Google rolls out new privacy features, Alexa steps up to help people find jobs, and UPS gets federal approval for a fleet of delivery drones.
First up from Twitter is news that Google has debuted a host of privacy features across its domains. YouTube users will be able to set their search and viewing histories to auto-delete after a set period of time. People will also now be able to delete their voice histories from its artificial intelligence system GOogle Assistant using a voice command. And lastly, Google Maps will have an incognito mode, which means a user’s movements won’t be recorded when it’s turned on. That tool will be available on Android this month, but there isn’t an exact date for an iOS launch just yet.
Next up from Reddit … “Alexa, find me a job”. Yup you heard that right. Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant can now help people applying to work at McDonalds. Job seekers can start applications by saying “Alexa, help me get a job at McDonalds” or “OK, Google, talk to McDonalds Apply Thru” – depending on the device. The voice assistant will then ask the person a series of basic questions, list jobs available in their area, and send them a link to an application. McDonald’s says its the “world’s first voice-initiated application process.”
And last but not least from Reddit again, delivery company UPS has just won regulatory approval in the US to operate a “drone airline”. But don’t expect your next package to be dropped off by a drone – the company wants to first build a drone delivery network for hospital campuses across the US. UPS says the approval will let the company fly as many drones as it wants, let its drones fly beyond a pilot’s line of sight, carry cargo that weighs more than 55 pounds, and fly at night. All of those things are currently not allowed unless there’s a special exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration – which UPS just got. No word on when this could come to Canada, but we also have similar regulatory red tape to overcome.
