BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Amazon v the union: The vote the online giant fears
Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama, have voted in a historic poll to decide whether they want to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. The results are not expected until next week - but if they say yes, it will become Amazon's first US union. Amazon argues its wages and benefits are industry-beating and has gone into battle to persuade workers to vote no. Most agr ... Read more
2021-04-01 20:14:59
Huawei’s business damaged by US sanctions despite success at home
Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has admitted that sanctions imposed on it by the US in 2019 have had a major impact on its mobile phone business. The US took action amid claims that the company posed a security risk and last July, the UK said it would exclude the company from building its 5G network. Growth elsewhere in the company meant that it did make a profit overall. But chairman Ken Hu, ref ... Read more
2021-03-31 20:08:48
'Fake' Amazon workers defend company on Twitter
‘Fake' accounts claiming to be Amazon workers have been praising their working conditions on Twitter. Votes are currently being counted in Alabama to decide whether Amazon warehouse workers will form a union. But last night, a series of anti-union tweets were sent from accounts claiming to be staff. Twitter has now suspended many of the accounts, and Amazon has confirmed at least one is fake. ... Read more
2021-03-30 21:25:42
Facebook undersea cable to boost South East Asia internet
Facebook and Google are planning two new undersea internet cables to connect South East Asia to North America. The project with regional telecoms companies aims to supply faster internet to Singapore and Indonesia. This comes after Facebook withdrew three projects to connect the US to Hong Kong with similar cables, following government concerns over spying. The cables require regulatory approva ... Read more
2021-03-29 21:36:10
AI: Ghost workers demand to be seen and heard
Artificial intelligence and machine learning exist on the back of a lot of hard work from humans. Alongside the scientists, there are thousands of low-paid workers whose job it is to classify and label data - the lifeblood of such systems. But increasingly there are questions about whether these so-called ghost workers are being exploited. As we train the machines to become more human, are we a ... Read more
2021-03-28 20:08:54
Covid vaccine: Social media urged to remove 'disinfo dozen'
Facebook, Twitter and Google have been urged by a US lawmaker to ban a dozen people who it is claimed are spreading the vast majority of disinformation about Covid vaccinations. Representative Mike Doyle made the call to remove their accounts during a US congressional session on how the three firms were dealing with fake news. He challenged Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pinchai to depl ... Read more
2021-03-26 20:05:59
Google, Facebook Twitter grilled in US on fake news
Tech bosses Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Jack Dorsey are being grilled by US politicians over the proliferation of disinformation on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. This latest hearing is the first since the storming of the US Capitol. Politicians believe that was a tipping point for greater regulation. They have said they plan to change the legislation that protects online platforms from ... Read more
2021-03-25 20:37:56
Intel chief Pat Gelsinger: Too many chips made in Asia
Intel's new chief executive has told the BBC it is not "palatable" that so many computer chips are made in Asia. The majority of processors are currently manufactured in the region, with Taiwan's TSMC and South Korea's Samsung the dominant players. US-based Intel plans to set up a new division to make chips for other companies based on their own designs. Until now, its focus had been ... Read more
2021-03-24 20:53:13
Donald Trump plans social media comeback, says adviser
Former US President Donald Trump will soon return to social media "with his own platform", his adviser has said. "I do think that we're going to see President Trump returning to social media in probably about two or three months," Jason Miller told Fox News. He said the platform "will be the hottest ticket in social media" and would "completely redefine the gam ... Read more
2021-03-21 20:50:34
NHS boss's Twitter accounts hacked by PS5 scammers
NHS executive Helen Bevan had her two Twitter accounts, with nearly 140,000 followers, stolen by hackers and used to promote fake PlayStation 5 sales. She now has the accounts back but has received dozens of messages from people who fell for the scam. Ms Bevan also paid money to someone who said they could help - but they turned out to be a scammer too. She said she wanted to highlight the impo ... Read more
2021-03-19 20:10:34