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Mass transit solutions provider <keyword id="7091593" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="swvl" source="Orion">Swvl</keyword> has announced to reduce its headcount by approximately 32 per cent to enhance efficiency and cut central costs to turn cash flow positive in 2023, as economic downturn hits companies and tech startups worldwide.<br /><br />The Dubai-headquartered mobility startup has over 1,330 employees and laying off 32 per cent of its workforce means that over 400 people will lose their jobs.<br /><br />"Such reductions will focus on roles which have been automated by investments in the company's engineering and product and support functions," the startup said in a statement late on Monday.<br /><br />Swvl said it plans to provide monetary, non-monetary and job placement support to help with the transition of certain of its employees to new roles.<br /><br />The news comes as more than 15,000 workers have lost jobs in the tech sector in the US in the month of May alone, while more than 7,000 employees have been fired by the Indian startups to date, as they navigate global macro-economic factors.<br /><br />Companies such as Klarna, <keyword id="12707583" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="getir" source="Orion">Getir</keyword>, <keyword id="855786" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gorillas" source="Orion">Gorillas</keyword> and <keyword id="46905" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bolt" source="Orion">Bolt</keyword> have fired some of their workforce.<br /><br />Since March 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic started, 1.25 lakh employees have been laid off by around 718 startups globally.<br /><br />Tech companies are facing multiple issues like rising inflation, recession fear, Russia-Ukraine war.<br /><br />The situation is set to get worse with recession looming and funding drying up.

Mobility startup Swvl to fire over 400 employees in order to 'enhance efficiency'

Inflation in <keyword id="87" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="germany" source="Orion">Germany</keyword> hit 7.9 per cent in May, the highest level since the first oil crisis in 1973/74, according to preliminary figures published by the country's <keyword id="413556" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="federal-statistical-office" source="Orion">Federal Statistical Office</keyword> (Destatis).<br /><br />Amidst wheat shortages and fears of a global food crisis, food prices increased by 11.1 per cent, while energy prices soared by 38.3 year-on-year, <keyword id="106387" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="xinhua-news-agency" source="Orion">Xinhua news agency</keyword> quoted Destatis as saying.<br /><br />The spike in energy prices has been caused by the Russia-Ukraine war, and has had a "considerable impact on the high inflation rate", the <keyword id="23557" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="office" source="Orion">Office</keyword> said.<br /><br />Meanwhile, supply chain interruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have also pushed up inflation.<br /><br />Germany's import prices in April were up 31.7 per cent year-on-year, according to Destatis. With a plus of more than 300 per cent, natural gas had the biggest influence on energy prices, followed by crude oil with prices up 77.5 per cent year-on-year.<br /><br />In order to cushion rising energy prices, fuel tax in Germany will be temporarily lowered, and citizens will receive a one-off energy allowance of 300 euros ($323).<br /><br />To support the switch from cars to buses and trains, a cheap public transport ticket will also be made available during the summer, for just 9 euros per month.<br /><br />The German government expects an annual inflation rate of 6.1 per cent for 2022, a "figure otherwise seen only in exceptional cases, such as during the oil crisis".<br /><br />However, it said inflation is set to drop again next year.<br /><br />Consumer sentiment in Germany remains at an all-time low, according to <keyword id="7757310" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="market-research-institute" source="Orion">market research institute</keyword> GfK.<br /><br />Despite further easing of Covid-19 restrictions, the Russia-Ukraine war and high inflation are "weighing heavily on consumer sentiment", it added.<br /><br />SEE ALSO:<br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/too-early-to-predict-if-monkeypox-could-become-the-next-global-pandemic-who/articleshow/91910707.cms">Too early to predict if monkeypox could become the next global pandemic: WHO</a><br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/mobility-startup-swvl-to-fire-over-400-employees-in-order-to-enhance-efficiency/articleshow/91909855.cms">Mobility startup Swvl to fire over 400 employees in order to 'enhance efficiency'</a><br />

German inflation rate hits highest level since 70s oil crisis

