It’s been proven by countless scientific experiments that, all in all, as we get older, we don’t really change. Yes, our bodies go through physical changes and I’ll spare you the anatomy lesson because it would just get weird, but I’m talking about who we are as people. Our interests and hobbies, preferred foods, and living spaces may change over time, but at our core, we will always be that what we’ve always been. I bring this up not to frustrate any of you who are trying to make serious life changes, but more so to comfort those of us terrified us getting older and losing sight of who we are in that time. All is not lost, and you will retain all of your favorite attributes, so long as you remain true to who you are and never change for someone else.
Stepping down from my soapbox for the time being, here’s what you missed in the news yesterday.
Facebook’s Got Teen Spies
According to a TechCrunch report released this week, Facebook has been paying users agers 13 to 35 up to $20 per month plus referral fees in exchange for installing the iOS or Android “Facebook Research” app. While this may seem like a great way for a pretty wide age demographic to make some extra cheddar, “Facebook Research” is a VPN that the social media giant uses to siphon and analyze user phone activity to gather data on usage habits. Facebook admitted to TechCrunch that they’ve been paying “spy teens” since 2016 for their data activity, including going so far as to ask users to “screenshot their Amazon order history page.”
Immediately following the release of the TechCrunch report, Facebook (FB) informed several media sources that it would shut down its iOS version of its Research app, but Apple made sure to get in a few words before Facebook covered their tracks.
“We designed our Enterprise Developer Program solely for the internal distribution of apps within an organization. Facebook has been using their membership to distribute a data-collecting app to consumers, which is a clear breach of their agreement with Apple. Any developer using their enterprise certificates to distribute apps to consumers will have their certificates revoked, which is what we did int his case to protect our users and their data.”
–Apple spokesperson regarding Facebook Research app
Now, to be clear, the Company isn’t scrapping the Wisconsin project. Woo told Reuters that Foxconn determined a US plant will never be able to compete with lower-cost flat panel plants made more cheaply in other countries, but Foxconn wishes to create a “technology hub” in Wisconsin.
Fox-gone With The Wind
According to an interview with Reuters, Louis Woo, a special assistant to Terry Gou, CEO of Foxconn, informed the media outlet that Foxconn is now reconsidering its original plans to build a Wisconsin-based LCD screen facility, and continued to explain that the Company will hire “mostly engineers and researchers rather than the manufacturing workforce” originally brought up by Gou.
“We remain committed to the Wisconsin Valley Science and Technology Park project, the creation of 13,000 jobs, and to our long-term investment in Wisconsin. The global market environment that existed when the project was first announced has changed. As our plans are driven by those of our customers, this has necessitated the adjustment of plans for all projects, including Wisconsin. While the project’s focus will be adjusted to meet these new realities, the Wisconsin project remains a priority for our company.”
–official statement from Foxconn
