Author: Jimmy Aki

Facebook says its employees will finally be able to pursue their sexual harassment complaints in open court, joining the likes of Google, Uber, and Microsoft, who have also scrapped the controversial private arbitration rule.

In a post titled “Facebook’s Harassment Policy (US Locations),” published on its site, Facebook stated that it was amending the current “arbitration agreements to make arbitration a choice rather than a requirement in sexual harassment claims” adding that “sexual harassment is something” the Social Media giant takes “very seriously.”

“Facebook may consider an employee’s conduct to be in violation of this Policy even if it falls short of unlawful harassment under applicable law. When determining whether conduct violates this Policy, we consider whether a reasonable person could conclude that the conduct created an intimidating, hostile, degrading, or demeaning environment.”

Facebook went on to warn employees who violate the policy or decide to harass other employees about the possibility of facing disciplinary action including termination of employment.

Private arbitration has long been used by tech companies as a tool to prevent a disgruntled employee from suing them in court, but things have started to change in Silicon Valley.

The sudden change by Facebook comes on the heels of an employee protest at Google, where they complained of how the tech giant had treated cases of sexual harassment, even rewarding executives indicted with large exit packages, including $90 million paid to senior executive Andy Rubin.

Facebook also updated its policy as regarding office dating between employees. Employees who are directors and above now have to file a disclosure when dating a colleague. Prior to this change, Facebook only required disclosures from supervisors or heads of department dating someone they directly manage.

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In what seems to have become a malaise in large corporations, a recent sexual allegation against a senior executive at Google’s parent company Alphabet has burst its seams, per a Fortune report. There were rumbles of discontent among employees at Google following the huge payoffs given to Alphabet’s senior executives who were eased out of the company for sexual harassment.

This perhaps was not the best time for such controversy to occur at Alphabet. The ill-feeling has been buoyed by the coverup of the harassment case involving Richard DeVaul; an executive whom employees believe should have been dealt with for his actions back in 2015 when the case occurred.

Employees perceive an air of injustice in the way such matters are being handled and took it upon themselves to stage a protest.

In an effort to pacify the staff, Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai sent a public message to employees on Thursday saying:

“Going forward, we will provide more transparency on how we handle concerns. We’ll give better support and care to the people who raise them. And we will double our commitment to be a representative, equitable, and respectful workplace.”

Google has been able to keep its clout as one of the most influential companies globally. Beyond its overwhelming presence within the business circle, regulatory authorities are now keeping a close tab on the company’s operations.

The permissive culture in the company’s inner workings is something which many employees are not comfortable with. They think executives have taken the relaxed atmosphere a tad further in their relationship with coworkers.

Against this backdrop, the protesters demanded more flexibility in the measures available for reporting harassment.

Employee Walkout at Google Serves to Change Policies

While the company ceded to some of the changes demanded, Pichai did not address the demand to have an employee as one of the board representatives. The company has nevertheless succumbed to making arbitration in sexual harassment and claims of assault an optional requisite.

Other commitments which Google has agreed to include the provision of regular, detailed reports about the occurrence of harassment claims and whether they led to the dismissal of staff members involved, and the publication of an internal guide on the investigation processes of harassment cases in the company and others.

The demands are also expected to cater to thousands of contractors working with Google. The “excessive” consumption of alcohol will also be discouraged by managers especially at work.

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Manufacturers of electric-scooter sharing companies have been drawn into a legal battle by nine individuals who have at one time or another suffered casualties from using these plug-in electric vehicles.

The rides can be mesmerizing and adrenaline-filled, however, the slightest blip can catch you off-guard. The consequences are best imagined than experienced.

A few who have borne the brunt in related accidents felt obliged to file a class-action suit on October 19 in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Birds Ride Inc. and Lime (Neutron Holdings).

Also included in the list of defendants are electric scooter manufacturers; Xiaomi Corp. and Segway Inc. These companies were accused of gross negligence and complicity in the dangers associated with these scooters before deploying them to the market.

Following the entrant of Birds into the US market in September 2017, there has been an increase in the demand for e-scooters both for the pleasure and the luxury attached to adding such product to your assets.

Consequently, the surge has elicited an exponential increase in the number of riders and pedestrians landing in hospitals with injuries ranging from slight infringements to complicated cases–gravel rash, chipped toenails, joint dislocations, fractures, and detached biceps among other gory medical situations reported by both doctors and these victims.

