10 things in tech you need to know today

February 25, 2021

10 things in tech you need to know today

Sheryl Sandberg — Lino Mirgeler/picture alliance via Getty Images

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Sheryl Sandberg signed off a decision to block a minority group in Turkey. ProPublica reported that Facebook bowed to legal demands from Turkey's government to block posts from the People's Protection Units, a mostly Kurdish militia group.
Nick Clegg defended Facebook's Australia news ban. The minister-turned-Facebook-spokesman said an Australian law forcing tech firms to pay for news was like forcing car makers to pay for radio stations.
Australia passed its news code. It forces Facebook and Google to negotiate with news publishers for their work, though the code has some amendments after the two firms protested.
Facebook banned Myanmar's military. The platform said the decision was made in acknowledgment of the military's "extreme human rights abuses."
Amazon's lobby for a $15 minimum wage is a salvo against Walmart. Following the election of President Joe Biden, Amazon has thrown its support behind the Raise the Wage Act, which would bring the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.
Premium: A second Black Salesforce employee quit. Vivianne Castillo cited a gap between Salesforce's public commitment to diversity and inclusion and the internal reality.
Exclusive: Amazon is offering on-site COVID-19 testing to certain employees. The testing, which started last month, comes after internal complaints by a group of engineers at Amazon's Lab126 hardware division over having to come into the office in December, when California had implemented tighter stay-at-home orders and work restrictions.
Exclusive: GameStop's CFO was pushed. GameStop had announced the resignation of Chief Financial Officer Jim Bell but sources close to the company told Insider that Bell didn't quit - he was forced to resign by the board as part of a push by Ryan Cohen, an activist investor and new board member, to reshape the ailing retailer.
YouTuber David Dobrik has raised $20 million for his Dispo app. Dispo acts as a virtual disposable camera, requiring users to wait until 9 am the next day for their photos to "develop."
Premium: Snapchat banned sponsored posts for its TikTok rival. Industry insiders questioned the feature's longevity if Snap doesn't integrate brands into it.