Amazon says more than 19,000 of its frontline workers contracted COVID-19 this year, a few states have warmed up to the Apple-Google framework for contact tracing apps, and some tips on how to track your digital tattoo.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Monday, October 5, and I’m your host Alex Coop.
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Amazon Says More Than 19,000 Workers Got COVID-19 from technology
A recently released report from Amazon says more than 19,000 of its frontline workers have contracted the novel coronavirus this year. The report’s release comes months after pressure from labour groups and politicians, harping on Amazon’s lack of effort when it comes to protecting its workers from getting sick. It was a little surprising to discover that the 19,000 figure represents only 1.44 per cent of the company’s total workforce. Amazon and Whole Foods have a combined total of 1.37 million frontline workers.
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States are finally starting to use the Covid-tracking tech Apple and Google built — here’s why from technology
The foundational contact tracing framework built by Apple and Google is slowly gaining traction in the U.S. Last week, New York and New Jersey both released Covid-19 apps, bringing the total number of states that have published alert apps using this tech to 10. According to CNBC, 70 million people, roughly 21 per cent of the U.S. population, now has access to a COVID-19 app.
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And lastly, there’s a lot of chatter on LinkedIn about your online trail, also known as your “digital tattoo.” For job seekers, it’s important to know what your trail of digital bread crumbs contains. A person’s odds of getting a callback or a job may depend on what potential employers see when they search you online. Chelsea Jay, a resume writer and career coach, says a person’s search results are called a “digital tattoo,” because they’ll either love it or regret it down the road. Here are three tips:
- Regularly search what search engines show about you
- Find the source of unflattering results and ask that it be taken down
- Be mindful when commenting online and the content you’re creating [LinkedIn thread]
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.