The Daily Valet. - 7/8/20, Wednesday
✔️ This App Is in Trouble
Wednesday, July 8th Edition
Does this mean it’s now cool that I never joined TikTok?
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today's edition is presented by
Today’s Big Story
TikTok Is in Trouble
It might be banned in the U.S. and it’s also the subject of a federal probe
The Trump administration is considering banning TikTok in the United States due to privacy concerns. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the announcement during an interview with Fox News.
“I don’t want to get out in front of the president, but it’s something we’re looking at,” he said. When asked whether Americans should download TikTok on their phones, Pompeo said: “Only if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”
TikTok is currently owned by China’s ByteDance, although the app has been distancing itself from its parent company in recent months. A spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that they have an American CEO and hundreds of employees here in the U.S. “We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked.”
But that’s not TikTok’s only trouble. Reuters reveals that the company is the subject of a federal probe related to an alleged violation of a 2019 agreement aimed at protecting children’s privacy.
The Center for Digital Democracy, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and others in May asked the FTC to look into their allegations that TikTok has failed to delete videos and personal information about users age 13 and younger as it had agreed to do, among other violations.
Suddenly, I’m not feeling so left out for not getting into it.
↦ FYI: India recently banned TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps over security concerns, while Australia is considering a similar order.
U.S. Withdraws From the World Health Organization
President Trump made it official
The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations that the United States is withdrawing from the World Health Organization, officials said Tuesday.
To leave the organization, the U.S. is supposed to give a one-year notice and pay outstanding dues, according to language that the U.S. added to the WHO constitution when it joined the treaty in 1948, reports NPR. As of June 30, the U.S. owed $198 million in unpaid membership dues.
According to Newsweek, the news of the withdrawal came as an increasing number of states across the U.S. were reporting record highs in new virus cases. According to a Tuesday, July 7, situation report compiled by the WHO, the new cases logged in the U.S. over the last 24 hours accounted for about 25 percent of those reported globally.
The decision has drawn criticism across a bipartisan range of lawmakers, medical associations, advocacy organizations and allies abroad, reports CNN. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden vowed Tuesday to reverse the decision “on (his) first day” if elected.
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Dalai Lama Drops Debut Album
Bringing new meaning to the term rock god
The Dalai Lama has just released his first album. Inner World is a collection of various chants and mantras from the Tibetan spiritual leader, setting his words against music for the first time.
According to Stereogum, the 11-track album was recorded by New Zealand musicians Junelle and Abraham Kunin, practicing Buddhists.
The album's release was accompanied by a livestream, that featured appearances from Richard Gere and Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of Ravi Shankar, who plays on one of the album's tracks.
So is it any good? Well, the critics have been a bit sniffy. The Independent said there was “little to distinguish the shapeless instrumentation from any you'd find in a luxury spa.” And The Times said it “certainly makes a case for sticking to what you are best at, which, in the Dalai Lama's case, is being a living god.”
↦ FYI: The album's release coincided with the Dalai Lama's 85th birthday.
Are We Prepared for a Cashless World?
Our cash-free future is getting closer
Cash was already being edged out as more and more consumers paid with apps and cards for even the smallest of purchases. But the coronavirus is accelerating a shift toward a truly cashless future.
I can't recall the last time I hit up the ATM. I haven't had a need and I'm not alone. According to Axios, ATM use is down 32%. And 63% of consumers say they're using less cash as online shopping surges. Many Americans are rushing to get “contactless” credit and debit cards—which are tapped at a merchant terminal rather than inserted or swiped.
Such contactless payments have indeed seen a boost during the pandemic, according to a new report from financial technology company Square. They interviewed hundreds of small business owners—who have been among the hardest hit—and learned that cashless payments have surged nearly 25% from March to May.
But while some U.S. companies like Amazon Go, Sweetgreen and Shake Shack have gone completely cashless in recent weeks, senior citizens, the homeless and the disabled struggle to adapt to the digital model, becoming even more marginalized, reports InsideHook.
↦ Yes, But: Health experts say they consider it unlikely that cash is spreading COVID-19 (though hand-washing is always recommended).
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Morning Motto
Let’s do these ... all of these.
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