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Tech industry presses Pence to provide guidance on reopening

Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images.

A top tech trade group in a Wednesday letter to Vice President Mike Pence pushed the Trump administration to provide clear nationwide guidance on how companies should approach reopening during the coronavirus pandemic.

Why it matters: Conflicting guidance from federal, state and local authorities on how to safely get back to work is muddying an already daunting prospect.

Details: Information Technology Industry Council president Jason Oxman is seeking a clear set of guidelines that address the following topics:

  • Assessing readiness: Creating a checklist of measures employers should consider taking before reopening that includes social distancing practices and cleaning protocols.
  • Health monitoring: Identifying effective COVID-19 screening methods that can be used in a workplace, as well as encouraging widespread testing as capacity increases.
  • Transmission mitigation: Techniques employers can use to reduce virus spread such as reconfiguring cubicles or workspaces, determining who is responsible for providing face coverings, and maintaining records on contact tracing.
  • Employee support: How to respond to employees whose immigration status is uncertain due to the pandemic or who must care for family members.

Go deeper: Reopening debate opens tech rift

Go deeper

Axios Events
Updated Aug 6, 2020 - Axios Events

Watch: Ethical tech in crisis

On Thursday August 6, Axios Cities author Kim Hart hosted a conversation on how technology companies are responding to the pandemic, featuring former U.S. Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil and Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth.

DJ Patil unpacked how tech companies are building ethical and responsible tech centered on privacy and transparency during a time of crisis.

  • On the issue of misinformation during a pandemic: "It's no small statement to say [misinformation] is life or death. And so platforms have responsibility right now to figure out what is the right level of action at a bare minimum. It's creating stricter standards for how and what is allowed on their platforms."
  • On his concerns with the lasting consequences of quickly developing COVID-19 response technology: "It's easy to say this technology can be beneficial. But I have very serious reservations about it being deployed. What happens once it's deployed? Do we keep that in place after a pandemic? Those are the questions that we should be prepared to answer right now."

Kenneth Roth discussed different contact tracing models, highlighting the Bluetooth-based contact tracing system designed by Apple and Google.

  • On apps that use Bluetooth technology rather than location data for contract tracing: "Not relying on location data is a huge step forward in terms of privacy...[The app] did not identify infector, [it] simply told somebody that you were near somebody who was infected. They didn't put the data in a central database that the government might use for other reasons."
  • On the responsibility of Big Tech when it comes to moderating what contract tracing apps are allowing in their stores: "When you have problematic uses of technology of this sort, Google and Apple shouldn't participate. They should say we're not going to let you put apps like this on our stores if you're going to be using it this highly abusive way."

Axios co-founder and CEO Jim VandeHei hosted a View from the Top segment with
Chief Ethical and Humane Use Officer at Salesforce Paula Goldman who discussed Salesforce's work on ethical tech development.

  • On having clear priorities in developing ethical technology: "Even though there's no definition of responsible tech for a pandemic, we need to think about things like privacy. We need to think about how vulnerable groups [are] being affected."

Thank you Salesforce for sponsoring this event.

Kia Kokalitcheva
3 hours ago - Economy & Business

The rebellion against Silicon Valley (the place)

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images

Silicon Valley may be a "state of mind," but it's also very much a real enclave in Northern California. Now, a growing faction of the tech industry is boycotting it.

Why it matters: The Bay Area is facing for the first time the prospect of losing its crown as the top destination for tech workers and startups — which could have an economic impact on the region and force it to reckon with its local issues.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Erica Pandey, author of @Work
3 hours ago - Economy & Business

Telework's tax mess

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

As teleworkers flit from city to city, they're creating a huge tax mess.

Why it matters: Our tax laws aren't built for telecommuting, and this new way of working could have dire implications for city and state budgets.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow

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