-19 would receive 14 days of sick pay, meant to encourage them to stay home rather than spreading the disease further. But getting that pay has proven difficult for shoppers who have often been blocked from the benefit either by the unavailability of tests or confusion around which agencies are authorized to recommend quarantine.
In May, a Verge investigation found that Instacart’s sick pay was difficult to access in practice, with little clear logic as to when claims were granted or denied. Out of eight shoppers who spoke to us, only three successfully received the benefit, often because of unique efforts on their part.
Under the new policy, anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 by their health care provider would be eligible for sick pay — even if they have not received a positive test. Instacart will also allow shoppers to actively seek a diagnosis through a new telemedicine system, administered through Doctor on Demand. Instacart also pledged to provide sick pay to shoppers who live in the same residence as someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, seeing them as particularly at risk of contracting the disease.
The new policy will still require documentation — whether of a quarantine order or a positive diagnosis — and the agreement does not contain any provisions for improving how the company processes those requests. Still, DC Attorney General Ken Racine said the new measures were vital to preventing further spread of the ongoing pandemic.
“We thank Instacart for doing the right thing,” said Racine. “During this pandemic, grocery delivery workers are risking their health to connect District residents to essential goods. Instacart’s new policy will ensure that workers who are sick can stay home and seek care, and it helps protect their colleagues, consumers, and the public during this crisis.”
While the agreement was obtained through legal channels, there’s been no allegation that Instacart acted illegally, and the agreement does not contain any admission of wrongdoing.


theverge--2020-06-03--BBC releases its own ‘Beeb’ voice assistant in beta

The BBC ’ s in-house voice assistant , ‘ Beeb , ’ has been released in beta , allowing Windows Insiders in the UK to test the software on Windows 10 , the UK broadcaster announced today .
The corporation boasts that Beeb is “ the first public service voice assistant.
” If you ’ re signed up as a Windows beta tester , you can download and install the software from the Microsoft Store .
Beeb ’ s is an attempt by the BBC to have more control over user experience and user data , rather than ceding it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Google , whose Alexa and Google Assistant command the vast majority of the voice assistant market .
The Guardian notes that there ’ s a fear within the broadcaster that it risks being left behind as listening and viewing habits change .
In the past , the BBC has been reluctant to indiscriminately provide all its content over third-party platforms like Google Podcasts and TuneIn .
The BBC ’ s voice assistant has launched with a relatively limited selection of features .
You can ask Beeb to play the BBC ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mixes , and use it to get news and local weather updates .
There ’ s also some comedy content included ; you can ask Beeb for jokes , or for interesting facts read by QI presenter Sandi Toksvig .
However , there ’ s no support for other common voice assistant features like timers .
That ’ s not surprising given that the BBC isn ’ t interested in building Beeb into a full-on competitor to Alexa and Google Assistant .
It also has no plans to produce its own hardware , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ integrated into its own software and services .
In the future it could power the BBC Sounds app for finding radio and podcasting content , according to The Guardian , or it could be used to control car stereos .
It might even integrate directly with Amazon ’ s platform .
Privacy is a key concern with any voice assistant .
BBC News reports that Beeb won ’ t keep any voice recordings , only anonimised transcripts .
Over the past year , other major voice assistant providers have been hit by scandals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees and contractors have been able to listen to voice recordings from the services .
Beeb has been designed to be more representative of the UK ’ s plethora of regional accents .
As you can hear in the video embedded above , Beeb speaks with a northern English accent , and the BBC says it ’ s focused on making sure the assistant can understand regional accents from across the country .
BBC News notes that beta testers will be asked to provide details of their accent to help further train the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a male-sounding voice in an attempt to avoid the harmful gender stereotypes that female-sounding voice assistants can enforce .
The BBC ’ s Andy Webb told The Guardian that the assistant was designed to avoid the “ problematic associations ” of other assistants Although its functionality is limited at launch , we ’ ve written before that more competition in the voice assistant space is no bad thing .
Alexa and Google Assistant will never be able to do everything , so it could be better to have multiple specialized voice assistants working @ @ @ @ @ @ @

The BBC’s in-house voice assistant, ‘Beeb,’ has been released in beta, allowing Windows Insiders in the UK to test the software on Windows 10, the UK broadcaster announced today. The corporation boasts that Beeb is “the first public service voice assistant.” If you’re signed up as a Windows beta tester, you can download and install the software from the Microsoft Store.
Beeb’s is an attempt by the BBC to have more control over user experience and user data, rather than ceding it all to large tech firms like Amazon and Google, whose Alexa and Google Assistant command the vast majority of the voice assistant market. The Guardian notes that there’s a fear within the broadcaster that it risks being left behind as listening and viewing habits change. In the past, the BBC has been reluctant to indiscriminately provide all its content over third-party platforms like Google Podcasts and TuneIn.
“The first public service voice assistant”
The BBC’s voice assistant has launched with a relatively limited selection of features. You can ask Beeb to play the BBC’s radio stations, podcasts, and music mixes, and use it to get news and local weather updates. There’s also some comedy content included; you can ask Beeb for jokes, or for interesting facts read by QI presenter Sandi Toksvig. However, there’s no support for other common voice assistant features like timers.
That’s not surprising given that the BBC isn’t interested in building Beeb into a full-on competitor to Alexa and Google Assistant. It also has no plans to produce its own hardware, instead it wants Beeb to eventually be integrated into its own software and services. In the future it could power the BBC Sounds app for finding radio and podcasting content, according to The Guardian, or it could be used to control car stereos. It might even integrate directly with Amazon’s platform.
Privacy is a key concern with any voice assistant. BBC News reports that Beeb won’t keep any voice recordings, only anonimised transcripts. Over the past year, other major voice assistant providers have been hit by scandals as it’s emerged that their employees and contractors have been able to listen to voice recordings from the services.
Beeb has been designed to be more representative of the UK’s plethora of regional accents. As you can hear in the video embedded above, Beeb speaks with a northern English accent, and the BBC says it’s focused on making sure the assistant can understand regional accents from across the country. BBC News notes that beta testers will be asked to provide details of their accent to help further train the assistant.
The voice assistant also uses a male-sounding voice in an attempt to avoid the harmful gender stereotypes that female-sounding voice assistants can enforce. The BBC’s Andy Webb told The Guardian that the assistant was designed to avoid the “problematic associations” of other assistants


