[ad_1] Israel’s use of phone tracking technology to track COVID-19 patients has come to a partial end. A parliamentary oversight committee has halted use of the tracking to enforce quarantines after raising privacy concerns. The privacy violations outweigh the benefits, committee member Ayalet Shaked said — the phone monitoring tech doesn’t help much when police […]
Category: coronavirus
Snapchat users surge amid coronavirus pandemic
[ad_1] Snapchat just reported its best growth in a long time: the app added 11 million new users this quarter $SNAP pic.twitter.com/v6jmnLuYhS — Karissa Bell (@karissabe) April 21, 2020 But not all of Snapchat’s growth is due to the pandemic. “While we observed higher engagement in the final weeks of the quarter, as many in […]
GM’s Maven car-sharing service is shutting down
[ad_1] The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed GM’s Maven car-sharing service. Customers are receiving notices that Maven is no longer available “effective immediately.” In its messaging, the company cited business performance, the industry and “what’s going on with COVID-19” as key factors. We’ve asked GM for comment. In a statement to The Verge, global innovation VP […]
France asks Apple to lift Bluetooth limits to further its coronavirus tracker
[ad_1] France has asked Apple to lift a technical obstacle that it says is standing in the way of rolling out a contact-tracing application designed to manage and monitor the spread of COVID-19. The app — similar to that currently being developed by Apple and Google, and which has become a part of daily life […]
Kickstarter’s live project count is down 35 percent from last year
[ad_1] Crowdfunding is taking a serious hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A Kickstarter internal memo from CEO Aziz Hasan obtained by The Verge indicates that new projects have dropped by 35 percent year-over-year with “no clear sign of rebound.” The steep drop has led to the company discussing “potential layoffs” with the Kickstarter employee […]
Microsoft blood bot helps recovered COVID-19 patients donate plasma
[ad_1] “We are now convinced that the CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance has a real chance to save lives, at significant scale, and possibly much sooner than other approaches currently being developed,” Microsoft wrote. Eventually, Microsoft hopes to make the bot available through other web, social and search channels. It will first recruit donors in the US, […]
Facebook removes posts promoting anti-quarantine protests
[ad_1] Facebook says it will take down posts created through its Events tool if they encourage violating social distancing orders, but it may leave other Facebook posts, including groups about the protests, CNN reports. “We reached out to state officials to understand the scope of their orders, not about removing specific protests on Facebook,” the […]
Premier League football stars face off in a weeklong virtual tournament
[ad_1] With both traditional and esports adjusting their schedules due to COVID-19, England’s Premier League announced a new, hybrid tournament, the ePremiere League Invitational, in which football stars and celebrity fans will test their esports abilities in a five-day, 20-team, single-elimination tournament. The winner will take home the ePremier League Invitational champion title, and all […]
Uber revives product deliveries with person-to-person ‘Connect’ trial
[ad_1] The second initiative — and one that could prove particularly popular in these unprecedented times — is Uber Connect, which allows users to send items to friends and family across town. This means people will be able to share their stockpiled toilet roll and freshly-baked sourdough bread with loved ones without having to leave […]
FBI sees cybercrime reports increase fourfold during COVID-19 outbreak
[ad_1] As reported by The Hill, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, Tonya Ugoretz, said that “Countries have a very high interest in information on the virus … such as information on a vaccine. We have certainly seen reconnaissance activity and some intrusions into some of those institutions, especially those who have identified […]