10 things in tech you need to know today
Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Wednesday.
- Huawei is set for a 'limited' role in Britain's 5G networks. The UK's decision comes despite US pressure to block the Chinese telecoms giant.
- The UK's top cyber officials have warned that Huawei has poor cybersecurity and that its processes are opaque, even as it's greenlit for 5G. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre warned that Huawei could be forced by China to hand over information about the UK.
- Strong iPhone holiday sales delivered record-breaking revenue for Apple. The tech giant reported record-breaking revenue in its first-quarter 2020 earnings on Tuesday as iPhone revenue returned to growth.
- Facebook's $130 million 'Supreme Court' will be able to overrule even Mark Zuckerberg, and it's now got its first director in Thomas Hughes, a longtime advocate for freedom of information and expression. The social media behemoth is spending $130 million to create an oversight board that can overrule even Mark Zuckerberg himself, and Hughes became its first director Tuesday.
- Apple CEO Tim Cook says the company is working to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus. It's thought the virus's outbreak could affect Apple's production performance, Bloomberg reports.
- A New York Times reporter who covers Saudi Arabia was targeted by the same spyware used to hack Jeff Bezos, according to a new report. The Saudi government has a well-documented history of retaliating against journalists who cover it critically.
- More than 350 Amazon workers slammed its climate policies in defiance of a crackdown on dissent. Employees put their names to demands such as reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2030; spending more cash on fighting climate change; and shuttering home security arm Ring.
- Apple CEO Tim Cook says 5G is still in its 'early innings' even though rivals like Samsung are already selling 5G phones. When asked about Apple's plans for a 5G iPhone in 2020, Cook said the network
- Facebook's Jay Parikh, the veteran datacenter exec who helped the company cope with explosive user growth, is the latest insider to have left. Parikh helped Facebook scale the technology that powers its global network and was part of Mark Zuckerberg's inner circle.
- A robot named Little Peanut is delivering food to people in quarantine amid the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. "Hello everyone. Cute Little Peanut is serving food to you now," the robot said according to a translation. "Enjoy your meal."
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