An active shooter was reported at YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California, Tuesday evening Eastern time, and details were emerging. The San Bruno Police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tweeted that they responded to a shooting. “Please stay away from Cherry Ave & Bay Hill Drive,” San Bruno Police wrote. Google tweeted that it's "coordinating with authorities and will provide official information here from Google and YouTube as it becomes available.” YouTube employee Vadim Lavrusik tweeted: “Heard shots and saw people running while at my desk. Now barricaded inside a room with coworkers,” before tweeting that he safely evacuated. The closest emergency room to the YouTube campus wasn’t treating any gunshot victims, but it’s not a trauma center and such nearby facilities may have received patients, a spokesman for the Kaiser healthcare system told us. We couldn’t reach anyone immediately at area hospitals with trauma centers. Following its initial tweet, Google said: "We have advised those who are currently at the SBO office to continue to shelter in place until further notice."

Amazon shares fell another 1 percent Tuesday before rebounding, and some analysts said they saw the recent drop from a 52-week high of $1,617.54 (see 1804020050) as a buy opportunity. Shares wound up closing 1.5 percent higher Tuesday at $1,392.05. President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday: “I am right about Amazon costing the United States Post Office massive amounts of money for being their Delivery Boy. Amazon should pay these costs (plus) and not have them bourne [sic] by the American Taxpayer. Many billions of dollars. P.O. leaders don’t have a clue (or do they?)!” The company didn’t comment. Last week, Trump blasted Amazon on possible antitrust grounds (see 1803290049), for “putting many thousands of retailers out of business” and for paying “little to no taxes to state & local governments.” Barclays cautioned investors in a Tuesday research note about “potential regulatory risk” for e-commerce providers over tax policy and shipping costs. Barclays cited the power Amazon has accrued from its business model of selling products close to bill of exchange and generating profit in other areas like Prime fees and advertising vs traditional retailers with higher cost structures. It warned of “additional scrutiny around tax collections” from third-party sellers that would weigh down growth for Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Shopify. On shipping cost inflation risk, Barclays said every 15 percent bump in USPS shipping rates for the last mile would wipe out 13 percent of Amazon retail operating income “assuming the company doesn't come up with another low-cost option to replace USPS.” The analyst firm doesn’t see antitrust as a viable path for regulators “given the low market share.” Barclays remains bullish long term on e-commerce but isn’t expecting much from the sector “until some of these sentiment headwinds abate and the conversation moves back toward innovation.” The Washington Post, which is owned personally by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, reported that government officials have told Trump that USPS profits from contracts with Amazon. Trump claimed over the weekend that USPS loses an average of $1.50 for every package it delivers for Amazon.

Credit card data for Saks and Lord & Taylor customers in North America has been compromised, owner Hudson Bay Co. announced Sunday, and reports say data for as many as 5 million credit and debit cards were stolen. HBC said there's no indication the company’s e-commerce or digital platforms were affected, and customers won't be liable for fraudulent charges. Once more information is available, HBC said it will offer free identity protection services. Gemini Advisory claimed a JokerStash hacking syndicate reported the release of more than 5 million cards across the entire network of Lord & Taylor and 83 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, though most of the stolen data was from New York and New Jersey locations. The cybersecurity consultant estimated the hacking started in May, and as of Sunday, 125,000 records had been released for sale.

Speculation on Spotify's opening share price was all over the board Monday, before the company's initial public offering takes effect Tuesday, we found. CNNMoney called the Spotify IPO “eagerly anticipated” and “bizarre,” saying, “Nobody knows what the price will be when the stock starts trading.” Business Insider said Spotify is going public at “the worst possible time for tech stocks,” after Facebook’s data collection debacle slammed it and other tech stocks at the end of March, a slide that continued Monday. Shares of Amazon (down 5.2 percent to $1371.99), Apple (down 1.1 percent to $166.68), Facebook (down 2.8 percent to $155.39) and Google (down 2.4 percent to $1,102.63) fell Monday. Brokers have already published Spotify price targets in the range of $160-$225 per share, said reports. Analyst Gary Alexander, in a Seeking Alpha column, wrote that the implied market value of $37 billion-$41 billion is “far higher” than Spotify’s last reported valuation of $19 billion. “Without underwriters to stabilize the offering, Spotify's IPO is likely to be much more volatile than the typical IPO -- either up or down,” he said. Spotify’s direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday could pave the way for other pre-IPO companies to choose a similar alternate route to going public, but the deal carries a “high degree of uncertainty” since 91 percent of the 178 million shares will be set by broker-dealers based on buy and sell orders, said Renaissance Capital IPO Research last week (see 1803300007).