A correlation between a first dose of the <keyword id="6409874" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="astrazeneca" source="Orion">AstraZeneca</keyword> vaccine and a small but significant rise in cases of the serious neurological condition Guillain-Barre syndrome (<keyword id="191048" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="gbs" source="Orion">GBS</keyword>), has been identified.<br /><br />Researchers at the <keyword id="174869" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="university-college-london" source="Orion">University College London</keyword> (<keyword id="856563" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ucl" source="Orion">UCL</keyword>) said they are yet to understand the cause of the link. However, they noted that the small numbers of GBS cases observed appear similar to increases previously seen in other mass vaccination campaigns.<br /><br />Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare but serious autoimmune condition that attacks the peripheral nervous system, typically resulting in numbness, weakness and pain in the limbs and sometimes resulting in paralysis of breathing.<br /><br />In the UK, <keyword id="44612" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pfizer" source="Orion">Pfizer</keyword>'s Covid-19 vaccine was rolled out in December 2020, followed by AstraZeneca in January 2021, then Moderna in April 2021.<br /><br />In the study, published in the journal <keyword id="6361813" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="brain" source="Orion">Brain</keyword>, researchers observed that between January to October 2021, 996 GBS cases were recorded in the UK, but with an unusual spike in GBS reports occurring between March and April 2021.<br /><br />For these two months there were about 140 cases per month, compared to historical rates of about 100 per month.<br /><br />The analysis revealed 198 GBS cases (20 per cent of 966) occurred within six weeks of the first-dose Covid-19 vaccination in England, equating to 0.618 cases per 100,000 vaccinations.<br /><br />Of these, 176 people had had an AstraZeneca vaccination, 21 Pfizer, and one Moderna. Only 23 GBS cases were reported within six weeks of any second vaccine dose.<br /><br />Overall, following a first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine there were 5.8 excess GBS cases per million doses of vaccine, equating to an absolute total excess between January-July 2021 of between 98-140 cases. First doses of Pfizer and Moderna and second doses of any vaccination showed no excess GBS risk.<br /><br />"The reason for the association between only AstraZeneca vaccination and GBS is unclear. Covid-19 infection does not have a strong, or possibly any, increased risk of GBS," said lead author Professor Michael Lunn at UCL.<br /><br />"The lack of increased risk associated with Pfizer vaccination implies that it is unlikely that the Covid-19 spike protein is the causative factor for the increased risk.<br /><br />"The viral vector used to carry the nucleic acid in the AstraZeneca and similar vaccines may be the reason but this needs further exploration," Lunn said.<br /><br />In a separate phenotype study, researchers analysed GBS cases reported by clinicians between January 2021 and November 2021.<br /><br />They found that no specific clinical features, including facial weakness (which has received special attention in medical literature), were associated with vaccination-related GBS compared to non-vaccinated cases, showing how difficult it is to spot vaccination linked cases from among the background cases occurring normally.<br /><br />SEE ALSO:<br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/too-early-to-predict-if-monkeypox-could-become-the-next-global-pandemic-who/articleshow/91910707.cms">Too early to predict if monkeypox could become the next global pandemic: WHO</a><br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/mobility-startup-swvl-to-fire-over-400-employees-in-order-to-enhance-efficiency/articleshow/91909855.cms">Mobility startup Swvl to fire over 400 employees in order to 'enhance efficiency'</a><br />

Researchers identify rise in neurological condition 'Guillain-Barre syndrome' following AstraZeneca vaccine

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany</span></p><p class="caption">A man uses a mobile phone while riding a camel through a&#xa0;traffic&#xa0;jam in downtown&#xa0;Cairo.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><span>Thanks to a massive population of 23 million, snarled traffic, and poor public <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="transportation">transportation</keyword>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/cairo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cairo</a> has become a test bed for transportation startups.</span></li><li><span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/uber" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Uber</a> and U.A.E.-based <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/careem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Careem</a> each launched bus services aimed at serving Cairo's low-income population in December. But they are competing with local bus startups Swvl and Buseet, as well as other transportation startups serving other niches.</span></li><li><span>An Uber exec told Business Insider the Middle East's expanding young population makes it an ideal place to invest after Uber pulled back in several markets in 2017 and 2018.</span></li><li><span>The founders of Swvl and Egyptian autorickshaw-hailing app Halan said they think the transportation needs in emerging markets are so great that no single provider will be able to dominate the market.