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California companies can no longer silence workers in victory for tech activists

07/10/2021 Comments Off on California companies can no longer silence workers in victory for tech activists

TechnologyCalifornia companies can no longer silence workers in victory for tech activistsSilenced No More Act makes it illegal for firms to prevent employees from speaking out about harassment or discrimination Kari PaulFri 8 Oct 2021 03.00 EDTLast modified on Fri 8 Oct 2021 03.02 EDTIn a major victory for Silicon Valley activists and California workers, the governor has signed a law making it illegal for companies to bar employees from speaking out about harassment and discrimination.The new law is the result of hard-fought advocacy work by those in the tech industry who have long spoken out against the restrictive confidentiality arrangements, known as nondisclosure agreements or NDAs, which are intended to protect industry secrets but which has created a culture of silence around wrongdoing.NDAs often keep incidents of harassment and discrimination under wraps, forcing employees to keep quiet or face legal actions and fines. They became a point of debate after the #MeToo movement, when it was revealed that Harvey Weinstein used such contracts to keep his victims from speaking out.She sued for pregnancy discrimination. Now she’s battling Google’s army of lawyersRead more“This act is a huge step in the right direction in eliminating cultures of secrecy around misogyny and racism in the workplace, especially in California’s tech industry,” said Veena Dubal, an associate professor of law at the University of California, Hastings, and tech worker advocate.The Silenced No More Act was co-sponsored by …

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Ireland ends 12.5% tax rate in OECD global pact

07/10/2021 Comments Off on Ireland ends 12.5% tax rate in OECD global pact

IrelandIreland ends 12.5% tax rate in OECD global pactLow-tax policy of past 18 years had attracted multinationals such as Google and Facebook to Dublin What does the Irish tax deal mean for multinationals? Lisa O’Carroll in Dublin@ …

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AT&T funds rightwing channel One America News, Reuters reveals

07/10/2021 Comments Off on AT&T funds rightwing channel One America News, Reuters reveals

MediaAT&T funds rightwing channel One America News, Reuters revealsOAN founder said the inspiration for the channel came from AT&T executives but the company disputes the reports S …

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‘Facebook can’t keep its head in the sand’: five experts debate the company’s future

07/10/2021 Comments Off on ‘Facebook can’t keep its head in the sand’: five experts debate the company’s future

Facebook‘Facebook can’t keep its head in the sand’: five experts debate the company’s futureWhistleblower Frances Haugen testified the company is harming children and putting profits over safety, but what lies ahead? Johana BhuiyanThu 7 Oct 2021 06.00 EDTThe congressional testimony of Frances Haugen is being described as a potential watershed moment after the former Facebook employee turned whistleblower warned lawmakers must “act now” to rein in the social media company.But the impact of the hearing – in which Haugen used her time at Facebook and leaked internal research to build a case that it is harming children, destabilizing democracies, and putting profits over safety – is uncertain, as lawmakers, experts and regulators remain split over the path forward. The Guardian spoke to several experts across the tech industry about what could and should lie ahead for Facebook. The interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.‘Surveillance capitalism is as immoral as child labor’Roger McNamee, early Facebook investor and member of Facebook’s oversight boardFrances Haugen’s revelations and testimony before Congress are devastating to Facebook. She is courageous, authoritative, and utterly convincing. We knew about the issues before, but she changed the game by providing internal documents that prove Facebook’s management had early warning of many horrible problems and chose not to take appropriate steps. In her testimony, she confirmed that the incentives of Facebook’s business model lead to the amplification of fear and outrage to the detriment of public health and democracy.When …

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Fast track to disaster? Brazil’s Grain Train plan raises fears for Amazon

07/10/2021 Comments Off on Fast track to disaster? Brazil’s Grain Train plan raises fears for Amazon

