TNB Tech Minute: Thousands of Amazon Workers Strike
WSJ Tech News BriefingDecember 19, 202400:02:39

TNB Tech Minute: Thousands of Amazon Workers Strike

Plus, Apple says its rivals may try to abuse European regulations to gain access to key iPhone software tools. And the FAA temporarily bans civilian drone flights in some parts of New Jersey. Danny Lewis hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus, Apple says its rivals may try to abuse European regulations to gain access to key iPhone software tools. And the FAA temporarily bans civilian drone flights in some parts of New Jersey. Danny Lewis hosts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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[00:00:31] Here's your TNB Tech Minute for Thursday, December 19th. I'm Danny Lewis for The Wall Street Journal.

[00:00:38] Thousands of Amazon workers across the U.S. are on strike during the pre-Christmas rush over contract negotiations and the company's refusal to recognize the Teamsters labor union.

[00:00:48] The union says it represents nearly 10,000 Amazon workers and has set up picket lines outside hundreds of Amazon fulfillment centers,

[00:00:55] including in New York City, Atlanta, and Skokie, Illinois. Amazon called the strike an illegal public relations play and said it wasn't expected to affect operations.

[00:01:06] Apple says it is concerned that companies, including Meta, might attempt to abuse the European Union's new regulations on tech companies in order to gain access to key software tools on iPhones.

[00:01:16] The EU's regulator proposed that Apple features like iOS notifications and AirDrop file transfers be open to third-party developers.

[00:01:25] But Apple said it is worried about iPhone users' safety if it opens up its operating system, and that Meta has made more requests than any other company to access Apple's technology in ways that would reduce protections around personal data.

[00:01:37] In a social media post on X, a Meta spokesman said Apple's complaints have no basis in reality.

[00:01:44] And the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a month-long ban on flying drones in parts of New Jersey for security reasons.

[00:01:52] That's after a string of unexplained drone sightings in the Garden State.

[00:01:56] The FAA says at the request of federal security officials, unmanned aircraft aren't allowed to fly over critical infrastructure over much of the state until January 17th.

[00:02:06] Anyone flying drones in restricted areas during that time could be charged with a crime, though it doesn't apply to drones on national defense, law enforcement, firefighting missions, or drones with a federal waiver to fly.

[00:02:19] For a deeper dive into what's happening in tech, check out Friday's Tech News Briefing podcast.