Newsletter Archives

• Will the last tech worker who is fired please turn off the server

  Posted on December 19, 2022 at 02:44 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  A wave of layoffs by the world’s largest technology companies is causing widespread fears. People are afraid that the growth spurt in online commerce that occurred during the coronavirus pandemic may be over — and opportunities for tech employment may never be the same again.

  Firings and separations are certainly ripping through the Internet at a rapid pace. But the impact of all this downsizing may not be exactly what you might expect.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.51.0, 2022-12-19).

  Public Defender Amazon, Facebook, Financial, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, Newsletters, Tesla, Twitter

• Will PayPal fine you $2500 for trading artistic nudes?

  Posted on November 21, 2022 at 02:43 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  PayPal, the giant online payment-processing service based in San Jose, California, put itself in hot water last month by releasing, and then disavowing, a document that threatened to deduct $2500 or more from PayPal users’ financial accounts if any of their transactions “appear to depict nudity” or “promote misinformation.”

  Setting aside that vague and confusing language for a moment, PayPal’s checkered history with regulators is worth recalling. For instance, the company was recently subjected to a number of actions.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.47.0, 2022-11-21).

  Public Defender Financial, Newsletters, PayPal, safety, Terms of Service