BrazilFast track to disaster? Brazil’s Grain Train plan raises fears for Amazon Bolsonaro’s government plans to build a 1,000km railway to export soya beans despite warnings of a ‘catastrophe’ for indigenous people and the environmentTom Phillips in Sinop, Novo Progresso and BrasíliaThu 7 Oct 2021 06.00 EDTLast modified on Thu 7 Oct 2021 12.57 EDTThe Final Countdown blared from speakers and the crowd broke into applause as one of Jair Bolsonaro’s top lieutenants strode into the Amazon auditorium with glad tidings of a railroad to the future.“The ‘Grain Train’ is going to happen,” Brazil’s infrastructure minister, Tarcísio de Freitas, told the hundreds of mostly male spectators who had flocked there in a caravan of high-end SUVs.To the assembled members of Brazil’s agribusiness elite – among them several of the president’s most militant supporters – the “Ferrogrão” (Grain Train) is a long-held dream: an almost 1,000km railway that, if built, will link Brazil’s soya-growing heartlands with the northern ports that send their beans east to Asia.“It’s fabulous. The region will explode,” celebrated Adenir da Silva, one of the excitable locals who had come to welcome Bolsonaro’s minister to Sinop, the agricultural boomtown where the planned railroad would begin. Behind him a crane had hoisted an enormous Brazil flag into the morning sky in honour of the VIP visitor.To opponents, however, the R$25.2bn ($4.6bn/£3.4bn) project is a nightmare: yet another nail in the coffin of the world’s largest tropical rainforest and the indigenous …

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‘Death of 1,000 cuts’: Kellogg’s workers on why they’re striking

06/10/2021 Comments Off on ‘Death of 1,000 cuts’: Kellogg’s workers on why they’re striking

Business‘Death of 1,000 cuts’: Kellogg’s workers on why they’re strikingUnion took issue with company’s threats to outsource jobs from the US to Mexico if workers refuse to accept their proposals Michael SainatoThu 7 Oct 2021 02.00 EDTLast modified on Thu 7 Oct 2021 02.02 EDTAbout 1,400 Kellogg’s workers at four US plants have gone on strike after their current union contracts expired and amid accusations that the cereal giant is offshoring jobs.The workers, represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), produce cereals for brands, including Rice Krispies, Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes and Raisin Bran, at plants in Michigan, Tennessee, Nebraska and Pennsylvania.Trevor Bidelman, president of BCTGM Local3G and a fourth-generation employee at the Kellogg’s plant in Battle Creek, Michigan, explained workers are on strike against a proposed two-tier system for current and new employees proposed by Kellogg’s. Bidelman said Kellogg’s wants to not offer pensions to new employees, remove cost of living provisions, and make changes in holiday pay and vacations.“We’re fighting for our future,” said Bidelman. “We made it very clear from the onset of negotiations that this was not something we’ll be able to accept.”Shortly before the strike, Kellogg’s announced plans to cut 212 jobs at the Battle Creek, Michigan, plant over the next two years, including 174 positions represented by the union. The plant currently employs about 390 workers. Kellogg’s cited plans to streamline efforts and relocate cereal production to other facilities …

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Only London’s highest earners able to rent privately at affordable cost, ONS says

06/10/2021 Comments Off on Only London’s highest earners able to rent privately at affordable cost, ONS says

Renting propertyOnly London’s highest earners able to rent privately at affordable cost, ONS saysMajority of renters facing ‘uphill struggle’ as housing costs in parts of England rise again Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Hilary OsborneWed 6 Oct 2021 08.28 EDTLast modified on Wed 6 Oct 2021 10.16 EDTOnly the top 25% of earners in London were able to privately rent a property in the city at an affordable rate last year, according to official figures on costs across England.Data from the Office for National Statistics revealed that for three-quarters of households, rents in the capital were set at a level equal to more than 30% of their income.The ONS said it considered an area to have affordable private rent if tenants spend no more than 30% of their income on it.Rents in some parts of the country dropped when the pandemic struck but in recent months agents have reported that costs have started to rise again.Tenants were not offered the same payment breaks as mortgage borrowers during the early months of the crisis but were given protections from eviction.A ban on landlords repossessing their properties has ended, and there have been warnings that families who had been receiving the £20 universal credit increase until it was discontinued on Wednesday could struggle to keep their homes.The ONS data, which looked at median earnings among tenants before tax and median rents across the country from 2012-20, underlines …

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Facebook whistleblower’s testimony could finally spark action in Congress

06/10/2021 Comments Off on Facebook whistleblower’s testimony could finally spark action in Congress