</span></li><li><span> But Uber is testing out multiple transportation modes in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East and Africa in its quest to get to one billion riders before its I.P.O. later this year.</span></li></ul><p> </p><p><span>Spend any length of time in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/cairo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cairo</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/egypt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Egypt</a> and what sticks out immediately is the traffic. </span><span>Every highway, road, and alleyway is clogged with cars and motorbikes spewing fumes into the air. Crossing a road is akin to beating the final level of Frogger: six crammed lanes with zero traffic lights or crosswalks and constant honking.</span></p><p><span>There are many options for navigating the city of 23 million people - considered the most populated in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Africa</a> - but few are attractive. </span></p><p><span>With a whopping <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/60054">4 million daily riders</a> on its three lines, the Cairo Metro is <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/TWB-Executive-Note-Eng.pdf">half the size of the Washington D.C. Metro and carries four times</a> as many passengers per half-mile of track. The public bus system is similarly outmatched. Among the world's major cities, Cairo has one of the <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/TWB-Executive-Note-Eng.pdf">lowest numbers of buses per million residents</a>.</span></p><p><span>The most used, and most important, part of Cairo's transit system is the microbuses, a network of semiformal private vans that are ubiquitous on the streets of Cairo (and most African cities). While dirt cheap and with lines all over the city, microbuses are known for driving at dangerous speeds, packing in as many passengers as they can, and ignoring traffic laws. Road injuries <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/countries/egypt/">are a leading cause</a> of death in the country. A study by the World Bank <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2012/08/21/cairo-traffic-much-more-than-nuisance">found that traffic costs the country $8 billion per year</a>, or 4% of its GDP.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh</span></p><p class="caption">Motorists stuck in a&#xa0;traffic&#xa0;jam on a street towards downtown of&#xa0;Cairo, Egypt.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>It would not be uncommon for an Egyptian to spend hours navigating several trains, multiple buses, and a taxi in a single commute each day.</span></p><p><span>Though the Egyptian government <a href="http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/2/56664/Millions-of-euros-allocated-to-improve-Cairo-Metro-network">announced it would invest over $100 million</a> to improve and expand the metro in the coming years, young Egyptians aren't waiting for the government to fix the problem. </span></p><h2><span>Transportation is a 'mega opportunity' in Egypt and other emerging markets</span></h2><h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/goinganniewhere/">Annie Zheng/Business Insider</a></span></p><p class="caption">A scene at the Rise Up Summit in Cairo, a premier tech and innovation conference in the Middle East.</p></div><p></p></div></div></h2><p><span>As I walked around the </span>Rise-Up Summit, a <a href="https://riseupsummit.com/">premier tech conference</a> held in Cairo in December, transportation seemed to be on everyone's mind. Among the booths of hopeful entrepreneurs and established regional tech stars was an assortment of Egyptian transportation startups, each serving a different niche.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cairo-egypt-culture-food-pyramids-of-giza-2019-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Travel guides will tell you to skip Cairo, but the Egyptian capital is a fascinating city bursting with amazing food and culture</a></em></p><p>Swvl and <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/buseet#section-overview">Buseet </a>each<span> offer private buses traveling along fixed routes reserved and paid for using their apps. Fyonka is a ride-hailing service hoping to win on safety and harassment issues by <a href="https://egyptianstreets.com/2018/12/11/fyonka-all-female-ride-hailing-service-seeks-empowering-egyptian-women/">connecting only female drivers with female passengers</a>. Meanwhile, Halan is a low-cost, ride-hailing service that only features motorcycles and tuk-tuks, or that autorickshaws that are popular throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/goinganniewhere/">Annie Zheng/Business Insider</a></span></p><p class="caption">Fyonka co-founders Mostafa El Kholy (L) and Abdullah Hussein at the RiseUp Summit in December.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>When I asked Fadi Antaki, a veteran Egyptian entrepreneur and the CEO of A15, <a href="http://www.a15.com/en-us/">a leading Egyptian tech investment fund</a>, why the scene is saturated with transportation startups, he looked bewildered and motioned to the traffic honking outside the Greek Campus where RiseUp was being held.