Amazon staff are criticizing the company’s climate policy, Google is charging law enforcement for access to your data, and Spotify targets your pets because why not.
 |
 |
 |
A group of Amazon employees have spoken out in violation of the e-commerce giant’s communications policy. Over 350 staff members published quotes by name in a post on Medium after their fellow employees were told they could be fired if they publicly criticized Amazon’s climate policies without approval from executives. The group has called on Amazon to go carbon neutral within a decade and, among other things, cut funding to climate change deniers. This, of course, comes roughly 2 weeks after Microsoft announced its plans to be carbon negative by 2030.
Trending on Reddit, Google will charge law enforcement a hefty sum for access to your data. Keep in mind that this isn’t meant to be a deterrent to request, but rather as a way to offset the cost of compiling the information. The cost structure is straightforward: $45 for a subpoena, $60 for a wiretap, and $245 for a search warrant. Google noted that law enforcement and government agencies have asked data on over 160,00 users in 2019 alone. The main concern here is, of course, privacy. To that regard, Google maintains that it would notify the affected user via email before forking anything over.
And lastly, it looks like your pets are music streaming giants’ next target market. Spotify introduced a tool that can generate tailor-made playlists for the animals in your life that’s gotten a lot of attention on LinkedIn. Amazon Prime offers a selection of television programs geared for animal entertainment, begging the question: Are these pet-tainment offerings simply marketing ploys to keep humans tethered to their streaming plans? Not necessarily, according to an article from The Guardian. It all depends on your pet’s personality – some like to relax to music or the occasional TV show. For others, it sends them into a frenzy. Several people online called the new playlist option for your pets as complete lunacy, while others were less harsh, noting it has created a calming effect for their furry companions.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing.
