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Organizing against your employer is hard, but Google workers have taken up the charge for years. After embracing dissenting views and outspokenness from its employees for so long, it seems as though Google may be growing tired of internal protests. Recently, Google updated its guidelines to warn employees against holding political debates and improperly disclosing company information. A section of the new guidelines say: “While sharing information and ideas with colleagues helps build community, disrupting the workday to have a raging debate over politics or the latest news story does not. Our primary responsibility is to do the work we’ve each been hired to do, not to spend working time on debates about non-work topics.” The guidelines also urged employees to respect their fellow “Googlers.” “Don’t troll, name call, or engage in ad hominem attacks,” the new guidelines went on to add. “Be respectful in your comments about (and to) your fellow Googlers.” These new guidelines come...
Over the past year, the general public has become increasingly aware of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) human rights abuses. From children dying within detention facilities that are akin to concentration camps to Muslim detainees only being given pork to eat — the stories coming out have encouraged increased action. Tech workers, in particular, have begun turning critical eyes on their own companies. Today, Googlers for Human Rights called upon Google to publicly commit to not supporting Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) or ICE until they cease engaging in human rights abuses. That includes not offering infrastructure, funding, or engineering resources, whether directly or indirectly. In a petition on Medium, the organizers wrote: “In working with CBP, ICE, or ORR, Google would be trading its integrity for a bit of profit, and joining a shameful lineage. We have only to look to IBM’s role working with the Nazis during the Holocaust...
Both Apple and Google are being called upon to remove a Saudi app that allows men to track their female relatives’ movements and potentially restrict their travel. The app, Absher, partially functions as an e-services portal allowing people to request passports, birth certificates, vehicle registration, and other forms of documentation. However, the app’s description on both Google Play and iTunes says, “you can safely browse your profile or your family members, or labors working for you, and perform a wide range of eServices online.” In Saudi Arabia, women live under a “guardianship” system , and as a part of it, they are the legal dependent of a man. This has led to women’s travel being restricted within the country, which the app has the potential to further exacerbate. Business Insider reported the app allows men to “specify when and how women can cross Saudi borders, and get close to real-time SMS updates when they travel.” The Washington Post reported Amnesty International...
The Wing, the popular co-working space dedicated to women, has changed it’s membership rules to include all genders, Business Insider Reported. In September, The Wing was sued for gender discrimination by 53-year old, James E. Pietrangelo, after he was allegedly told that his application into the co-working space would be denied “because he is a man.” Pietrangelo is suing The Wing for possibly up to $12 million. The lawsuit is still ongoing; however, the company’s lawyers have responded to Pietrangelo’s claims stating that he is not committed to The Wing’s mission. The company submitted Pietrangelo’s application responses in a subsequent filing where he stated, “I have always supported and advocated for the equality of all people” when asked how he has promoted and supported the advancement of women. In March 2018, the New York Human Rights Commission began an investigation into The Wing , citing possible discriminatory membership practices. The investigation is still ongoing. The...