theverge--2020-06-03--Google is going to try to win TV for the umpteenth time

Share All sharing options for : Google is going to try to win TV for the umpteenth time Pop quiz : what ’ s the biggest video website on the internet ?
It ’ s YouTube , duh .
Second question : what ’ s the biggest and most important video app on your smart TV or your set-top box ?
Everybody ’ s answer is different , but I bet most people ’ s first answer isn ’ t YouTube .
Google has the largest and arguably most important video platform in the world and yet barely competes for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ screen in your home .
Which is weird !
There are certain product domains where Google just can ’ t seem to get it right .
When it comes to consumer tech , social networking , messaging , music streaming , and television top the list .
Google ’ s got Chromecast and it has pursed a strategy of trying to get Android TV built in to TV sets , but it certainly seems like it isn ’ t keeping up with Roku , Amazon , or even Apple .
( Partisans of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and bless you all from the bottom of my heart for your steadfast faith , but it ’ s not a big seller . )
I have been watching Google duff its TV shots since at least 2012 , when I reviewed Google TV and wrote : So I was intrigued when I saw that XDA Developers landed a scoop yesterday : images of Google ’ s next streaming video dongle alongside screenshots of its Android TV interface .
The hardware itself looks like 9to5Google first reported a gadget codenamed “ Sabrina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , more rounded version of the Chromecast .
There ’ s even an honest-to-goodness remote control , something the Chromecast lacks .
The Chromecast is a great product but it also requires a lot more work from users — both physically and cognitively .
Physically , it ’ s just a huge hassle to have to unlock your phone and hunt down the right software or button to do what you want .
Cognitively , the disconnect between using your phone to control content and your screen to receive video signals is much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
It ’ s an extra layer of abstraction and it ’ s subtly off-putting .
All that is on top of the fact that if you want to choose what you ’ re watching with other people , you lose the shared interface for doing that .
Instead of clicking around on a TV you can both see , one of you has the phone and everybody else either has to huddle around you or just watch whatever it is you choose .
So that remote control is a bigger deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s just a standard set-top box ( slash dongle ) running Android TV .
I ’ m very tempted to turn that remote control into a symbol for what this new TV product is and will be .
The remote is an admission that if Google wants to compete with Amazon , Roku , and Apple in the TV space , it needs to start doing the obvious thing .
Obvious things on the remote itself : play/pause , home , back , and of course the Google Assistant button .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ no volume buttons ?
I know getting volume is hard given everybody ’ s different TV setups but ... put volume buttons on it you cowards !
I have no idea what the star button does and while the top bits are surely a D-pad , I hope it ’ s also an iPod-style scroll wheel just because I would love to report on the lawsuit Apple would file .
Put volume buttons on it you cowards But the most obvious thing for Google to do is truly leverage YouTube .
Do more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” interface , but instead really make it feel integral to the platform .
It ’ s what Amazon does with Prime Video .
It ’ s also what Apple would like to do with its Apple TV Plus content in the Apple TV app on the Apple TV — and I ’ d explain what I mean by that in more detail but it would require writing “ Apple TV ” and then specifying which thing I ’ m referring to a thousand more times and who has the energy for that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s part of the problem ! )
.
Strangely enough , some of the screenshots XDA shared show that Google might not screw up an opportunity to use YouTube here .
One shows a YouTube TV guide built in to the top-level “ Live ” tab .
Another has how-to videos from YouTube itself appear as suggested results from an Assistant search .
I use the YouTube app on my TV near-daily .
For me , it ’ s about having short “ unicorn chasers ” ( see below ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ appear on the main interface of my smart TV .
There ’ s no real reason I wouldn ’ t want YouTube videos intermixed with the other shows I watch .
Except , of course , there is : money !
The fights over what smart TV apps do and don ’ t appear on smart TV platforms have turned the streaming wars into a pissing contest .
YouTube and Amazon fought for a while , now it ’ s Roku and Amazon and HBO Max .
Later it ’ ll be something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to want to have their shows integrated into the main TV interface — and only grudgingly allow their apps to be searched in the first place .
And speaking of money , it ’ s simultaneously a reason to find Google ’ s lack of TV success baffling and an explanation for that failure .
It ’ s baffling because the money in TV is in ads and the money in smart TVs is in tracking .
Ads and tracking are two things that Google absolutely excels at , so you ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Cable networks are terrified of Google rolling in and drinking their milkshake But I think that fit is one reason that Google has struggled : the companies that control most of the technology and content that determines what appears on your TV are terrified of Google rolling in and drinking their milkshake .
As early as 2010 , networks blocked the then-named Google TV from accessing its shows .
In 2016 the FCC proposed an ambitious plan to force cable companies to let anybody make a cable box for their services .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ forceful it was watered down to a plan to ask them to make apps .
When Google is able to make the incentives align for everybody , it cleans up .
That ’ s one reason it had early success on the web and on YouTube — it created programs to help people get paid .
It ’ s also why Android now dominates somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of the worldwide smartphone market : it ’ s open enough to let other companies profit off of it .
With TV , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to figure out how to get those incentives aligned — or faced too much resistance to make it worth trying .
The fact that some of its early TV products were just not that good from a user perspective didn ’ t help !
Anyway , sometime later this year , Google ’ s going to take yet another shot at success on the big screen in your living room .
All of the things that kept it from succeeding on TV are still there , but their relative size and import seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to actually use YouTube in a larger way , maybe this time it will work .
┏ Ban them all .
T.C .
Sottek wrote the clear , step-back look at what big platforms should be doing right now .
Even as somebody who knows that whataboutism is a trap , I often get caught internally debating nuances that are too small to actually worry about .
The house is on fire and Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg are worried about turning on the firehose because too much water can cause mildew .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ vital information shared under the BLM hashtag .
Your job on social media right now is to boost the signal , not hide it .
Please take an extra moment before you post anything to think about whether it ’ s helping .
Use that moment to search around and see what ’ s actually needed .
( And , as a bonus , you can also use that moment to re-scan your post for typos .
Or mabye it ’ s just me that needs that . )
┏ ‘ Out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protest accounts .
┏ Trump ’ s Twitter order violates the First Amendment , new lawsuit claims .
Makena Kelly on the first of many lawsuits to come : More from The Verge ┏ Android 11 ’ s first beta lands early for some Pixel owners .
┏ What the future of the space station looks like after SpaceX ’ s historic launch .
Loren Grush : ┏ Microsoft finally gives AppGet developer the credit he deserves .
Credit in words is nice , but it sort of seems like there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be getting .
The kind you can spend .
┏ HP ’ s Omen 15 gaming laptop has a sleek new design .
Monica Chin on the new look and the new specs : ┏ HBO Max won ’ t hit AT & T data caps , but Netflix and Disney Plus will .
Perhaps you won ’ t shed a tear for Netflix , but this kind of zero-rating is a subtle disincentive for anybody who would want to create a new company that requires a lot of bandwidth .
It raises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nilay Patel also calls out how AT & T ’ s supposed mechanism for letting anybody zero-rate is only used by ... AT & T .
┏ Where to start with Studio Ghibli .
Everybody has weird cultural blindspots and misses .
For me , Studio Ghibli is one of them .
I ’ m not sure why they didn ’ t hit my radar early on , then later on it all seemed just a little daunting for some reason .
So I ’ m grateful for this piece by Sam @ @

