10 things in tech you need to know today

Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Wednesday.

1. Twitter has for the first time added fact-checking links to Trump’s false tweets about voting by mail. Trump falsely claimed on Tuesday that mail-in ballots cast in California will be “substantially fraudulent” and result in a “Rigged Election.”
2. Mark Zuckerberg reportedly brushed aside internal research that showed Facebook exposed users to more and more extreme views. Though Facebook’s experts found that the platform contributed to divisive rhetoric, senior executives dismissed proposed changes, some which would adversely affect user engagement.
3. YouTube has been auto-deleting comments about China’s government-sponsored hacker army, but says it is ‘an error in our enforcement systems.’ The video platform has been deleting comments that contain two phrases that are directly tied to criticism of the Chinese government.
4. 11 local news stations praised Amazon’s health and safety practices but didn’t tell viewers the company had provided the content. The script and footage used in the nearly identical segments were part of a package pre-produced by Amazon spokesperson Todd Walker and distributed to news stations in a press release.
5. Amazon is in advanced talks to buy self driving car company Zoox in a move that would expand the e-commerce giant’s reach in autonomous-vehicle technology. The companies are discussing a deal that would value Zoox at less than the $3.2 billion it achieved in its last private funding round in 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported.
6. Major advertisers are seeking to revise the terms of their deals with streaming service Quibi after its lackluster launch last month. Companies including PepsiCo, Taco Bell, and Walmart, have asked for the changes because of concerns about the service’s low viewership or the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their businesses, the Wall Street Journal reported.
7. Google will reopen offices starting July 6 for a small number of employees, but warns that things will ‘look and feel different’ than when they left. Employees who do return will be met with a very different office, CEO Sundar Pichai said, promising that there will be “rigorous health and safety measures in place.”
8. Apple plans to open approximately 100 more stores in 21 states this week. When the stores re-open, about 130 Apple stores will be operational in the United States with most focusing on curbside services.
9. Uber cut 600 jobs from its India offices as the ride-hailing giant’s wave of layoffs go global. India’s countrywide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus has hit both Uber and its South Asia ride-hailing competitor Ola hard.
10. Switzerland has piloted a contact tracing app using Apple and Google’s tech, becoming the first country to do so. SwissCovid will alert users if someone who has been in close proximity to them has tested positive for Covid-19.

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