Marketplace Tech®

This week the European Parliament passed a law establishing basic rights for workers in the gig economy. It could apply to some 3 million people, everyone from Uber drivers to couriers for the United Kingdom's Deliveroo. The law requires companies to pay when work is canceled last minute or for mandatory training. It also bans "exclusivity clauses," which prevent freelancers from "gigging" for other companies. It's supposed to make working short-term gigs a little more stable. Marketplace’s Amy Scott talked with Joe Miller, a business and tech reporter with the BBC who's been following this law.

Today's show is sponsored by Clickshare and Ultimate Software.

Last year, California passed the California Consumer Privacy Act, which requires companies to be more careful in the way they handle consumer data. It doesn't go into effect until next year, and it's still a work in progress. Host Molly Wood checked in with Jessica Lee, a partner at the law firm Loeb & Loeb advising clients on data privacy regulations. She said some companies are plowing ahead while others are trying to remake things in their favor.

Today's show is sponsored by the University of Florida Warrington College of Business, Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage and Logi Analytics.

In a new book, Janet Napolitano, the former head of the Department of Homeland Security, says it is "impossible to overstate the urgency of improving our country's cybersecurity." She says we're vulnerable all over the place, from critical infrastructure like utilities and 911 dispatch systems to our elections and our personal data. Host Molly Wood spoke with Napolitano about her new book "How Safe Are We? Homeland Security Since 9/11."

Today's show is sponsored by Oregon State University and Acquia.

Today, most video conference calls are full of pauses, delays, garbled audio and unusable interfaces. Last year a Gallup Poll found that 70% of employees around the world work remotely at least once a week, and more globalization means more remote offices and bureaus. Video conferencing company Zoom goes public on Thursday, promising to make customers happier with their meetings. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talked to Nick Barber, an analyst at Forrester Research, about the current state of video conferencing.

Today's show is sponsored by Clickshare and the University of Florida Warrington College of Business.

Tesla announced late last week that all its cars will now come with its semi-autonomous driving technology, called Autopilot, as a standard option. And Tesla is pushing hard toward fully self-driving cars. It will hold an autonomy investor day April 22 to tell shareholders how it plans to get there. But other companies are pulling back. Host Molly Wood talked with Jack Stewart, Marketplace’s transportation reporter. He said next week is about Tesla staking its self-driving claim.

Today's show is sponsored by Panopto and Rochester Institute of Technology.