</span></p><p>"A lot of people have long commutes and the existing public transportation isn't working," he said. "The public buses are always jammed and packed. Cars are twice the price here that they are in the US and parking is a nightmare. And the minibuses are packed, dirty, and unsafe."</p><p><span>As RiseUp's founder </span><span>Abdelhameed Sharara told me the following day, there's an added kicker. Egyptian entrepreneurs understand that the government is not capable of fixing the city's transportation problems.</span></p><p><span>"</span>There is a mega opportunity there and technology can really enable [the solutions]," he said.</p><h2>Tech giants Uber and Careem are in a dogfight for the Middle East</h2><h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/goinganniewhere/">Annie Zheng/Business Insider</a></span></p><p class="caption">An Uber Bus activation at the RiseUp Summit in December.</p></div><p></p></div></div></h2><p>Egyptians aren't the only ones to have noticed the opportunity. <span>Tech giants Uber and U.A.E.-based Careem, which operates in 84 cities across twelve Middle Eastern countries, are locked in their own battle for dominance over Egypt's massive transportation needs.</span></p><p><span>In December, Uber and Careem <a href="https://www.menabytes.com/uber-bus-egypt-cairo/">launched competing</a> <a href="https://www.menabytes.com/careem-bus-cairo/">bus services </a>in the city, firsts for both companies. Like Buseet and Swvl, both are focused on using tech to remake the ubiquitous microbus sector. Uber Manager of Matching Science Eoin O'Mahony <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6478077243313790976/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote on LinkedIn</a> that it could "unlock a new global business for Uber, serving the $100B, 100 billion annual rides ultra-low-cost transit market for high capacity vehicles."</span></p><p><span> Like microbuses, Uber Bus and Careem Bus fit around a dozen passengers each with prices aimed at a working-class population that can't afford daily private rides. </span></p><p><span>Uber has said prices will be <a href="https://www.menabytes.com/uber-bus-egypt-cairo/">80% cheaper than a standard Uber</a>, while Careem has said its service <a href="https://www.menabytes.com/careem-bus-cairo/">will be 60-70% cheaper</a> than a standard Careem. Rather than sign existing microbuses onto the service - most of which are old and in disrepair - both services advertise safe, new, branded, and air-conditioned buses.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Retuers</span></p><p class="caption">A typical Uber Bus at the launch for Uber Bus in December.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>The launch represented a retrenchment in the Middle East for Uber after years of backing out of international markets like China, Russia, and Southeast Asia, where Uber has partnered with or sold its business to local rivals like Didi, Yandex, and Grab respectively.</span></p><p><span>Earlier this month, Anthony le Roux, Uber's chief executive for the Middle East and Africa, told the Wall Street Journal that his region would "<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-turns-to-middle-easts-tech-savvy-youth-in-quest-for-1-billion-users-11549449001">play a massive role</a>" in helping Uber reach its goal of a billion users before its initial public offering later this year. </span></p><p><span>That sentiment was echoed by Tino Waked, Uber's general manager for the Middle East and North Africa. In an interview with Business Insider, Waked pointed to the Middle East's rapidly expanding young population, limited transportation infrastructure, and large demand for low-cost transportation solutions as reasons the company sees the region as an ideal place to invest and test new services.</span></p><p><span>In the battle for dominance over Egypt and the Middle East, Uber and Careem have made localizations to cater their product to the market. Both companies allow cash payment and <a href="https://gulfbusiness.com/uber-eyes-cheaper-uae-rides-emirati-drivers-get-behind-wheel/">offer low-cost rides</a> <a href="https://ww.egyptindependent.com/egyptians-concerned-about-safety-as-careem-introduces-new-scooter-service/">on scooters</a>, tuk-tuks, and motorcycles. In order to deepen its smartphone penetration in Egypt, Uber will <a href="https://gulfnews.com/business/uber-to-introduce-new-lightweight-app-for-middle-east-1.61728950">soon launch a version of its app</a> requiring less data, after launching a similar app in other Middle Eastern countries last year. </span></p><p><span>Uber has reportedly engaged in talks to purchase Careem, according to the Wall Street Journal, which reported that some bankers see the sale as inevitable given how much more cash Uber has to burn in its duel with Careem.</span></p><h2>Solving Egypt's transportation problems could help solve issues for other countries in emerging markets</h2><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/harrisonxjacobs">Harrison Jacobs/Business Insider</a></span></p><p class="caption">Traffic in Cairo is nightmarish.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>The battle to win Egypt is likely about more than just winning a lucrative market: It's also about unlocking access to other countries suffering similar transportation woes. </span></p><p>"There is tremendous opportunity in Egypt. This is a country of 100 million people and there's a sense that solutions that work here will work in other parts of the world with similar obstacles," Antaki told me.