Mar 6, 2020

More COVID-19 events fallout, voting tech issues, and more make this week's headlines

Updated: Apr 1, 2021

This week's headlines include the latest events cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns, Super Tuesday issues with voting machines, the Robinhood app outage, and more.

CNBC: HIMSS cancels annual health IT conference

By: Jaimy Lee

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) said Thursday it has canceled its annual conference in Orlando over COVID-19 worries.

Forbes: COVID-19, Shortage Gaming, And The Toilet Paper Supply Chain

By: Willy Shih

Apparently retail shortages have hit Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore, as well as Australia. This “shortage gaming” in paper products driven by fear of the spreading COVID-19 outbreak, as well as other commodities like disinfectants and cleaners, is a nightmare for product managers, supply chain managers, and manufacturers.

SC Magazine: L.A. voting machines struggle to link to voter registration database, lines stretch long on Super Tuesday

By: Teri Robinson

Even after a $280 million investment in modernizing its elections, including new high-tech voting machines as part of the Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) initiative, Los Angeles on Super Tuesday still saw long lines of voters after some voting systems had difficulty connecting to the California voter database and other technical glitches arose.

CNBC: Trading app Robinhood experiences ‘major outage’ for a second day amid heavy volume market action

By: Kate Rooney

Robinhood on Tuesday reported technical issues for a second day following an outage that kept clients from trading on a historic market rally.

New York Times: Before Clearview Became a Police Tool, It Was a Secret Plaything of the Rich

By: Kashmir Hill

Investors and clients of the facial recognition start-up freely used the app on dates and at parties — and to spy on the public.

Wall Street Journal: Battle Brews in Europe Over Connected-Car Data

By: Catherine Stupp

European auto makers and other companies that develop connected-car technology disagree over how much access they deserve to have to data generated by connected vehicles.

Inverse: How a hacker can surf into your phone silently

By: Sarah Wells

Cellphones are our constant companions -- they go with us where we travel, work and sleep. But these trusty sidekicks may be selling out secrets by communicating with nefarious devices using soundwaves too high for us to hear.

ZDNet: These are the first passwords hackers will try when attacking your device

By: Steve Ranger

More evidence that using weak or default passwords is a bad idea: they really are the first thing hackers try out when attempting to take over a device.

AdWeek: Why Pluto TV Picked Late Night For Its First-Ever Linear Ad Campaign

By: Kelsey Sutton

Pluto TV is betting fans of late night will be fans of their free ad-supported streaming service.

PR Daily: Trust inequality at an all-time high

By: Ted Kitterman

Trust inequality is at a new high, according to the Edelman’s 2020 Barometer, with a trust gap as expansive as 20 points in some developed markets.