Voting with their dollars: Hundreds of companies have pulled their advertising from Facebook because of the social media giant’s lax policing of misinformation and hate speech, CNN reports. Still, most of the company’s biggest advertisers haven’t joined the boycott, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly predicted “these advertisers will be back on the platform soon enough.”
Driving as a service: German car maker BMW is exploring ways to offer common features, like heated seats and cruise control, in a subscription-based, as-a-service model, The Independent reports. The Next Web called the subscription model “anti-consumer rubbish.” Video game maker Brianna Wu also tweeted her disappointment: “Sorry, but if this catches on, I will never buy another new car. Never.”
Networked threats: The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has designated Chinese networking companies Huawei and ZTE as national security threats, Al Jazeera says. This follows long-term concerns about the companies’ relationship with the Chinese Communist Party and the possibility of surveillance through their equipment. The FCC has proposed that rural telecom carriers be required to replace equipment from the two vendors.
Paying for speed: The Japanese government plans to subsidize local 5G companies as a way to catch up with Chinese companies, Japan Times reports. Companies such as NEC and Fujitsu are likely to receive funds to develop devices to be used at base stations for high-speed, next-generation networks.
Eye in the sky: The Saudi Arabian construction industry will turn to drones to restart business after the COVID-19 pandemic, Arabian Business says. Drones will increasingly be used to monitor construction project and look for problems, according to one drone vendor.
Sounds delicious: Israeli startup Redefine Meat says it has developed a plant-based steak using 3D printers, No Camels reports. The company will start testing the faux beef, called Alt-Steak, at some high-end restaurants in Israel later this year. Redefine Meat then plans to increase production of its 3D meat printers before wider market distribution in 2021.
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