Google unveils the Pixel 2, a debate on net neutrality is flooded by bots, and Amazon faces a hefty bill in Europe.
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Trending on Twitter, Google unveiled its Pixel 2 smartphone. Just like last year there’s two models, the Pixel 2 with a 5-inch screen, and Pixel 2 XL with 6-inch screen. Google has not included a headphone jack on either. The camera is 12.2 megapixels and features both optical and electronic image stabilization. It will also feature new AI features from Google Lens. This will search the web for similar images to deliver relevant information about it. The device is now water resistant. You can get 7 hours of battery life off a 15-minute charge. The fingerprint sensor is faster and more accurate for unlocking. Finally, if you want to summon Google Assistant, just squeeze your Pixel 2 for realtime help.
On Reddit, bots were used to flood the U.S. Federal Communications Commission with comments against net neutrality. The FCC online consultation received 22 million comments, but only 3.8 million of those were unique, according to analysis by a data analytics company. The rest were automated comments sent by bots. All of them against net neturality. In fact, just one comment was sent 1.2 million times. First there was fake news. I guess now there’s fake comments.
On Facebook, Amazon is being accused of evading $300 million in taxes in the European Union. The competition commissioner issued a recovery order, saying the ecommerce giant avoided paying taxes in the region by routing its finances through Luxembourg. Amazon says it plans to appeal the ruling, arguing it followed international tax law and received no special treatment.