COVID-19
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Google makes Hangouts Meet features free in the wake of coronavirus
With no end in sight yet when it comes to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, Google says it wants to make it easier for people to work remotely. Starting this week through to July 1st, the company's G Suite and G Suite for Education customers can use Hangouts Meet's premium functionality for free. Those features mean individuals can now participate in virtual meetings with up to 250 people and live streams with up to 100,000 viewers. Additionally, they can save recordings of their meetings to Google Drive for free.
Twitter pulls out of SXSW 2020 over virus fears
Twitter has announced that it will not be sending its employees to South by Southwest (SxSW) 2020 this year in an attempt to avoid the spread of coronavirus. A spokesperson confirmed to the Verge that the company, where CEO Jack Dorsey was going to make a keynote, has pulled out. Twitter had issued an edict over the weekend, saying that it was restricting all non-essential travel to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus.
WHO joins TikTok to fight coronavirus misinformation
The World Health Organization clearly has an interest in putting a stop to coronavirus misinformation, and that's leading it to online destinations it wouldn't have considered before. The WHO has joined TikTok, and its first videos are, unsurprisingly, aimed at both reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19 and setting the record straight. They explain how you can safeguard yourself and others against the virus, how to use a mask and whether or not you need a mask in the first place -- crucially, the WHO stresses that you don't need a mask if you aren't experiencing symptoms.
FDA allows new coronavirus testing tech before it gets emergency approval
The FDA is determined to step up the pace of coronavirus testing in the US to cope with the recent coronavirus outbreak, and it's willing to greenlight technology at an early stage to make that happen. The regulator said it will allow new diagnostic tech to be used to test for COVID-19 before an Emergency Use Authorization request has gone through a review. This will only apply to validated methods from labs that are certified to handle "high-complexity" tests in line with key requirements, the FDA said, and doesn't amount to lowering standards -- this is only to ensure there's "wide availability" of testing options.
LG Display halts work at phone screen factory after coronavirus infection
Samsung isn't the only Korean tech giant grappling with coronavirus infections. LG Display has temporarily halted work at a smartphone screen factory in Gumi, South Korea after a bank worker near the facility tested positive for COVID-19. The company expected to resume production on March 3rd, but didn't say what kind of effect it expected the closure to have on phone output.
Coronavirus bursts Big Tech’s bubble
Virus enthusiasts from all over the world converged in San Francisco this week for America's largest security event: RSA Conference 2020. Before it began, fourteen companies withdrew from RSAC over concerns about the impending Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. On opening day, organizers sent a message through the conference app asking attendees to stop greeting each other with handshakes.
Amazon is the latest to pull out of GDC over coronavirus fears
The annual Game Developers Conference just lost another big-name tech company due to coronavirus worries. Amazon Web Services has pulled out of the 2020 show in response to "continued concerns over COVID-19." In its place, Amazon is planning a "global online event" in May that will show what its AWS Game Tech team was originally going to debut in person along with some extras. You'll hear more about it in the weeks ahead, Amazon said.
Facebook cancels F8 developer conference over coronavirus concerns
Facebook is the latest tech company to cancel an event due to the coronavirus outbreak. The company's annual developer conference, F8, was scheduled for May 5th and 6th, but it's not going to happen this year. Facebook said that the "growing concerns around COVID-19" made it necessary to cancel the "in-person" component of F8, though the company is planning locally-hosted events and livestreamed content to try and make up for skipping the main part of the conference. Facebook is also donating $500,000 to an organization that promotes diversity in the tech industry -- most years, the company donates a portion of ticket sales, but with no in-person event it's just making a flat donation instead.
Facebook bans coronavirus ads that promote 'cures' and fan hysteria
Facebook is doubling down on its bid to stop the spread of coronavirus misinformation. Following its announcement of plans to flag and remove false information, the platform will now also ban ads that promise to cure or prevent the virus, as well as those that "create a sense of urgency" about it.
