Sundar Pichai writes note to employees saying anti-diversity memo violated Google's code of conduct
The fallout from James Damore's anti diversity memo has been swift and wide-reaching. The senior software engineer was dramatically fired after expressing views which ran counter to Google's drive for diversity in the workplace.
Company CEO Sundar Pichai responded to the memo in an internally-circulated note to staff which was then also shared publicly. In it, he acknowledged the furor surrounding the memo and said that "portions of the memo violate our Code of Conduct and cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace."
Google fires employee who criticized its diversity policies
The senior software engineer who penned the now-infamous anti-diversity manifesto has been fired by Google. James Damore confirmed that he was fired for "perpetuating gender stereotypes," but says that he is "currently exploring all possible legal remedies."
Damore says that he has now been in touch with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), pointing out that it is "illegal to retaliate against an NLRB charge." The "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber" memo written by the now-former employee went viral internally at Google before leaking to the internet shortly afterwards.
Irony alert: the BBC has designed its own font to avoid paying license fees
The BBC has announced plans to roll out a new font across its network of websites in a cost-saving measure. The corporation has designed a new font called BBC Reith, named after Lord Reith, the founder of the BBC.
The beeb says that it will be able to save an undisclosed sum of money by ditching the fonts it currently uses as it will no longer have to pay license fees for them. That sound you can hear is the shrill ring of irony as a corporation that charges a license fee tries to avoid paying a license fee...
HBO calls in FBI over Game of Thrones hack as Indian distributor admits it is the source of S07E04 leak
Season seven of Game of Thrones has been something of a disaster for HBO. Not in terms of interest or viewing figures, of course, but in terms of hacking, leaks, spoilers and piracy.
Last night saw the official airing of episode four of season seven but this particular episode, The Spoils of War, leaked some days ago. Distribution partner Star India has admitted the leak came from its website, and HBO has called in the FBI to investigate the hack that lead to a number of episode and script leaks.
Privacy: UK government to force social media and tech companies to give users more control over their data
The UK government is set to introduce a new Data Protection Bill which will give people the right to demand companies delete personal data. The bill, due to be introduced this summer, will make it easier for people to find out what information is held about them and how it is being used.
Matt Hancock, the Digital Minister, says that the bill amounts to a widescale "right to be forgotten" and it will give people the opportunity to separate themselves from online posts they made when younger. It will also take steps to increase privacy by making it harder for companies to gain permission for limitless access to personal data.
Google employee's anti-diversity manifesto goes viral as the company dismisses the diatribe
A document entitled "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber" in which an employee strongly criticizes the company's efforts towards diversity and equality has gone viral. The opinionated article was written by an unnamed senior software engineer, and it accuses Google of political bias while calling for great "ideological diversity."
The document has been dubbed a "manifesto" and it went viral within Google. It was shared internally on a mailing list, and several Google employees tweeted about its existence. It did not take long for the rant -- which attributes the gender gap in technology to biological differences between the sexes -- to go public, and for Google to attempt to distance itself from the contents.
Microsoft video confirms Spotify is coming to Xbox One
It has long been expected that the Spotify app would make its way to Xbox One, and evidence supporting this has been mounting for some time. Now a video by Major Nelson -- or Larry Hryb, if you prefer -- confirms the existence of the app.
Earlier in the week, eagle-eyed Xbox One users noticed Hryb was using the app. Later, a screenshot of Microsoft's ExpertZone website showed further evidence in the form of a (now-deleted) page referencing "Spotify goes Platinum" and a note that "Spotify is coming to Windows 10 and Xbox."
YouTube Music gets a proper offline mode for songs, albums and playlists
The arrival of offline mode to YouTube Music may not seem like news, but the reality is that the "mixtape" option that was available was very limited. Now YouTube has made it possible to download playlists, songs and albums for offline listening.
As before, you need to be a YouTube Red member to take advantage of the feature, and the update means that users now have far more control over their offline listening rather than relying on YouTube to select tracks based on listening history.
Report: LTE Apple Watch is on the way this year
One of the limitations -- if you want to class it as such -- of the Apple Watch is that it needs to be paired with an iPhone. But this could be about to change.
According to a Bloomberg report, Apple is preparing to launch a new LTE version of its smartwatch later in the year. This will eliminate the need to own an iPhone and enable owners to connect directly to the internet with their watch. The company is said to already be in talks with mobile providers in the US and Europe about an upcoming LTE Apple Watch (or Apple Watch series 3).
New OnePlus 3/3T beta rolls out, while OnePlus 5 update is recalled
There's good news and bad news for OnePlus handset owners -- whether it's good or bad depends on whether you have a OnePlus 3/3T or a OnePlus 5. For users of the older handset, there's a new OxygenOS Open Beta which adds a decent selection of new features.
For OnePlus 5 users, however, the OxygenOS 4.5.7 update that was released earlier in the week is being recalled. OnePlus is responding reports of terrible gaming performance in withdrawing the update.
Game of Thrones S07E04, The Spoils of War, leaks online
The fourth episode of the latest season of Game of Thrones has leaked online before its official air date. Download links to the episode -- The Spoils of War -- have been shared on Reddit and Twitter, and the video appears to be a low-quality internal version.
Earlier this week, HBO was the victim of a hack in which 1.5TB of data was stolen. In addition to full episodes of other shows, there were scripts and spoilers for Game of Thrones, and these were subsequently leaked. This time around, however, it does not seem that the hack was the source of the S07E04 leak.
WikiLeaks: CIA's Dumbo project can hack webcams and corrupt recordings
WikiLeaks has published the latest installment of its cache of CIA documentation known as Vault 7. This time around we learn about Project Dumbo, a hacking tool which allows for the control of webcams and microphones.
Wired, Bluetooth and wireless devices can all be detected by Dumbo. In addition to this, Dumbo gives the CIA the ability to delete or corrupt recordings that have been made. WikiLeaks has published user guides for three versions of Dumbo, the most recent of which is dated June 2015.
Lenovo smartphones will all feature stock Android from now on
Starting with the K8 Note, all of Lenovo's smartphones will come with stock Android installed. The company is dropping its customized Vibe Pure UI in favour of an (almost) untouched version of Android.
The Lenovo K8 Note will come with Android 7.1.1 Nougat installed, and the company is making only minor additions in the form of Dolby Atmos and TheaterMax -- gone is the bloatware that irks users so much.
Google Play now promotes apps that crash less and offer better battery life
There are many metrics by which to measure how good an app is, and Google is starting to use a few more when it ranks Android apps and games in the Play Store. The latest app-ranking algorithm now takes into account app stability, performance and battery usage.
As well as improving the relevance of listings for people downloading apps, Google is also using this change to push developers to improve their apps.
Canonical publishes laughably simple guide to upgrading to the Ubuntu app for Windows
It is not long since Ubuntu made its debut in the Windows Store, much to the excitement of Linux fans.
Now Canonical has provided a guide to upgrading from the "bash on Ubuntu on Windows" experience that's built into Windows 10, to the full-blown Windows Store version.
Sofia Elizabella's Bio
Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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