Tech News Roundup for July 29, 2021
Here are a few of the tech stories I’ve found interesting over the past couple days.
Activision Blizzard Employees Walkout Amidst Harassment Lawsuit
This is something that I haven’t covered to this point, but definitely deserves attention. Last week, the State of California sued Activision Blizzard, alleging that Blizzard Studios had what was described as a “bro culture” and that female employees suffered near constant harassment and discrimination. The company’s initial response could best be described as… poor. Employees then announced they were going to stage a walkout on July 28th.
The company’s response to the planned walkout was to promise employees that there would be no retribution for walking off the job, and that anyone who chose to participate would be given the time as paid time off. The company’s CEO stated that the initial response to the lawsuit was poor, and that the company would do better in the future.
There is… a lot. A couple paragraphs won’t really do this justice. These are serious allegations, and anyone who knows the culture of PC gaming and developers, especially many years ago, would not find this surprising. What is surprising is how recent some of these allegations are. There was never any excuse for any of these allegations, and the recency of some of it makes it even worse.
The only hope is that the company does take these allegations seriously, but it will be quite some time before we know what happens.
Canada’s 3500 MHz Spectrum Auction Nets Nearly $9 Billion
The wireless spectrum auction finally took place over the last month after being delayed for a year because of COVID-19. 3500 MHz spectrum is deemed crucial to future 5G deployments, as that frequency offers a balance of speed, latency, and distance that the lower frequencies that 4G and early 5G networks operate at can provide. Overall, Roger and Bell purchased the highest number of licenses, with Telus purchasing fewer. Several smaller telecom companies and regional providers also purchased spectrum in their respective areas.
It should be noted that Shaw chose not to participate in the auction due to Rogers’ bid to buy the company. This means that if the Government of Canada does not allow the deal to go through, Shaw’s Shaw Mobile and Freedom Mobile brands will be at a significant disadvantage going forward. Perhaps that was done on purpose.
It will likely be several years before we see the carriers roll out any service on this spectrum, and it can’t come fast enough.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2021/07/29/canada-3500mhz-spectrum-auction-results/
Google and Facebook to Require COVID-19 Vaccinations For Workers
Google and Facebook have become two of the largest employers on record that will require their employees to get vaccination against COVID-19. The companies have done this after several US courts have ruled that employers to have the ability to require the vaccination for their employees. It isn’t clear if this rule will also apply to employees of these companies in Canada, but this is still very noteworthy, and the hope is that this sparks a trend.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/google-facebook-vaccine-1.6122847
Google has Decided to Copy Apple’s “Privacy Labels”
Apple debuted the so called “privacy labels” in iOS 14 last year. The goal was to force developers to be more transparent with the data they were collecting on users, and the results have been mixed. However, despite being one of the last big developers to actually begin following Apple’s guidelines Google is now getting on the game, and will require similar data to be displayed for apps in the Google Play Store as of April 2022.
The effectiveness of these labels is dubious at best, but anything can help.
Tesla May Open its Supercharger Network to Other Vehicles
Up until now Tesla’s supercharger network has been exclusive to Tesla vehicles. While that is a huge advantage for Tesla owners, and an incentive to buy a Tesla, for EV’s to become mainstream charging on long distance trips needs to become easier and more accessible. Tesla opening up the supercharger network to non-Tesla EV’s would be a huge milestone for EV’s.
This is still not a done deal, and there are details to be worked out. Tesla claims that all users will need is the Tesla app, but there are logistical issues of exactly how that will work. Also complicating matters is that in North America, Tesla’s power connectors are proprietary to Tesla vehicles, meaning owners of other EV’s would need to have an adapter to use a Tesla supercharger.
Still, the hope is that this will be worked out, and other EV’s will be able to use Tesla’s charging network, which is the biggest in the world. It may actually lead to fewer Tesla vehicle sales, but would be better for the industry overall.
Google is facing another Play Store Lawsuit, This Time in the UK
Almost didn’t mention this, but worth noting that Google is facing another lawsuit over its 30% app store fee. The pressure mounts as more of these are filed against both Apple and Google
https://www.androidcentral.com/google-hit-uk-class-action-lawsuit-over-unlawful-play-store-charges