Pop quiz: what’s the biggest video website on the internet? It’s YouTube, duh. Second question: what’s the biggest and most important video app on your smart TV or your set-top box? Everybody’s answer is different, but I bet most people’s first answer isn’t YouTube.
Google has the largest and arguably most important video platform in the world and yet barely competes for the largest and arguably most important video screen in your home.
Which is weird! There are certain product domains where Google just can’t seem to get it right. When it comes to consumer tech, social networking, messaging, music streaming, and television top the list. Google’s got Chromecast and it has pursed a strategy of trying to get Android TV built in to TV sets, but it certainly seems like it isn’t keeping up with Roku, Amazon, or even Apple. (Partisans of the Nvidia Shield will tell you otherwise, and bless you all from the bottom of my heart for your steadfast faith, but it’s not a big seller.)
You are reading Processor, a newsletter about computers, software, and tech by Dieter Bohn. Dieter writes about consumer tech, software, and the most important tech news of the day from The Verge. You can read an archive of Processor newsletters here and subscribe to all of The Verge’s great videos here! Subscribe
By subscribing, you are agreeing to receive a daily newsletter from The Verge that highlights top stories of the day, as well as occasional messages from sponsors and / or partners of The Verge.
I have been watching Google duff its TV shots since at least 2012, when I reviewed Google TV and wrote:
Not once during that time did the experience delight me, it often managed to get the job done, and all too often it frustrated me and stymied my efforts to just watch something. Eric Schmidt famously predicted that “By the summer of 2012, the majority of the televisions you see in stores will have Google TV embedded.” Luckily for anybody who has ever held a remote control, he was wrong.
So I was intrigued when I saw that XDA Developers landed a scoop yesterday: images of Google’s next streaming video dongle alongside screenshots of its Android TV interface. The hardware itself looks like 9to5Google first reported a gadget codenamed “Sabrina” would: a bigger, softer, more rounded version of the Chromecast. There’s even an honest-to-goodness remote control, something the Chromecast lacks.
The Chromecast is a great product but it also requires a lot more work from users — both physically and cognitively. Physically, it’s just a huge hassle to have to unlock your phone and hunt down the right software or button to do what you want. Cognitively, the disconnect between using your phone to control content and your screen to receive video signals is much worse than it seems just thinking about it. It’s an extra layer of abstraction and it’s subtly off-putting.
All that is on top of the fact that if you want to choose what you’re watching with other people, you lose the shared interface for doing that. Instead of clicking around on a TV you can both see, one of you has the phone and everybody else either has to huddle around you or just watch whatever it is you choose.
A screenshot showing the new remote control XDA Developers
So that remote control is a bigger deal than it seems. It indicates that there’s just a standard set-top box (slash dongle) running Android TV. I’m very tempted to turn that remote control into a symbol for what this new TV product is and will be. The remote is an admission that if Google wants to compete with Amazon, Roku, and Apple in the TV space, it needs to start doing the obvious thing.
Obvious things on the remote itself: play/pause, home, back, and of course the Google Assistant button. Less obvious: a mute button but no volume buttons? I know getting volume is hard given everybody’s different TV setups but... put volume buttons on it you cowards! I have no idea what the star button does and while the top bits are surely a D-pad, I hope it’s also an iPod-style scroll wheel just because I would love to report on the lawsuit Apple would file.
Put volume buttons on it you cowards
But the most obvious thing for Google to do is truly leverage YouTube. Do more than just create a “lean back” interface, but instead really make it feel integral to the platform. It’s what Amazon does with Prime Video. It’s also what Apple would like to do with its Apple TV Plus content in the Apple TV app on the Apple TV — and I’d explain what I mean by that in more detail but it would require writing “Apple TV” and then specifying which thing I’m referring to a thousand more times and who has the energy for that now or ever (and yes, that’s part of the problem!).
Strangely enough, some of the screenshots XDA shared show that Google might not screw up an opportunity to use YouTube here. One shows a YouTube TV guide built in to the top-level “Live” tab. Another has how-to videos from YouTube itself appear as suggested results from an Assistant search.
I use the YouTube app on my TV near-daily. For me, it’s about having short “unicorn chasers” (see below). But those YouTube videos don’t appear on the main interface of my smart TV. There’s no real reason I wouldn’t want YouTube videos intermixed with the other shows I watch.
Except, of course, there is: money! The fights over what smart TV apps do and don’t appear on smart TV platforms have turned the streaming wars into a pissing contest. YouTube and Amazon fought for a while, now it’s Roku and Amazon and HBO Max. Later it’ll be something else. And none of them seem to want to have their shows integrated into the main TV interface — and only grudgingly allow their apps to be searched in the first place.
And speaking of money, it’s simultaneously a reason to find Google’s lack of TV success baffling and an explanation for that failure. It’s baffling because the money in TV is in ads and the money in smart TVs is in tracking. Ads and tracking are two things that Google absolutely excels at, so you’d think TV would be a good fit.
Cable networks are terrified of Google rolling in and drinking their milkshake
When Google is able to make the incentives align for everybody, it cleans up. That’s one reason it had early success on the web and on YouTube — it created programs to help people get paid. It’s also why Android now dominates somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of the worldwide smartphone market: it’s open enough to let other companies profit off of it.
With TV, though, the company was never able to figure out how to get those incentives aligned — or faced too much resistance to make it worth trying. The fact that some of its early TV products were just not that good from a user perspective didn’t help!
Anyway, sometime later this year, Google’s going to take yet another shot at success on the big screen in your living room. All of the things that kept it from succeeding on TV are still there, but their relative size and import seems smaller. And if Google is willing to actually use YouTube in a larger way, maybe this time it will work.
(A “unicorn chaser” is a light, relaxing, ideally short thing to watch after you’ve just watched something more intense. Xeni Jardin at Boing Boing came up with it for blogging purposes , back in the days when people actually visited home pages. If you have a stack of heavy dramas on your binge list, I strongly suggest building out a stable of unicorn chasers. They don’t have to be YouTube videos either. The combo of Euphoria then She-Ra, for example, is basically what got me through the first half of May.)
Verge Deal of the day Apple’s AirPods Pro are $30 off at Amazon Normally $250, the Apple AirPods Pro wireless earbuds are down to $220 at Amazon. Compared to the standard AirPods, these feature better sound quality and noise cancellation. We’ve seen these drop a bit lower in price before, but that’s a pretty rare occurrence. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy . Prices displayed are based on the MSRP at time of posting.
Protests and social media
┏ Ban them all. T.C. Sottek wrote the clear, step-back look at what big platforms should be doing right now. Even as somebody who knows that whataboutism is a trap, I often get caught internally debating nuances that are too small to actually worry about.
The house is on fire and Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg are worried about turning on the firehose because too much water can cause mildew.
┏ Blackout Tuesday posts are drowning out vital information shared under the BLM hashtag. Your job on social media right now is to boost the signal, not hide it. Please take an extra moment before you post anything to think about whether it’s helping. Use that moment to search around and see what’s actually needed. (And, as a bonus, you can also use that moment to re-scan your post for typos. Or mabye it’s just me that needs that.)
┏ Trump’s Twitter order violates the First Amendment, new lawsuit claims. Makena Kelly on the first of many lawsuits to come:
In its lawsuit, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) called Trump’s order “retaliatory” because it specifically attacked Twitter for using its First Amendment right to comment and moderate the president’s tweets. By attacking Twitter, the organization claimed that Trump’s order could discourage other platforms from exercising their free speech rights to moderate the president’s posts out of fear of retaliation from the federal government.
More from The Verge
With this change, eventually other people might join NASA astronauts on journeys to the space station. Bridenstine has made the main goal of the Commercial Crew Program very clear: return human spaceflight to American soil. But a second goal of the program has been to open up access to space, allowing both SpaceX and Boeing to sell seats on their vehicles to private customers. NASA is also making the space station available for commercial opportunities, something the agency has been strictly against in the past.
┏ Microsoft finally gives AppGet developer the credit he deserves. Credit in words is nice, but it sort of seems like there’s another kind of credit this developer should be getting. The kind you can spend.
┏ HP’s Omen 15 gaming laptop has a sleek new design. Monica Chin on the new look and the new specs:
HP says the new design is meant to reposition the Omen as a multifunctional PC, catering to users who want a laptop for work or browsing as well as games. It’s a simpler and more sophisticated look than the Omens we’re used to, and certainly an aesthetic that might blend better into an office or coffee shop setting — it’s now much closer to a Razer Blade than a Helios 300.
┏ HBO Max won’t hit AT&T data caps, but Netflix and Disney Plus will. Perhaps you won’t shed a tear for Netflix, but this kind of zero-rating is a subtle disincentive for anybody who would want to create a new company that requires a lot of bandwidth. It raises the cost of entry and consolidates power. Nilay Patel also calls out how AT&T’s supposed mechanism for letting anybody zero-rate is only used by... AT&T.
According to an AT&T executive familiar with the matter, HBO Max is using AT&T’s “sponsored data” system, which technically allows any company to pay to excuse its services from data caps. But since AT&T owns HBO Max, it’s just paying itself: the data fee shows up on the HBO Max books as an expense and on the AT&T Mobility books as revenue. For AT&T as a whole, it zeroes out. Compare that to a competitor like Netflix, which could theoretically pay AT&T for sponsored data, but it would be a pure cost.
┏ Where to start with Studio Ghibli. Everybody has weird cultural blindspots and misses. For me, Studio Ghibli is one of them. I’m not sure why they didn’t hit my radar early on, then later on it all seemed just a little daunting for some reason. So I’m grateful for this piece by Sam Byford:


theverge--2020-06-03--K-pop stans are flooding right-wing hashtags like #BlueLivesMatter and #MAGA

K-pop stans have a fearsome reputation online , able to mobilize in vast numbers in support of their chosen cause .
Usually that just means spreading the gospel of K-pop , but as protests have erupted across America in response to the police killing of George Floyd , and President Trump has threatened to send in the military against those on the streets , fans have found a new cause : flooding right-wing hashtags like # MAGA and # BlueLivesMatter with memes , GIFs , and videos of their favorite K-pop artists .
This recent political activation seems to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the public on Sunday to submit videos of “ illegal activity from the protests ” via a dedicated app .
Stans responded by submitting K-pop content including fancams ( short , fan-recorded clips of artists ) and Dallas PD were eventually forced to take down the app .
Now it seems the stans are turning their attention on right-wing hashtags more generally .
Browsing Twitter or Instagram for hashtags like # MAGA and # BlueLivesMatter shows that the most recent posts are full of K-pop fancams and memes that mock these causes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ who support Nicki Minaj , are also getting involved .
( Although the top posts , those that are most engaged with , still usually come from sincere supporters . )
Some of the hashtags being targeted are specifically related to recent protests .
On Monday , for example , the Twitter account of the Kirkland , WA police force asked followers to use the hashtag # calminkirkland to pass on information about “ rioting or looting ” in the city .
Browsing the hashtag on Twitter now just reveals endless clips of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accompanied by requests that police arrest the men for “ stealing my heart ” ) .
These types of coordinated actions may only be in effect for a short period until the stans ’ attention moves on .
But such temporary struggles for the “ control ” of popular hashtags can still be significant .
Earlier this week , for example , activists noted that the Blackout Tuesday initiative , where users shared black squares on social media in solidarity with the protests , had unintended negative consequences , drowning out vital information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shared under the # BLM and # BlackLivesMatter hashtags .
Although police in the US have responded to protests with curfews and violence , demonstrations continue across America , with tens of thousands continuing to march .

K-pop stans have a fearsome reputation online, able to mobilize in vast numbers in support of their chosen cause. Usually that just means spreading the gospel of K-pop, but as protests have erupted across America in response to the police killing of George Floyd, and President Trump has threatened to send in the military against those on the streets, fans have found a new cause: flooding right-wing hashtags like #MAGA and #BlueLivesMatter with memes, GIFs, and videos of their favorite K-pop artists.
This recent political activation seems to have started after the Dallas Police Department asked the public on Sunday to submit videos of “illegal activity from the protests” via a dedicated app. Stans responded by submitting K-pop content including fancams (short, fan-recorded clips of artists) and Dallas PD were eventually forced to take down the app.
Now it seems the stans are turning their attention on right-wing hashtags more generally. Browsing Twitter or Instagram for hashtags like #MAGA and #BlueLivesMatter shows that the most recent posts are full of K-pop fancams and memes that mock these causes. Other stan groups like the Barbz, who support Nicki Minaj, are also getting involved. (Although the top posts, those that are most engaged with, still usually come from sincere supporters.)
Some of the hashtags being targeted are specifically related to recent protests. On Monday, for example, the Twitter account of the Kirkland, WA police force asked followers to use the hashtag #calminkirkland to pass on information about “rioting or looting” in the city. Browsing the hashtag on Twitter now just reveals endless clips of K-pop groups like BTS, (usually accompanied by requests that police arrest the men for “stealing my heart”).
Browsing the #BlueLivesMatter hashtag on Instagram reveals a mix of memes and images related to K-pop, anime, and anonymous. GIF: The Verge
These types of coordinated actions may only be in effect for a short period until the stans’ attention moves on. But such temporary struggles for the “control” of popular hashtags can still be significant. Earlier this week, for example, activists noted that the Blackout Tuesday initiative, where users shared black squares on social media in solidarity with the protests, had unintended negative consequences, drowning out vital information about bail funds and protest locations being shared under the #BLM and #BlackLivesMatter hashtags.


theverge--2020-06-03--Nine things we learned from leaked audio of Mark Zuckerberg facing his employees

