Articles by Hyunjoo Jin and Paresh Dave

Self-Driving Car Firms Seek to Charge for Rides in San Francisco: Reuters

Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo and rival Cruise have applied for permits needed to start charging for rides and delivery using autonomous vehicles in San Francisco, state documents reviewed by Reuters showed, setting the stage for the biggest tests yet of their …

‘Vaccine Passport’ Apps Gaining Traction in Airports, Live Events

Over 60 U.S. stadiums and other venues are deploying an app from Clear to verify people’s COVID-19 status, placing the New York company known for its airport security fast lanes at the forefront of a national debate over “vaccine passports.” …

EEOC Probes Facebook for ‘Systemic’ Racial Bias in Employment Practices: Reuters

A U.S. agency investigating Facebook Inc. for racial bias in hiring and promotions has designated the probe as “systemic,” attorneys for three job applicants and a manager who claim the company discriminated against them told Reuters on Friday. A “systemic” …

Lawmakers Sought to Ban Facial Software Being Used to ID Capitol Attackers

U.S. lawmakers are moving ahead with efforts to ban facial recognition software even as the technology helps identify supporters of President Donald Trump who ransacked their workplace and forced them to evacuate this month. Researchers and law enforcement have been …

Google Adds Extra Scrutiny of Its Scientists’ Research on ‘Sensitive Topics’

Alphabet Inc.’s Google this year moved to tighten control over its scientists’ papers by launching a “sensitive topics” review, and in at least three cases requested authors refrain from casting its technology in a negative light, according to internal communications …

Fired Employees Accuse Google of Labor Violations Over Handling of Protests

The National Labor Relations Board will file a complaint accusing Alphabet Inc.’s Google of unlawfully monitoring and questioning workers, who were fired for protesting against company policies and trying to organize a union, the former employees said in a statement …

States Prepare Second Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google for December

A bipartisan group of U.S. states plans to file an antitrust lawsuit against Google as early as next month, according to two people briefed on the matter, potentially beating a more widely anticipated lawsuit from a different group of states …

Health Officials Hope New Coronavirus Contact Tracing Apps Attract More Users

A new wave of mobile apps that help track exposure to the coronavirus is coming to U.S. states ahead of the holidays as public health officials bet that recently introduced features from Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google will significantly …

Alphabet Settles Suit Over Executives’ Exit Pay, Coverups Linked to Sexual Misconduct

Alphabet Inc. on Friday settled a shareholder lawsuit that accused the Google parent of covering up lavish exit packages to executives found responsible for sexual misconduct, saying it would overhaul workplace policies and increase oversight of its diversity efforts. The …

Google Turns Android Phones Into Earthquake Sensors

Alphabet Inc’s Google’s Android phones on Tuesday started detecting earthquakes around the world to provide data that could eventually give billions of users precious seconds of warning of a tremor nearby, with an alerting feature first rolling out in California. …