Techmeme River
Techmeme River
Thursday, February 20, 2020
10:15 PM
Samsung Electronics names ex-finance minister Bahk Jae-wan its new board chairman after his predecessor was jailed for union-busting activities
Reuters
9:10 PM
Facebook will pay users up to $5 for voice recordings via its Viewpoints app to improve its speech recognition tech; recordings won't be tied to user profiles
The Verge
8:35 PM
Swiss Federal Court rules that Facebook likes and shares can in some cases be considered as illegal defamation
The Local
7:35 PM
Researcher says Cameo exposed user data including email addresses, hashed and salted passwords, phone numbers, and messages via a misconfiguration in its app
VICE
6:50 PM
Sources: around 300 workers at Oracle offices around the world walked out on Thursday to protest Larry Ellison's fundraiser for Trump on Wednesday
Bloomberg
6:41 PM
Microsoft announces Defender ATP for Linux, will offer the antivirus software for Android and iOS later this year as part of its enterprise security platform
The Verge
6:05 PM
New Mexico AG sues Google, alleging the company tracks data of students who use free Chromebooks provided to schools through its G Suite for Education platform
The Verge
5:25 PM
Sprint and T-Mobile have agreed to amend their merger agreement to give Deutsche Telekom a higher ownership stake in the new combined company
CNBC
5:08 PM
Dropbox Q4: revenue of $446M, up 19% YoY, net loss of $6.6M, down from $9.5M YoY, 14.3M paid users, avg revenue per user of $125; stock up 12%+ after hours
ZDNet
5:05 PM
Dropbox Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2019 Results
Dropbox
4:55 PM
Sony and Facebook say they will not attend Game Developers Conference this year due to coronavirus concerns; Facebook to make Oculus announcements online
GamesIndustry.biz
4:10 PM
Internal documents and interviews with former staff and students detail Lambda coding school's misleading claims about graduate outcomes and curriculum quality
New York Magazine
3:30 PM
Sources detail the rising clout of Joel Kaplan and other conservatives at Facebook during the Trump administration
Washington Post
2:40 PM
Cloud-based HR software providers Kronos and Ultimate Software to merge, say the combined company will have revenues of ~$3B and an enterprise value of $22B
Reuters
2:05 PM
Twitter confirms it is testing bright labels beneath lies and misinfo posted by politicians and public figures, and points-based “community badges” for users
NBC News
1:25 PM
The Org, which is building a database of organizational charts of companies and claims to have 16K businesses profiled, raises $11M in seed and Series A rounds
TechCrunch
1:05 PM
Google tells Cloud Vision API customers it will no longer label pictures with “woman” or “man” as a person's gender cannot be inferred by appearance alone
Business Insider
12:50 PM
HTC announces new Cosmos VR headset variants: $899 Elite, lower-end Play, and XR with “high-quality XR passthrough cameras”, giving it AR capabilities
The Verge
12:35 PM
Trump administration urges Supreme Court to reject Alphabet's appeal against Oracle, on the same day Trump attended a re-election fundraiser by Larry Ellison
Bloomberg
12:15 PM
Streaming platforms like Roku and Hulu aren't subject to the same political ad transparency rules as broadcasters even as campaigns and PACs buy ads on them
Washington Post
11:30 AM
Google removed ~600 Android apps, which were installed 4.5B+ times, and banned the developers behind them from Play Store for ad fraud and “disruptive” ads
BuzzFeed News
11:10 AM
The European Data Protection Board, the EU's data protection advisor, says Google's acquisition of Fitbit entails “a high level of risk” to privacy rights
TechCrunch
10:35 AM
US links Sandworm hacking group to Russian agency GRU's Main Center for Special Technology, blaming it for cyberattacks that hit neighboring Georgia in October
Wired
9:55 AM
HungryPanda, a food delivery service for Chinese communities in cities worldwide, raises $20M led by 83North and Felix Capital
TechCrunch
9:35 AM
Microsoft plans antivirus software for Android and iOS devices
CNBC
9:25 AM
