FCC needs additional $3 billion to help US carriers replace Huawei and ZTE equipment

Removing Chinese equipment from American wireless networks will cost more than anticipated. On Friday, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel told Congress the agency needs an additional $3 billion to reimburse carriers that “…

Amazon gave Ring footage to police without customer consent

As of July 1st of this year, Amazon has provided Ring footage to US law enforcement 11 times without user consent or a court order, according to a disclosure shared by Senator Edward Markey on Wednesday. The Massachusetts Democrat sent Amazon a letter last month with questions about the company’s policies related to Ring and its relationships with police. Amazon responded to the letter at the start of July.

The disclosure marks the first time Amazon has shared this kind of information with the public. In its law enforcement guidelines, Ring says it reserves the right to “immediately” respond to police requests in cases where someone could die or suffer serious injury.

“In each instance, Ring made a good-faith determination that there was an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to a person requiring disclosure of information without delay,” wrote Brian Huseman, Amazon’s vice-president of public policy, of the 11 videos. Huseman didn’t say the specific footage Ring shared with police.

In his letter, Markey asked Amazon to agree not to accept financial contributions from police or participate in sting operations. The company did not agree to those restrictions. In the past, Ring has actively courted partnerships with law enforcement and even gone so far as to author statements shared by police.

“It’s simply untrue that Ring gives anyone unfettered access to customer data or video, as we have repeatedly made clear to our customers and others,” a Ring spokesperson told Engadget. “The law authorizes companies like Ring to provide information to government entities if the company believes that an emergency involving danger of death or serious physical injury to any person, such as a kidnapping or an attempted murder, requires disclosure without delay. Ring faithfully applies that legal standard.” 

The news that Amazon shared footage with police without user consent at least 11 times this year is likely to add to the concerns many privacy experts have about the company. In 2021, the Electronic Frontier Foundation reported that the Los Angeles Police Department requested footage from Ring of Black Lives Matter protests captured by residential cameras. 

Markey used the disclosure to call on lawmakers to pass the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act, a bill he introduced alongside Senator Jeff Merkley and Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Ayanna Pressley. “As my ongoing investigation into Amazon illustrates, it has become increasingly difficult for the public to move, assemble, and converse in public without being tracked and recorded,” said Markey. “We cannot accept this as inevitable in our country.”

Netflix partners with Microsoft for upcoming ad-supported subscription tier

Netflix has found a partner for its upcoming ad-supported tier. On Wednesday, the company announced it plans to work with Microsoft on the effort. In a blog post published by Microsoft, the tech giant said it would provide Netflix with technological and sales expertise. 

As recently as last month, The Wall Street Journal suggested Google and Comcast were among the leading candidates to help Netflix build out an ad-supported tier. On Wednesday, Netflix said it selected Microsoft for the tech giant’s “proven ability” to support its customers. “Microsoft offered the flexibility to innovate over time on both the technology and sales side, as well as strong privacy protections for our members,” said Netflix Chief Operating Officer Greg Peters. Not mentioned is the fact that Microsoft doesn’t operate a competing streaming service. 

Netflix co-CEO Reed Hasting first revealed the company was exploring cheaper plans this past April. The admission came after Netflix announced that it had lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022. At the time, Hastings said the company planned to finalize the details of its plans “over the next year or two.” Netflix is scheduled to announce its second-quarter earnings on Tuesday. According to CNBC, the company recently warned Wall Street it may have lost as many as two million subscribers over the past three months. 

Twitter sues Elon Musk for attempting to back out of $44 billion buyout deal

Twitter is suing Elon Musk to force the Tesla and SpaceX CEO to complete his $44 billion acquisition of the social media company. The New York Times reports Twitter filed a complaint on Tuesday with the Chancery Court in Delaware alleging the billionaire wrongfully broke his agreement to purchase the platform. In April, Musk announced he was willing to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share, a proposal Twitter accepted less than two weeks later. Since then, the two have gone back and forth in a highly public spat over the number of fake accounts on Twitter. 

