Apple and Google had a bad week. Or, more fittingly, women had a bad week as a result of Apple and Google’s actions as well as inaction. Apple News+ hit that magical time to cancel (it’s too late, but you can still get out without paying for two months!), and Facebook hid the complete details of its data breech. Furthermore, some of the U.S.’s evidence against Huawei leaked, and it shows damning potential.
So, let’s take a look back at this week on Leaf and Core.
In This Article:
Leaf and Core Recap
Saudi Asylum Seekers Urge Apple and Google to Pull Sexist Woman-Tracking App
The human face to Apple and Google’s negligence. These women escaped abuse, now they want to help others.
Despite requests from U.S. and European politicians, humans rights groups, and the U.N., both Apple and Google have allowed a Saudi app that allows men to track and control the travel of women to stay on the store. Perhaps Apple and Google will have a change of heart when they see the human face of their sexism. Two Saudi sisters escaped abuse and are not filing for asylum in Georgia. They intend to find a new home in another country eventually, but, for their own safety, won’t say where they’re going.
The harmful, discriminatory, abusive, and sexist app is still on both the App Store and Google Play. In fact, Google has given the app a thumbs up. The only thing that would get these companies to send a message to Saudi Arabia and help women there through their influence and by making the male guardianship system more difficult to implement will be an outcry from the public. So make sure Apple and Google hear you.
Google Walkout Leaders Face Retaliation for Standing up to Sexism and Sexual Assault
From the Google employee walkout in 2018. Photo: Stephen Lam/Reuters
Google gave a golden parachute to a number of sexual abusers at the company. Google would push women out of their jobs and give large sums of money to male employees. Take Any Rubin, for example, who would allegedly buy women at the company for sexual favors and rent them out to friends. Google had proof of his numerous cases of sexual harassment and assault, and showed him the door. But they gave him $90 million on the way out, and high praise. Enough praise and money to allow him to found another company, Essential. Yes, makers of the Essential Phone. That company was founded by a highly paid sex criminal and was formed solely thanks to sexual assault.
Fun!
Women at Google had enough. They organized a walkout, and many men at the company joined in. Over 20,000 employees walked out of Google. This was potentially the largest walkout in world history.
Now the women who organized that walkout are facing retaliation from Google. One woman was almost demoted until her lawyer stepped in, and Google admitted she may be facing retaliation for speaking up against sexual harassment.
However, not every woman at Google is lucky enough to have lawyers present.
The company isn’t just making the world a hostile place for women, they’re also doing so within their own walls.
CIA Claims Huawei Funded by Chinese Government
According to a report from The Times, a British newspaper, the CIA’s evidence against Huawei goes deeper than some had suspected. The Chinese government owns a significant portion of Huawei. Their claims to have no government oversight seem to have been outright lies. Huawei is not denying the CIA’s claims, but tells people that they shouldn’t listen to anonymous sources.
Sounds like, instead of backing up statements with facts, they’re taking the advice of a certain world leader and dodging questions about their lies with redirects and more lies.
Apple News+ Review
In short, I hated it. I couldn’t even go the full month of using it. It was torture. The app is poorly designed, difficult to navigate, and finding articles you want to read is impossible. It’s like hunting through a stack of magazines because that’s exactly what Apple made it. Furthermore, you can’t just read some of an article. You’ve got to read the whole thing. It’s terrible!
How to Cancel Apple News+
It’s so bad, you’ll want to cancel it. You’re too late to save yourself $10 if you haven’t canceled already, but it’s never too late to save the next $10!
Facebook Uses User Data Like a Weapon
Your data is too profitable to waste time protecting you.
If Facebook likes you, your company could gain access to user data. If they didn’t, you’d be out of luck. That was Facebook’s data usage policy. They’d give your private information to third party developers if they could give more data to Facebook or purchased ads. Or, if Mark Zuckerberg was friends with someone at the company. However, if you were trying to compete with Facebook, the company would cut you off, making competing with the company impossible.
Facebook’s monopolistic and dangerous behavior is exactly why Elizabeth Warren, presidential candidate for 2020, wants to break up the large tech company.