Risk assessment algorithm PSA, used to see if pretrial defendants in NJ should be held in jail, has led to jail population drop, yet racial disparities persist
Wired
8:50 AM
ZeroFox, a SaaS that detects risks on social media and digital channels such as phishing and malicious file sharing, raises $74M led by Intel Capital
VentureBeat
8:31 AM
Morgan Stanley says it will buy online discount brokerage E-Trade for about $13B, in the biggest takeover by an American lender since the 2008 financial crisis
New York Times
8:15 AM
OneTrust, a privacy management and marketing compliance platform, raises $210M Series B led by Coatue and Insight Partners, doubling its valuation to $2.7B
Crunchbase News
8:05 AM
A look at the data sharing practices of therapy apps like Better Help, which notify third parties when an app is opened and if a patient has suicidal thoughts
Jezebel
6:25 AM
Sources: Apple is weighing an option to set third-party browser and email apps as defaults on iPhones and iPads and third-party music services on the HomePod
Bloomberg
5:40 AM
PitchBook: 159 companies went public in the US in 2019 raising $33B, a ~30% drop from 2018, as founders and investors opt for direct listings over bank-led IPOs
Marker
1:10 AM
Researchers at Linux Foundation and Harvard identify the most commonly used FOSS components within enterprises and potential vulnerabilities related to that use
ZDNet
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
8:55 PM
Twitter announces a “continue thread” option, a new feature that links tweets together while they are being composed
9to5Mac
7:50 PM
In a letter, the House Oversight Committee asks Amazon about Ring's partnerships with governments and police depts. and Ring's policies regarding collected data
CNET
7:30 PM
Family planning telehealth startup Maven raises $45M Series C from Icon Ventures, Sequoia, others, and launched its Wallet service to manage benefits this year
Bloomberg
6:55 PM
Home addresses and other data of 10.6M+ guests who stayed at MGM Resorts hotels before 2018, including Jack Dorsey, were posted on a hacking forum this week
ZDNet
6:15 PM
Current US air traffic systems are ill equipped to deal with the coming surges in air congestion from drones and urban air mobility vehicles
New York Times
5:10 PM
Profile of neobank Chime, which has 8M accounts, is reportedly valued at $5.8B, and will soon offer 1.6% interest on savings, compared to industry average of 1%
Bloomberg
4:00 PM
An in-depth look at Samsung's Ultra Thin Glass, used on the Galaxy Z Flip: how its thinness allows it to fold but requires a plastic protective layer
The Verge
3:55 PM
Documents: US EEOC is investigating Google's alleged discrimination against Chelsey Glasson, an employee who wrote publicly about her treatment while pregnant
CNBC
3:35 PM
Sources: following Brexit, Google plans to move UK user accounts out of EU's jurisdiction and into the US', where privacy protections are weaker
Reuters
3:25 PM
Inside the FBI's complaint against two ex-Twitter employees who allegedly accessed personal info of thousands of users on behalf of Saudi Arabia for $300K+
BuzzFeed News
3:20 PM
Dish's Sling TV now has 2.5M subscribers, losing 94,000 in Q4, the first time it lost subscribers since its 2015 launch
Variety
3:15 PM
Larry Tesler, an influential figure at Xerox PARC and Apple who coined “cut, copy, paste” and advocated for modeless computing, has died at 74
Gizmodo
2:55 PM
Chess has seen rapid viewership growth on Twitch, with time spent watching rising by 500% since 2016, fostering a new culture in a previously staid domain
NBC News
2:35 PM
Facebook's decisions around influencers' ads made for politicians, like exempting them from its Ads Library, seem inconsistent with the aim of earlier policies
The Verge
2:20 PM
Android 11 boosts privacy with temporary app permissions, like “Allow Once” option in iOS, and requiring apps use Scoped Storage API, despite developer backlash
XDA Developers
1:55 PM
Financial analysis of 12 high-growth SaaS companies that went public in 2019, including Cloudflare and Slack, shows median annual revenue of $242M, up ~48% YoY
