Twitter Accidentally Shares Location Data
Twitter may have collected and shared location data of some of its users, the company said Monday. In a blog post, the company revealed that it accidentally gave the location of anyone accessing the app on an Apple device. Then, Twitter mistakenly gave the information to advertisers.
Twitter stated that they didn’t keep the data for very long. They then fixed the bug soon after. In addition, the advertising partner didn’t receive any other identifying data, including twitter handles or account ids.
Jeff Bezos Reveals New Moon Lander
After President Trump announced plans to return astronauts to the Moon by 2024, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos unveiled an early stage prototype for his new lunar lander. However, it’s only because they began designing it back in 2016. The new lander is able to make multiple trips and carry satellites, rovers, and scientific instruments to the Moon.
It will weigh around 33,000lbs, which will lighten to about 7,000 on the Moon. They are also planning a crew cab. The plan is for the lander, named Blue Moon, to land on the Moon’s south pole, where scientists say may contain ice deposits in craters. With that ice, the lander can extract the hydrogen to create more fuel and continue traveling across the solar system.
Amazon Rolls Out Machines To Replace Jobs
Amazon announced plans to replace one of their most important jobs; boxing up customer orders. Right now, that job is held by thousands of workers across the nation. Amazon experimented with automation in the past but now wants to push it full force. In warehouses all over the world, they plan to replace around 24 jobs with two robots, amounting to almost 1,300 over the US.
These robots scan the conveyor belt for items then wrap an item in a custom packaging. However, the change is not set in stone. Right now, vetting technology can take some time before it is actually deployed. In response to the loss of jobs, Amazon hopes that the increased revenue will allow them to create more in different sectors. “We expect the efficiency savings will be re-invested in new services for customers, where new jobs will continue to be created,” an Amazon spokeswoman said.
WhatsApp Security Breach
The newest in a long line of problems that hit Facebook-owned WhatsApp is a security breach. However, this breach may have targeted human rights groups. WhatsApp announced that the breach had signs of coming from a government. The government in question used surveillance technology to target human rights activists. WhatsApp didn’t reveal the name of the government, saying the attack “had all the hallmarks of a private company working with governments on surveillance.”
Google To Show Ads On Mobile Homepage
Google announced plans to integrate ads to its mobile homepage and app later this year. This gives the search engine giant more ad revenue to build off of. They also plan to increase the amount of image ads seen on search pages to 8. Google says the move came as a response to how users behave, not out of competition. “The company wants to make it easier for users to discover and buy new products because they shop in brief spurts while watching TV or sitting in the bathroom,” said Oliver Heckmann, vice president of engineering for Travel and Shopping.
