The World Health Organization (WHO) condemned a US-funded vaccine trial as unethical on Friday, while Amazon and Flock Safety ended a partnership following backlash over a Ring Super Bowl advertisement. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reportedly issued hundreds of subpoenas to tech companies seeking information on accounts critical of ICE.
The WHO's criticism centered on a trial in Guinea-Bissau, Africa, that would withhold a safe and potentially life-saving hepatitis B vaccine from newborns. According to Ars Technica, the WHO stated the trial was "inconsistent with established ethical and scientific principles." The trial had drawn widespread condemnation from health experts since the US funding was announced in December.
Meanwhile, Amazon and Flock Safety terminated a deal that would have given law enforcement access to a network of Ring cameras. The decision, reported by Ars Technica and Wired, came after Amazon's Super Bowl ad, intended to be heartwarming, was perceived as disturbing. The ad, which featured a "Search Party" feature for locating missing pets, sparked significant negative reaction.
In other news, the Department of Homeland Security has reportedly been requesting information from tech companies about accounts expressing anti-ICE sentiments. Hacker News reported that DHS sent hundreds of administrative subpoenas to Google, Reddit, Discord, and Meta over the past few months, seeking identifying details for accounts that criticized the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency or reported the location of its agents.
The news comes as the last remaining major nuclear weapons treaty between the United States and Russia expired, as reported by Wired. Also, according to MIT Technology Review, US Deputy Health Secretary Jim O'Neill, who oversees a department with a budget of over a trillion dollars, described his plans to increase human healthspan through longevity-focused research.
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