Meritech Capital
1:40 PM
Apple sends a cease and desist letter to the author of “App Store Confidential”, published in Germany by an ex-Apple employee, claiming it reveals trade secrets
MacRumors
1:25 PM
Uber introduces new “Report Safety Issue” feature, letting riders discreetly report non-emergency safety concerns in real time, available in the US and Canada
The Verge
1:20 PM
Google launches Android 11 Developer Preview earlier than expected, with new display types, improved messaging, biometrics, and more; final release expected Q3
9to5Google
1:00 PM
IRS lawsuit against Facebook, alleging the company owes $9B+ in taxes after shifting profits to Ireland, begins in San Francisco
Reuters
12:50 PM
Yodlee, America's largest financial data broker, says the data that it sells is anonymous, but a leaked Yodlee doc shows millions of people could be unmasked
VICE
12:40 PM
Study: the seven most-watched YouTube Gaming channels in January streamed recorded, autoplaying videos promoting cheats that linked to credential-stealing sites
Wired
12:25 PM
TikTok announces new Family Safety Mode parental controls to limit kids' usage with screen time management, DM limits, and more, coming first to the UK
TechCrunch
12:15 PM
Facebook has 17M users in Australia but just seven fact checkers, from AFP and Australian Associated Press, who completed 220 fact checks since April 2019
BuzzFeed
12:10 PM
Overview of recent security woes at Citrix, from slowly patching VPN flaws to hackers infiltrating its networks after brute forcing employees' passwords
Krebs on Security
12:05 PM
Inside Founders Fund's deal process, where smaller investments only need limited partner approval, as it has raised its seventh fund and a $1.5B growth fund
Axios
11:50 AM
SentinelOne, which provides autonomous, real-time, AI-based endpoint security protection, raises $200M Series E led by Insight Partners at a $1B+ valuation
VentureBeat
11:45 AM
Swiggy, India's largest food delivery startup, raises $113M Series I led by Prosus Ventures, source says at a $3.6B valuation; Swiggy has raised ~$1.57B to date
TechCrunch
11:40 AM
Colorado-based Outrider, which operates a SaaS platform for fully- and semi-autonomous truck fleets, emerges from stealth with $53M in seed and Series A
VentureBeat
11:25 AM
Google begins rolling out two Google Docs features: autocorrect, enabled by default, and Smart Compose, for paying customers
9to5Google
11:15 AM
Indian education platform Unacademy raises $110M Series E from General Atlantic, Sequoia Capital India, Facebook, and others
TechCrunch
11:10 AM
Microsoft launches a unified Office app for iOS and Android, combining Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into a single app; standalone versions will remain available
The Verge
11:05 AM
Groupon says it will shutter Groupon Goods, its e-commerce platform for physical products, after reporting worse-than-expected results; stock drops over 40%
Bloomberg
10:45 AM
Online learning marketplace Udemy, which offers over 150,000 courses, raises $50M from Japanese publisher Benesse Holdings at a $2B post-money valuation
TechCrunch
10:20 AM
As Photoshop turns 30, Adobe begins rolling out new desktop and mobile features, including bringing the Object Selection tool to iPad
Engadget
10:05 AM
EU proposes rules for “high risk” AI systems and a regulatory framework for data governance in order to drive digitization across sectors like health, policing
TechCrunch
9:50 AM
ForgePoint Capital raises $450M for its second cybersecurity investment fund, taking its funds under management to $750M
SiliconANGLE
9:15 AM
Profile of Japan-based NEC, which has been a longtime provider of facial recognition services globally and garners less scrutiny than new entrants in the space
OneZero
8:45 AM
Whatfix, which helps companies onboard users and improve employee training, raises $32M Series C led by Sequoia Capital India
VentureBeat
8:20 AM
A tribute to Wikipedia, which is one of the few remaining places that retains the faintly utopian glow of the early World Wide Web
Wired
7:50 AM