</p><p><span>While the two whales duke it out, the other Egyptian transportation startups are hoping they can outmaneuver both with a better understanding of the needs in a developing market. </span></p><p><span>Last year, bus startup Swvl raised an <a href="https://digestafrica.com/egypt-swvl-expanding-kenya-nairobi/">approximate $38 million</a>, putting its valuation close to $100 million, and in January it <a href="https://digestafrica.com/egypt-swvl-expanding-kenya-nairobi/#.XHYFzpNKhQI">launched a pilot program in Nairobi, Kenya</a>, another city notorious for its snarled traffic and anything-goes microbuses. Swvl has plans to launch in several Southeast Asian cities in the coming months.</span></p><p><span>Meanwhile, Halan, the startup focused on tuk-tuks and motorcycles, raised <a href="https://digestafrica.com/egypt-halan-funding-algebra-ventures/#.XHYGAJNKhQJ">$4.3 million in Series A funding</a> in December, opened up a second market in Sudan, and added Uber founder Oscar Salazar to its board. In the announcement, Salazar <a href="https://www.menabytes.com/oscar-salazar-halan/">cited Halan's desire</a> to bring transportation </span><span>to "the remaining 6 billion" people not being served by major ride-hailing companies.</span><span> </span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/goinganniewhere/">Annie Zheng/Business Insider</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>When I asked Swvl founder </span><span>Mostafa Kandil </span><span>how the company could compete with Uber and Careem, he suggested that the transportation needs are so dire in Cairo and other similar markets that, unlike cities in the US, one or two transportation companies cannot serve all the demand. </span></p><p><span>"You see the same problem across emerging markets, whether it's Manila, Nairobi or Jakarta. One single player is not enough to build the network," Kandil told Business Insider. "We like to see ourselves as building a profitable mass transit system from scratch in emerging markets and taking it off governments' hands."</span></p><p><span>Rather than crowd out smaller players like Swvl, Uber Bus has expanded demand in Cairo, according to Kandil, who said that Swvl signups have quadrupled since the launch of Uber Bus.</span></p><p><span>For now, Halan founder </span><span>Mounir Nakhla believes concerns about competition from Uber or Careem is overblown, saying it's like comparing a plane to a taxi. Whereas Uber or Careem is typically used by wealthier consumers for mid-length rides and Swvl and other bus serves are for long commutes, Nakhla said, Halan is focused on short rides of around a mile or less, areas not typically served by Uber or Careem, and low-income passengers. </span></p><p><span>"When you live in a country like Egypt, where there are so many needs and pain points, it means there are a lot of opportunities," Nakhla told Business Insider.</span></p><p><span>Nakhla has deep experience both with tuk-tuks and Egypt's low-income population, having <a href="https://www.dpi-llp.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/MNT-Final-Press-Release-1.pdf">co-founded Egypt's largest financing business for utility vehicles like tuk-tuks</a> in 2009 and a micro-finance business in 2015. </span></p><p><span>Both Kandil and Nakhla suggested their more clear-cut focus on the low-cost market and their first-hand knowledge of emerging markets will help give them a leg up when they do eventually come head-to-head with the tech giants. </span></p><p><span>That day may be coming sooner than later. As Waked, Uber's general manager for the Middle East and North Africa, told Business Insider, Uber's goal, particularly in the Middle East is to "become a one-stop shop </span>for all your transportation and delivery needs." Every transportation modality - from bikes to scooters to buses - is part of that.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li><strong>More about visiting Egypt from Business Insider's international correspondent:</strong></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/egypt-tourism-industry-leaves-tourists-frustrated-2018-12" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">I'm convinced Egypt could be the world's greatest tourist destination if it weren't for a troubling pattern</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/egyptair-boeing-777-economy-class-flight-review-2019-1" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">A flight on EgyptAir showed me even the most basic flag carrier can be better than American airlines</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/egypt-pyramids-of-giza-look-like-2019-1" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">Staying in the shadow of Egypt's iconic pyramids is more surreal than any photos can show</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/overnight-sleeper-first-class-train-egypt-2019-1" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">I took a 12-hour overnight first-class sleeper train through the heart of Egypt, and it's an experience I won't forget anytime soon</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cairo-most-polluted-city-in-the-world-americans-air-pollution-2018-11" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">I visited what's possibly the world's most polluted city, and realized Americans have no idea how good they have it</a></li></ul>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-not-paying-taxes-trump-bezos-2018-4">Amazon will pay $0 in federal taxes this year - here's how the $793 billion company gets away with it</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Uber is locked in a battle to fix Egypt's $8 billion traffic problem, and its success could decide which tech giant will dominate the Middle East and Africa