It all started in May when Musk said the deal was “temporarily on hold” while his team worked to confirm bots represented less than five percent of Twitter’s total userbase as the company has consistently claimed. Less than a month later, Musk threatened to back out of the agreement, accusing Twitter of committing a “material breach” of their agreement by refusing to disclose enough information about the problem. 

Twitter responded by giving Musk full access to its “firehose” of internal data, a move that apparently did little to appease the billionaire since on July 8th he told the Securities and Exchange Commission he wanted to terminate the takeover over “false and misleading representations” made by Twitter. All of that brings us to today. 

“Having mounted a public spectacle to put Twitter in play, and having proposed and then signed a seller-friendly merger agreement, Musk apparently believes that he — unlike every other party subject to Delaware contract law — is free to change his mind, trash the company, disrupt its operations, destroy stockholder value, and walk way,” Twitter said in its filing. 

Pointing to the issue of fake accounts, Twitter alleges Musk didn’t ask the company to share any estimates before he announced his bid. “Musk made his offer without seeking any representation from Twitter regarding its estimates of spam or false accounts,” the company says in its legal briefing. “He even sweetened his offer to the Twitter board by expressly withdrawing his prior diligence condition.” 

“Musk propounded these unreasonable requests and touted his contrived narrative about Twitter’s methodologies, all without ever identifying a basis for questioning the veracity of Twitter’s methodologies or the accuracy of its SEC disclosures,” the company later adds. Elsewhere, Twitter points to Musk’s multiple attempts to disparage the company, including his now-infamous poop emoji response to a thread where CEO Parag Agrawal said he was “prepared for all scenarios.” 

Another significant part of the lawsuit details Musk’s alleged attempts to derail Twitter’s efforts to retain its best employees amid declining morale at the company. Twitter claims Musk has prevented it from implementing employee retention programs and said that departures have “been on the upswing since the signing of the merger agreement.” 

Now that Twitter has sued, it sets the stage for Musk to respond with a countersuit. When that might happen is unclear. It’s also difficult to predict how a case between the two parties could unfold. If the suit moves to a trial, a judge will need to decide if Twitter did not disclose enough information to Musk. As The New York Times points out, the Delaware Chancery Court has forced companies in the past to complete deals. Either way, the lawsuit could take months to resolve.   

Amazon is finally bringing its smart shopping cart to Whole Foods

Amazon has announced a new version of its smart shopping cart. The new Dash Cart can transport more groceries and includes new features. Amazon says the latest version can carry four grocery bags, up from two previously, and has dedicated shelves for delicate and oversized items. The latest version is also weather-resistant so you can take it to your car.

As before, the cart will automatically weigh produce and keep a real-time tally of all the food you buy. Amazon has tweaked the software on the touchscreen to display images of nearby fresh fruit and produce. The company’s software will now also do a better job of keeping track of where the cart is in stores and notifying you of deals. Lastly, the latest version has a bigger battery, which should translate into the new Dash Cart being more frequently available for customers to use.

Speaking of availability, Amazon is finally bringing the Dash Cart to Whole Foods, starting with the chain’s Westford, Massachusetts location and expanding to “a few additional” stores in the coming months. Previously, Dash Carts were only available at the company’s Amazon Fresh grocery stores, of which there are only about two dozen locations in the US at the moment.

Once Dash Carts arrive at your local Whole Foods, you can start using them by scanning the QR code you find on each one in the Amazon or Whole Foods Market apps. As you find items you want to buy, you scan them with one of the cameras near the cart’s handlebar. Once you’re done shopping, you exit the store through the dedicated Dash Cart lane. Amazon will automatically bill the credit card associated with your account, and you’ll get an emailed receipt after leaving the store.

Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ is the first non-English series to earn a best drama Emmy nomination

For the first time in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Television Academy has nominated a non-English series for Outstanding Drama. Netflix’s Squid Game earned the distinction on Tuesday when the organization announced the nominations for …