Technology

Manny Cardenas, seen here with his 5-year-old daughter Zoe, has earned $16 an hour as a part-time security guard at Google.

What It's Like To Live On Low Pay In A Land Of Plenty

1:11pm December 18, 2013

by Laura Sydell

Employees at Silicon Valley companies such as Apple, Google and Facebook are highly paid and enjoy a wide range of perks on the job. The security guards who watch over their workplaces earn around $16 an hour, a tough wage to get by on in the high-priced San Francisco Bay Area.

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Protesters in San Francisco block a Google bus, which shuttles employees from the city to its location in Silicon Valley.

Economy

In A Divided San Francisco, Private Tech Buses Drive Tension

12:31am December 18, 2013

by Casey Miner

Some of the most heated protests in San Francisco have been over big, sleek buses — private shuttles that Silicon Valley tech companies like Google and Facebook use to get their city-living employees to work. They've become a symbol of the city's changing socioeconomic landscape.

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One of several robots at the University of California, San Francisco's hospital pharmacy helps manage and track its drug inventory.

Economy

Is Silicon Valley Automating Our Obsolescence?

2:58pm December 17, 2013

by Steve Henn

Silicon Valley has created mind-boggling amounts of wealth. Entire industries have been invented here. Billionaires are minted annually, but inequality is rising rapidly and the middle class is thinning out. Could the same technology that's making so many so rich undermine the labor market?

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Co-workers at Denver's Galvanize, a tech hub in Colorado's capital.

How The Sharing Economy Is Changing The Places We Work

2:43pm December 17, 2013

by Elise Hu

The sharing economy is already changing several sectors: housing, transportation, retail. In some cities, it's changing the way we work. As more people start their own enterprises, they're shunning traditional offices and choosing to share space instead.

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National

Tug Of Authority Over Legal Gap In Online Privacy

5:32pm December 14, 2013

by NPR Staff

Without one law that mandates security standards, the Federal Trade Commission is stepping in to confront companies that expose their customers to risk online. But then one company fought back, arguing the FTC didn't have the right. So whose responsibility is it to keep your sensitive data safe?

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"The death of privacy has been predicted repeatedly over the years," says Ann Cavoukian, Ontario's privacy commissioner. "And my response to that is, 'Say no to that,' because, if you value your freedom, you will value your privacy."

A Movement To Bake Online Privacy Into Modern Life, 'By Design'

7:46pm December 13, 2013

by NPR Staff

Ann Cavoukian, privacy commissioner for Ontario, Canada, says the tech industry has the power to make products that protect users' personal information. The trick, she says, is to think about privacy while creating a new app or service, not after.

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Twitter revoked its new blocking policy after backlash from users.

Twitter Critics Say It's Not Sensitive Enough To Cyberbullying

7:01pm December 13, 2013

by Yuki Noguchi

Twitter on Thursday changed its blocking policy, then changed it back. Users were outraged that the initial switch allowed stalkers and abusers open access to their posts. Some say the incident shows that Twitter isn't listening to women and cyberbullying victims on the site.

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The creators of 1979 Revolution interviewed fellow Iranians to create accurate scenes of Iran.

World News

Game Director Shifts From 'Grand Theft Auto' To Iranian Revolution

6:56pm December 13, 2013

by Alan Yu

A blockbuster video game director is working on a game where you don't shoot back. It puts the player inside the Iranian Revolution of 1979, and it's a financial and personal risk to the game makers.

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Affordable Care Act navigator Nini Hadwen helps Floridians shop for health insurance in October.

A Rush To Reconcile Health Enrollment Data, By Hand

6:44pm December 12, 2013

by Elise Hu

Problems persist on the back end of HealthCare.gov, which must process accurate enrollment information so insurers can receive premium payments and start coverage for consumers. Reconciliation of the data just started this week, as time to fix problems is running out.

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Tech companies around the world have set up shop in the financial district in Dublin, Ireland.

World News

Amid Cuts And Tax Hikes, Tech Companies Get Love in Ireland

8:47am December 12, 2013

by Laura Sydell

Ireland has made a concerted effort to grow its tech industry, through tax incentives and development programs. Officials credit the initiative with helping uplift the country's economy. But the country has also faces local and international criticism for its approach.

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