Three death cases occurred last month in Dallas, Washington DC and Cleveland involving scooter riders. Manufacturing companies have hospitals to thank for saving their blushes in recent times as they tend not to take account of circumstances that led to the causes of a patient’s injury. As a result, there are no definite statistical records on the number of scooter-associated incidents.

That notwithstanding, Birds and Lime have been keeping close tabs on the number of rides handled by their scooters. This metric reveals over 20 million rides combined, and this increases every day.

The New Craze

Electric scooters have registered such an intimidating presence in more than 100 cities across the globe as startups exploit the niche of providing an innovative and eco-friendly type of micro transportation.

The ascent within the first year of operation has been a tremendous feat, earning Bird Lime Inc. a unicorn status in Silicon Valley with valuations estimated at nothing less than $3.3 billion.

The phenomenal rise in the craze for scooters has, however, been trailed by controversies, complaints, and breaches. Fears have been cited about the risks they portend to public safety, and this has even led to authorities in some cities wielding regulatory provisions just to put a gag in its usage.

San Francisco and Santa Monica imposed a temporary ban on electric scooters. They went further, filing criminal suits against their manufacturers who are allegedly operating without a business permit.

At the communal level, some disenchanted vigilante residents have gone to the extreme by dumping scooters in the ocean. Some settled for burying them in the ground while there are those who resorted to setting them ablaze.

The plaintiffs had different narratives to tell according to the lawsuit which was filed. Two among them got injured by tripping over electric scooters, abandoned on the sidewalk.

Four got knocked over from behind as they walked. Included among the casualties was a 7-year-old boy who suffered severe damage in his dentition and lost eight of his front teeth in the process. The gravity of the incidence affected his lips severely.

The personal injury lawyer at McGee Lerer who is the counsel of the plaintiffs stated criticized these companies for being preoccupied with their profit at the expense of general safety.

There has been a sense of awakening among those who have never been able to voice their say since the lawsuit was filed. An additional 75 persons according to Lerer have been casualties of scooter-related accidents including a 67-year old man who suffered brain damages.

In response to these spates of accusations, Bird and Lime maintain safety as one of their priorities. In their viewpoint, cars pose a lot more danger. A spokesperson of Bird stated in a written statement:

“Class action attorneys with a real interest in improving transportation safety should be focused on reducing the 40,000 deaths caused by cars every year in the U.S.”

Images from Shutterstock.

In a move that could escalate its trade war with China, the US has put in plans to restrict exports to a state-backed Chinese company Fujian Jinhua that makes semiconductors. The move could add further strain to a bilateral relationship which has seen a standoff between both countries on trade and market access.

In a statement released by the US Commerce Department, the agency said that the Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Company will require a special license before it can procure components from American manufacturers.

The statement from the agency reads in part:

“The Department of Commerce has taken action to restrict exports to Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Company, Ltd. [Jinhua] by adding them to the Entity List [Supplement No. 4 to Part 744 of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR)], because Jinhua poses a significant risk of becoming involved in activities that are contrary to the national security interests of the United States.”

Speaking on the ban, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross stated:

“When a foreign company engages in activity contrary to our national security interests, we will take strong action to protect our national security.”

According to Ross, the ban on Fujian Jinhua will limit the firm’s ability to threaten the supply chain for components used in America’s military systems.

Fujian Jinhua Is a Security Risk

The agency went on further to state that Fujian Jinhua poses a security risk as it could flood the market with cheaper semiconductors made by American companies that supply the US military.

If this happens, American manufacturers for that component might go out of business and it could lead to the military sourcing components from abroad for items that should be procured within the country.

This move by the Commerce Department comes on the heels of a federal lawsuit filed by Idaho based Micron Technology, against Fujian Jinhua, accusing the Beijing-based company of stealing its trade secrets last December.

Fujian Jinhua fired back with its own countersuit in a Chinese court in January. The US government had also put a ban on Chinese smartphone manufacturer ZTE, accusing the tech company of deceiving American officials, by claiming to have punished employees who flouted US sanctions against Iran and North Korea. The ban was finally lifted after ZTE agreed to put in more oversight measures and pay a $1-billion fine.

Fujian Jinhua is an advanced chip manufacturing enterprise that has state backing from the provincial government where it’s located. According to state media, the chip manufacturing company is currently building a $5.7 billion chip factory in the province.

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