Strava Raises Security Concerns for US Military
Exercise tracking company Strava has released images of US military bases. How? By taking advantage of soldier’s data on their phones when they use trackers such as Fitbit. Heat maps generated by Strava reflects more than a billion exercise activities globally, many of which outline jogging and patrol routes of American soldiers. The Pentagon says it’s looking to add new training policies to address these security concerns. As militaries around the world usually train in more isolated areas, their outposts are reflected brighter on the map compared to their surrounding darkness. Let’s see if governments around the world will be able to run away from this problem! Of course, we cover this in our book on privacy: What Happens in Vegas Stays on YouTube. (Source: NPR)
Keurig Adds Dr Pepper Snapple to its Pod
Keurig has announced it will acquire Dr Pepper Snapple for $19 billion. This acquisition reflected positively in the financial sector, resulting in Dr Pepper’s stock surging 25% on Monday, while shares of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Starbucks, and Dunkin’ Donuts all declined. This deal represents the largest-ever non-alcoholic beverage transaction on record. The combined company will generate $11 billion in sales and bring together a portfolio of more than 125 brands. Since diet Dr. Pepper is better than the real thing, we hope this means great things for decaf down the road. (Source: Forbes)
Amazon Undertakes an Affordable Healthcare Initiative
Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JP Morgan are teaming up to provide affordable healthcare to their US-based employees. Their goal is to improve employee satisfaction and reduce costs. The companies, which employ a collective workforce of 1.1 million worldwide, plan to create a new, independent business “free from profit-making incentives and constraints.” (Source: Inc.)
