Google told employees that they can apply to relocate to other offices following Friday's Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. In an internal memo sent on Friday, Google Chief People Officer Fiona Cicconi said the company will allow "relocation without justification" at its nearly 30 locations across the U.S., including in four states where abortion is illegal or where laws to restrict or ban abortions will soon take effect. More: - Cicconi said a team overseeing the process "will be made aware" if an employee wants to relocate due to personal reasons stemming from the Roe decision.
- The company also announced “support sessions” for employees and reminded workers that its benefits plan covers medical procedures available in other states.
- A number of other companies, including Amazon, Meta, and Netflix, also said they will cover travel expenses for employees seeking abortions in states where the procedure remains legal.
- Meta, however, has asked employees not to openly discuss abortion at the workplace due to “a heightened risk of creating a hostile work environment.”
Zoom-out: - Last month, a group of Democratic lawmakers asked Google to change how it collects and retains location data over fears that it could be used to target women seeking abortions.
- Should states pass laws to criminalize abortion, Google's practice of collecting and keeping cell phone location data could be used by "far-right extremists" to identify people who have had or plan to get an abortion, the lawmakers argued.
- The request, led by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, was also signed by Ayanna Pressley, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others. Google did not respond.
THE VERGE 
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Several women's health apps announced plans to anonymize user data following Friday's Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Women’s Health Organization to overturn Roe v. Wade. The apps, which can track fertility, ovulation, and periods, acknowledge that they often retain sensitive data that could be used against women in states that enact legislation banning or restricting abortion. More: - According to legal experts, health apps are typically not protected by HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
- Data can be sold, shared, or subpoenaed from the apps to create a detailed user profile about a woman's reproductive health and intentions.
- The FDA-cleared Natural Cycles app said it's working to de-identify users, which will make its app "completely anonymous."
- Flo, another women's health app, is planning an Anonymous Mode that will allow users to remove their personal data. The app previously settled with the FTC over allegations that it shared user data with Facebook, Google, and other third parties.
- While some users suggest deleting the apps, experts noted that they may have to contact the app directly to request data deletion on the developer side.
- Approximately 20 U.S. states are preparing to enact or approve legislation to ban abortion or restrict abortion rights.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
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Apple is preparing to launch upgraded Macs with M2 chips and other new devices starting this fall, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The "deluge" of product releases will be "one of the most ambitious periods" in Apple history, Gurman writes. More: - On the computer side, the new releases will include an M2 Mac mini, M2 Pro Mac mini, M2 Pro / M2 Max 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and an M2 Ultra / M2 Extreme Mac Pro, according to Gurman.
- Apple also plans to launch an iPhone 14 with its always-on display this fall. It's said to be working on a new iPad with USB-C, updated AirPods Pro buds, a new HomePod, an upgraded Apple TV, and three new Apple Watches.
- Following Apple's recent launch of its new and more powerful M2 processor, Gurman says Apple is already working on an M3, which will appear in 13 and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops sometime in 2023.
- Apple will release the new and next-generation devices between fall 2022 and the first half of 2023.
BLOOMBERG
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Taiwan-based GlobalWafers Co. said it plans to build a $5B plant in North Texas to manufacture 300-millimeter silicon wafers, a key material for creating advanced semiconductors. As most 300-mm silicon wafers are manufactured in Asia, the U.S. chip industry has been forced to rely on imports to meet its demands. More: - The wafers are a starting material for chip fabrication sites, such as those operated by Texas Instruments, Samsung, Intel, GlobalFoundries, and TSMC.
- GlobiTech, a GlobalWafers subsidiary, said it will build the facility in Sherman, Texas, where it already has headquarters and an existing silicon wafer plant.
- It will be the first new silicon wafer facility in the U.S. in more than two decades. The plant is expected to create 1,500 new jobs and began production in 2025.
- The company is targeting a production volume of 1.2 million wafers per month, which is enough to fulfill domestic demand and reduce the domestic industry's reliance on imports.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
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Independent authors are protesting Amazon's policy allowing Kindle e-book returns within seven days. Authors say they're seeing an upswing in the number of digital book returns after a TikTok challenge encouraging the practice went viral. More: - Currently, Amazon allows Kindle customers to cancel "accidental" book orders in seven days. Some users are taking advantage of the policy by reading and returning the books within that time period.
- When a user returns a digital book, Amazon retains the digital delivery fee but takes back the royalties that were previously paid to the author.
- As of Monday, a Change.org petition seeking to end the policy has drawn nearly 70,000 signatures.
- Critics note that Amazon has the most lenient return policy among e-book vendors. Apple iBooks requires contacting customer service for a refund and Barnes & Noble does not allow e-book returns at all.
- In response, Amazon said it has "mechanisms in place" to prevent its return policy from being abused but didn't specify what those are.
NPR
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Nintendo said it will announce new third-party Switch games during its Direct mini event tomorrow, June 28. The 25-minute affair will air on Nintendo's YouTube channel starting at 6 a.m. PT / 9 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. BST. More: - Switch titles likely to be showcased include "Hollow Knight: Silksong," "Marvel's Midnight Suns," and "No Man's Sky," due out for release on Oct. 7.
- Since the event is limited to third-party titles, it's unlikely that Nintendo will reveal more about "Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2," which it recently delayed to spring 2023.
- Due to the ongoing chip shortage and logistics network disruptions, Nintendo now estimates that it will sell 10% fewer Switch consoles in the current fiscal year compared to last year.
- To compensate for the loss, Nintendo said it has doubled down on software sales. The company plans to release a "Splatoon" game in September and a new Pokemon title by the end of this year.
TWITTER
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- More than $100M in cryptocurrency was stolen from Horizon, a blockchain bridge used to transfer crypto assets from between blockchains.
- Apple's rumored mixed-reality headset will reportedly feature an M2 chip and 16GB of RAM.
- According to a review by YouTuber Fazli Halim, Google's upcoming Pixel 6A has a faster fingerprint sensor than the Pixel 6 Pro.
- Crypto exchange Binance partnered with Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo to create, promote, and sell a series of NFT collections.
- Prominent video game executive Bernie Stolar passed away at age 75. A Sega of America president and Sony Computer Entertainment America founder, he oversaw the launch of PlayStation and franchises including "Crash Bandicoot" and "Ridge Racer."
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 |  | Beth is a writer and analyst at Inside.com covering artificial intelligence and daily tech news. Since starting work at Inside, she has covered various topics including virtual reality, drones, and e-commerce. Prior to that she was a public policy and investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic, where she won a Pulitzer Prize nomination and First Amendment Award for reporting on the rising costs of pensions. Reach her at Beth.Duckett@inside.com. |   | | Editor | Eduardo Garcia is a writer and editor based in New York. He is the author of "Things You Can Do," an illustrated book about climate action. Bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, Slate, Scientific American, and others. In one of his previous lives, Eduardo worked as a Reuters correspondent in Latin America for nearly a decade. | |
Incognia is a privacy-first location identity company that provides frictionless mobile authentication for reduced fraud. | |
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