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>A secret agreement between <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/amazon">Amazon's</a>&#xa0;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/ring">Ring</a> smart home security company and a Florida <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/police">police</a> department requires officers to advertise Ring products in return for free <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/smart-home-devices">Ring doorbell cameras</a>, which can be handed out to local residents for free.&#xa0;</li><li>It was previously reported that some police departments would only hand out free Ring cameras to residents if they allowed police to informally request surveillance footage, which usually requires a formal warrant.&#xa0;</li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</strong></li></ul><p>Ring, the smart home security company that Amazon acquired last year, is requiring US police departments across the country to advertise the Ring platform in return for free Ring smart home security cameras, according to a report in <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/mb88za/amazon-requires-police-to-shill-surveillance-cameras-in-secret-agreement?utm_source=mbtwitter">Motherboard on Thursday.</a></p><p>Motherboard said it obtained a signed memorandum of understanding as well as emails between Ring and the Lakeland, Florida police department revealing the terms of these secret agreements.&#xa0;</p><p>Ring gave the Lakeland police department 15 of its home security cameras for free (it's not clear which Ring cameras, but Amazon's website lists the cost of Ring cameras between $99 and $249), as well as access to a special online portal Ring created for <keyword id="6355470" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="law">law</keyword> enforcement, according to the documents.</p><p>The portal is essentially a map of all the Ring cameras in a neighborhood. Specific home addresses are obscured, but the site allows police to reach out to homeowners with Rings to request access to their footage, an arrangement that Motherboard says allows police to sidestep the usual warrants required for obtaining security footage.</p><p>In exchange for these freebies and privileges, the Lakeland Police Department is contractually obligated to "encourage" residents to download the Ring app. For every download, the police department gets a $10 credit that can be used towards the purchase of more Ring cameras.&#xa0;</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ring-video-doorbell-footage-used-by-police-report-2019-6">CNET's Alfred Ng has previously reported </a>that police departments around the US had a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ring-video-doorbell-footage-used-by-police-report-2019-6">partnerships</a> with Ring hat involved police offering free Ring cameras to local residents. But the terms of the contracts, and the fact that police are explicitly required to act as advertisers for Ring under the arrangements, weren't known.&#xa0;</p><p>Many police departments appear to have have partnerships with Ring, potentially with similar contractual terms.&#xa0;</p><p>The Tulsa, Oklahoma police department tweeted about its partnership with Ring on Monday, providing a special code and a link for people to download the app.</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>The concern with the partnership detailed in the previous CNET report was that some police departments were requiring recipients of free Ring cameras to give police access to recorded footage, giving police departments unprecedented surveillance capabilities without going through typical law enforcement due process to obtain warrants for surveillance footage, and posing serious concerns over privacy.</p><p>Now, the implication that Ring is incentivizing police departments to advertise its services raise new concerns.</p><p>Representatives from Ring and the Lakeland Police Department did not immediately return requests for comment.</p> <p class="tagline"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/40-big-tech-predictions-for-2019?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=amazon&amp;itm_campaign=40-big-tech-predictions-for-2019-2"></a></p><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-alexa-dominating-smart-home-2018-10">All the ways Amazon is taking over your house</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

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Uber is locked in a battle to fix Egypt's $8 billion traffic problem, and its success could decide which tech giant will dominate the Middle East and Africa

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Amazon requires police departments to advertise Ring home security products to residents in return for free Ring cameras

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