🥸 Amazon Sues Facebook Group Administrators Over Fake Reviews

Plus: Slack is increasing prices and changing the way its free plan works, Apple Plans to Slow Hiring and Spending for Some Teams Next Year, and more…

Today’s pick

Amazon Sues Facebook Group Administrators Over Fake Reviews. Amazon.com Inc. said it filed a lawsuit against the administrators of what it says are more than 10,000 Facebook groups used to coordinate fake reviews of Amazon products. Those in charge of the Facebook groups solicit the reviews for items ranging… (Newley Purnell / Wall Street Journal)

Jon Keegan 🇺🇦 @jonkeegan

Incredible it took them this long to do this. Positive reviews are the oil that keeps the money printing machine going. This system has been gamed in so many ways for years.

wsj.comAmazon Sues Facebook Group Administrators Over Fake ReviewsUnnamed individuals used more than 10,000 Facebook groups to coordinate misleading reviews in exchange for free products or money, Amazon alleges.

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Slack is increasing prices and changing the way its free plan works. Slack, the chat platform that serves as an online watercooler for oh-so-many teams, is bumping up its monthly price and changing the way its free plan works. The company announced the changes via blog… (Greg Kumparak / TechCrunch)

TechCrunch @TechCrunch

Slack is increasing prices and changing the way its free plan works tcrn.ch/3RGxrH1 by @Grg

tcrn.chSlack is increasing prices, changing how its free plan works – TechCrunchSlack notes the pricing changes only impact “Pro” plan users; teams on the Business+ plan or custom enterprise plans do not seem to be impacted.

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Apple Plans to Slow Hiring and Spending for Some Teams Next Year. Apple Inc. plans to slow hiring and spending growth next year in some divisions to cope with a potential economic downturn, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The decision stems from a move to be more careful during uncertain times… (Mark Gurman / Bloomberg)

Bloomberg @business

BREAKING: Apple plans to slow hiring and spending growth next year in some divisions to cope with a potential economic downturn trib.al/ZH7XAmz

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TikTok Starts Layoffs in Company-Wide Restructuring. TikTok has begun a global restructuring of its business that includes layoffs, according to five people with knowledge of the process. The short-form video app, owned by Chinese parent company ByteDance, has rapidly expanded both its user base and… (Chris Stokel-Walker / WIRED)

Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel

TikTok is beginning layoffs, with some European and UK staff warned they're at risk of redundancy, while some US employees have already been let go. Expecting an announcement from VP for sales in Europe Stuart Flint later today. My scoop for @WIRED

wired.comTikTok Starts Layoffs in Company-Wide RestructuringThe company laid off some US staff and told workers in Europe and the UK that their jobs are at risk.

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New documents reveal 'huge' scale of US government's cell phone location data tracking. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) used mobile location data to track people's movements on a much larger scale than previously known, according to new documents unearthed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). It's no secret that… (Carly Page / TechCrunch)

TechCrunch @TechCrunch

Newly released documents reveal Homeland Security used cell phone location data to track people’s movements on a much larger scale than previously known tcrn.ch/3yL1Ye9 by @CarlyPage_

tcrn.chScale of US government’s cell phone location data tracking – TechCrunchIn just one three-day span, DHS obtained over 113,000 location points — a fraction of the overall data it acquired without a warrant.

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