The Interface is a daily column and newsletter about the intersection of social media and democracy .
Subscribe here .
On Tuesday morning , Mark Zuckerberg held a meeting with employees over video chat to address concerns related to the company ’ s decision not to take action on some recent posts by President Trump .
As I reported on Thursday , the decision sparked an unusual amount of internal dissent among employees , and on Monday it spilled over into public with a virtual walkout of a few hundred employees .
Employees sent me a recording of the Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ window into Mark Zuckerberg ’ s decision-making progress , his planned next steps , and the ongoing dissatisfaction of some employees .
My colleague Adi Robertson listened in with me .
She wrote : While Zuckerberg said he should have offered more transparency to employees , he stood by what he called a “ pretty thorough ” evaluation of Trump ’ s posts , saying the choice to avoid labeling or removing them was difficult but correct .
According to a recording obtained by The Verge , Zuckerberg described being upset by Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which warned protesters that “ when the looting starts , the shooting starts.
” But “ I knew that I needed to separate out my personal opinion ... from what our policy is and the principles of the platform we ’ re running are — knowing that the decision that we made was going to lead to a lot of people being very upset inside the company and a lot of the media criticism we ’ re going to get , ” said Zuckerberg .
On some level , the dispute between top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — you either think Trump ’ s post should have come down , or shouldn ’ t have .
But if you assume there will be many more decisions like this to be made in the run-up to the US presidential election , as I do , it ’ s valuable to understand how Facebook justifies and communicates its policy decisions .
Last week , Trump put the company in a bad position — and if events continue to unfold as they have for the past few days , he ’ ll likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Today ’ s meeting can help us understand how Facebook might react when that happens .
Here are my top takeaways from the roughly 85-minute recording .
• Facebook might adopt temporary speech restrictions for state actors in the United States if civil unrest escalates .
“ If we were entering a period where there may be a prolonged period of civil unrest , then that might suggest that we need different policies , even if just temporarily in the United States for some period , compared to where we were before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have some precedents for what that might look like.
” He said that the company had moved to remove COVID-19 misinformation because it represented a public health emergency , and that excessive policing of the use of state force could similarly be considered an emergency that would warrant policy changes .
• Zuckerberg acknowledged talking to Trump about his posts , but said the phone call happened only after he had decided to leave them up .
Zuckerberg had been criticized for personally talking to the subject of a high-profile decision on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ privilege granted to exceedingly few subjects of content moderation on Facebook , and a decision that disappointed some employees I know .
• Only one black employee was involved in the final Trump decision .
That was Maxine Williams , Facebook ’ s global diversity officer .
Zuckerberg added that there are additional black employees on the policy and integrity teams , but employees pressed him on why there weren ’ t more black voices included in the discussion .
• Facebook has a seven-point plan to address employee concerns over the decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will re-examine policies about states threatening the use of force ; re-examine policies that could let people use the threat of contracting COVID-19 to suppress the vote ; consider adding new labels for content that doesn ’ t violate Facebook ’ s community standards but is objectionable in some way ; communicate better internally about how policy decisions are made ; include more diverse viewpoints on the policy team ; solicit new initiatives to advance racial justice on Facebook from employees ; and create a new product modeled on the COVID-19 information hub @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thinks that Facebook keeping the Trump posts up likely damaged public perception of the company .
“ Likely this decision has incurred a massive practical cost for the company to do what we think is the right step , ” he said .
• Zuckerberg encouraged employees to see defending free speech as a noble cause .
He noted that the original video of George Floyd ’ s murder by a police officer had been posted to Facebook , sparking global protests .
Facebook employees should take some measure of pride in that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urge people not to look at the moral impact of what we do just through the lens of harm and mitigation .
That ’ s clearly a huge part of what we have to do — I ’ m not downplaying that .
...
But it ’ s also about the upside , and the good , and giving people a voice who wouldn ’ t have previously been able to get into the news and talk about stuff .
And having painful things be visible .
I think that matters , too.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump can ’ t cross , and Facebook already enforced it .
Yesterday I wrote here that much employee frustration can be traced to concerns that there ’ s nothing Trump could do that would prompt Facebook to remove one of his posts .
Zuckerberg noted for employees today that Facebook actually did remove Trump ads in March that misled users into thinking that a campaign survey was actually the US Census .
That said , it ’ s generally much less controversial to remove an ad than a regular post — so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never even commented about the ad situation .
• Zuckerberg is worried that free speech will only ever ratchet down , and that we ’ ll regret it someday .
“ Over time , in general we tend to add more policies to restrict things more and more , ” he said .
“ If every time there ’ s something that ’ s controversial your instinct is , okay let ’ s restrict a lot , then you do end up restricting a lot of things that I think will be eventually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoke with did not seem particularly moved by these answers .
“ Everyone ’ s grateful we have a chance to address these things directly with him , ” one told me .
“ At the same time , no one thinks he gave a single real answer.
” Another said Zuckerberg appeared “ really scared ” on the call .
“ I think he fears his employees turning on him , ” the employee said .
“ At least that ’ s what I got from facial expressions and tone.
” At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me that Zuckerberg ’ s decision was supported by the majority of the company , but that people who agreed with it were afraid to speak out for fear of appearing insensitive .
( An employee who spoke on the call echoed this point . )
How you view the controversy over Trump posts ultimately depends , I think , on how you think the next year is going to play out .
Some are predicting a return to equilibrium ; others are expecting an ongoing escalation of violent rhetoric .
Another way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ optimists and pessimists .
The optimists argue that social media is neither good nor bad , but simply a powerful new tool for society to use .
Its misuses get more attention than its positive uses , but those positive uses — such as drawing attention to the murder of an innocent man by police — ultimately outweigh the negative ones .
This year might be a particularly fraught moment , the optimists say , but eventually ( and maybe even soon ! )
, things will start getting back to normal and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our free speech traditions so that movements like Black Lives Matter can continue to use these tools for positive ends .
Zuckerberg , in this framing , is an optimist .
The pessimists argue that social networks are getting played by bad actors who have gamed it to re-enforce and worsen existing power imbalances .
The president , for example , has used these platforms to call on police and the military to “ dominate ” peaceful protesters and crack down on constitutionally protected gatherings — using his own free speech , coupled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide , to suppress the free speech of others .
The pessimist knows that you can never truly de-platform the president of the United States , but she would rather not help a wealthy and powerful corporation build the megaphone .
Especially given that she knows worse posts are to come , and that the collective damage is likely only to increase .
The optimist believes that the long arc of history bends toward justice .
The pessimist turns on the TV and sees fascist boots on the ground already , tear-gassing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time and privilege to wait out any civil unrest .
The pessimist may not .
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms .
⬆Trending up : Grindr is removing ethnicity filters from its app .
The decision is meant to show solidarity with protests in the US over police brutality against black women and men .
This is a great step — the ethnicity filters have been the source of countless racist interactions on the platform .
( Ashley Carman / The Verge ) ⬇Trending down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that publish coronavirus conspiracy theories , helping their owners generate revenue and continue their operations .
In at least one instance , Google has run ads featuring a conspiracist it has already banned .
( Ryan Gallagher and Mark Bergen / Bloomberg ) Total cases in the US : More than 1,831,400 Total deaths in the US : At least 105,700 Total test results ( positive and negative ) in New York : 2,167,831 Total test results ( positive and negative ) in New Jersey : 817,677 Data from The New York Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Project .
⭐The nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump .
The group says Trump ’ s executive order against social media companies violated the companies ’ right to free speech .
But I thought the president loved free speech !
Here ’ s Kate Conger at the The New York Times : Twitter has restricted a tweet from Rep. Matt Gaetz ( R-FL ) for violating its policies against glorifying violence .
The news follows a similar action taken against President Donald Trump last week .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m glad Twitter acted .
( Makena Kelly / The Verge ) A narrow majority of Americans believe Twitter was right to flag one of President Trump ’ s tweets as violating its rules on violence .
Unsurprisingly , according to a National Research Group survey , liberals were far more likely to support Twitter , with conservatives more likely to oppose the decision .
( Ina Fried / Axios ) Donald Trump ’ s anger at Twitter is drawing more attention to the platform .
That ’ s good for Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Frier / Bloomberg ) Misinformation about the George Floyd protests is continuing to surge on Twitter .
Conspiracy theorists are spreading rumors that Floyd is still alive , and that George Soros is funding the protests .
( Davey Alba / The New York Times ) In the past week , Donald Trump ’ s violent rhetoric has been realized in actual violence across the streets of the country .
With he and his allies now threatening a military crackdown , it ’ s time to ban them from Facebook and Twitter , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Verge ) Misinformation about MSNBC running footage of World War Z instead of real protest images went viral on Twitter last weekend .
One person tweeted it as a joke , then tried to shut it down as the post went viral , but it was already too late .
( Adi Robertson / The Verge ) A white nationalist organization posing as antifa called for violence on Twitter .
“ Tonight we say ‘ F -- - The City ’ and we move into the residential areas ... the white hoods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s ours … ” they tweeted , in an effort in incite violence at the protests .
( Ben Collins , Brandy Zadrozny and Emmanuelle Saliba / NBC ) A largely peaceful protest in Oakland turned violent at the very end when the police accused protestors of violating curfew .
Online , images of the clash dominated the coverage .
( Zoe Schiffer / The Verge ) The scale of the protests is all-encompassing , writes Charlie Warzel .
It ’ s a singular , collective trauma dominating the national consciousness , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no distractions .
( Charlie Warzel / The New York Times ) Since May 29th , at least 125 press freedom violations have been reported nationwide by journalists covering the demonstrations against the police killing of George Floyd .
( Committee to Protect Journalists ) In a censorship case filed against YouTube by LGBTQ content creators , the US Justice Department is defending Section 230 — the law that protects internet companies from lawsuits .
It ’ s the same statute President Trump has threatened to revoke .
( Malathi Nayak / Bloomberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ articles on Facebook are liable for other Facebook users ’ defamatory comments on those posts , an Australian court ruled .
The media companies that were defendants in the original lawsuit , which include News Corp and the Sydney Morning Herald , said they are considering a further appeal to the country ’ s highest court .
( Mike Cherney / The Wall Street Journal ) The Trump administration said it would open an investigation into taxes on digital commerce that have been adopted in the European Union .
The move escalates a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giants like Facebook and Amazon pay taxes .
( Jim Tankersley and Ana Swanson / The New York Times ) ⭐TikTok is becoming a political platform as users speak out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement .
The news comes a year after TikTok was accused of censoring videos related to the protests in Hong Kong .
The company said then that the videos weren ’ t getting views because they weren ’ t what users wanted to see .
Arriana McLymore and Echo Wang at Reuters have the story : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are turning into protest accounts to support the ongoing movement fighting against police brutality .
Creators are listing bail funds for people to donate to and posting advice on safely protesting .
( Julia Alexander / The Verge ) Spotify , Apple Music , Amazon Music , and YouTube Music have pledged their support for Blackout Tuesday with special playlists , moments of silence , and social media blackouts .
The campaign is aimed at protesting police violence and racism as well as honoring George Floyd .
( Nick Statt and Jon Porter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inadvertently drowned out protest movements by using the # BlackLivesMatter hashtag .
It ’ s a high-stakes example of the limitations of using hashtags to organize .
( James Vincent / The Verge ) Former Facebook executive Barry Schnitt wrote an open letter to employees on Medium .
“ Facebook says , and may even believe , that it is on the side of free speech .
In fact , it has put itself on the side of profit and cowardice , ” he said .
( Barry Schnitt / Medium ) Google @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During a pandemic , when COVID PSAs need to be translated into as many languages as possible , in ways that are accurate and culturally appropriate , that ’ s a problem .
( Gretchen McCulloch / Wired ) Zoom revenue grew 169 percent this quarter .
The company also doubled its revenue guidance for the year .
( Jordan Novet / CNBC ) Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine .
Donate to support the fight for justice .
I promise you ’ ll feel better after you do ; this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this thread about anti-racism .
It ’ s geared toward educators , but I got a lot out of it .
Send us tips , comments , questions , and keep that internal audio coming : casey @ theverge.com and zoe @ theverge.com .

