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Jess Weatherbed

Jess Weatherbed

News Reporter

News Reporter

    More From Jess Weatherbed

    Meta hit with $840 million fine for linking Facebook and MarketplaceMeta hit with $840 million fine for linking Facebook and Marketplace
    Jess Weatherbed
    Jess Weatherbed
    Google will now issue frequent scam advisories.

    The search giant has released two new blogs that examine recent scam trends that people online should be wary of, and share policy recommendations Google is urging governments and tech industries to take to better fend against them.

    “Preventing user harm from malicious scams requires effective cooperation across the online ecosystem,” says Google’s Trust and Safety head Laurie Richardson. “Bad actors are constantly evolving their tactics and techniques.”

    A new way we’re helping others track frauds and scams online

    [Google]

    Apple faces a new $3.75 billion antitrust lawsuit over iCloud storageApple faces a new $3.75 billion antitrust lawsuit over iCloud storage
    Google will let you search for products on Maps to help with holiday shoppingGoogle will let you search for products on Maps to help with holiday shopping
    PayPal will let you pool money for group gifts and shared expensesPayPal will let you pool money for group gifts and shared expenses
    Amazon’s new $20-and-under store is here to challenge Shein and TemuAmazon’s new $20-and-under store is here to challenge Shein and Temu
    Jess Weatherbed
    Jess Weatherbed
    Chatbots are not your friends.

    The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern spent a full day only interacting with chatbots from Meta, Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft to test their companionship skills.

    In her delightfully comical blog, Stern notes that all four are “convincing” at first, but it’s an act that can’t replace genuine human interaction:

    “My big worry is that some people, especially lonely people, might not see the wall. All four bots stayed guarded on depression and other emotional issues, redirecting me to hotlines or encouraging human conversations.”

    Jess Weatherbed
    Jess Weatherbed
    Amazon will put disabled employees through long home working reviews.

    The plan, which is part of the retail giant’s push to get staff back into offices five days a week, will make it harder to get permission to work from home.

    Here’s a snippet from Bloomberg’s report:

    The company recently told employees with disabilities that it was implementing a more rigorous vetting process, both for new requests to work from home and applications to extend existing arrangements. Affected workers must submit to a “multilevel leader review” and could be required to return to the office for monthlong trials to determine if accommodations meet their needs.

    Amazon Makes It Harder for Disabled Employees to Work From Home

    [Bloomberg]

    Jess Weatherbed
    Jess Weatherbed
    The era of streaming subscription-pausing.

    According to subscription analytics provider Antenna, streaming customers are increasingly pausing subscriptions and returning to them within a year, rather than abandoning them entirely — likely coinciding with the release of seasonal hit shows or sports.

    “I keep an eye on my streaming services because it’s death by a thousand paper cuts,” one consumer told The Wall Street Journal. “I don’t want to get killed with monthlies.”

    A New Streaming Customer Emerges: The Subscription Pauser

    [WSJ]

    Jess Weatherbed
    Jess Weatherbed
    Perplexity is starting its ads experiment this week.

    The AI-powered search engine will begin with showing labeled ads formatted as “sponsored follow-up questions” that will appear next to answers in the US.

    TechCrunch reports:

    “Perplexity’s embrace of ads stands in contrast to OpenAI’s decision not to launch its AI-powered search tool, ChatGPT Search, with ads. But rival Google has similarly piloted ads in its AI search experience, AI Overviews — recently bringing ads to mobile in the U.S. for certain queries”

    Perplexity brings ads to its platform | TechCrunch

    [TechCrunch]

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