FacebookFacebook whistleblower’s testimony could finally spark action in CongressDespite years of hearings, the company has long seemed untouchable. But Frances Haugen appears to have inspired rare bipartisanship Kari PaulWed 6 Oct 2021 08.14 EDTFirst published on Wed 6 Oct 2021 01.00 EDTThe testimony of Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, is likely to increase pressure on US lawmakers to undertake concrete legislative actions against the formerly untouchable tech company, following years of hearings and circular discussions about big tech’s growing power.In a hearing on Tuesday, the whistleblower shared internal Facebook reports with Congress and argued the company puts “astronomical profits before people”, harms children and is destabilizing democracies.Facebook harms children and is damaging democracy, claims whistleblowerRead moreAfter years of sparring over the role of tech companies in past American elections, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle on Tuesday appeared to agree on the need for new regulations that would change how Facebook targets users and amplifies content.“Frances Haugen’s testimony appears to mark a rare moment of bipartisan consensus that the status quo is no longer acceptable,” said Imran Ahmed, chief executive officer of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a non-profit that fights hate speech and misinformation. “This is increasingly becoming a non-political issue and one that has cut through definitively to the mainstream.”On Wednesday morning Richard Blumenthal, chair of the Senate commerce sub-committee that hosted Haugen the day before, condemned Facebook again …

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Global deal on 15% minimum tax rate for multinationals edges closer

05/10/2021 Comments Off on Global deal on 15% minimum tax rate for multinationals edges closer

Global economyGlobal deal on 15% minimum tax rate for multinationals edges closerAlmost 140 countries understood to be in final OECD talks on measures to stop firms moving profits to tax havens Richard Partington and Lisa O’CarrollTue 5 Oct 2021 10.58 EDTLast modified on Tue 5 Oct 2021 12.17 EDTAlmost 140 countries are edging closer to a global deal on the taxation of multinationals, with agreement on a minimum 15% rate of corporation tax set to be announced as part of a landmark statement at the OECD in Paris on Friday.Governments representing more than 90% of the world economy are understood to be in the final stages of talks on a global minimum rate and other measures designed to stop multinationals shifting profits into tax havens.It is understood the accord will update several key details from an outline statement signed by 130 countries in July. Sources indicated a 15% rate was likely to be settled upon as part of the OECD’s Inclusive Framework tax negotiating forum, in a move backing down from an earlier agreement for a minimum of “at least 15%”.In a sprint to agree further details after almost a decade of negotiations, the push to issue a statement comes before a key meeting between G20 finance ministers taking place in Washington next week.Ireland, one of nine countries that declined to sign the OECD headline agreement in July, is expected to sign the landmark deal on Friday.The French economy minister, Bruno …

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Facebook whistleblower accuses firm of serially misleading over safety

05/10/2021 Comments Off on Facebook whistleblower accuses firm of serially misleading over safety

FacebookFacebook whistleblower accuses firm of serially misleading over safety Frances Haugen filed at least eight complaints against the company regarding its approach to safety Dan Milmo Global technology editorTue 5 Oct 2021 07.50 EDTLast modified on Tue 5 Oct 2021 08.44 EDTThe Facebook whistleblower, Frances Haugen, who testifies at the US Congress on Tuesday, has filed at least eight complaints with the US financial watchdog accusing the social media company of serially misleading investors and politicians over its approach to safety.The complaints, published online by the news programme 60 Minutes late on Monday, hours before Haugen’s testimony to US senators at 10am EDT (3pm BST), are based on tens of thousands of internal documents that Haugen copied shortly before she quit Facebook in May.The complaints and testimony from Haugen, who stepped forward on Sunday as the source of a damning series of revelations in the Wall Street Journal, are taking place against a backdrop of operational chaos for Facebook, whose platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp, went offline around the world for nearly six hours on Monday.The first whistleblower complaint filed to the US Securities and Exchange Commission relates to the 6 January riots in Washington, when crowds of protesters stormed the Capitol, and alleges that Facebook knowingly chose to permit political misinformation and contests statements made by its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, to the contrary.“Our anonymous client is disclosing original evidence showing that Facebook … has, for years past and ongoing, …

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