On Tuesday morning, Mark Zuckerberg held a meeting with employees over video chat to address concerns related to the company’s decision not to take action on some recent posts by President Trump. As I reported on Thursday, the decision sparked an unusual amount of internal dissent among employees, and on Monday it spilled over into public with a virtual walkout of a few hundred employees.
Employees sent me a recording of the Tuesday meeting, and it offers a valuable window into Mark Zuckerberg’s decision-making progress, his planned next steps, and the ongoing dissatisfaction of some employees. My colleague Adi Robertson listened in with me. She wrote:
While Zuckerberg said he should have offered more transparency to employees, he stood by what he called a “pretty thorough” evaluation of Trump’s posts, saying the choice to avoid labeling or removing them was difficult but correct. According to a recording obtained by The Verge, Zuckerberg described being upset by Trump’s recent posts, one of which warned protesters that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” But “I knew that I needed to separate out my personal opinion ... from what our policy is and the principles of the platform we’re running are — knowing that the decision that we made was going to lead to a lot of people being very upset inside the company and a lot of the media criticism we’re going to get,” said Zuckerberg.
On some level, the dispute between top executives and the walkout participants is intractable — you either think Trump’s post should have come down, or shouldn’t have. But if you assume there will be many more decisions like this to be made in the run-up to the US presidential election, as I do, it’s valuable to understand how Facebook justifies and communicates its policy decisions. Last week, Trump put the company in a bad position — and if events continue to unfold as they have for the past few days, he’ll likely soon put them into a worse one. Today’s meeting can help us understand how Facebook might react when that happens.
Here are my top takeaways from the roughly 85-minute recording.
Facebook might adopt temporary speech restrictions for state actors in the United States if civil unrest escalates. “If we were entering a period where there may be a prolonged period of civil unrest, then that might suggest that we need different policies, even if just temporarily in the United States for some period, compared to where we were before,” Zuckerberg said. “And we have some precedents for what that might look like.” He said that the company had moved to remove COVID-19 misinformation because it represented a public health emergency, and that excessive policing of the use of state force could similarly be considered an emergency that would warrant policy changes. Zuckerberg acknowledged talking to Trump about his posts, but said the phone call happened only after he had decided to leave them up. Zuckerberg had been criticized for personally talking to the subject of a high-profile decision on the day he made it — a privilege granted to exceedingly few subjects of content moderation on Facebook, and a decision that disappointed some employees I know. Only one black employee was involved in the final Trump decision. That was Maxine Williams, Facebook’s global diversity officer. Zuckerberg added that there are additional black employees on the policy and integrity teams, but employees pressed him on why there weren’t more black voices included in the discussion. Facebook has a seven-point plan to address employee concerns over the decision about Trump posts. Zuckerberg said Facebook will re-examine policies about states threatening the use of force; re-examine policies that could let people use the threat of contracting COVID-19 to suppress the vote; consider adding new labels for content that doesn’t violate Facebook’s community standards but is objectionable in some way; communicate better internally about how policy decisions are made; include more diverse viewpoints on the policy team; solicit new initiatives to advance racial justice on Facebook from employees; and create a new product modeled on the COVID-19 information hub that helps people vote. Zuckerberg thinks that Facebook keeping the Trump posts up likely damaged public perception of the company. “Likely this decision has incurred a massive practical cost for the company to do what we think is the right step,” he said. Zuckerberg encouraged employees to see defending free speech as a noble cause. He noted that the original video of George Floyd’s murder by a police officer had been posted to Facebook, sparking global protests. Facebook employees should take some measure of pride in that, he said: “I would urge people not to look at the moral impact of what we do just through the lens of harm and mitigation. That’s clearly a huge part of what we have to do — I’m not downplaying that. ... But it’s also about the upside, and the good, and giving people a voice who wouldn’t have previously been able to get into the news and talk about stuff. And having painful things be visible. I think that matters, too.” There is a red line Trump can’t cross, and Facebook already enforced it. Yesterday I wrote here that much employee frustration can be traced to concerns that there’s nothing Trump could do that would prompt Facebook to remove one of his posts. Zuckerberg noted for employees today that Facebook actually did remove Trump ads in March that misled users into thinking that a campaign survey was actually the US Census. That said, it’s generally much less controversial to remove an ad than a regular post — so far as I can tell, Trump never even commented about the ad situation. Zuckerberg is worried that free speech will only ever ratchet down, and that we’ll regret it someday. “Over time, in general we tend to add more policies to restrict things more and more,” he said. “If every time there’s something that’s controversial your instinct is, okay let’s restrict a lot, then you do end up restricting a lot of things that I think will be eventually good for everyone.” Employees I spoke with did not seem particularly moved by these answers. “Everyone’s grateful we have a chance to address these things directly with him,” one told me. “At the same time, no one thinks he gave a single real answer.” Another said Zuckerberg appeared “really scared” on the call. “I think he fears his employees turning on him,” the employee said. “At least that’s what I got from facial expressions and tone.”
At the same time, another employee told me that Zuckerberg’s decision was supported by the majority of the company, but that people who agreed with it were afraid to speak out for fear of appearing insensitive. (An employee who spoke on the call echoed this point.)
How you view the controversy over Trump posts ultimately depends, I think, on how you think the next year is going to play out. Some are predicting a return to equilibrium; others are expecting an ongoing escalation of violent rhetoric. Another way of saying this is that there are optimists and pessimists.
The optimists argue that social media is neither good nor bad, but simply a powerful new tool for society to use. Its misuses get more attention than its positive uses, but those positive uses — such as drawing attention to the murder of an innocent man by police — ultimately outweigh the negative ones. This year might be a particularly fraught moment, the optimists say, but eventually (and maybe even soon!), things will start getting back to normal and we’ll be glad we preserved our free speech traditions so that movements like Black Lives Matter can continue to use these tools for positive ends. Zuckerberg, in this framing, is an optimist.
The pessimists argue that social networks are getting played by bad actors who have gamed it to re-enforce and worsen existing power imbalances. The president, for example, has used these platforms to call on police and the military to “dominate” peaceful protesters and crack down on constitutionally protected gatherings — using his own free speech, coupled with the algorithmic promotion that social platforms to provide, to suppress the free speech of others. The pessimist knows that you can never truly de-platform the president of the United States, but she would rather not help a wealthy and powerful corporation build the megaphone. Especially given that she knows worse posts are to come, and that the collective damage is likely only to increase.
The optimist believes that the long arc of history bends toward justice. The pessimist turns on the TV and sees fascist boots on the ground already, tear-gassing their fellowAmericans. The optimist may have the time and privilege to wait out any civil unrest. The pessimist may not.
The Ratio
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms.
⬆Trending up: Grindr is removing ethnicity filters from its app. The decision is meant to show solidarity with protests in the US over police brutality against black women and men. This is a great step — the ethnicity filters have been the source of countless racist interactions on the platform. (Ashley Carman / The Verge)
⬇Trending down: Google is placing ads on websites that publish coronavirus conspiracy theories, helping their owners generate revenue and continue their operations. In at least one instance, Google has run ads featuring a conspiracist it has already banned. (Ryan Gallagher and Mark Bergen / Bloomberg)
Virus tracker
Total cases in the US: More than 1,831,400
Total deaths in the US: At least 105,700
Reported cases in California: 116,394
Total test results (positive and negative) in California: 2,071,591
Reported cases in New York: 377,881
Total test results (positive and negative) in New York: 2,167,831
Reported cases in New Jersey: 161,545
Total test results (positive and negative) in New Jersey: 817,677
Reported cases in Illinois: 121,666
Total test results (positive and negative) in Illinois: 934,704
Governing
⭐The nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump. The group says Trump’s executive order against social media companies violated the companies’ right to free speech. But I thought the president loved free speech! Here’s Kate Conger at the The New York Times:
Mr. Trump’s order is “plainly retaliatory,” the Center for Democracy and Technology said in a legal filing. “It attacks a private company, Twitter, for exercising its First Amendment right to comment on the president’s statements.” The order could also prevent other companies from speaking freely, the organization argued. “President Trump — by publicly attacking Twitter and issuing the order — sought to chill future online speech by other speakers,” its filing said.
Twitter has restricted a tweet from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for violating its policies against glorifying violence. The news follows a similar action taken against President Donald Trump last week. This tweet is truly disturbing, and I’m glad Twitter acted. (Makena Kelly / The Verge)
A narrow majority of Americans believe Twitter was right to flag one of President Trump’s tweets as violating its rules on violence. Unsurprisingly, according to a National Research Group survey, liberals were far more likely to support Twitter, with conservatives more likely to oppose the decision. (Ina Fried / Axios)
Donald Trump’s anger at Twitter is drawing more attention to the platform. That’s good for Twitter’s bottom line. (Sarah Frier / Bloomberg)
Misinformation about the George Floyd protests is continuing to surge on Twitter. Conspiracy theorists are spreading rumors that Floyd is still alive, and that George Soros is funding the protests. (Davey Alba / The New York Times)
In the past week, Donald Trump’s violent rhetoric has been realized in actual violence across the streets of the country. With he and his allies now threatening a military crackdown, it’s time to ban them from Facebook and Twitter, my colleague TC Sottek argues. (The Verge)
Misinformation about MSNBC running footage of World War Z instead of real protest images went viral on Twitter last weekend. One person tweeted it as a joke, then tried to shut it down as the post went viral, but it was already too late. (Adi Robertson / The Verge)
A white nationalist organization posing as antifa called for violence on Twitter. “Tonight we say ‘F--- The City’ and we move into the residential areas... the white hoods.... and we take what’s ours …” they tweeted, in an effort in incite violence at the protests. (Ben Collins, Brandy Zadrozny and Emmanuelle Saliba / NBC)
A largely peaceful protest in Oakland turned violent at the very end when the police accused protestors of violating curfew. Online, images of the clash dominated the coverage. (Zoe Schiffer / The Verge)
The scale of the protests is all-encompassing, writes Charlie Warzel. It’s a singular, collective trauma dominating the national consciousness, with no other channels to watch, and no distractions. (Charlie Warzel / The New York Times)
Since May 29th, at least 125 press freedom violations have been reported nationwide by journalists covering the demonstrations against the police killing of George Floyd. (Committee to Protect Journalists)
In a censorship case filed against YouTube by LGBTQ content creators, the US Justice Department is defending Section 230 — the law that protects internet companies from lawsuits. It’s the same statute President Trump has threatened to revoke. (Malathi Nayak / Bloomberg)
Media outlets that post their own articles on Facebook are liable for other Facebook users’ defamatory comments on those posts, an Australian court ruled. The media companies that were defendants in the original lawsuit, which include News Corp and the Sydney Morning Herald, said they are considering a further appeal to the country’s highest court. (Mike Cherney / The Wall Street Journal)
The Trump administration said it would open an investigation into taxes on digital commerce that have been adopted in the European Union. The move escalates a global battle that will affect where tech giants like Facebook and Amazon pay taxes. (Jim Tankersley and Ana Swanson / The New York Times)
Industry
⭐TikTok is becoming a political platform as users speak out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The news comes a year after TikTok was accused of censoring videos related to the protests in Hong Kong. The company said then that the videos weren’t getting views because they weren’t what users wanted to see. Arriana McLymore and Echo Wang at Reuters have the story:
The hashtag #blacklivesmatter has shot up TikTok’s trending list with 3 billion views as of Tuesday morning. TikTok superstars like Charli D’Amelio, whose 60 million followers is nearly twice the number of HBO’s U.S. subscribers, hit pause on showing off dance moves to discuss George Floyd, a black man in Minnesota whose death as a white police officer knelt on his neck has sparked a national debate on race and power. “I will continue to spread these messages and be an ally,” said D’Amelio, who is white, in a post which garnered more than 47.7 million views and 12 million likes over the weekend.
“Out of context” Twitter accounts are turning into protest accounts to support the ongoing movement fighting against police brutality. Creators are listing bail funds for people to donate to and posting advice on safely protesting. (Julia Alexander / The Verge)
Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music have pledged their support for Blackout Tuesday with special playlists, moments of silence, and social media blackouts. The campaign is aimed at protesting police violence and racism as well as honoring George Floyd. (Nick Statt and Jon Porter / The Verge)
Blackout Tuesday posts inadvertently drowned out protest movements by using the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. It’s a high-stakes example of the limitations of using hashtags to organize. (James Vincent / The Verge)
Former Facebook executive Barry Schnitt wrote an open letter to employees on Medium. “Facebook says, and may even believe, that it is on the side of free speech. In fact, it has put itself on the side of profit and cowardice,” he said. (Barry Schnitt / Medium)
Google Translate supports only about 100 languages. During a pandemic, when COVID PSAs need to be translated into as many languages as possible, in ways that are accurate and culturally appropriate, that’s a problem. (Gretchen McCulloch / Wired)
Zoom revenue grew 169 percent this quarter. The company also doubled its revenue guidance for the year. (Jordan Novet / CNBC)
Things to do
Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine.
Donate to support the fight for justice. I promise you’ll feel better after you do; this link has lots of ideas.
Read this thread about anti-racism. It’s geared toward educators, but I got a lot out of it.
And finally...
Talk to us


