I read the article, “Ford Joins Tesla and GM in Helping with Ventilator and Mask Supply”, by Sean O’Kane, and it was honestly heartwarming. Since most productions have ended due to the virus and causing people to be unemployed, these major tech companies are giving a helping hand to the medical community. By using their facilities to create ventilators and masks, more lives are going to be saved during this pandemic. Ford and 3M are coming together to use parts that would be used for their own products, to produce ventilators as quickly as possible, like using fans that would originally be used under car seats, and power tools made by 3M (O’Kane 2020). These companies are working at clock speed to help produce much needed supplies for this outbreak. Tesla handed 1,000 ventilators to California and also supplied masks to the University of Washington’s Medical Center (O’Kane 2020). This makes me happy to see that these companies are coming together to help the country during this horrific time. I hope to see more companies doing this as well, because there can never be enough help!

O’Kane, Sean. “Ford Joins Tesla and GM in Helping with Ventilator and Mask Supply.” The Verge, The Verge, 24 Mar. 2020, www.theverge.com/2020/3/24/21192282/ford-tesla-gm-elon-musk-coronavirus-masks-ventilators-pandemic.

I came across this article, “Zoom Updates iOS App to Remove Code That Sent Device Data to Facebook”, by Kim Lyons. Almost every university it seems like has been using Zoom as their main way to connect to the students and hold classes. Of course with all of this usage on Zoom, it is a way for third party companies to gather up some data about us. Apparently, even if you do not have a Facebook account, Zoom has been sending your data to Facebook. Even though it was not personal data, it was data about your device and its usage, and even location. The CEO of Zoom, Eric S. Yuan,has apologized and ensured that he cares about the privacy of the users and has since changed the code so this will not happen anymore (Lyons 2020). I am happy they have made this change because I am sick and tired of people taking my data, we should be getting paid for our data!

Lyons, Kim. “Zoom Updates IOS App to Remove Code That Sent Device Data to Facebook.” The Verge, The Verge, 28 Mar. 2020, www.theverge.com/2020/3/28/21197967/zoom-ios-app-code-tracking-facebook.

According to the article, “IST Gym Transitioning to ‘Virtual Training’ of Athletes”, by Sam Ali, the spread of COVID-19 has resulted in the closing of many businesses, such as gyms and fitness centers. The article talks about how in Duluth, Minnesota, they have decided to close the gyms due to the coronavirus outbreak. This is the most prudent thing to do, because the gym is definitely a place for COVID-19 to hang out. Since it is important for athletes to get in their daily workout, the instructors decided to transition to virtual training via the athletes phone. This allows the athlete to workout anywhere in their home, and does not require equipment. This ensures that the students are still getting a decent workout because they still have motivation through their phone screen. Technology is playing a big role in keeping people connected and inform during this difficult time. Quarantine definitely reduces the amount of physical activity anybody usually would get, so a virtual workout system is going to be very beneficial for those who need some type of physical activity on a daily basis. I personally would use this because it is hard to motivate yourself in the comfort of your own home.

Ali, Sam. “IST Gym Transitioning to ‘Virtual Training’ of Athletes.” Fox21Online, 18 Mar. 2020, www.fox21online.com/2020/03/17/ist-gym-transitioning-to-virtual-training-of-athletes/.

It is not uncommon nowadays for schools to provide laptops or tablets to their students. This is for many reasons, one being that it is more sustainable. It also gives all students access to the internet which is important because not everyone can afford to buy their child electronics. The article I read in New York Times, “New Mexico Sues Google Over Children’s Privacy Violations” by Natasha Singer and Daisuke Wakabayashi caught my eye; the high school that I had attended gave all students their own Google Chromebook that they can keep for the entire school year, and we even could take them home. The article discusses how Google has been spying on students, by collecting their personal information such as voice recordings, sites visited, videos they have watched on YouTube, and even their location (Singer and Wakabayashi 2020). This frightens me because it has me wondering if they are doing the same thing to my little brother who uses his Chromebook not just for school purposes, but also recreationally. This is a total violation of ethics, taking peoples data for the benefit of your company without consent or notification. Google basically is taking advantage of these children by collecting their data and not asking for any sort of permission from legal guardians or the school distributing its products to the students (Singer and Wakabayashi 2020). Thankfully New Mexico has caught on to this immoral and quite illegal act. This statement from the article is what I find the most disturbing, “The lawsuit also said Google deceived schools, parents, teachers and students by telling them that were no privacy concerns with its education products when, in fact, the company had amassed a trove of potentially sensitive details on students’ online activities and locations” (Singer and Wakabayashi 2020). They literally lied about the entire thing, and since they are a huge company, it is crucial that they do not get away with this via a slap on the wrist. The article also brings up that in 2015 Google signed a voluntary industry pledge that they will not collect student data unless it is required for educational purposes, and the law suit states that those promises from Google were broken (Singer and Wakabayashi 2020). I hope that this lawsuit turns in favor of not just New Mexico, but all of the school systems that have been giving Google business. They should all be compensated for this total violation of privacy.

Singer, Natasha, and Daisuke Wakabayashi. “New Mexico Sues Google Over Children’s Privacy Violations.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Feb. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/technology/new-mexico-google-lawsuit.html.