10 things in tech you need to know today
Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Thursday.
- Google employees are speaking out using the hashtag "NoPrideInYT" after YouTube was slow to punish a right-wing creator for using homophobic slurs. Following YouTube's initial decision on Tuesday not to remove videos featuring the harassment of video producer Carlos Maza by Steven Crowder, a wave of backlash came from Google employees and LGBTQ groups using the hashtag #NoPrideinYT on Twitter.
- YouTube will remove thousands of videos supporting white supremacy, Nazis and conspiracy theories that deny the existence of mass shootings and other violent events. The new policy, laid out in company blog post, will ban "videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion."
- Huawei has reportedly cut orders to suppliers in a potential sign that it's already feeling the burn from being blacklisted in the US. The report comes after US tech firms such as Google and Intel, among others, have cut ties with Huawei.
- Amazon unveiled a new Prime Air drone it says "within months" will start delivering packages. The new device can fly up to 15 miles, deliver packages up to 5 pounds, and get deliveries to customers within 30 minutes.
- Amazon consumer CEO Jeff Wilke said that he's okay with government scrutiny but that the company shouldn't be broken up. Wilke's comments came at Amazon Re:Mars, a new conference showing off the retailer's latest and greatest technology, including updates on its idea to deliver packages via drone.
- A scary new hack created by researchers can accurately guess your password by listening to the sound of your fingers tapping the phone screen. The technique they created was able to guess nearly three-quarters of the four-digit PINs used within 10 tries in one test.
- The FTC is asking Amazon's rivals if they are being crushed by Jeff Bezos' company. While this doesn't mean that the FTC has launched an investigation into Amazon, it signals that the tech giant is becoming the focus of increased regulatory scrutiny.
- The star of "Aladdin" Mena Massoud is suing Tesla after he said a faulty suspension caused his wheel to come off, spinning his Model 3 out of control a day after he bought it. A Tesla spokesperson contradicted Massoud's account, saying that the car's "wheel was torn off because the driver crashed into a tree at high speed."
- Two app makers launched an antitrust class-action lawsuit against Apple. The plaintiffs allege Apple abuses the dominance of its App Store to make developers pay "exorbitant" fees for premium apps and in-app purchases.
- Robert Downey Jr. has vowed to use robotics and AI to significantly clean up the Earth in the next decade. On Tuesday night the actor attended Amazon's new open-to-the-public Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space (re:MARS) tech conference in Las Vegas
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