Twitter puts a fact-checking label on tweets linking COVID-19 TO 5G, Jeff Bezos gets $35 billion richer, and the Canadian Accounting Association has been hit with a cyber-attack.
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It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Tuesday, June 9, and I’m your host, Baneet Braich.
After the burning of multiple cell towers in response to a ridiculous conspiracy theory about 5G, Twitter is now fact-checking any tweets that falsy link 5G connectivity to COVID-19. When users click the fact-checking label they’re taken to a site that says NO. 5G isn’t causing coronavirus followed by other articles, resources and experts debunking the theory. Twitter says “We’re prioritizing the removal of COVID-19 content when it has a call to action that could potentially cause harm.” Companies including Twitter, Apple, YouTube, Spotify and Facebook have been accused of facilitating information on 5G causing COVID-19. More critics are calling social media platforms to have similar posts removed and to stop outsourcing content to insufficient moderators.
COVID-19 has destroyed thousands of businesses and lives, but it’s been a good year for Jeff Bezos’ pockets. The Amazon CEO added $35 billion to his net worth meaning he is now worth $150 billion…yes just $150 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The spike is linked to Amazon’s soaring stock price as people have naturally shopped more online during the pandemic. In addition, Amazon has hired nearly 175,000 people in recent weeks to keep up with the demand.
Lastly, the Canadian Accounting Association has been hit with a cyberattack and is warning members about phishing scams. Hackers got information access to CPA Magazine subscribers such as names, addresses, email addresses and employer names. Nearly 329,000 individuals have been warned for phishing scams. Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada is asking employees to remain vigilant about any emails they may receive asking them to provide sensitive information. You can read our reporting on this story, at ITWorldCanada.com
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 Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. I’m Baneet Braich, thanks for listening.