“Meet The Immigrants Who Took On Amazon” – Wired. This article traces a burgeoning movement of workers at an Amazon fulfillment center in Minneapolis-St. Paul comprised largely of Somali immigrants to win some concessions from management. The article also traces Amazon’s view on unionizing (not surprisingly, it’s not favorable) and its employment practices. Whether the … Continue reading Further Reading (23 November)
“The Porch Pirate of Potrero Hill Can’t Believe It Came to This" – The Atlantic. How technology intersects with and possibly exacerbates long entrenched societal problems. A fascinating read starting with someone stealing Amazon packages in a rapidly gentrifying San Francisco neighborhood.“Why Do We Tolerate Saudi Money in Tech?” – The New York Times and … Continue reading Further Reading (15 November)
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced a legal action against Google “alleging they engaged in misleading conduct and made false or misleading representations to consumers about the personal location data Google collects, keeps and uses” according to the agency’s press release. In its initial filing, the ACCC is claiming that Google mislead and … Continue reading ACCC Charges Google With Violations Of Consumer Laws Over Android Location Settings
“I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb” – Vice. A writer discovered through experience about a scam many on the short-term rental site, Airbnb, have experienced: a last-minute cancellation leading to a much inferior property and an interminable process for lodging complaints and obtaining a refund. Airbnb seems lax about enforcing its own policies … Continue reading Further Reading (8 November)
“Russian operatives sacrifice followers to stay under cover on Facebook” – Reuters. Facebooks is using the tactics Russian hackers have used to spread disinformation against them. In order to sow discord, the Internet Research Agency’s (IRA) hackers need to be outrageous and memorable but doing so makes it easier for Facebook’s security team to track … Continue reading Further Reading
This week, we will look at a pair of bills referenced by Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-ID) at a recent hearing on data ownership that take a different approach to privacy. In short, these bills would approach the issues presented by mass collection and use of consumer data by … Continue reading Privacy Bill A Week: “Own Your Own Data Act” (S. 806) and the “Designing Accounting Safeguards To Help Broaden Oversight and Regulations on Data” (S. 1951).
“How to report on a data breach” – Columbia Journalism Review. A veteran tech journalist who has written about a number of the recent, major data breaches (Target, MySpace, Equifax, LinkedIn, eBay, JP Morgan Chase, Yahoo, and Sony) offers tips to other journalists that can serve those interested in the policy side of these issues, … Continue reading Further Reading
Last week, the House Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law Subcommittee held its third hearing into the market power of online platforms which focused on “The Role of Data and Privacy in Competition” as part of its “investigation into competition in digital markets.” Chair Jerrod Nadler (D-NY) stated that digital technologies have provided Americans … Continue reading House Judiciary Continues Anti-Competitive Investigation Into Big Tech
Michael Kans 