California lawmakers are taking aim at Amazon. An Assembly-passed bill is expected to reach the Senate floor this week or next to crack down on the opaque, algorithm-led and harsh warehouse work conditions often attributed to the Seattle technology behemoth. The bill, the first such legislation in the nation, would require warehouses to disclose quotas… Continue reading California legislation AB 701 takes aim at Amazon warehouses
Category: Technology
How Studio Ghibli inspired the must-play game ‘Hoa’
Think of “Hoa” as an interactive children’s novel, a fairy tale set in a lush, elegantly imagined forest world inhabited by luminescent creatures. Though it’s a game, it’s best not to rush through “Hoa.” It’s a work that inspires patience, asking us to linger on each of its carefully drawn screens. “Hoa,” from a small… Continue reading How Studio Ghibli inspired the must-play game ‘Hoa’
After the Prop. 22 ruling, what’s next for Uber and Lyft?
The move by a California judge to invalidate Proposition 22 was a bold rebuff of an aggressive effort by companies such as Uber and Lyft to rewrite the rules of gig work. But it’s unlikely to change how the companies treat their contractors while the ruling snakes through courts, and experts disagree on the likely… Continue reading After the Prop. 22 ruling, what’s next for Uber and Lyft?
OnlyFans ditches sex work ban but creators remain wary
Less than a week after the company sent shockwaves through the adult entertainment industry with an announcement that it would soon be banning pornography from its platform, OnlyFans has seemingly reversed course, saying it will continue to support explicit content. “We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the… Continue reading OnlyFans ditches sex work ban but creators remain wary
After OnlyFans, will sex workers find a new home on the web?
Scarlett Bloom had been working as a mainstream porn actor for only a few months when she decided that she had to rethink her business model. Bloom had come to Los Angeles in late 2018 to film adult entertainment under a contract with a porn studio, but it quickly became obvious that she couldn’t rely… Continue reading After OnlyFans, will sex workers find a new home on the web?
Column: Want to read a tech company’s user agreements? Got 90 minutes to spare?
If you’re like most people, you don’t bother to read the user contracts and privacy policies that accompany all those “free” services you enjoy online — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the rest. You should, but that’s not what today’s column is about. Rather, let’s look at how Big Tech seems to go out of its… Continue reading Column: Want to read a tech company’s user agreements? Got 90 minutes to spare?
Why Hitchcock-taut video game ‘Twelve Minutes’ spurs debate
“Twelve Minutes” begins with a revelation. A wife and a husband sit down for a late-night dessert and the wife starts to tell the husband that she’s pregnant. What happens next will forever change their lives. Depending on how we play — and the information at hand — expect an intruder claiming to be a… Continue reading Why Hitchcock-taut video game ‘Twelve Minutes’ spurs debate
Mobile phone data hacked: How to protect yourself
Another day, another massive data breach claimed by hackers. Days after a breach at T-Mobile exposed about 53 million people’s personal information, a hacking group known as ShinyHunters announced that it was auctioning 70 million sets of sensitive data purportedly stolen from AT&T. The information offered for sale was similar in both breaches, including full… Continue reading Mobile phone data hacked: How to protect yourself
T-Mobile hack: How to protect yourself
Hackers have found their way again into T-Mobile’s systems, the fourth reported breach of the company’s data since early 2020. This time, the haul included sensitive personal information associated with about 48 million people, most of whom were former or prospective customers of the self-styled “un-carrier.” Here is a breakdown of what happened, the risks… Continue reading T-Mobile hack: How to protect yourself
Heffernan: Crypto trading just got safer, and that’s too bad
Something called the “London hard fork” is going down. If you picture a two-pronged implement jabbing into a pub steak, you have some catching up to do. This has nothing to do with London broil. Instead, the London hard fork is the insider-y (and admittedly cool-sounding) name of the first phase of a gut renovation… Continue reading Heffernan: Crypto trading just got safer, and that’s too bad