Overwatch League cancels South Korean matches due to coronavirus
A week-and-a-half after it said it would host a slate of cancelled Overwatch League matches in Seoul, South Korea, Blizzard is now postponing those games as well. The move comes after a surge in Covid-19 coronavirus cases in the East Asian country. Like the matches the company had planned to host in Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai, Blizzard says it's delaying the rescheduled games to "protect the health and safety of our players, fans and staff."
Samsung temporarily shuts down phone factory following coronavirus case
Samsung's coronavirus problems extend beyond people steering clear of phone stores. The company has closed a phone factory in Gumi, South Korea until February 24th after confirming that a factory worker was infected with COVID-19. The company told the worker's associates to self-quarantine and will test them for the virus, and will also keep the relevant floor closed until the 25th.
Amazon is removing listings for products that claim to cure coronavirus
Amazon is removing listings for any products that claim to prevent, treat or cure the coronavirus, CNBC reports. The company began notifying third-party merchants of the change this week, and it says it will consider reinstating flagged listings if sellers remove the "prohibited medical claims."
Sony and Facebook withdraw from GDC due to coronavirus concerns
Mobile World Congress 2020 isn't the only trade show affected by COVID-19, otherwise known as the new coronavirus disease. Facebook has just announced that it will withdraw its presence from the annual Game Developer's Conference this year. In doing so, it will pull both Facebook Gaming and Oculus booths and have advised all employees to not attend the show. A Facebook spokesperson sent in this statement: "Out of concern for the health and safety of our employees, our dev partners, and the GDC community, Facebook will not be attending this year's Game Developer Conference due to the evolving public health risks related to COVID-19. We still plan to share the exciting announcements we had planned for the show through videos, online Q&As, and more, and will plan to host GDC partner meetings remotely in the coming weeks." COVID-19 has had a big effect on the tech industry so far. Due to coronavirus concerns, MWC 2020 was cancelled, Apple has warned of iPhone supply shortages and Sony has pulled out of PAX East. Update 4:15pm ET: Sony has announced that it too will be pulling out from GDC. Here's the company's statement: We have made the difficult decision to cancel our participation in Game Developers Conference due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus). We felt this was the best option as the situation related to the virus and global travel restrictions are changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern. We look forward to participating in GDC in the future.
Sony pulls out of PAX East over coronavirus concerns
Sony is pulling out of PAX East this year owing to coronavirus concerns. The company had planned to showcase a number of upcoming PlayStation 4 games there, including offering gamers their first chance to try a demo of The Last of Us Part II.
Apple warns of iPhone 'supply shortages' due to coronavirus outbreak
The consequences of the coronavirus outbreak will be worse than expected for Apple. The tech firm has warned that global iPhone supply will be "temporarily constrained" while it resumes production. Although its factory partners have reopened, those facilities are restoring their output "more slowly than [Apple] had anticipated." If it's hard to find an iPhone 11 in the near future, you'll know why.
Overwatch League moves matches to South Korea after coronavirus outbreak
The current coronavirus outbreak (aka COVID-19) is affecting the esports world as much as other industries. The Overwatch League is moving cancelled homestand matches at Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai to Seoul, South Korea during weeks 6 and 7 of the competition, with some possibly being attached to Seoul Dynasty's home event in week 5. The league had scrubbed its February and March matches in China to "protect the health and safety" of fans, competitors and organizers.
How AI is stopping the next great flu before it starts
Immune systems across the globe have been working overtime this winter as a devastating flu season has taken hold. More than 180,000 Americans have been hospitalized and 10,000 more have died in recent months, according to the CDC, while the coronavirus (now officially designated COVID-19) has spread across the globe at an alarming rate. Fears of a growing worldwide flu outbreak have even prompted the precautionary cancelling of MWC 2020 -- barely a week before it was slated to open in Barcelona. But in the near future, AI-augmented drug development could help produce vaccines and treatments fast enough to halt the spread of deadly viruses before they mutate into global pandemics.
