10 things in tech you need to know today
Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Monday.
- The Washington Post reports that as far back as 2015 Facebook started altering its policies to accommodate Donald Trump. The Post's report relies on information from a dozen former and current employees plus previously unreported documents.
- Facebook shares sank 7% on Friday after Coca Cola announced it was pausing all social media advertising. The stock plummet wiped $7 billion off CEO Mark Zuckerberg's net worth.
- Starbucks has also said it's stopping advertising on social media platforms, CNBC reports. The coffee shop chain will continue to advertise on YouTube however.
- Unilever is halting ads on Facebook and Twitter in the US for the rest of 2020. "There is much more to be done, especially in the areas of divisiveness and hate speech during this polarized election period in the US," Unilever said in a statement.
- One of the organizers of the Facebook ad boycott "Stop Hate for Profit" told Reuters they want to take the campaign global, focusing on Europe next. Jim Steyer from nonprofit Common Sense said the campaign is urging big global companies like Honda to pull their advertising.
- As the ad boycotts over hate speech on social media snowballed, Donald Trump retweeted a video on Sunday which showed an apparent supporter repeating the words "white power." The tweet was deleted a few hours later, and a spokesman said the president had not heard the chant of "white power."
- Facebook announced on Friday it's banning ads which claim people from a specific race, ethnicity, nationality, caste, gender, sexual orientation or immigration origin are a threat, CNBC reports. "I [...] stand against hate or anything that incites violence or suppresses voting, and we're committed to removing that content too, no matter where it comes from," said Mark Zuckerberg.
- The EU's space chief told Reuters Europe is accelerating its spaceflight programs because of competition from SpaceX and China. The EU has signed a 1 billion euro deal with satellite launch company Arianespace to speed up its spaceflight ambitions.
- Singapore has started distributing physical devices for tracking and tracing the coronavirus, the BBC reports. The bluetooth-enabled "tokens" are being handed out to elderly and vulnerable people first.
- A group of young techies revealed themselves as being behind "It Is What It Is," a mysterious meme that succeeded in getting Tech Twitter to donate to Black Lives Matter charities and clamor for invites to an app that doesn't exist. According to team member Regynald Augustin, "It Is What It Is" has raised more than $200,000 for charities supporting Black trans people and the Black Lives Matter movement.
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