Avalon at silicon valley

The New York Times Magazine published a long-form article recently titled “The Unlikely Activists Who Took On Silicon Valley — and Won” discussing a group of privacy activists that successfully passed a California bill protecting user privacy from tech giants. The article published in the New York Times Magazine opens by discussing a man named Alastair Mactaggart, a bay area real estate mogul who had made much of his money thanks to the exorbitant rent prices in areas surrounding Silicon Valley tech companies. If anyone should have been happy about the presence and actions of tech firms it should have been Mactaggart, but instead, the real estate businessman became increasingly worried about the information that these tech companies were collecting on users.The article states: The way Alastair Mactaggart usually tells the story of his awakening — the way he told it even before he became the most improbable, and perhaps the most important, privacy … [Read more...] about NYT Magazine: ‘The Unlikely Activists Who Took On Silicon Valley – and Won’

Cyber meddling in US elections 'a very real danger,' Feinstein tells Silicon Valley Apr 06, 2018 U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, spoke to a group of Silicon Valley executives in Sunnyvale on April 2, warning of continued risk of Russians and others tampering with elections in the United States. Taryn Luna The Sacramento Bee … [Read more...] about Cyber meddling in US elections ‘a very real danger,’ Feinstein tells Silicon Valley

In Silicon Valley, devices are an essential part of daily life. But many of the tech titans creating these products choose to power down when they leave the office, following industry giants like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs who restricted their own kids' access to technology at home. "Truth About Tech" campaign takes on tech addiction Pierre Laurent, who has worked for companies including Microsoft and Intel, said he and his family typically leave their phones at a table to charge when at home. He says the tech industry designs products to hook users, reports CBS News' Jamie Yuccas.  "I don't think the parents are aware of that. They don't see the consequences because nobody's told them, you know, there's no warning on the product," Laurent said. Pierre and his wife Monica became concerned that their three children would miss out on real-life experiences while on their devices so they decided to limit their screen time. Researchers are still learning more about how … [Read more...] about Why many Silicon Valley parents are raising their kids tech-free

The tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump's administration will end up "harming the very people he hopes to help, not punishing China," according to a major Silicon Valley trade group, Politico reports. The Trump administration this week announced a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports, the first of which will take effect in July and will focus on "industrially significant" technologies, including robotics and automobiles. However, U.S. tech companies hope they can change Trump's mind, as many of their products are manufactured in China, where labor costs are quite low, utilize components made in China, or hope to make gains in the Chinese market. "By imposing tariffs on consumer goods and key components of such goods, the president would needlessly take money out of Americans' pockets — harming the very people he hopes to help, not punishing China," Dean Garfield, head of the trade group Information Technology Industry Council, which counts Google, … [Read more...] about Silicon Valley: Trump Tariffs ‘Take Money out of Americans’ Pockets’

Cat Zakrzewski, The Washington Post Published 6:43 am PDT, Thursday, March 28, 2019 SAN FRANCISCO - Executives from top tech companies and California's attorney general aren't waiting for Washington to take action on pressing tech policy issues. At the first Technology 202 Live event here in San Francisco, they described how companies themselves are making changes to their own platforms to address public pressure on privacy and curbing disinformation on their platforms - and how states are seeking to rein in the tech giants with new legislation. "When it comes to the federal government, they move a lot slower," said California state attorney general Xavier Becerra. Here are some highlights: 1. The next time a public official - perhaps even a president - tweets something that violates Twitter's standards, the message could be accompanied by a label that provides more context, Twitter's Vajaya Gadde told my colleague Elizabeth Dwoskin. Twitter is exploring how to annotate … [Read more...] about The Technology 202: Silicon Valley isn’t waiting for Washington to address privacy, disinformation