The Department of Defense reaffirmed its cloud-computing contract with Microsoft on Friday intended to upgrade the Pentagon’s IT infrastructure, according to CNBC.
Why it matters: The contract, the largest-ever of its kind with an estimated value of roughly $10 billion over a 10-year stretch, has been disputed in court by Amazon for months. The company claims that President Trump cut it and chief executive Jeff Bezos out of the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) deal.
The run-up to the U.S. presidential election is also speeding up the arrival of a tipping point for digital fakery in politics, Axios' Ashley Gold reports.
What's happening: As the election, a pandemic and a national protest movement collide with new media technology, this political moment is accelerating the proliferation and evolution of deliberately deceptive media, leaving companies struggling to enforce often-vague policies.
Gig-economy companies have long argued that their workers place high value on the freedom to choose their own hours. But many of these firms either used to schedule workers for shifts — or still do, to some extent.
Why it matters: The companies are fighting efforts to force them to reclassify workers as employees, arguing that a rigid work model is incompatible with their operations.
Mark Zuckerberg tells "Axios on HBO" that Facebook is imposing new election rules to deter use of the platform to spread of misinformation and even violence, and to help voters see the results as "legitimate and fair."
Driving the news: The new measures, announced Thursday, include throwing a flag on posts by candidates who claim premature victory, and forbidding new ads within a week of Election Day.
