10 things in tech you need to know today

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1. Facebook announced on Tuesday it had uncovered an operation on its site linked to Russian's Internet Research Agency, which interfered in the 2016 US election to help elect President Donald Trump. The target audience of the operation, called Peace Data, was "Democratic Socialists, environmentalists, and disgruntled Democrats," according to an analysis by the social media experts at Graphika.
2. Amazon contract drivers are hanging smartphones in trees outside Whole Foods stores and delivery stations to more quickly grab new online orders, according to a new Bloomberg report. Amazon's system chooses drivers based on who is closest to the pickup location — meaning drivers with access to phones even slightly closer to the stores and delivery stations have a leg up on accepting orders before competing drivers.
3. A fourth suspect is being investigated on suspicion of being involved in last month's massive Twitter hack that hijacked dozens of high-profile accounts. According to The New York Times, federal authorities are looking into a 16-year-old in Massachusetts who sources claimed may have played a key, if not leading role in the hack, though he has not yet been charged.
4. Amazon posted — and then deleted — a job listing for an 'intelligence analyst' to monitor workers' efforts to unionize. The analyst's job duties would also include gathering information for use in Amazon's legal actions, including restraining orders against labor groups, according to the now-deleted listing.
5. Facebook has threatened to block Australians from sharing news content on its platforms if the government's proposed media bargaining code goes ahead. The code would set out standards for big tech platforms like Facebook to pay news publishers for displaying their content.
6. Facebook is warning it can remove any content that might put it at regulatory or legal risk. Facebook has started issuing a warning to users that from October 1 it will reserve the right to take down content if it thinks it necessary to "avoid or mitigate adverse legal or regulatory impacts to Facebook."
7. Five incredible charts show Zoom's meteoric rise in the past year — including a 355% revenue boost — as the pandemic has turned it into a household name. Zoom is now halfway through its fiscal year, and its first two quarterly reports revealed what analysts described as "historic" growth, as it soared past analyst expectations.
8. Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 2 will be available for preorder starting September 2, and will cost $2,000. The company's second-generation flagship foldable smartphone features several upgrades over the previous version, including an improved screen and hinge system.
9. Apple is said to be manufacturing about 75 million new iPhones in 2020, according to a new Bloomberg report — about the same amount the company made in previous years. Apple is expected to launch four new models of the iPhone this year, all with 5G connectivity: the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Max, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
10. Netflix announced on Tuesday that it is developing a series based on the sci-fi "Three-Body Problem" book trilogy by the Chinese author Liu Cixin. The former "Game of Thrones" showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are writing and executive producing along with Alexander Woo, who recently executive produced AMC's "The Terror: Infamy."

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