10 things in tech you need to know today

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Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Friday.

1. Amazon employees say they used data from third-party sellers to inform their production of competing products, according to the Wall Street Journal. Amazon has consistently denied it engages in the practice of collecting data from third-party sellers, even in response to criticism from politicians and investigations from antitrust regulators.
   
2. Facebook allowed advertisers to target users interested in 'pseudoscience,' allowing them to capitalize on conspiracy theories that falsely blame 5G cell towers for the coronavirus, according to The Markup. The social media giant says it's since removed the ability for advertisers to target "pseudoscience," but not before it was tagged as an interest for more than 78 million users.
3. Over 30 workers at an Amazon warehouse in Carteret, New Jersey, have contracted COVID-19, according to sources at the facility.  On Wednesday, workers at the Amazon fulfillment center in Carteret, New Jersey — just across the strait from Staten Island — received a text message informing them of "additional confirmed cases of COVID-19."
4. The FCC has voted to open a chunk of spectrum for faster WiFi later this year as wireless networks experience increased strain. Some have called the move risky and mention the risk of interference, Reuters reports.
5. Amazon tech workers are planning to call in sick on Friday to protest the company's firing of 2 long-time, outspoken employees. The workers, who have been lobbying for climate policies and better conditions for warehouse workers, are organizing another protest.
6. Google is slashing its marketing budget by about 50% for the second half of 2020, with hiring freezes already underway in some departments. One source told Business Insider the company has also started informing some interviewees in line for jobs that their roles have been cut.
7. 'US police are facing backlash for using 'dystopian' drones to ask people to stay home. Some US police departments have started using drones to tell people to social distance and to distribute coronavirus updates.
8. IBM is testing an opt-in mobile app to track the location of its employees in India to help curb the spread of COVID-19. IBM's tool will notify employees who came near a coworker reporting symptoms and will only store data for 16 days to protect employees' privacy.
9. Slack has delayed the reopening of its offices until September, but has committed to continuing to pay contractors and hourly workers their regular wages. Slack was originally planning on reopening on June 1, but a company executive says that extending its remote work period was just the right thing to do.
10. Tesla has added the chief investment officer of Japan's $1.5 trillion government pension fund to its board of directors. The former investment banker's appointment to Tesla's board could mark an end to a tumultuous year-and-a-half for Elon Musk's board.

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