Coinbase becomes a Visa Principal Member, allowing it to issue bitcoin debit cards for other crypto companies and traditional firms
Forbes
6:30 AM
Sources: Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group is investing $700M in ride hailing giant Grab, intends to market its financial services to Grab's users
Bloomberg
6:10 AM
Aisera, which uses AI to help with customer service and internal operations, raises $20M Series B led by Norwest Venture Partners
TechCrunch
5:40 AM
Consumer insights provider Hitwise is shutting down after 24 years, following allegations that it purchased sensitive user data from Avast's Jumpshot
Ad Age
2:10 AM
Huntress, a SaaS cybersecurity provider, raises $18M Series A led by ForgePoint Capital as it expands into additional market segments and geographies
VentureBeat
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
11:25 PM
Facebook is internally testing a tabbed version of News Feed for mobile that includes the Most Relevant, Most Recent, and Already Seen feeds
TechCrunch
11:10 PM
Indonesia-based Eureka, which provides consumer intelligence to mobile carriers and enterprises by using AI and mobile data analytics, raises $20M Series B
Tech in Asia
10:35 PM
Atomico announces its fifth fund has closed at $820M, bringing their total assets to $2.7B; Atomico will mostly fund European startups at Series A
TechCrunch
10:15 PM
LendingClub is acquiring Boston-based online bank Radius Bancorp in a deal valued at $185M, making it the first US fintech company to acquire a bank
CNBC
9:40 PM
Twitter acquires Chroma Labs, which makes tools for video and photo creation, will split team across product, design, and engineering, shut down Chroma Stories
Bloomberg
9:00 PM
Sources: Uber shuts down its customer support office in LA, laying off ~80 employees and outsourcing their jobs to a support office in Manila
Los Angeles Times
8:30 PM
Mozilla releases its VPN service Firefox Private Network on Android in a closed beta for $4.99/month
Android Police
8:15 PM
London-based Concirrus, which builds an AI-based predictive analytics platform to help insurance providers rate customers, raises $20M Series B led by AlbionVC
Tech.eu
7:15 PM
UltraSense Systems, maker of ultrasound technology to sense movement and gestures through a range of materials like metal, glass, and wood, raises $20M Series B
VentureBeat
6:05 PM
Judge rules that Huawei does not have grounds to sue the US government over a law banning federal agencies and their contractors from buying Huawei products
Politico
5:50 PM
India opens cases against hundreds of VPN users in Kashmir; those found guilty of promoting “unlawful activities and secessionist ideology” face up to 7 years
TechCrunch
4:55 PM
ISPs seek an injunction against a Maine law requiring opt-in consent before sharing customer info like browsing histories, saying it violates free-speech rights
Ars Technica
4:10 PM
BitGo acquires Harbor, issuer of tokens backed by real world assets, and will now hold broker-dealer, transfer agent, and qualified custodian licenses
CoinDesk
3:20 PM
Eclypsium report shows that many PC peripherals, like USB hubs and webcams, have a major security flaw: their firmware can be updated with “unsigned” code
Wired
2:40 PM
An Indian election candidate created multiple deepfakes of his own video with him speaking different languages to access voters, reaching ~15M WhatsApp users
VICE
2:25 PM
Vancouver-based Semios, which develops a real-time crop data and pest management platform that connects to IoT sensors, raises ~$75M in private equity funding
BetaKit
2:15 PM
ElectionGuard, the open-source voting machine software Microsoft announced in May 2019, gets its first real-world test today in a local vote in Fulton, WI
CNET
1:55 PM
Facebook's “deeply concerned” the Singaporean gov't is using its “fake news” law to ban access to a FB page, saying it goes against earlier pledge to not censor
ZDNet
1:25 PM
Patreon has launched Patreon Capital, which provides creators with cash advances they pay back with slight interest using income earned on the platform
Hot Pod News
1:03 PM
China has partnered with Alibaba and Tencent to expand a QR code-like system for tracking individual citizens' health, with a nationwide rollout planned
