We investigated whether digital contact tracing actually worked in the US

Uyghurs outside China are traumatized. Now they're starting to talk about it 

Sponsored by Lumen Technologies The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Unexplored potential 06.16.21 Good morning! Today: has digital contact tracing worked in the US? Also: the Uyghur diaspora is turning to social media to help work through trauma. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. We investigated whether digital contact tracing actually worked in the US   High hopes: In the spring of 2020, the first versions of covid-19 exposure notification apps were released to the public. These systems promised to slow the disease’s spread by providing automated warnings to people who came into contact with the virus. Now, over a year later, residents in over 50 countries—including half of US states—can opt into these systems. But the big question remains: how well did this technology work? The answer? MIT Technology Review reached out to every state public health department that launched a digital contact tracing system and examined app reviews left by anonymous Americans. We asked two questions: who is actually using this technology, and how do people feel about it? The verdict: The end result of this analysis paints a picture of unexplored potential. Many of the country’s exposure notification apps are underutilized, misunderstood, and not well-trusted—and yet this technology may yet come into its own as a public health tool for future disease outbreaks. Read the full story. —Betsy Ladyzhets Uyghurs outside China are traumatized. Now they’re starting to talk about it Mustafa Aksu had a bad track record with therapists. Growing up in China, he was bullied by his Han Chinese classmates for being Uyghur. This made him constantly anxious. A concerned teacher referred him to counseling, but Aksu was skeptical it could help.  In 2017, when news began to emerge of a government crackdown in China targeting Uyghurs and other minority ethnic groups, Aksu was a graduate student in Central Asian Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington. In China’s northwestern Xinjiang province, where most Uyghurs live, people were going missing. The news grew worse every month. By the hundreds of thousands, the Communist Party forced Uyghurs into sprawling detention facilities, which it dubbed “vocational training centers” though they better resembled concentration camps. Inside, Uyghurs were subject to all manner of torture and abuse; soon, the number of people interned topped 1 million. Aksu felt cut off from his parents and siblings entirely. He became depressed and later developed insomnia. Eventually, he sought help from a local therapist. But the first meeting went terribly. Like too many Americans, the therapist had never heard of “Uyghurs” or “Xinjiang.”  Aksu’s experiences are typical of many in the Uyghur diaspora. Watching from afar as loved ones disappear and a way of life is erased, trauma has set in, sparking a mental health crisis. Many, though, are reluctant to seek help, or even acknowledge the emotional pain of the past years, leaving the community’s needs both underassessed and unmet.  But lately a small group of outspoken Uyghurs is trying to change that. Using social media, they’re starting conversations about grief and mental health and, through telehealth, connecting people across the country with volunteer therapists. Read the full story. —Andrew McCormick 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.)   + This tweet made me burst out laughing. Just… see for yourself.   + A Soviet children's book from the 1980s with a rather fun linguistic premise.   + For reasons best known to herself, Queen Elizabeth II insisted on cutting a cake with a sword last weekend. Each to their own.    + Bunny bug.   + Well, it is a relief to know that melon bread also works as a face mask.    + Birds are not fooled by your "magic" nonsense. (NYT $)   + The account for classics professor Michael Scott is one of the most wholesome things you can find on Instagram.   + Struggling with productivity at work? Here's some advice. Note to self: stop wasting time on Twitter.   + How UK clubs mastered the art of the perfect football pitch. Sponsor Message It’s not just edge computing. It’s a competitive edge. The Lumen Edge Computing Platform is designed to deliver near-zero latency for next-gen apps. Available to 95% of U.S. businesses this year, see how Lumen is transforming industries across the globe, from education and healthcare to retail and government. Learn more. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 There is a new life-saving antibody drug for covid-19 Sadly, very few people will be able to access it. (The Economist $)   + The US death toll has now surpassed 600,000. (Axios)   + Despite the vaccines, the US could yet again take a turn for the worse if the Delta variant takes hold. (Ars Technica)   + New York and California have now lifted most restrictions. (NYT $)   + We are inevitably going to need booster shots. (UnHerd)   + Why is Israel lifting covid restrictions as England extends them? (The Guardian)  2 How Amazon's New York City warehouse fared during the pandemic It seems the company sees human beings as thoroughly expendable. (NYT $)   + Jeff Bezos's ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, has now given away about $8.5 billion in the space of just a year. (Vox)  3 Remote healthcare could create a gulf between doctors and patients Remote patient monitoring needs to be implemented carefully and thoughtfully. (Wired $)   4 Lina Khan will be the new chair of the Federal Trade Commission She's an antitrust expert and highly critical of Big Tech's power. (Recode)   + Her views were once seen as radical. Now they're mainstream. (Quartz)  5 The people Airbnb calls in when everything goes wrong Its safety team gets tens of millions of dollars every year to make problems disappear. (Bloomberg $)   + Airbnb says it's implementing measures to stop landlords profiting off pandemic evictions. (WP $)  6 China is kicking out more than half of the world's bitcoin miners 👋 Quite a few of them may end up in Texas. (CNBC)   + How Texas’s wind boom has spawned a Bitcoin mining rush. (TR)  7 This scientist uses a giant laser to study the insides of exoplanets  Now that is a cool job. (Quanta)   8 We barely understand the deep sea, but we're already itching to destroy it Somewhat ironically, it's partly the vast green energy boom that's driving this, by pushing up demand for rare-earth metals. (New Yorker $)   9 Oil companies are hiring Instagram influencers  All part of the big greenwashing strategy they all seem to be pursuing now. (Gizmodo)   10 Virtual worlds might help jog older adults' memories And provide a bit of entertainment, too. (Scientific American $) Join us at EmTech MIT, our flagship event on emerging technology and trends. Immerse yourself in bold thinking and visionary innovation on the most significant technologies and global trends that will propel business and shape our world. For a limited time: save 25% on your ticket when you register by June 30. Quote of the day "They are the ideal way to package the origins behind the web." —Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web, explains why he's auctioning off its original source code as an NFT at Sotheby's next week, with bids starting at $1,000 (fear not, you will still be able to download that source code for free.) Top image credit: MS TECH | PEXELS Please send melon bread face masks 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   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list. Subscription Information This email was sent to Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog  *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally