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The Non-Disclosures Edition Sunday, November 12, 2017

Can Tech Workers Complain About Sexual Harassment? Depends What They Signed., by Davey Alba, BuzzFeed

Though all six companies declined to answer BuzzFeed News’ question about releasing employees from settlement-specific NDAs, some implied, as a defense, that they didn’t have to — because there are already formal ways to lodge a complaint with federal and state governments, in which such confidentiality provisions would be invalidated. “All employees, regardless of whether they have signed a separation agreement, can always file formal complaints with state or federal nondiscrimination agencies,” reads Apple’s statement, in part.

Federal law stipulates that whether there’s a settlement or not, an aggrieved employee always has the option to file charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or their state nondiscrimination agency. But anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws are under-enforced by these agencies, which can make formally filing a claim seem like a far less attractive option to an employee with an experience of harassment. Findings by state and federal nondiscrimination agencies are also not made public, unless a claim is attached to a lawsuit.

American Vogue Collaborates With Apple To Roll Out Augmented Reality Features On iPhone X, by Taruka Srivastav, The Drum

Vogue is leveraging Apple’s ARKit technology to layer trends from the Spring/Summer 2018 season, such as a “21st-century spin on disco glamour”, over the user’s surroundings, creating an immersive image that can be downloaded or sent as a message.

Vietnam War Veteran Hears Clearly Again Through High-tech Implant Using Bluetooth, iPhone App, by Dawn White, WHTM

Mac uses an app on his iPhone. It plays the TV and even connects his phone directly to his device. People can wear a microphone, which Mac also hears through his implant.

“I put them on in the morning, and my word wakes up,” Mac said. “You say, ‘How has it changed my life?’ It’s changed it tremendously.”

Ireland's Strange Love-hate Relationship With Apple, by Will Goodbody, RTE

On the one hand the company directly employs close to 6,000 people here, most of whom are in Cork where it has invested over €140m in its campus.

That kind of a presence in turn has welcome and massive knock-on effects throughout the wider Irish economy, leading to further employment and funding our public services.

[...]

And yet, there appears to be a growing underlying public suspicion around the company, its structure and its motives.

Bottom of the Page

The first anniversary of the AirPods is coming soon. And there are no rumors yet on how Apple will be updating the product, or not? How about Beats? Do they also run a tight ship in not leaking secrets?

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Thanks for reading.