IRS accidentally leaks financial data, TikTok denies data breach, and Amazon closes service centres to save money.
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That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now, welcome to Hashtag Trending. It’s Tuesday, September 6, and I’m your host, Tom Li.
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service had a bad case of butterfingers when it accidentally posted confidential information of 120,000 taxpayers. According to the Wall Street Journal, the leaked data were from form 990-T, which details some business income for retirement plans. Information such as names, contact information and financial information were posted. Other sensitive information such as social security numbers and full tax returns was thankfully not a part of the leak. The IRS traced the problem to a human coding error that tied the data with public data. For now, the issue is under review and the data has been removed from public view.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Panic spread over the holiday weekend when a hacker allegedly stole data from two billion users of the social media app TikTok. The rumour started on an online forum post, in which an online user claimed responsibility and posted a few images of personal records. But in a statement to Forbes, TikTok replied that it found no evidence of a security breach. Although its users can breathe a sigh of relief, cybersecurity researchers are still recommending exercising caution, urging users to change their account password and enable two-factor authentication.
Source: Forbes
Amazon’s latest move confirms that the company is looking to trim costs anywhere it can. On the heels of shuttering its telehealth division, Amazon announced that it will close two delivery stations in Baltimore. The two facilities employ over 300 workers. As a part of the closure, Amazon says it will provide the opportunity for them to transfer to other delivery stations. Cutbacks on expansion are seen in other areas as well. The company has delayed the opening of a massive 700,000-square feet warehouse in Nebraska to 2024.
Source: Business Insider
Apple users are now the majority in the U.S., accounting for more than half of mobile devices being used. The numbers came from Counterpoint Research, which derived their conclusion from the “active install base,” a metric to tally the number of smartphones in use. This news, along with its strong financial performance, puts Apple at a strong competitive edge against its Android rivals, like Samsung and Lenovo. The company is set to debut its new iPhone 14 tomorrow. Stay tuned for our coverage.
Source: Financial Times
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash briefings or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. Also, catch the next episode of Hashtag Tendances, our weekly Hashtag Trending episode in French, which drops every Thursday morning. If you have a suggestion or a tip, drop us a line in the comments or via email. Thank you for listening, I’m Tom Li.