Why Google employees are resigning over a defense contract

PLUS: The best affordable Android phone; new evidence for our solar system's mysterious, hypothetical Planet Nine; and a location-sharing disaster that shows how exposed you really are. [View this email in your browser]( [logo]( [[WIRED Magazine]5.21.18]( Some Google employees are [not happy]( to be working with the US military. A dozen employees have resigned since the tech giant partnered with the Defense Department on Project Maven, which uses artificial intelligence to interpret drone images. About 4,000 more signed a petition asking Google to cancel the contract. And it isn’t stopping there. As senior business reporter [Nitasha Tiku]( writes, some Google employees are now considering a new approach to impeding the project’s progress: refusing to interview job candidates. [So what’s all the fuss about]( Silicon Valley, like the internet itself, has always been linked to military work. Google competitors like Amazon and Microsoft routinely take on defense contracts, using AI to analyze data without getting nearly as much employee pushback. But Project Maven seems to have struck a nerve. “New ways of deploying artificial intelligence are bringing tech companies closer to the front line. Google employees protesting Project Maven say the technology will inevitably be used without human analysts to perform targeted kills,” Tiku writes. “But as tech giants settle deeper into their role as ordinary incumbents—fending off regulators, gobbling up markets, currying favor on Capitol Hill—it’s not clear whether employees can still play on a sense of idealism.” Also: The best [affordable Android phone]( new evidence for our solar system’s mysterious, hypothetical [Planet Nine]( and a location-sharing disaster that shows how [exposed you really are](. Product Review OnePlus 6 Offers the Very Best of Android For a Lot Less By Jeffrey Van Camp The OnePlus 6 has the fancy features you want, and even a notch, for a palatable price. privacy A Location-Sharing Disaster Shows How Exposed You Really Are By Brian Barrett The failures of Securus and LocationSmart to secure location data are the failures of an entire industry. Space A New World’s Extraordinary Orbit Points to Planet Nine By Shannon Hall Astronomers argue that there’s an undiscovered giant planet far beyond the orbit of Neptune. A newly discovered rocky body has added evidence to the circumstantial case for it. Project Maven The Line Between Big Tech and Defense Work By Nitasha Tiku Employees at Google are protesting a Pentagon contract. But there are few signs of unrest over CIA deals at Amazon and Microsoft. [advertisement]( [Powered by LiveIntent]( [Ad Choices]( [WIRED Magazine Subscription] Get Wired Get unlimited access to an ad-free WIRED.com + a free YubiKey. Start your free trial now. Autonomous Metropolis Lots of Lobbies and Zero Zombies: How Self-Driving Cars Will Reshape Cities By Aarian Marshall and Alex Davies Urban planners can ditch those outdated layouts and transform the city into a joyful mess of throughways and byways optimized not for cars but for people. spy stuff You Can Send Invisible Messages With Subtle Font Tweaks By Lily Hay Newman Researchers have developed a new technique called FontCode that hides secrets in plain sight. TV Recaps Westworld Recap, Season 2 Episode 5: More Dead Than Alive By Sandra Upson Westworld is artful, intelligent, and sleek. Warm and relatable? Not so much. While You Were Offline Wait, John Kelly Said What? By Graeme McMillan The White House chief of staff’s comments about immigration had a lot of people online talking last week. Cantina Talk Life After Solo May or May Not Include a Lando Movie By Graeme McMillan Will Donald Glover be getting his own Star Wars Story? It’s not impossible! [advertisement]( [Powered by LiveIntent]( [AdChoices]( [WIRED Magazine]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, [wired@newsletters.wired.com]( to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Copyright © Condé Nast 2018. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.