The Pentagon has awarded up to $9B in cloud computing contracts to Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle. The four separate contracts, which have a combined ceiling of $9B, cover the Defense Department's Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC) project for global cloud services. Background: - The JWCC seeks to upgrade the Pentagon's cloud technology, capabilities, and services.
- The aim is to bolster the Pentagon’s modern war operations by providing data to military personnel worldwide.
- In award notices, the Pentagon said the purpose of the contracts is to provide global cloud services across all its security domains and classification levels, from strategic to the tactical edge.
New contracts: - The JWCC replaces the $10B Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, program that went to Microsoft until the Pentagon canceled it last year amid legal challenges from Amazon.
- Under the new JWCC, the Pentagon will work with Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle instead of a single vendor.
- The companies' contracts run through June 2028, and funds will be awarded based on individual orders during that time.
THE NEW YORK TIMES 
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The EU's top court has ruled that Google must delete search results in Europe if a person can prove that the information is "manifestly inaccurate." The case involved two executives from a group of investment companies. The managers, who weren't identified, petitioned Google to remove web search results linking their names to online content that had criticized the group's investment model. More: - Google initially denied their requests, saying it did not have proof that the content was inaccurate.
- On Thursday, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled otherwise, saying that anyone who submits enough relevant evidence to prove that web information is wrong can have that content taken down.
- The court said users only need to provide evidence that's "reasonably be required to find," eliminating a higher need of proof from the courts.
- The ruling applies to other search engines as well. Google said it has since removed the executives' links, as well as their photos, from its web and image search results.
Zoom Out: - The same court, in 2014, established the "right to be forgotten" in Europe. The data protection right allows private information about a person to be delisted from online searches in certain circumstances.
- Google said it's "worked hard" to abide by the right to be forgotten and "strike a sensible balance between people’s rights of access to information and privacy."
FOX BUSINESS
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All smartphones sold within European Union must have a USB-C port by December 28, 2024, according to newly published legislation. The official deadline comes after the European Parliament overwhelmingly approved a new law requiring all mobile phones, tablets, and cameras to adopt the standard charger. More: - The rule was published today in the EU's Official Journal. It will take effect in 20 days and give EU member states up to 24 months to incorporate it as a national law.
- New tablets, headphones, speakers, and some other devices will also need to adopt the common charger by the December 2024 deadline. Laptops have until April 2026.
- The rule only applies to wired and not wireless charging.
Zoom Out: - The rule particularly affects Apple, which has Lightning ports for its iPhones instead of USB-C.
- "Obviously, we’ll have to comply," Greg Joswiak, Apple’s SVP of marketing, said of the new EU rule.
- All of Apple's iPhone 15 models are expected to have USB-C ports instead of Lightning ports when they are released next September, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
THE VERGE
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In an effort to streamline operations, Google will combine its teams working on Google Maps and Waze, The Wall Street Journal reported. The merger, which starts tomorrow, will see Waze's 500 employees join Google’s Geo unit overseeing Maps, Earth, and Street View. More: - Waze will continue to operate as a standalone app.
- No layoffs are planned, though Waze CEO Neha Parikh will leave the company after the transition.
- Google said the combined team will see benefits from "further increased technical collaboration.” The merger is expected to cut down on any overlapping mapmaking efforts across the services.
- Google acquired Waze, a crowdsourced navigation app, for $1.1B in 2013. The service now counts about 151 million monthly active users.
Zoom Out: - In July, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said employees would have to be more entrepreneurial and work with greater urgency, sharper focus, and more hunger.
- He listed several actions that employees may need to take, such as streamlining, pausing deployment, redistributing resources to higher-priority areas, and consolidating overlapping investments.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
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Twitter could charge a higher price for its verified subscription feature for people who buy it through its iOS app, according to The Information. A source said Twitter Blue could cost $11 via the company's iPhone app, higher than the $7.99 it plans to charge through its website. More: - The price hike appears to be a response to Apple's 30% commission it takes on many in-app purchases made through its App Store.
- It could offset the fees to ensure that Twitter still receives around $8 for every subscription.
- Twitter Blue, known for its checkmarks that verify users' identities, is currently on hold after it experienced issues with impersonation.
- When it does roll out again, it's expected to be available as a subscription via iOS but not Android.
- Twitter says it will expand the colors of the checkmarks to gold for companies, grey for governments, and blue for individuals, regardless if they are a celebrity or not.
THE INFORMATION
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 Dyson says its first audio product — a pair of noise-canceling headphones with built-in air purification — will release in March in the U.S. for $949. The "Zone" headphones have drawn interest online for their unique-looking appearance. They are able to capture up to 99% of particle pollution as small as 0.1 microns using electrostatic filters, according to Dyson. More: - The headphones, aimed at urban dwellers, address both air and noise pollution. They are not designed to protect against COVID-19.
- The wearable combines over-ear headphones with Dyson's air filtration technology. Compressors draw in air through each earpiece, and the air is filtered and pushed through to the wearer's nose and mouth through a "visor" at the front of the face.
- In addition to small particles, they can filter out odors and gaseous pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide. They also contain 11 microphones to reduce ambient noise by up to 38 decibels.
- The headphones will launch in China in January, followed by the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Hong Kong, and Singapore in March.
- Pre-orders will be available by appointment only before the device goes on sale on Dyson's website and stores.
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 |  | Beth is a writer and editor at Inside.com covering artificial intelligence and daily technology news. You can 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. | |
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