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A new survey of Americans’ feelings towards companies working with the Chinese government highlights the pressure Apple faces, on the same day CEO Tim Cook is due to appear with President Biden during an announcement regarding an investment in chip manufacturing in Arizona.
In other news, Meta’s oversight board criticized the company’s use of a “cross-check” program for some high-profile users and called for an overhaul that emphasizes transparency.
This is Hillicon Valley, we are Rebecca Klar and Ines Kagubare. Let’s go.
Poll: Americans are less likely to do business with companies working with China
A new poll finds a majority of Americans say they are less likely to do business with big companies working with the Chinese government amid a crackdown on citizen protests, further underscoring the pressure the tech giant faces. Apple technology.
The poll commissioned by the conservative advocacy group Convention of States Action in partnership with the Trafalgar Group found that 77% of Americans surveyed said they were less likely to do business with large companies working with the “Chinese Communist Party for censor citizen protests in China”. according to poll results obtained exclusively by The Hill.
The poll does not specifically name Apple, but the results released on Tuesday come as the Silicon Valley giant is reportedly accelerating plans to move some of its production out of China after mounting pressure over reported uprisings at an Apple factory in Zhengzhou. The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that Apple had asked suppliers to plan more activities to bring Apple products to other parts of Asia.
- The sentiment of the Convention of States Action survey was shared by 71% of Democrats and 84% of Republicans, according to the poll.
- The poll surveyed 1,085 Americans between Nov. 30 and Dec. 3. The margin of error is 2.9%. The participants were overwhelmingly white, at 71%, and more than half were 45 and older.
The background: Apple has come under fire for a move in China to limit an AirDrop feature that allowed protesters to share photos and circumvent censorship tactics. The update, which initially only applied to phones sold in mainland China and came weeks before the protests began, is expected to roll out to other countries next year, Bloomberg reported.
The moment : The poll was released the same day Apple CEO Tim Cook is due to attend an event with President Biden in Arizona where the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is expected to announce it will increase its investment in the state. from $12 billion to $40 billion. Taiwan-based TSMC is the world’s largest contact chip maker and a major supplier to Apple.
TSMC is also expected to announce that it will build a second factory in Arizona that will produce 3-nanometer chips by 2026.
The latest investment comes as Biden aims to boost the domestic semiconductor industry to compete with China’s chip market. In August, the president signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act to boost the industry.
The board of directors denounces the “cross-checking” of Meta
The Meta Oversight Board is urging the owner of Facebook and Instagram to revise its “cross-checking” program that delays enforcement of content moderation measures for politicians, celebrities and other high profile users.
The program allows posts that would otherwise be ‘quickly deleted’ to remain posted and potentially cause harm based on a system that appears ‘structured to address business concerns’, the council said in a 57-page notice. published on Tuesday.
The board, made up of scholars, experts and civic leaders, is calling on Facebook’s parent company Meta to make the program more transparent and prioritize expression that matters to human rights. ‘man.
The recommendation follows a review about 13 months after the program was revealed as part of a Wall Street Journal report that included disclosures from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.
Meta’s response: Meta said in an updated blog post that it would review the council’s recommendations and respond within 90 days.
Learn more here.
MORE TIKTOK CONCERNS
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines is warning parents of risks to the privacy of their children’s data on the social media platform TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance.
In an interview with NBC’s Andrea Mitchell at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Haines said it was “amazing” how adept the Chinese government is at “collecting foreign data.”
“And their ability to then turn around and use it, to target audiences for information campaigns but also to have it for the future to use it for a variety of ways,” she said. declared.
When Mitchell asked if parents should be worried, Haines replied, “I think you should be.”
Learn more here.
APPLE ILLEGALLY INTERFERED IN UNION EFFORTS: LABOR BOARD
Apple illegally interfered with organizing efforts at an Atlanta store by holding mandatory meetings to discourage union membership, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has found.
The NLRB also found merit in allegations that the Apple store in Atlanta’s Cumberland Mall asked workers about union support and activities, solicited grievances and told workers that joining the union would result in working conditions. less favorable jobs.
The Communications Workers of America (CWA), a national communications and media union, originally filed a lawsuit against Apple Cumberland Mall in May. CWA previously called for a union election at the store, but withdrew its request due to “repeated violations by Apple.”
Learn more here.
INVITATION TO A HYBRID EVENT
Resilience Risk: Cyber and Climate Solutions to Strengthen the U.S. Electric Grid – Tuesday, December 13 at 10 a.m. ET
The bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the Cut Inflation Act provide billions of dollars to transform America’s energy system. The White House plans to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 40% by 2030, while building energy resilience and security. The Hill sits down with policymakers and industry leaders to discuss cyber and climate-focused solutions to build the resilience of the US electric grid. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Puesh Kumar, DOE’s director of cybersecurity, energy security, and emergency response, are more join The Hill and the Bipartisan Policy Center. RSVP to reach you in person or online.
GOOGLE LAUNCHES ANTI-MISINFORMATION EFFORT IN INDIA
Google has announced a new initiative to tackle the spread of misinformation in India, which has been blamed for rising violence in the country.
Google subsidiary Jigsaw’s latest initiative will use a “prebunking” video feature in an effort to stop misrepresentations before they become widespread, according to Reuters.
Jigsaw is also working with partners such as Germany-based pro-democracy organization Alfred Landecker Foundation and philanthropic investment firm Omidyar Network to produce five videos in three different languages.
Learn more here.
👾 BITS & COINS
A chewable editorial: Is the clock ticking for TikTok?
Notable web links:
Elon Musk has outfitted Twitter’s headquarters with rooms for employees (Forbes/Cyrus Farivar and Katharine Schwab)
Computer science students face a large, shrinking job market (The New York Times/Natasha Singer and Kalley Huang)
One more thing: Musk medical company faces investigation
Neuralink, the medical device company owned by Elon Musk, is being investigated by a federal agency for alleged animal welfare violations, Reuters reports.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Inspector General’s Office opened the investigation at the request of a federal prosecutor, Reuters reported, citing sources. Investigators are reportedly looking into potential violations of animal welfare law.
Neuralink, which launched in 2016, is developing a brain implant to help paralyzed people walk again. Musk announced this month that the company could place the implant device in a human brain for a clinical trial in about six months.
Learn more here.
That’s all for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Technology and Cybersecurity pages for the latest news and coverage. Well see you tomorrow!