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Amazon extends moratorium on police use of facial recognition software

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Nearly one year ago, Amazon banned the use of its facial recognition software, Rekognition, from being used by US police departments, and now it seems like that ban is set to continue indefinitely.

The initial decision came after nationwide protests against police violence in the US, following the death of George Floyd.

It is unclear how many police departments use facial recognition technology to track down potential suspects or persons of interest.

Nathan Freed Wessler, a deputy project director at the American Civil Liberties Union, expressed support for Amazon’s move and called on federal and state governments to ban law enforcement’s use of the software.

“Face recognition technology fuels the over-policing of Black and Brown communities, and has already led to the false arrests and wrongful incarcerations of multiple Black men,”

Critics have noted research born out of a project called Gender Shades, which showed Rekognition struggled to determine the sex of individuals with darker skin tones. Amazon has contested this.

Pharmacy chain Rite Aid Corp has also suspended the technology at its stores.

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Amazon extends Prime Day to week-long sales event

Amazon extends Prime Day to a week, aiming for higher sales and new Prime memberships amid consumer tariff concerns.

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Amazon extends Prime Day to a week, aiming for higher sales and new Prime memberships amid consumer tariff concerns.

In Short:
Amazon is extending Prime Day to a full week to boost sales and attract new members, with projections of $12.9 billion in U.S. sales. The longer event allows for more advertising opportunities and themed discount days to entice shoppers amidst declining consumer confidence.

Amazon is extending Prime Day to a full week, aiming to attract more shoppers and gain new Prime members. The promotion, starting Tuesday, is projected to generate $12.9 billion in U.S. sales, a 53% increase from last year.

Previously a one-day event offering significant discounts, Prime Day has expanded, now including themed days like book day and pet day. Sales growth during Prime Day has slowed, remaining in single digits recently, prompting Amazon to innovate with discounts year-round.

Shoppers are expected to look for bargains on electronics and goods potentially affected by tariffs this year, reflecting declining consumer confidence. Brandon Fuhrmann, a third-party seller, expects to see notable sales but cannot predict demand due to the promotion’s length. He anticipates outpacing regular July sales, even toward the end of the week. The longer event increases advertising opportunities, contributing to Amazon’s growing advertising revenue, which exceeds $50 billion annually.

Many sellers plan to invest heavily in advertisements to outperform competitors during this extended period. Ryan Close, CEO of Bartesian, intends to use the event to test Amazon’s advertising tools and attract attention to his products with significant discounts.

Amazon aims to recruit new subscribers for its $139 annual Prime membership, promoting benefits like rapid shipping and streaming services.

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Trump retreats in tech war with China – But why?

Trump reverses software rule for semiconductors; is the U.S.-China tech war calming? Insights from Brad Gastwirth.

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Trump reverses software rule for semiconductors; is the U.S.-China tech war calming? Insights from Brad Gastwirth.


In a stunning shift, the Trump administration has reversed a key rule restricting U.S. software used to design semiconductors.

Is the tech war with China cooling? Or is this just a calculated pause?

We ask Brad Gastwirth about the role of rare earths, diplomacy, and what it means for global chipmakers.

Subscribe to never miss an episode of Ticker – https://www.youtube.com/@weareticker
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#TechWar #ChinaTrade #Semiconductors #TrumpPolicy #ChipMakers #EDA #BradGastwirth #TickerNews

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Qantas cyber attack affects six million customers’ data

Qantas reports cyber attack affecting up to six million customers, compromising personal data but not financial details.

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Qantas reports cyber attack affecting up to six million customers, compromising personal data but not financial details.

In Short:
Qantas confirmed a cyber attack affecting up to six million customers, compromising personal information like names and email addresses, but not financial details. CEO Vanessa Hudson apologised and reassured that operations remain safe, while urging customers to utilise online security measures.

Qantas has confirmed that up to six million customers have been impacted by a significant cyber attack.

The airline stated that while passport and financial details were not compromised, hackers accessed personal information including names, email addresses, frequent flyer numbers, and dates of birth.

Suspicious activity was detected on Monday concerning a third-party platform utilized by Qantas contact centres. The airline acted immediately to contain the breach, asserting that operations and safety remain untouched.

Qantas specified that credit card information, financial data, and passport details were not stored in the compromised system. No frequent flyer accounts, passwords, or PINs were affected.

Qantas can confirm that a cyber incident has occurred in one of its contact centres impacting customer data. The system is now contained.

We understand this will be concerning for customers. We are currently contacting customers to make them aware of the incident, apologise and provide details on the support available.

The incident occurred when a cyber criminal targeted a call centre and gained access to a third party customer servicing platform.

There is no impact to Qantas’ operations or the safety of the airline.

Chief executive Vanessa Hudson apologised to customers and ensured collaboration with various cybersecurity authorities, including the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Federal Police.

Hudson acknowledged the anxiety this incident may cause, affirming their commitment to customer data protection. Qantas is in the process of reaching out to affected customers to offer support.

The cyber attack follows similar incidents affecting other airlines, underlining the ongoing risks to travel companies.

A government spokesperson recommended that customers contact Qantas for assistance and suggested basic online security measures such as updating software, using strong passwords, and enabling multi-factor authentication.

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