Reuters
12:40 PM
A look at how Uber drivers' strategies have changed in California after AB5, which has allowed drivers to see estimated ride payouts and destinations
Wired
11:50 AM
Dell announces it is selling its RSA cybersecurity firm to a consortium led by private equity firm Symphony Technology Group for $2.075B
SiliconANGLE
11:30 AM
Sources: SoftBank has invested $2.5B of its own cash into investments since October, as it seeks to re-establish credibility ahead of a planned Vision Fund 2
Reuters
11:07 AM
Kickstarter employees vote 46-37 to unionize with the Office and Professional Employees International Union
VICE
11:00 AM
Elon Musk says all advanced AI development should be regulated, including at Tesla, and that OpenAI, which he cofounded, “should be more open”
TechCrunch
9:55 AM
Ring makes two-factor authentication mandatory and pauses use of most third-party analytics services as it devises ways to limit data sharing with third parties
Engadget
9:40 AM
Interviews with current and former employees reveal how OpenAI has become more secretive as it tries to juggle its ideals with the need to finance its research
MIT Technology Review
9:00 AM
TrendForce analysis of coronavirus on tech industry: smartphone production will decline 12% YoY this quarter, but next-gen game consoles should be unaffected
The Verge
8:45 AM
Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon X60 5G modem built on a 5nm process, offering up to 7.5 Gbps download and 3 Gbps upload speeds
AnandTech
8:20 AM
iOS users not subscribed to Apple's services are constantly forced to look at ads for those services, either in first-party apps or through push notifications
Steve Streza
7:45 AM
Sources: iPhone SE 2 is on track to launch in March despite coronavirus crisis, and updated iPad Pro models with a new camera system are expected in H1 2020
Bloomberg
6:25 AM
AI-centric businesses face scaling challenges and lower gross margins due to high compute usage and ongoing human support compared to traditional software firms
Andreessen Horowitz
2:30 AM
Report: 2019's total web traffic to top 100 sites was up 8% from 2018, driven by mobile; the top 10 sites saw 167.5B monthly visits in 2019, up 10.7% YoY
TechCrunch
Monday, February 17, 2020
9:25 PM
Sources: Indonesia's ride-hailing service Gojek purchased a 4.3% stake in local taxi operator PT Blue Bird, for $30M
Bloomberg
8:20 PM
Sources: US Commerce Department is proposing restrictions requiring foreign companies to obtain licenses in order to make chips for Huawei using US equipment
CNBC
8:00 PM
Tests of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip's “Ultra Thin Glass” display show durability is on par with plastic screens; Samsung to offer one-time $119 screen replacement
The Verge
7:05 PM
Microsoft's Office app for Android is now generally available, after releasing a public preview in November, but lacks support for tablets and Chromebooks
Android Police
6:20 PM
Research: Chinese VCs' investments into Indian startups broke records in 2019, hitting ~$1.4B in Q4 and spanning 54 funding rounds over 2019, vs. three in 2013
Financial Times
5:23 PM
An extortion scam is allegedly threatening website operators with junk ad clicks that trigger Google's fraud detection to limit or ban a site's AdSense account
Krebs on Security
4:21 PM
Apple does not expect to meet revenue guidance for March quarter due to constrained iPhone supply and low demand due to store closures amid coronavirus crisis
Apple
3:55 PM
PullRequest, an on-demand code review startup that's raised ~$12M to date, is buying early-stage startup Moonlight, an online dev hiring platform with ~3K users
TechCrunch
3:30 PM
A look at the recent shifts in HR across the tech industry and the rising role of Chief People Officer, expected to be more strategic than traditional HR heads
Protocol
2:55 PM
Redbox launches ad-supported Free Live TV, which offers a curated set of movies and TV shows organized into channels, from brands like TMZ, USA Today, NowThis
TechCrunch
2:25 PM
