Getty
Facebook has been sending your private conversations recorded in the Messenger app to outside companies.
Water bottles are being phased out. Read on to see which company is making the transition to aluminum cans for its water brand.
And take a closer look at your old Pokemon collection. It could be worth tens of thousands of dollars.
Here’s what you need to know in the daily roundup.
TOP STORY: Facebook Sent Your Audio Recordings to Outside Contractors
Facebook has been paying hundreds of outside contractors to transcribe clips of audio from users of its services, according to people with knowledge of the work
Facebook’s Messenger app includes an option to speak into your phone’s microphone in order to send a note to a friend. It’s a convenient option when you have a longer message in mind. But it turns out, your friend wasn’t the only person to receive the message.
Users just found out that Facebook has been sending those audio clips to third-party contractors to transcribe. Bloomberg was the first to report that while some users allowed their voice chats to be transcribed, they were never informed that outside contractors were the ones listening.
Facebook leaders said that the practice was put in place in order to ensure that the Messenger app was recording users’ voices accurately. The program has now been put on hold. This comes on the heels of a separate investigation in which Facebook was ordered to pay a $5 billion fine due to allegations the company had mishandled users’ private data.
WHAT’S BUZZING THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING: Dasani Water to be Sold in Aluminum Cans
GettyDASANI® takes steps to reduce plastic waste through increased use of recycled materials
Plastic bottles will gradually begin fading out, as major corporations implement changes to become more environmentally-friendly. Coca-Cola, which owns Dasani water, will sell the brand in aluminum cans beginning this fall. According to TechCrunch, the cans will debut in the northeastern United States before they are sold nationwide in 2020.
The company is not doing away with plastic entirely, however. Coca-Cola is also working on creating new bottles that are made out of 50 percent recycled material. Sneha Shah, the group director of Packaging Innovation at Coca-Cola, said in a statement that the company wants to do “business the right way” and “reduce our overall environmental footprint through smarter package design.”
Pepsi, which owns Aquafina, has similar plans in place to sell its water in cans instead of bottles.
OFF-BEAT: Pokemon Collection Sold For More Than $100,000
A set of Pokemon cards just sold for more than $100,000 at auction
Still have your old Pokemon card collection sitting around? The cards may be worth a closer inspection.
A first-edition set of Pokemon cards just sold for $107,010 by the Goldin Auction house. The 103-card set, which was released in 1999, included a Charizard card and was in perfect condition.
As explained by CNBC, you can tell if you have first-edition cards by looking for a “small black circular stamp to the bottom left of the Pokemon image.” Only the original 1999 cards include that stamp.
DAILY NEWS ROUNDUP
Model Josh Kloss, who starred in the “Teenage Dream” music video, is accusing pop star Katy Perry of sexual assault:
- Model and actor Josh Kloss took to Instagram to accuse singer Katy Perry of sexual assault during the 2010 shoot for her music video “Teenage Dream.”
- Fires are still an issue in California as hot, dry weather continues in the region. Click here for interactive maps.
- Severe storms are moving through the Plains and Southeast. Tornadoes and hail are expected across the central United States today.
- Is “Fredo” an ethnic slur against Italian-Americans? A debate sparked on social media after CNN anchor Chris Cuomo compared the name to the n-word.
- The FAA has banned certain 2015 MacBook Pro laptops from flights due to faulty batteries that could spark fires. Click here to see if your laptop is affected.
- Missed last night’s episode of Bachelor in Paradise? Here is a recap of what happened.
CHECK THIS OUT
The rumors are true: Our Lifetime #PastaPass goes on sale this Thursday. Are you freaking out? We are freaking out!!!
Olive Garden’s Unlimited Pasta Pass is back! The restaurant chain is selling 24,000 “Never Ending Pasta” cards for $100 each (plus tax). The passes will be valid for nine weeks beginning September 23. The pass includes unlimited soup or salad and breadsticks, according to the company website.
The company is also selling 50 Lifetime Passes for $500 each. As pointed out by CBS News, the average cost of a pasta bowl is $10.99, “meaning that the lifetime pass will pay for itself after 45 helpings.”
The passes go on sale tomorrow (August 15) at 2 p.m. ET. Interested buyers are encouraged to join the online “waiting room” early in order to have a better chance of securing one of the passes. Click here for more details and to access the waiting room.
Missed Yesterday’s Roundup? Click here.