Mozilla is supporting Apple’s opt-in permission initiative, Walmart’s driverless trucks are coming to Arkansas, and Google doubles down on work from home initiatives.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Wednesday, December 16, and I’m your host Baneet Braich.
It’s being called a huge win for consumers. Starting early next year, iOS 14 will require apps to get opt-in permission from users to collect their random advertising identifier. Advertisers use that to deliver personalized ads and track how effective their campaigns are. Firefox maker Mozilla is supporting this and is going to launch a new page where it urges people to support Apple’s decision, so it does not delay further. While Apple is vouching for user privacy, other giants are not so happy. Facebook is still unhappy about the change, and other companies in France have even filed an antitrust complaint. Changes will likely be seen in early 2021.
====
Don’t be surprised if your Walmart groceries are delivered to you in a driverless truck in the future. Walmart is working with Gatik, a startup making autonomous delivery trucks. Gatik is also based in Palo Alto and Toronto. The driver- less trucks are expected to be starting in 2021 in Arkansas according to the Verge, where trucks will be fully autonomous. The trucks will pick up items from a “live” Walmart Supercenter to a designated pickup location for customers to pick up their orders.
====
LinkedIn is buzzing about Google’s decision to make remote work a more permanent part of their work culture. According to the Verge, an email from Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees Sunday about plans to test a flexible workweek once conditions are safe for people to return. This means employees would work three days in the office and the rest of the week at home under the new plan. Do you think that’s the new standard moving forward for most enterprises? Let us know on social media or comment on the podcast show notes!
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.