How Alibaba tracks China's delivery drivers

We're set to sail past 1.5°C 

Sponsored by Morgan Stanley The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology High-tech tracking 11.12.21 Good morning! Today: how Alibaba has built a vast, high-tech system to track delivery drivers in China. Also: what to expect as we enter the last day of COP26. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. I hope you have a fabulous weekend.  How Alibaba tracks China's delivery drivers   Under pressure: Mr Fu, a driver in Beijing for the Alibaba-owned food delivery service Eleme, makes about a dozen deliveries per shift. But he could make more if he didn’t have to constantly get his phone out to update his status. “I have to log in every few minutes on the app to avoid being penalized if the delivery is late because of the restaurant,” he says. This context—of fierce competition and the promise of instant delivery— is driving delivery apps in China to seek a technological edge. What’s being built: Eleme has rolled out a vast indoor detection system to track drivers and ensure that customers receive their food on time. It works using the Bluetooth in drivers’ phones and beacons inside shops and restaurants. Eleme claims it has saved merchants $8 million in refunds to customers for problems with their deliveries, like lateness. Who benefits? In theory, having more accurate data on drivers’ locations means the system can better assign upcoming jobs and ensure that drivers can complete their deliveries in time. But it may also intensify pressures on the job. Read the full story. —Yuan Ren This story comes from the latest issue of MIT Technology Review, which is all about computing. If you're not a subscriber already, sign up for just $50 a year to read the full magazine. 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.)   + A retired doctor discovered a new species of dinosaur.   + Think the Succession theme tune can't be improved? Incorrect.   + We welcome AOC to the Irn Bru fan club.   + The longest partial lunar eclipse this century is on its way next week.    + Over in the UK, a dispute is raging over which man in Liverpool has found the longest chip (that's a French fry, Americans) at Wetherspoons, a national pub chain.    + New Order's fans are still as in love as ever with the band. CyberSecure kicks off next week!  Don't miss this opportunity to learn from internationally renowned authorities in cybersecurity and technology. Get the essentials you need to defend against the evolving global threat of cybercrime. Register now. Sponsor Message Financing Urban Forest Restoration See how Trees As Infrastructure, an open source platform by UK-based Dark Matter Labs, is establishing nature as a critical part of urban infrastructure, alongside bridges, roads and rail, enabling investment, profitability and sustainability. TreesAI is one of the five inaugural recipients of the Morgan Stanley Sustainable Solutions Collaborative. Learn more. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 We're set to sail past 1.5°C The pledges coming out of COP26 are not enough. (Wired $)   + The latest draft deal waters down pledges to reduce coal and fossil fuel use. (BBC)   + The architects of the Paris Agreement say world leaders will have to come back to the negotiating table next year. (The Guardian)   + You can easily see the impact of climate change from space. (NYT $)   + Which countries bear the most responsibility? (NYT $)  2 Eastern Europe is being hit with a surge of covid deaths It's no coincidence that the worst-affected countries are also some of the least vaccinated. (The Economist $)   + Europe accounted for over half of all covid deaths last week. (NYT $)   + Hospitals in Russia are struggling amid a spike in hospitalizations. (Reuters $)   + The Netherlands government is imposing a three-week semi-lockdown. (Reuters $)   + Austria is going to place millions of unvaccinated people in lockdown. (The Guardian)    + Deer can spread covid. That's worrying news for the course of the pandemic. (NPR)   + New antiviral covid drugs are a huge deal. (The Economist $)  3 The US is already in a biological cold war with China Openness and scientific progress is being replaced with paranoia and arrests of researchers. (NEO.LIFE)   + The FBI accused a professor of spying for China. It ruined his life. (TR)  4 How the wellness industry became a conspiracy theory hotbed 🧘 There was always a poisonous side to this sector, and the pandemic has well and truly drawn it out. (The Guardian)   5 When databases embed harmful societal expectations Pakistan's digital ID system won't work for you unless you have two married parents. (Wired $)   6 Cryptocurrencies have been declared haram in Indonesia Its National Religious Council says Muslims shouldn't trade crypto because it has elements of uncertainty, wagering, and harm. (Bloomberg $)   7 The UK is on the verge of eliminating cervical cancer The US could do the same, if it got its vaccination rate up. (STAT)   8 The ancient roots of TikTok's latest men's hair craze 💇 That wispy-wavy look goes all the way back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. (NYT $)   9 The first big meme battle of the Biden presidency is here It's silly, petty and juvenile so yup, pretty much made for social media. (The Atlantic $)   10 How to start a career in cryptozoology  Strap in, because this is a wild (and hilarious) ride. (Vice) Quote of the day “What we are experiencing is above all a pandemic of the unvaccinated.” —Germany's health minister, Jens Spahn, explains why infection numbers are reaching new heights in his country, the New York Times reports. Top image credit: DANIEL ZENDER Please send very long chips 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 Build your strategic defense again cybercriminals Join us virtually | November 16-17, 2021 Register now Want to change how you receive these emails? 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