theverge--2020-06-03--Google pulls popular app that helped remove Chinese apps from phones

Google has removed a popular Indian-developed app from its Play Store that promised to find and remove Chinese apps from smartphones .
The search giant confirmed to Gadgets 360 that the app , which was called “ Remove Chinese Apps , ” was removed for violating its Deceptive Behavior Policy , which prohibits software from encouraging or misleading users into “ removing or disabling third-party apps.
” The app ’ s removal comes at a time when a Himalayan border dispute is driving anti-Chinese sentiment in India .
TechCrunch notes that the situation has lead to some Indian celebrities calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like TikTok from their phones , in a move which appears to have the backing of some within India ’ s ruling BJP party .
Before its ejection from the store , Remove Chinese Apps had grown popular in India .
Reuters reports that it had amassed over five million downloads since late May , and was the top trending free app in the country .
The app worked by scanning phones for Chinese apps like ByteDance ’ s TikTok and Alibaba ’ s UC Browser , before giving the option to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were found on a phone , a pop-up message read “ You are awesome , no China app found.
” In light of the Indian-Chinese tensions , Indian users have directed their anger at the ByteDance app TikTok , leading to the release of an Indian-developed alternative called Mitron .
However , Mitron has also been removed from the Play Store for violating Google ’ s policies , CNBCTV18 reports .
The developer of Remove Chinese Apps , OneTouch AppLabs , confirmed the removal on its website , but claimed that the app @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and does not “ promote or force people to uninstall any of the application ( s ) .
”