The FTC seeks comment by May 9 on a proposal to amend a video game industry self-regulatory program the agency approved under its Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act rule. The Entertainment Software Rating Board plans to amend its COPPA safe harbor program, the FTC said. ESRB potentially could alter its definition for personal information and data to reflect additional COPPA guidance issued in October, among other changes.

The Milo whole-home Wi-Fi distribution product that ParkerVision introduced in the fall continues to be a learn-as-one-goes experience for the loss-ridden tech company, said CEO Jeffrey Parker on a Thursday earnings call. ParkerVision launched Milo in mid-October through Amazon Prime and its own online store. “We learned where Milo is doing a great job for consumers” but also where it “needed to be tuned a bit to deliver” on how some customers want to use the product, said Parker. Milo qualified for Amazon Prime’s “fulfilled by seller program,” which allows ParkerVision to “reach out” to market the product to Amazon Prime customers, “while still able to keep costs down by fulfilling those orders from our own facilities rather than through an Amazon distribution center,” said Chief Financial Officer Cindy Poehlman. ParkerVision's stock risks a Nasdaq delisting because the company doesn't meet its $35 million minimum "market value of listed securities" and because its shares are trading below "the $1 minimum bid price requirement," she said. The company nevertheless is “now geared up and taking Milo to the next steps,” including marketing the product to internet service providers through a broad “direct sales campaign,” said Parker. It’s also “actively pursuing” a direct-to-consumer “channel partner” that's offering “to take Milo on a comprehensive direct national TV, radio, newspaper and PR campaign,” he said. “This is a firm that has decades of experience in taking consumer products right to market in very successful campaigns.” The company’s goal is “to launch on air with them in late spring to early summer this year,” he said.

Facebook will double its staff of content reviewers, systems engineers and security experts from 10,000 to 20,000 in 2018, Samidh Chakrabarti, product manager, said Thursday as part of several statements issued by the company. Guy Rosen, vice president of product management said Facebook’s restructuring will involve four election security priorities: combating foreign interference, fake account removal, ad transparency and reducing the spread of “false news.” “None of us can turn back the clock, but we are all responsible for making sure” the U.S. avoids foreign election interference in the future, he said: “We are taking our role in that effort very, very seriously.” Instead of reacting to reports from users about illicit content, Facebook is “proactively” monitoring for harmful election-related activity, Chakrabarti said.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) could greatly improve human life and economic competitiveness, but it also has the potential to widen socioeconomic inequality by displacing workers, said a GAO report delivered Wednesday to the House Technology Committee by U.S. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro. The report summary to Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, and ranking member Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, details findings from a July AI forum in Washington. Participants included industry, government, academic and nonprofit officials. Among the challenges of AI are: corruption caused by hacking, inability of legislation to keep pace with technology, lack of computing and human resources and a lack of ethical framework for AI. The report said AI systems can benefit cybersecurity efforts, automated transportation, law enforcement and the financial sector.

The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica controversy highlights the marketing industry’s need to address consumer privacy and transparency issues, the Association of National Advertisers said Thursday. The scandal shows there's “enormous frustration” with organizations that “fall short on promises of protection and safeguards,” ANA said, which has led to “blunt responses” like the EU general data protection regulation (GDPR). The GDPR offers some degree of consumer protection, but it's detrimental to the free flow of information, the group said. Through increased privacy accountability and transparency efforts, online advertisers need to earn back the trust of consumers, ANA said.

President Donald Trump attacked Amazon in a Thursday Twitter post, fueling further speculation about reports he's looking to target the e-commerce firm on antitrust grounds. Trump tweeted he has been concerned about Amazon since “long before” the 2016 presidential election, saying the company is “putting many thousands of retailers out of business.” Amazon also pays “little to no taxes to state & local governments” and uses the U.S. Postal Service “as their Delivery Boy,” which causes “tremendous loss to the U.S.,” he said. Trump “made it clear” he has concerns about Amazon's practices, a White House spokeswoman said. Trump “has said many times before he’s always looking to create a level playing field for all businesses and this is no different,” said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders during a Wednesday news briefing. Amazon didn't comment. There has been rising Hill scrutiny of top edge providers, including multiple planned hearings on Facebook and the Cambridge Analytica controversy (see 1803210019, 1803190056, 1803200047, 1803220052, 1803260041 and 1803270043).