Legal news, some illegal. All of it interesting
1. Disney Subjects Suing Magic Kingdom Over Fla Fail
Once upon a time Disney planned to consolidate some California operations and employees in a new $1B Florida kingdom. This whole new world would rise amid a $500M tax credit and business-friendly climate. Some 250 of Disney’s most loyal subjects sold their homes in Cali and bought new ones in Florida. But in a circle of strife, Disney’s king was ousted and the former king Bob Iger took over. Suddenly, new kingdom plans were frozen and those citizens who dutifully moved to the Sunshine State were ordered back to California. The poor unfortunate souls can’t let it go and have filed what they hope will be a class action lawsuit.
Waiting for the sequel and animal sidekick here…
2. Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting in Texas
A family of five that runs a taekwondo dojo in Houston heard screams from the business next door and ran to check it out. O-ho-ho-ho, oh-ho-ho-ho, they found a man attacking a woman and it was a little bit frightening. But each family member’s a fourth degree black belt and those cats are fast as lightening. So with expert timing, they yanked the attacker off the woman, got her to safety, and pinned him down until police came. He’s now in custody facing attempted sexual assault charges, and the dojo just created the best possible advertising for their business, ever.
3. Brits Tested for Treuthfulness at Borders
Brexit is the gift that just keeps giving. British tourists soon face AI lie detector tests before being allowed in the EU. As part of a post-Brexit move to strengthen security at borders, EU authorities plan to use artificial intelligence software to analyze a person’s facial movements and body gestures while they fill out their application form online, at airports, or ferry ports. Tourists judged dodgy by the AI are flagged and reported to authorities. Critics say George Orwell called and wants his software back, while others say it could discriminate against the anxious or disabled and lead to widespread rejections of visas. It should be fully implemented by October.
4. Wells Fargo Employees Faked Worked, Really Fired
More than a dozen employees at Wells Fargo lost their jobs after the bank discovered they were fake working. Members of the wealth and investment management team reportedly created the impression they were grinding out their eight hours by using something to stimulate activity on their keyboard. Wells Fargo is one of many companies that uses spyware to gauge home workers’ productivity levels – a little hangover from the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. That, in turn, has fostered a cottage industry of products designed to help people cheat such spyware. We think the credit score for whatever product the fired bankers used, just took a nosedive.
5. Cancelled: Customers Emotions on Help Lines
Who hasn’t felt their blood boil at spending hours on hold, waiting for a customer service rep or navigating an intensely irritating, seemingly endless loop of recordings trying to reach a human? The customer service reps on the other end are dealing with increasing vitriol and harassment. Now a Japanese telecommunications company has created emotion-canceling technology that alters the voices of angry customers to sound calmer. The company trained the AI using over 10K angry voice samples. But critics question whether it’s a good idea to filter out emotion instead of addressing why so many customers are irate. Looking at you every health insurance company and airline that ever existed.