After meeting Zuckerberg on Facebook's proposal for harmful content regulation, commissioner overseeing EU data strategy calls it “not enough” and “too slow”
Financial Times
1:47 PM
Jeff Bezos says he is launching the Bezos Earth Fund to fight climate change and committing $10B “to start”, with first grants slated to be issued this summer
The Verge
1:25 PM
Strategy Analytics: global smart speaker shipments hit 146.9M in 2019, up 70% YoY; Amazon led with 38.5M, down from 49.5M in 2018, followed by Google with 29.8M
VentureBeat
11:25 AM
In a book excerpt, Susan Fowler discusses the nightmare she went through after her Uber essay: being followed, people digging through her past, anxiety, more
TIME
11:10 AM
A review of Trump's “insane” public allegations about CrowdStrike, hacking, and “the server”, referenced in his phone call that sparked impeachment proceedings
CBS News
10:45 AM
As the EU debates new rules for its digital economy, including AI regulations, Sundar Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg, and others head to Brussels to meet key lawmakers
New York Times
10:25 AM
Facebook allowing sponsored content for political campaigns on Instagram with little oversight muddies the waters, as #sponsored labels are often hard to spot
BuzzFeed News
9:45 AM
Several US agencies jointly share details on a North Korean hacking campaign, as US-provided attribution for nation state-led cyber attacks becomes more common
Ars Technica
8:35 AM
UrbanFootprint, which provides cloud-based urban planning software to cities and companies, raises $11.5M Series A
FinSMEs
8:05 AM
UK's Met Office says it will spend £1.2B for the world's most powerful climate supercomputer, to be capable of forecasting for an area just 1,000 meters across
Engadget
7:35 AM
Google says it is ending its Google Station program in India and other countries, where it provided free Wi-Fi in railway stations, as mobile data prices drop
TechCrunch
6:50 AM
London-based Unmind, a workplace mental health platform that companies can provide as an employee benefit, raises $10M Series A
Tech.eu
4:00 AM
How tech companies are partnering with millions of mom-and-pop “kirana” stores in India for services like last mile delivery, digital transactions, and more
KrASIA
Sunday, February 16, 2020
11:40 PM
Upland Software, a cloud-based enterprise work management platform, acquired mobile app personalization and analytics provider Localytics for ~$68M in cash
FinSMEs
10:20 PM
Judge rules that DoorDash must arbitrate 5,000+ workers' labor disputes, which may cost the company millions, denying its attempt to move to a class action suit
Quartz
7:20 PM
Google's Project Zero explains how the practice of altering the Android kernel by phone vendors like Samsung lessens security by adding attack surface
ZDNet
6:10 PM
Innovaccer, which pulls data from health records datasets, insurance firms, and pharmacies, to provide a single source of info on patients, raises $70M Series C
TechCrunch
5:15 PM
Former BBC execs and sources detail Project Kangaroo, BBC's 2007 attempt to create a Netflix-like service which was blocked by UK's Competition Commission
WIRED UK
3:55 PM
Oxford VR, a spinout from Oxford University's Department of Psychiatry that wants to use VR simulations to treat mental health problems, raises £10M Series A
Tech.eu
2:10 PM
Profile of Chainalysis, a crypto analytics startup helping government agencies like FBI, IRS, DEA, and ICE in tracking illicit cryptocurrency transactions
CoinDesk
10:05 AM
Estonia, which created a volunteer Cyber Defence Unit after cyberattacks in 2007, offers key lessons to the US in attracting tech talent and educating citizens
Wired
6:00 AM
Court filing sheds light on how US was able to attribute the Equifax hack to China and the techniques alleged state sponsored hackers used
CyberScoop
1:55 AM
How AI is being used to detect and fight ransomware attacks, and how criminals could use AI to plot more efficient ransomware attacks
VentureBeat
12:40 AM
India-based social commerce startup Simsim, which supports local languages like Hindi and Tamil, raises $16M across seed, Series A, and Series B in seven months
TechCrunch