Google, Apple Buses Targeted By Anti-Gentrification Protesters In San Francisco getdiscountz.blogspot.com

getdiscountz.blogspot.com ® Google, Apple Buses Targeted By Anti-Gentrification Protesters In San Francisco

Anti-gentrification protesters blocked a bus reportedly operated by Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) after reports that Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) shuttle was vandalized in Oakland on Friday, in the latest sign of mounting discontent over the tech industry’s role in rising living costs in the region.

A corporate bus in the Mission District was blocked by protesters for about 30 minutes during its morning commute, Reuters reported. It was not entirely clear which company the bus was operating for, but it is likely to have been picking up Apple employees working at Ridgeview Court, not far from its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., according to Reuters. Protesters also targeted two Google buses in Oakland, news reports said.

“We want the ruling class, which is becoming the tech class, to listen to our voices and listen to the voices of folks that are being displaced,” said a protester in San Francisco, addressing a crowd, Reuters reported.

Protesters displayed a banner that read “Eviction Free San Francisco” and distributed flyers titled “San Francisco: A tale of two cities.”

Protesters say that high-paid tech industry workers are displacing low-income residents in San Francisco, and also criticize the city administration’s policy of extending generous treatment, in the form of payroll-tax exemptions, to technology giants.

“We and others in our industry are working with San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to agree on a policy on shuttles in the city,” Google said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Google, Apple Buses Targeted By Anti-Gentrification Protesters In San Francisco

Google, Facebook, AOL And Other Tech Giants To Congress: You’ve Got Mail [VIDEO] getdiscountz.blogspot.com

getdiscountz.blogspot.com ® Google, Facebook, AOL And Other Tech Giants To Congress: You’ve Got Mail [VIDEO]

Yesterday, a coalition of the country’s largest technology firms published an open letter to Congress and the President, calling for a change in surveillance tactics and practices. This comes on the heels of newly leaked Snowden documents alleging that government agencies (NSA, FBI, and CIA to name a few) enlisted agents starting in 2008 to create characters in the online video game World of Warcraft to infiltrate guilds and monitor player interactions.

The surveillance was conducted under the guise of a national security and anti-terrorism campaign, but as of yet no information has surfaced demonstrating agents uncovered any malicious activities or terrorist breeding grounds within the game.

So this odd effort has proven fruitless. It remains to be seen if this coalition’s letter will have the same fate. But we can at least talk about its possible implications.

And for that, I’ve enlisted the knowledge of Ryan Neal, one of the tech writers at IBT. He wrote an article yesterday outlining the “Reform Government Surveillance” letter’s principles and the companies involved.

Here’s what we’ve got figured:

Some of the coalition companies have been linked to data sharing and complying with the NSA in the past (Microsoft and Apple, specifically), so it’s a bit strange that they’d be at the forefront of this effort.

Apple co-signed the letter, but didn’t release a statement -- and they’re not technically a part of the RGS group. It could be a hands off approach, but lest we forget that Apple has willingly tracked users’ every move in the past.

To be fair, all of the other companies have denied any knowledge or participation in similar surveillance. But a public denial is not absolvement of committed acts.

How effective will this letter be, if at all? Neal thinks it’s got a shot, “given all the money behind these companies...billions of dollars. That might be something politicians are more willing to listen to.”

We can hope.

Google, Facebook, AOL And Other Tech Giants To Congress: You’ve Got Mail [VIDEO]