BetaNews: Facebook admits to yet another shocking example of leaking user data. “Facebook has sneakily used a blog post purportedly about ‘protecting people’s data’ to reveal that it has failed to do precisely that. In a post in its almost ironically titled Privacy Matters series, Facebook admits that it shared private user data with thousands of app developers when it should not have. Two years ago, Facebook implemented a privacy policy that stopped apps that had not been used for 90 days from sharing data with developers, but it turns out that data was in fact still shared.”
Author: ResearchBuzz
The Next Web: Multiple service providers are blocking DuckDuckGo in India
The Next Web: Multiple service providers are blocking DuckDuckGo in India. “Users on Reddit have noticed they’re unable to access the site on their Airtel and Reliance Jio mobile network connections. While Some users on Twitter have further suggested multiple internet service providers (ISP) have blocked the site.”
The Verge: Microsoft announces new Windows 10 Start menu design and updated Alt-Tab
The Verge: Microsoft announces new Windows 10 Start menu design and updated Alt-Tab. “Microsoft is introducing a new Windows 10 Start menu design that will de-emphasize its Live Tiles. The software giant first hinted at the refreshed design earlier this year, and it’s arriving for Windows 10 testers today.”
ProPublica: Internal Messages Reveal Crisis at Houston Hospitals as Coronavirus Cases Surge
ProPublica: Internal Messages Reveal Crisis at Houston Hospitals as Coronavirus Cases Surge. “Texas was one of the first states in the nation to ease social distancing mandates. In Houston, the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has quadrupled since Memorial Day. ‘It’s time to be alarmed,’ one expert said.”
New York Times: A Singing Xi Jinping Look-Alike Battles the Censors in China
New York Times: A Singing Xi Jinping Look-Alike Battles the Censors in China. “The long stares and startled whispers — Is that him? — begin as soon as Liu Keqing, an imposing Chinese baritone, enters any room in China. With a square face, closely cropped black hair and a portly figure, Mr. Liu bears a striking resemblance to Xi Jinping, China’s top leader. Mr. Liu, who has spent his career in opera houses, used to welcome the attention. But now, in China’s increasingly authoritarian system, his resemblance to Mr. Xi has drawn him into an Orwellian saga in which his name, his face and his very likeness are considered sensitive by the Chinese authorities.”
Bloomberg Quint: Google, Facebook Would Face FTC Over Policies in Democratic Bill
Bloomberg Quint: Google, Facebook Would Face FTC Over Policies in Democratic Bill. “A top Democratic lawmaker wants to empower the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to take action against Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc., among other technology platforms, if they fail to remove content that violates their terms of service and community standards.”
Reuters: EU throws new rule book at Google, tech giants in competition search
Reuters: EU throws new rule book at Google, tech giants in competition search. “Exasperated by its failure to loosen Google’s market grip, despite more than $8 billion in fines, the European Union is lining up new rules to level the playing field for rivals. And just as its landmark privacy law became a global model, the EU’s new regulations could become a template for governments around the world looking to rein in Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook.”
Phys .org: Surveys reveal significant shifts in consumer behavior during pandemic
Phys .org: Surveys reveal significant shifts in consumer behavior during pandemic. “The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered how people shop, how much they buy, the trips they take outside their homes, and the number of tele-activities—like work, medicine and education—that have become commonplace. These changes were rapid and have tremendously impacted the economy, supply chains, and the environment.”
Phys .org: COVID-19 leaving some Americans sick and hungry
Phys .org: COVID-19 leaving some Americans sick and hungry. “The COVID-19 pandemic is not just making Americans sick, it’s leaving many hungry as well, and experts who gathered for a Harvard Chan School forum on the problem said that legislation to relieve the pandemic’s economic burden may be able to help.”
Coronavirus: US buys nearly all of Gilead’s Covid-19 drug remdesivir (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: US buys nearly all of Gilead’s Covid-19 drug remdesivir. “The US is buying nearly all the next three months’ projected production of Covid-19 treatment remdesivir from US manufacturer Gilead. The US health department announced on Tuesday it had agreed to buy 500,000 doses for use in American hospitals.”
Ama Agbeze: Coronavirus ‘could set women’s sport back decades’ – former England netball captain (BBC)
BBC: Ama Agbeze: Coronavirus ‘could set women’s sport back decades’ – former England netball captain. “Former England netball captain Ama Agbeze fears the coronavirus pandemic could set women’s sport back decades because of the cancellation of leagues and competitions. But other leading figures, including UK Sport chief executive Sally Munday, are hopeful the disruption will be a short-term ‘blip’.”
San Francisco Chronicle: More than 40 Bay Area school principals in quarantine after in-person meeting
San Francisco Chronicle: More than 40 Bay Area school principals in quarantine after in-person meeting. “More than 40 school principals in the South Bay are in quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19 during an in-person meeting held by the Santa Clara Unified School District. A pre-symptomatic individual at the school reopening planning meeting on June 19 tested positive for the coronavirus just a few days after school administrators congregated.”
NPR: After Reopening Schools, Israel Orders Them To Shut If COVID-19 Cases Are Discovered
NPR: After Reopening Schools, Israel Orders Them To Shut If COVID-19 Cases Are Discovered. “Two weeks after Israel fully reopened schools, a COVID-19 outbreak sweeping through classrooms — including at least 130 cases at a single school — has led officials to close dozens of schools where students and staff were infected. A new policy orders any school where a virus case emerges to close.”
Uncovered: 1,000 phrases that incorrectly trigger Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant (Ars Technica)
Ars Technica: Uncovered: 1,000 phrases that incorrectly trigger Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant. “As Alexa, Google Home, Siri, and other voice assistants have become fixtures in millions of homes, privacy advocates have grown concerned that their near-constant listening to nearby conversations could pose more risk than benefit to users. New research suggests the privacy threat may be greater than previously thought.”
Hollywood Reporter: CAA Offices in L.A., N.Y. and Nashville to Remain Closed Until 2021
Hollywood Reporter: CAA Offices in L.A., N.Y. and Nashville to Remain Closed Until 2021. “Amid a rise in novel coronavirus cases across multiple states, [Creative Artists Agency] will keep offices in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville shuttered through the end of the year. The agency had previously set an August 1 timetable for a decision to return to its major offices, including London. CAA also has offices in Chicago, Atlanta, Jacksonville and Memphis stateside as well as outposts in Beijing, Shanghai, Stockholm, Munich and Geneva.”
