Children's privacy advocates on Thursday cited the coronavirus pandemic to urge the Federal Trade Commission to force companies like Google and Disney to turn over details on how they gather and use data to target kids.
The big picture: The groups argue that with more children at home streaming video and relying on online learning, it's vital the agency understands digital media's and ed tech companies' collection and use of data.
After a New York Times tweet on Wednesday suggested that those working from home leave their kids and pets out of work video conferences, Twitter erupted with rebukes.
Why it matters: Most of corporate America is adjusting to working from home right now, with many workers also managing kids who are home from school.
Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons, released in the U.S. last week, has quickly emerged as a runaway hit pastime for a population trapped in their homes.
The big picture: Success in the video game industry often requires not only a great story and gameplay, but perfect timing. Nintendo's cartoonish simulation game, which allows players to create their own island getaways, appears to have pulled off all three.
Why it matters: Some startups are facing layoffs and shutdowns, and millions of gig economy workers and Airbnb hosts are being strained by the sudden shift in consumer behavior.
Millions have embarked on an enforced work-from-home experiment, but it's a little more difficult if you're the CEO of an online messaging company — and you're in quarantine.
Why it matters: Companies that enable remote working have become virtual utilities at a moment of high demand, and they're pushing hard to remain reliable while working under the same conditions as the rest of us.
U.S. tech firms are donating big supplies of N95 masks, raising questions about why they have them in the first place. It largely comes down to stockpiling for California’s wildfires.
Why it matters: Health care professionals need all the masks they can get their hands on (far more than that, really).
Facebook is said to be in talks to buy a 10% stake in Indian telecom operator Reliance Jio, according to the Financial Times.
Why it matters: Facebook has long sought to invest in big markets where internet connectivity is sparse, expensive, or both — figuring that a boost in internet usage will result in more users. Its last approach, subsidizing free use of Facebook, was poorly received in India. This would appear to be a different means to achieve the same end.
Governments around the world have turned to high-tech solutions like smartphone tracking and Bluetooth bracelets to slow the novel coronavirus' spread. For both practical and cultural reasons, however, the U.S. is unlikely to try such methods.
The big picture: The U.S. plainly needs more tools for slowing the spread of COVID-19. But a lack of testing supplies, the absence of nationwide strategies and policies, an individualistic culture, and concerns over civil liberties all stand in the way of adopting these techniques.
Silicon Valley may end up with large numbers of abandoned employee equity, as startups cut jobs amid the coronavirus-caused economic uncertainty.
Why it matters: Startup employees typically have just 90 days from the end of employment to either exercise their stock options, for which they must pay cash, or to let them go.