Google has removed a popular Indian-developed app from its Play Store that promised to find and remove Chinese apps from smartphones. The search giant confirmed to Gadgets 360 that the app, which was called “Remove Chinese Apps,” was removed for violating its Deceptive Behavior Policy, which prohibits software from encouraging or misleading users into “removing or disabling third-party apps.”
The app’s removal comes at a time when a Himalayan border dispute is driving anti-Chinese sentiment in India. TechCrunch notes that the situation has lead to some Indian celebrities calling for their fans to delete Chinese-developed apps like TikTok from their phones, in a move which appears to have the backing of some within India’s ruling BJP party.
“You are awesome, no China app found”
Before its ejection from the store, Remove Chinese Apps had grown popular in India. Reuters reports that it had amassed over five million downloads since late May, and was the top trending free app in the country. The app worked by scanning phones for Chinese apps like ByteDance’s TikTok and Alibaba’s UC Browser, before giving the option to keep or remove. If no Chinese-made apps were found on a phone, a pop-up message read “You are awesome, no China app found.”
In light of the Indian-Chinese tensions, Indian users have directed their anger at the ByteDance app TikTok, leading to the release of an Indian-developed alternative called Mitron. However, Mitron has also been removed from the Play Store for violating Google’s policies, CNBCTV18 reports.


theverge--2020-06-03--Sega’s Game Gear Micro is four $50 consoles with four games each

Sega has now revealed full details of its just-announced Game Gear Micro portable console — or , I should say , consoles .
It turns out that the four color variants are different systems each with four different games preloaded , no doubt in an attempt to drive collectors to buy them all .
Here ’ s what you get on each .
The black model comes with : And the red version is preloaded with : The hardware itself is 80mm x 43mm x 20mm with a 1.15-inch display .
There ’ s a single mono speaker and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but can also run off two AAA batteries .
You may be wondering how exactly you ’ re meant to play games on a 1.15-inch display , which makes the Game Boy Micro ’ s 2-inch panel sound huge by comparison .
Well , if you ’ re willing to drop 27,255 yen ( ~ $ 250 ) on a pack of all four consoles , Sega is including a mini version of its Big Window magnifying-glass accessory .
Remember , this is the same company that released non-functional plastic Sega CD and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What more appropriate way to celebrate its 60th anniversary ?
The Game Gear Micro consoles are all available to preorder now in Japan for 4,980 yen ( ~ $ 50 ) individually and will ship on October 6th .
No word yet on a Western release .

Sega has now revealed full details of its just-announced Game Gear Micro portable console — or, I should say, consoles. It turns out that the four color variants are different systems each with four different games preloaded, no doubt in an attempt to drive collectors to buy them all.
Here’s what you get on each.
The black model comes with:
Sonic the Hedgehog
Puyo Puyo 2
Out Run
Royal Stone
The blue variant includes:
Sonic Chaos
Gunstar Heroes
Sylvan Tale
Baku Baku Animal
The yellow Game Gear Micro has:
Shining Force Gaiden: Ensei – Jashin no Kuni he
Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya
Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict
Nazopuyo Aruru no Ru
And the red version is preloaded with:
Revelations: The Demon Slayer
Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible Special
The GG Shinobi
Columns
The hardware itself is 80mm x 43mm x 20mm with a 1.15-inch display. There’s a single mono speaker and a headphone jack. It charges over USB but can also run off two AAA batteries.
You may be wondering how exactly you’re meant to play games on a 1.15-inch display, which makes the Game Boy Micro’s 2-inch panel sound huge by comparison. Well, if you’re willing to drop 27,255 yen (~$250) on a pack of all four consoles, Sega is including a mini version of its Big Window magnifying-glass accessory.
Remember, this is the same company that released non-functional plastic Sega CD and 32X add-ons for the Mega Drive Mini. What more appropriate way to celebrate its 60th anniversary?


theverge--2020-06-03--Fortnite’s next live event and season delayed again

Epic Games has delayed Fortnite ’ s next in-game live event and the start of the game ’ s next season due to widespread outrage over the death of George Floyd and ongoing police brutality in response to protests around the country .
The in-game live event , titled “ The Device , ” will now take place on June 15th .
The next season , called Chapter 2 Season 3 , will begin on June 17th .
“ We ’ re acutely aware of the pain our friends , families , team members , players , and communities are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blog post .
“ We believe in equality and justice , diversity and inclusion , and that these fundamentals are above politics .
The team is eager to move Fortnite forward , but we need to balance the Season 3 launch with time for the team to focus on themselves , their families , and their communities.
” “ We believe in equality and justice , diversity and inclusion , and that these fundamentals are above politics ” This is the third delay for the start of the new season .
The first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second was announced last week .
This is the second delay for The Device event , which was delayed for the first time last week .
Many other planned tech and gaming events have been delayed or postponed because of the protests .
Sony postponed a PS5 event planned for June 4th .
EA postponed the announcement of Madden 21 .
And Google postponed an unveiling of new features coming in Android 11 that had been scheduled for today .

Epic Games has delayed Fortnite’s next in-game live event and the start of the game’s next season due to widespread outrage over the death of George Floyd and ongoing police brutality in response to protests around the country. The in-game live event, titled “The Device,” will now take place on June 15th. The next season, called Chapter 2 Season 3, will begin on June 17th.
“We’re acutely aware of the pain our friends, families, team members, players, and communities are experiencing,” Epic said in a blog post. “We believe in equality and justice, diversity and inclusion, and that these fundamentals are above politics. The team is eager to move Fortnite forward, but we need to balance the Season 3 launch with time for the team to focus on themselves, their families, and their communities.”
“We believe in equality and justice, diversity and inclusion, and that these fundamentals are above politics”
This is the third delay for the start of the new season. The first delay was announced in April, and the second was announced last week. This is the second delay for The Device event, which was delayed for the first time last week.


theverge--2020-06-03--Nintendo’s Donkey Kong statue was not actually stolen from its New York store

Fear not : a large Donkey Kong statue at Nintendo ’ s New York City store has not gone missing after the building was broken into on Monday evening .
A now-viral tweet claimed looters removed a life-sized model of the fictional gorilla during demonstrations in Manhattan earlier this week .
The tweet featured real images of the Nintendo retail location with police standing outside and broken storefront windows .
But it also contained an image , suspected to be Photoshopped , of the Donkey Kong statue missing .
Now , Nintendo has set the record straight .
“ There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statue from Nintendo NY store , ” a Nintendo of America spokesperson confirmed to The Verge .
While Nintendo fans can be relieved that Donkey Kong was not kidnapped , it ’ s unlikely the statue was even inside the store at the time of the break in .
On November 21st , 2019 , during the 25th anniversary of Donkey Kong Country , Nintendo unveiled a new statue of Mario antagonist Bowser , which now occupies the same space the DK statue did .
Nintendo would not comment on the location of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indeed inside the store .
Nintendo New York originally opened in November 2001 as The Pokémon Center .
In July 2005 , the store underwent a rebranding as the Nintendo World Store , before it was renamed again in February 2016 as Nintendo New York .
The two-story store features a slew of merchandise based on popular Nintendo characters — including apparel , toys , and even rare Nintendo hardware .
As of March 16th , the store was closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic .

Fear not: a large Donkey Kong statue at Nintendo’s New York City store has not gone missing after the building was broken into on Monday evening.
A now-viral tweet claimed looters removed a life-sized model of the fictional gorilla during demonstrations in Manhattan earlier this week. The tweet featured real images of the Nintendo retail location with police standing outside and broken storefront windows. But it also contained an image, suspected to be Photoshopped, of the Donkey Kong statue missing.
Now, Nintendo has set the record straight. “There was no theft of a Donkey Kong statue from Nintendo NY store,” a Nintendo of America spokesperson confirmed to The Verge.
While Nintendo fans can be relieved that Donkey Kong was not kidnapped, it’s unlikely the statue was even inside the store at the time of the break in. On November 21st, 2019, during the 25th anniversary of Donkey Kong Country, Nintendo unveiled a new statue of Mario antagonist Bowser, which now occupies the same space the DK statue did. Nintendo would not comment on the location of the DK statue or whether it was indeed inside the store.


theverge--2020-06-03--Amazon warehouse workers sue over risk of COVID-19 infection

