saudi arabia
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Amazon to pay $1.9 million to settle claims of human rights abuses of contract workers
Amazon will pay out $1.9 million to settle claims that migrant workers suffered human rights abuses due to exploitative labor contracts in Saudi Arabia. This follows an Amnesty International report that painted a grim picture for these laborers.
Ex-Twitter employee sentenced over spying for Saudi Arabia
A former Twitter employee was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison this week after his August conviction of spying for Saudi Arabia.
Former Twitter worker convicted of helping Saudi Arabia spy on dissidents
A former Twitter staffer has been convicted for helping Saudi Arabia spy on dissidents.
This is what Saudi Arabia's 100-mile long emission-free smart city could look like
The Line is part of Saudi's controversial Neom mega-city project.
Lucid will sell up to 100,000 EVs to the Saudi government
Luxury EV maker Lucid Group has struck a deal to sell the government of Saudi Arabia up to 100,000 vehicles over the next ten years.
Saudi Arabia won't reach net zero emissions until 2060
Saudi Arabia now expects to reach net zero emissions by 2060 — an improvement, but significantly behind some countries.
Extreme E's first qualifying round ends with Nico Rosberg's team out front
The off-road electric racing series started its first weekend with some big crashes, and Nico Rosberg's team in P1 after the first qualifying round.
Saudi Arabia has invested billions in Activision, EA and Take-Two
Mohammad bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s controversial Crown Prince, has pushed his country to acquire stakes in three major game video game publishers.
Saudi Arabia is planning a 100-mile line of car-free smart communities
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is promising to build a network of smart cities that won’t have any cars or roads. It’s called The Line, due to its arrangement of ”hyper-connected future communities,” and will form part of NEOM, a $500 billion project announced in October 2017. According to the prince, the development will offer “ultra-high-speed transit,” autonomous vehicles and an urban layout that ensures basic facilities, such as schools and medical clinics, are never more than a five-minute walk away.
Twitter suspends 1,600 accounts linked to state disinformation networks
It blocked accounts allegedly run by Iran, Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Thailand.
Riot ends Saudi Arabian esports deal following backlash
One of the biggest esports leagues in Europe has quickly reversed its decision to enter a sponsorship agreement with Neom, a divisive smart city project in Saudi Arabia, following widespread backlash from its own commentators and fans. Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends and the owner of the professional LEC championship in Europe, confirmed the decision in a blog post. “After further reflection, while we remain steadfastly committed to all of our players and fans worldwide including those living in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, the LEC has ended its partnership with Neom, effective immediately,” Alberto Guerrero, Riot Games’ Director of Esports for the EMEA region said.
Saudi Arabia may be spying on its citizens via US mobile networks
Data shared by a whistleblower suggests Saudi Arabia may be using a weakness in mobile telecom networks to track its citizens in the US, The Guardian reports. The data shows that over a four-month period, Saudi Arabia's three biggest mobile phone companies sent 2.3 million requests for Provider Subscriber Information (PSI). Normally, that data is used to help foreign operators register roaming charges, but the high volume of requests could also give the Saudi telecoms enough info to track users within hundreds of meters of accuracy.
Engadget Podcast: Sonos and the inevitable death of connected gadgets
Sonos announced that it's ceasing updates for several older devices this week, and its loyal customers aren't taking very kindly to that. This week, Devindra, Cherlynn and Deputy Managing Editor Nathan Ingraham dive into Sonos' plans, and what it says about the future of every connected device. (How's that Pebble treating you?) Also, they discuss how Saudi Arabia allegedly hacked Jeff Bezos's phone via WhatsApp. Yes, it's as crazy as it sounds. Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News! Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Play Music Links Sonos will stop updating its 'legacy' products in May Sonos gives a lame reason for bricking older devices in 'Recycle Mode' Guardian: Saudi prince's account used to hack Jeff Bezos via WhatsApp Sonos CEO: 'Legacy' devices will still work after May Credits Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn Low Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
UN calls for investigation into alleged Saudi hacking of Jeff Bezos
The United Nations is joining the chorus of those concerned about allegations Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved in hacking Jeff Bezos' phone. UN experts have issued a statement calling for an "immediate investigation" into claims the Crown Prince's account was used for a WhatsApp hack as well as his reported "continuous, multi-year, direct and personal" role in efforts to target opponents. These allegations are particularly "relevant" in light of looks into the Saudi royal's role in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the UN experts said.
Guardian: Saudi prince’s account used to hack Jeff Bezos via WhatsApp
Amazon spends millions of dollars each year physically protecting CEO Jeff Bezos, but his personal data remained all too vulnerable. According to a bombshell report published in The Guardian this afternoon, Bezos was the victim of a hacking operation conducted via WhatsApp that potentially involved Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Twitter shares data for 5,929 accounts that spread Saudi Arabian propaganda
Twitter isn't exactly fond of Saudi Arabia's alleged attempts to manipulate its platform, and that became particularly clear today. The social media company has shared details of 5,929 now-banned accounts that it says were part of a state-backed effort to promote the Saudi government's message. The accounts used "inauthentic" and "coordinated" activity to spread the word, including replying, retweeting and liking pro-Saudi messages. Many of the accounts used automation to "mask the overall platform manipulation," Twitter said, peppering the accounts with non-political material to hide their real intent.
Former Twitter employees charged with spying for Saudi Arabia
Federal law enforcement is taking action against former Twitter workers who allegedly spied for Saudi Arabia. The Justice Department has charged Ali Alzabarah (the one whose activities first surfaced) and Ahmad Abouammo with using their combined access to monitor Twitter accounts on behalf of the Saudi government. Abouammmo, an American citizen, reportedly snooped on three accounts that included one revealing inner details of Saudi leadership. Alzabarah, a Saudi citizen, is alleged to have obtained personal info for more than 6,000 accounts, including that of high-profile dissident (and Jamal Khashoggi ally) Omar Abdulaziz.
Twitter bans thousands of state-backed accounts spreading misinformation
Twitter has suspended thousands of accounts linked with state-backed misinformation campaigns. In a transparency report shared today, Twitter says it removed 4,248 accounts from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 273 accounts from the UAE and Egypt, 1,019 accounts based in Ecuador, 265 accounts from Spain and six accounts from Saudi Arabia. It also released more data on 4,301 of the 200,000 accounts from China and Hong Kong that were suspended for stoking unrest around the Hong Kong protests.
Twitter bots pushed 'Russiagate hoax' following the Mueller report
As much as Twitter has done to keep bots from manipulating users, it still has work to do. NBC News and disinformation campaign researcher Clint Watts have learned that a network of over 5,000 Trump-supporting Twitter bots echoed an attack on the alleged "Russiagate hoax" following the release of the Mueller report in mid-April. They'd been created between November and December of 2018, but were only taken down on April 21st for violating Twitter rules forbidding "platform manipulation."
Uber lets female drivers only drive other women in Saudi Arabia
Uber has launched a feature in Saudi Arabia that lets female drivers select a preference for female-only riders. What began as a pilot program in September -- after feedback showed that 74 percent of Saudi women Uber drivers were only interested in driving women -- is now officially rolling out in the country. Uber said it currently has no plans on expanding the feature globally. Nor is there word on plans to offer women riders a similar driver preference. There have been countless reports of female users and drivers of both Uber and Lyft suffering abuse and harassment.
