The next pandemic is already here. Covid can teach us how to fight it.

French spyware bosses have been indicted for their role in the torture of dissidents  

Sponsored by National Reconnaissance Office The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology The next pandemic 06.23.21 Good morning! Today: why the world’s covid response has shown us how to deal with the emergency of antimicrobial resistance, French spyware executives have been indicted for their role in the torture of Libyan and Egyptian dissidents, and how AI is transforming hiring. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. The next pandemic is already here. Covid can teach us how to fight it.   While covid-19 drew our attention to the threat of viruses, microbiologists have long worried that we have forgotten the threat of bacterial epidemics, and the growing danger that bacteria will become resistant to the drugs we rely upon. “Antimicrobial resistance may not seem as urgent as a pandemic, but it is just as dangerous,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said in November, calling it “one of the greatest health threats of our time.” In 2014 the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, a research group put together by the British government, estimated that antibiotic resistance kills 700,000 people around the world each year, a number that was horrifying then but seems small in comparison to the spiraling losses of covid-19. But the researchers also predicted that if nothing was done, the death rate by 2050 would reach 10 million per year— almost three times covid-19’s toll so far.  In other words: covid took us by surprise, but we already know another health crisis is coming, and now we know how to deal with it.  The response to covid-19 shows what can be accomplished when focus, determination, and vast amounts of money are all directed at one target. The pandemic reorganized the everyday practice of science, the pace of clinical trials, and the willingness of governments to provide funds for that work. With a similar effort applied to antibiotic resistance, we might reorganize trial design, create new surveillance networks to detect resistant pathogens as they emerge, and devise new ways to fund drug development. Or, to state this more simply: we need to treat antimicrobial resistance as an emergency too. Because it already is. Read the full story.  —Maryn McKenna This story is for subscribers only. Sign up if you haven't already! You can get full access to all of our award-winning journalism from just $50 a year. French spyware bosses have been indicted for their role in the torture of dissidents The news: Senior executives at a French spyware firm have been indicted for the company’s sale of surveillance software to authoritarian regimes in Libya and Egypt that resulted in the torture and disappearance of dissidents. The former head of Amesys, Philippe Vannier, and three current and former executives at Nexa technologies were indicted for “complicity in acts of torture”. Why it’s significant: While high-tech surveillance is a multibillion-dollar industry worldwide, it is rare for companies or individuals to face legal consequences for selling such technologies—even to notorious dictatorships or other dangerous regimes. What’s next: Amesys and Nexa are still subject to an ongoing judicial investigation. Next, the judges will decide whether to send the case to criminal court or dismiss it if there is not sufficient evidence. The indictment suggests judges will view the evidence as potentially strong enough to support a criminal trial. Read the full story. —Patrick Howell O'Neill Podcast: Hired by an algorithm To learn about how AI is transforming hiring, listen to the latest episode of our podcast, In Machines We Trust. It's the first in a four-part investigation into automated hiring practices, and includes conversations with the CEOs of ZipRecruiter and CareerBuilder, and one of the architects of LinkedIn’s algorithmic job-matching system, to explore how AI is increasingly playing matchmaker between job searchers and employers. You can find it on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Read next: LinkedIn’s job-matching AI was biased. The company’s solution? More AI. We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + If you haven't watched What We Do in the Shadows yet (both the movie and the series) you must. And if you have, get excited for this new comedy show from the team that made it.   + This kitten thinks he's a bunny.   + These painted eggs really appealed to my Russophile side.   + Dave Chapelle popped up at a Foo Fighters (live!) gig in New York this week to perform a rendition of "Creep" by Radiohead.   + Enjoy your coffee guilt-free. It's (probably!) good for you.   + This dog has ridiculously good balance.   + A tour of Alaska in an RV looks incredibly appealing. (NYT $) Sponsor Message Innovate with NRO Research & Development Funding The National Reconnaissance Office Director's Innovation Initiative (DII) program funds cutting-edge scientific research in a high-risk environment to discover innovative concepts that transform overhead intelligence capabilities for future national intelligence needs. The program seeks the brightest minds and breakthrough technologies from industry, academia, national laboratories, and U.S. government agencies. Learn more about NRO R&D funding. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The outlook for Africa is increasingly worrying The combination of a very transmissible variant and low vaccination rates is ominous. (NYT $)   + The pandemic is a much bigger deal in some US states than others. (Axios)   + There's mounting evidence that China's vaccines are not very effective. (NYT $)   + The US is likely to miss the White House's 70% vaccination goal next week. (CNN)  2 Another Amazon unionization push is underway The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the largest and most powerful unions in the US, is taking the challenge on. (Motherboard)   + Black and brown drivers say the company is failing them. (Motherboard)  3 Tech giants are blitzing Washington with lobbying If you think antitrust action isn't going to turn into a deeply dirty fight, you haven't been paying attention. (NYT $)   + Let's break down who's funding what. (Gizmodo)   + Microsoft just became the second company to reach a $2 trillion valuation. (Gizmodo)  4 The untold story of how that big boat got stuck in the Suez canal 🚢 Gone but not forgotten. (Wired UK)   5 Scholars on LinkedIn are being blocked in China and they don't know why Tech companies face a stark choice: comply with the government, or don't operate in China at all. (WSJ $)   6 Iran is cracking down on cryptocurrency mining too It's illegal in the country, and police seized 7,000 computers at a mining farm recently, their biggest haul yet. (Reuters)   + Why China’s kicking out the crypto miners. (TR)   + The US has taken down dozens of Iranian news sites accused of spreading disinformation. (BBC)  7 Is remote work doing your back in? Here's how to uncrunch yourself. (Wired $)   8 Peloton has essentially taken people's treadmills hostage 🏃 In response to a spate of injuries among kids, it's forcing its customers to cough up $39 a month. (PCMag)   9 Meet the people trying to make millions from their memes 💸 You can't really blame them, I guess. But they're part of a deeply dumb trend. (The Guardian)   10 Your food is being engineered to be more flavorful 🍅 I wasn't aware that "flavor" had ever gone out of fashion, but apparently it got lost in trade-offs over issues like shelf life. (BBC) A special offer just for you.  Get unlimited access to MIT Technoloogy Review, plus 2 months FREE, when you subscribe today. It's time to make MIT Technology Review your go-to resource for thought-provoking insights, analysis and news about the world of technology. Subscribe now and save. Quote of the day “Your brain starts to sort of change. Imagine every time you got a TikTok notification, it gave you 10 or 15 bucks.” —Christian Perea tells Wired how driving for gig economy companies like Uber or Lyft can become a sort of addiction. Top image credit: MS TECH | GETTY Please send painted eggs to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up today Join our Global Panel (free membership) As a member, you'll be asked to take part in research programs and executive surveys on technology topics. In return, you'll get exclusive news in bimonthly newsletter and access to our quarterly Global Insights report. Apply today   Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142

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