10 things in tech you need to know today

Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Friday.

1. Apple is considering ditching its MacBook keyboard after reliability issues, 9 to 5 Mac reports. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a report that Apple is moving to a scissor switch keyboard, which will roll out with the 2019 MacBook Air.
2. Amazon could be exposed to huge risk after a court ruled that it's liable for faulty third-party products. A judge wrote that Amazon's business model "enables third-party vendors to conceal themselves from the customer."
3. Amazon pulls conversion therapy books like "A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality" after 3 months of protests. The books were flagged to Amazon three months ago by activist Rojo Alan, who himself experienced so-called "gay conversion therapy" as a child.
4. A 23-year-old hacker who launched cyberattacks on gaming services has been given 27 months in prison, ZDNet reports. Austin Thompson, a.k.a. DerpTrolling, took down Sony, Microsoft, and Valve's networks with DDoS attacks.
5. The man who doused Baidu CEO Robin Li with water has been arrested, the BBC reports. The man's motives for pouring water over Li are still unknown.
6. Samsung's Q2 results revealed that profits have more than halved on last year, Bloomberg reports. Bloomberg attributes the drop to decreased demand for chips and smartphones, along with trade tensions.
7. France is gearing up to pass a law that would fine tech companies for allowing hate speech on their platforms within 24 hours, AP reports. If the bill passes, companies could face fines of over a million dollars for failing to remove hate speech.
8. New research suggests Bitcoin consumes roughly as much energy as Switzerland, The Verge reports. According to the report from Cambridge University researchers, maintaining the Bitcoin network eats up 0.25% of global energy consumption.
9. Samsung is being taken to court by an Australian consumer watchdog over the reliability of its water-resistant phones, The Verge reports. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chair Rod Sims said the company misled customers over how well the phone would survive both ocean and swimming pool water.
10. Amazon turns 25 years old today. Jeff Bezos incorporated Amazon on July 5, 1994.

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