Welcome, autumn! Moving forward, we only have a few more weeks before CSW Europe 2015 takes center stage in Brussels. And as part of our weekly Friday routine, here is a curated weekly roundup of the breaking news and must-read thought leadership pieces on the crowd economy spotted by the Crowdsourcing Week team.
Curious what a smart city of the future will look like?
Here’s a scoop from EDF Pulse on how smart cities will shape our lives. “Localization and tracking of goods will significantly improve protection against theft. It will be very difficult to lose an item when it’s connected. Security systems will also be much more efficient. A smoke detector will be able to alert firefighters directly in the event of a fire and water companies will be able to cut off your supply remotely in the event of a flood. City parking should also be much easier. This is already the case in Paris, which has a car-sharing service called Autolib with an app that displays all free parking spaces nearby.”
Two Uber executives in France face prison
As sharing economy gains traction in France, Uber faces another regulatory scuffles. NDTV Gadgets 360 reports, “Thiebaud Simphal and Pierre-Dimitry Gore-Coty, the executives, face up to five years in prison and fines of EUR 300,000 (roughly Rs. 2.2 crores) per charge over allegations of fraudulent commercial activity, operating an illegal taxi service, and maintaining illegal databases containing personal started of both drivers and passengers.”
Incentives of creators and innovation, a perfect match?
Here’s a thought piece on The Washington Post why incentives and innovation work hand-in-hand. “This is the constraint a universal basic income might solve: It might put an end to the waitering, the security guarding, the hotel clerking that keeps innovators from reaching their full potential. Others will opine on what incentives we need to get these jobs done in society, and whether universal basic income is a good solution to income inequality, or even feasible at all. In my corner of the world, startups and the people who build them, a universal basic income could unlock innovation.”
Amazon is also taking a piece of sharing economy’s cake with Flex delivery
Amazon is tapping into the crowd economy with its new on-demand as a service called Flex delivery CNBC reports. “The online retail giant has rolled out a service in its hometown Seattle to deliver packages ultrafast to its Prime consumers, using a crowdsourced network of drivers. The program’s model is similar to those used by on-demand service providers like Uber and Lyft. The new program, Amazon Flex, lets drivers sign up for shifts through an Android-based app that alerts them when there are delivery opportunities in their area. Amazon will pay the drives as much as $25 an hour.”
Canberra’s new ride-sharing rules welcomed by Uber
Canberra releases new regulations that are in favor of Uber. According to The Guardian, it will be the first place in Australia to legalize the ridesharing services starting 30th of October. “The ACT government said it would allow services such as Uber to enter Canberra from 30 October to offer “safe, flexible and affordable” journeys to people. Ride-sharing vehicles will undergo accreditation and registration, including criminal and driving history checks, similar to taxi drivers.”
[Photo credit: Screenshot via CNBC video]
There are tons of amazing stories out there. What else caught your eye this week? Did you come across some breaking news or a good thought piece?
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