A group of three Amazon warehouse employees who work out of the company ’ s New York fulfillment centers have filed a lawsuit alleging the company put them and their families at risk of COVID-19 infection , according to a report from Bloomberg .
One plaintiff , Barbara Chandler , says she contracted the virus in March from a State Island warehouse , known as JFK8 .
Her cousin , who is also her roommate , later died after experiencing COVID-19 symptoms , the report states .
The complaint accuses Amazon of fostering a work environment in which employees “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attending work and prevented from adequately washing their hands or sanitizing their workstations.
” It also claims the company , through quotas and disciplinary action , led workers to avoid social distancing and other safety measures to continue hitting metrics and to keep up with surging demand .
The lawsuit also alleges that Amazon has taken a lax approach to contact tracing investigations to try and determine which employees may have come into contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 , and that the company has punished workers for speaking out about safety concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I should keep it quiet , ” Chandler told The Verge back in April about her conversation with her supervisors regarding her positive test results .
“ That ’ s all they told me.
” The lawsuit , filed in New York , is not seeking damages for illness or death , Bloomberg reports .
Instead , the suit is asking for a formal injunction to force Amazon to adhere to public health guidance .
The three employees have also teamed up to jointly file the suit with nonprofit law firm Towards Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Justice , and workers rights organization Make the Road New York .
An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement it was “ saddened by the tragic impact COVID-19 has had on communities across the globe , including on some Amazon team members and their family and friends.
” The company also reiterated its investments into employee pay increases , benefits , and worker protections .
It did not comment on the specific allegations in the lawsuit .
Amazon warehouse workers have been sounding the alarm about COVID-19 safety for months Amazon has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the few nationwide essential businesses that has seen a massive increase in demand for its services since shelter-in-place orders and other lockdown measures went into effect throughout the country back in March .
Amazon has responded by hiring hundreds of thousands of new workers , enacting new safety measures at its warehouses , and expanding its sick leave and other worker benefits to try and offer flexibility to hourly workers .
Many of Amazon ’ s salaried corporate employees , on the other hand , have been able to work comfortably from home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion to deal with the effects of COVID-19 , Amazon has come under fire for not doing enough to protect its workers and for cracking down on protests against the lack of health and safety measures at its warehouses .
In late April , the company ended its indefinite unpaid leave policy and began requesting workers show up for shifts unless they specifically say COVID-19 poses a risk to them or their family members .
Yet warehouse workers , many of which are low-income residents that can not find other work during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Amazon warehouses long before that deadline .
Those workers have been voicing criticism of Amazon for months now , claiming the company has failed to tell employees when coworkers have been infected and doesn ’ t adequately clean facilities after reported infections to avoid any disruption in operations .
At least eight Amazon workers have died from COVID-19 so far , although the company won ’ t give out concrete numbers and has yet to disclose how many have become sick .
In March , Amazon fired an organizer of a protest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says she contracted the virus , for allegedly violating social distancing recommendations .
That earned the public ire of Sen. Bernie Sanders ( D-VT ) and widespread condemnation from activists and politicians over concerns the act was retaliatory , and leaked Amazon meeting notes later revealed high-level plans to smear the organizer in the media .
The company has since fired numerous corporate employees after those employees voiced concerns over warehouse safety ; Amazon ’ s official justification is that these employees violated internal policies .
Last month , a French court ruling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country for weeks after a large labor union requesting warehouse workers argued the company wasn ’ t doing enough to protect them on the job .
The warehouse only reopened after Amazon promised new health guarantees and offered better benefits .
Earlier this month , a prominent Amazon vice president resigned from the company , accusing it in a scathing public blog post of treating warehouse workers as a “ fungible units of pick-and-pack potential ” and for ignoring the “ the human costs of the relentless growth and accumulation of wealth @ @ @ @

A group of three Amazon warehouse employees who work out of the company’s New York fulfillment centers have filed a lawsuit alleging the company put them and their families at risk of COVID-19 infection, according to a report from Bloomberg. One plaintiff, Barbara Chandler, says she contracted the virus in March from a Staten Island warehouse, known as JFK8. Her cousin, who is also her roommate, later died after experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, the report states.
The complaint accuses Amazon of fostering a work environment in which employees “were explicitly or implicitly encouraged to continue attending work and prevented from adequately washing their hands or sanitizing their workstations.” It also claims the company, through quotas and disciplinary action, led workers to avoid social distancing and other safety measures to continue hitting metrics and to keep up with surging demand.
The lawsuit also alleges that Amazon has taken a lax approach to contact tracing investigations to try and determine which employees may have come into contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, and that the company has punished workers for speaking out about safety concerns.
“HR just told me that I should keep it quiet,” Chandler told The Verge back in April about her conversation with her supervisors regarding her positive test results. “That’s all they told me.”
The lawsuit, filed in New York, is not seeking damages for illness or death, Bloomberg reports. Instead, the suit is asking for a formal injunction to force Amazon to adhere to public health guidance. The three employees have also teamed up to jointly file the suit with nonprofit law firm Towards Justice, the nonprofit legal advocacy group Public, Justice, and workers rights organization Make the Road New York.
An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement it was “saddened by the tragic impact COVID-19 has had on communities across the globe, including on some Amazon team members and their family and friends.” The company also reiterated its investments into employee pay increases, benefits, and worker protections. It did not comment on the specific allegations in the lawsuit.
Amazon warehouse workers have been sounding the alarm about COVID-19 safety for months
Amazon has emerged during the pandemic as one of the few nationwide essential businesses that has seen a massive increase in demand for its services since shelter-in-place orders and other lockdown measures went into effect throughout the country back in March. Amazon has responded by hiring hundreds of thousands of new workers, enacting new safety measures at its warehouses, and expanding its sick leave and other worker benefits to try and offer flexibility to hourly workers. Many of Amazon’s salaried corporate employees, on the other hand, have been able to work comfortably from home.
Despite pledging to spend $4 billion to deal with the effects of COVID-19, Amazon has come under fire for not doing enough to protect its workers and for cracking down on protests against the lack of health and safety measures at its warehouses. In late April, the company ended its indefinite unpaid leave policy and began requesting workers show up for shifts unless they specifically say COVID-19 poses a risk to them or their family members.
Yet warehouse workers, many of which are low-income residents that cannot find other work during the pandemic, have been reporting to work at Amazon warehouses long before that deadline. Those workers have been voicing criticism of Amazon for months now, claiming the company has failed to tell employees when coworkers have been infected and doesn’t adequately clean facilities after reported infections to avoid any disruption in operations. At least eight Amazon workers have died from COVID-19 so far, although the company won’t give out concrete numbers and has yet to disclose how many have become sick.
In March, Amazon fired an organizer of a protest at the same Staten Island warehouse Chandler says she contracted the virus, for allegedly violating social distancing recommendations. That earned the public ire of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and widespread condemnation from activists and politicians over concerns the act was retaliatory, and leaked Amazon meeting notes later revealed high-level plans to smear the organizer in the media.
The company has since fired numerous corporate employees after those employees voiced concerns over warehouse safety; Amazon’s official justification is that these employees violated internal policies. Last month, a French court ruling shut down Amazon’s warehouses in the country for weeks after a large labor union requesting warehouse workers argued the company wasn’t doing enough to protect them on the job. The warehouse only reopened after Amazon promised new health guarantees and offered better benefits.
Earlier this month, a prominent Amazon vice president resigned from the company, accusing it in a scathing public blog post of treating warehouse workers as a “fungible units of pick-and-pack potential” and for ignoring the “the human costs of the relentless growth and accumulation of wealth and power.”


theverge--2020-06-03--Dyson shares new photos and videos of its canceled electric SUV

Luxury vacuum magnate James Dyson has revealed new photos and a little more information about his company ’ s failed electric vehicle — a project into which he recently revealed he poured more than half a billion dollars of his own money .
In a new blog post on his company ’ s website , Dyson shows off some of the first images and videos of the real prototype it made before the project was killed last October , as well as a few more computer renderings .
He describes the SUV as “ a radical car which was loaded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company “ solved lots of problems that are traditionally associated with electric vehicles , ” though the project was ultimately abandoned for not being “ commercially viable.
” Missing from the post is any substantive explanation of what those problems were , though , or how the company was going to solve them .
Dyson touts a “ bespoke , integrated and highly efficient Electric Drive Unit ( EDU ) comprising Dyson digital electric motor , single speed transmission and state of the art power inverter , ” though there ’ s no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the ones developed by other companies in the electric vehicle space .
Other listed design benefits ( like a flexible battery pack design , improved interior space , longer wheelbase ) and features ( like a heads-up display or handle-free doors ) are also far from unique .
And while Autocar reports that the SUV was supposed to offer somewhere around 600 miles of range using a 150kWh battery , Dyson never got close enough to put that claim to the test .
One of the few standout parts of the SUV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more like a video game controller than anything .
Other than that , the Dyson EV ’ s design is almost indistinguishable from Byton ’ s or even Faraday Future ’ s .
Perhaps Dyson — which , unlike those startups , is a company that currently sells products and generates revenue — would have been able to make this luxury electric SUV work had it found the right manufacturing partner or scrounged up a few billion dollars to get to production .
But even if the company had done that , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small-volume electric vehicle for the wealthy — something that is decidedly not radical .

Luxury vacuum magnate James Dyson has revealed new photos and a little more information about his company’s failed electric vehicle — a project into which he recently revealed he poured more than half a billion dollars of his own money.
In a new blog post on his company’s website, Dyson shows off some of the first images and videos of the real prototype it made before the project was killed last October, as well as a few more computer renderings. He describes the SUV as “a radical car which was loaded with technology,” and says his company “solved lots of problems that are traditionally associated with electric vehicles,” though the project was ultimately abandoned for not being “commercially viable.”
Previous Next
1 / 9 Image: Dyson Previous Next
1 / 9 Image: Dyson
Missing from the post is any substantive explanation of what those problems were, though, or how the company was going to solve them. Dyson touts a “bespoke, integrated and highly efficient Electric Drive Unit (EDU) comprising Dyson digital electric motor, single speed transmission and state of the art power inverter,” though there’s no explanation about what sets those technologies apart from the ones developed by other companies in the electric vehicle space.
Other listed design benefits (like a flexible battery pack design, improved interior space, longer wheelbase) and features (like a heads-up display or handle-free doors) are also far from unique. And while Autocar reports that the SUV was supposed to offer somewhere around 600 miles of range using a 150kWh battery, Dyson never got close enough to put that claim to the test.
Image: Dyson