EU issues proposals to drive digitization across industries and sectors, including rules for high risk AI systems and a regulatory framework for data governance
European Union lawmakers have set out a first bundle of proposals for a new digital strategy for the bloc …
Microsoft launches a unified Office app for iOS and Android, combining Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into a single app; standalone versions will remain available
Even more mobile features are on the way soon — Microsoft is releasing its new unified Office app for iOS and Android today …
Mozilla releases its VPN service Firefox Private Network on Android in a closed beta for $4.99/month
Mozilla, the organization behind the much-loved Firefox web browser, has experimented with creating a VPN service for some time. Unlike the VPNs packaged with browsers like Opera …
As Photoshop turns 30, Adobe begins rolling out new desktop and mobile features, including bringing the Object Selection tool to iPad
Photoshop turns 30 today, and Adobe is celebrating with some worthwhile updates to the photo-editing app on both the desktop and iPad.
Facebook is internally testing a tabbed version of News Feed for mobile that includes the Most Relevant, Most Recent, and Already Seen feeds
Facebook may make it easier to escape its ranking algorithm and explore the News Feed in different formats. Facebook has internally prototyped …
Twitter acquires Chroma Labs, which makes tools for video and photo creation, will split team across product, design, and engineering, shut down Chroma Stories
- Company builds photo, video-editing features for social media — Chroma will join Twitter to work on ‘conversations’ products
Coinbase becomes a Visa Principal Member, allowing it to issue bitcoin debit cards for other crypto companies and traditional firms
Credit card giant Visa has granted its principal membership to a cryptocurrency company for the first time. Officially awarded to cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase …
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
July 2018, the mayor of Irving, Texas, signed a contract that would dramatically expand how the city's police department could investigate crimes using facial recognition.
Google begins rolling out two Google Docs features: autocorrect, enabled by default, and Smart Compose, for paying customers
Last November, Google Docs started testing autocorrect and Smart Compose as part of leveraging machine learning to improve user productivity.
A tribute to Wikipedia, which is one of the few remaining places that retains the faintly utopian glow of the early World Wide Web
People used to think the crowdsourced encyclopedia represented all that was wrong with the web. Now it's a beacon of so much that's right. Tweets: @alexhinojo , @wikimedia , @rgcooke , @wired , @jonn...
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
A federal judge ruled today that Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei does not have grounds to sue the U.S. government …
Groupon says it will shutter Groupon Goods, its e-commerce platform for physical products, after reporting worse-than-expected results; stock drops 40%+
- Company plans to abandon the business of selling goods — Groupon will focus on being marketplace for local experiences
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
- LendingClub, a fintech company that pioneered personal loans made online, is buying a U.S. bank to give it access to a stable and cheaper source of funding, CNBC has learned.
Patreon has launched Patreon Capital, which provides creators with cash advances they pay back with slight interest using income earned on the platform
I was tempted to kick this story off with a platitude along the lines of: “Starting something is the hardest part.”
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
Law says ISPs need opt-in consent before using or sharing Web-browsing history. — The broadband industry is suing Maine …
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
it won't meet revenue guidance because of constrained iPhone supply and suppressed demand in China https://www.cnbc.com/... @technology : CEO Tim Cook said the safety of employees, partners and custom...
Kickstarter employees vote 46-37 to unionize with the Office and Professional Employees International Union
no matter where they work. That includes tech. #SupportUnions https://twitter.com/... @doctorow : Kickstarter workers vote to form first union in tech industry https://www.nbcnews.com/... Congrats to ...
Consumer insights provider Hitwise is shutting down after 24 years, following allegations that it purchased sensitive user data from Avast's Jumpshot
The move underscores the growing impact consumer privacy is having in areas such as ad tech — Consumer insights company Hitwise …
Online learning marketplace Udemy, which offers over 150,000 courses, raises $50M from Japanese publisher Benesse Holdings at a $2B post-money valuation
The internet has, for better or worse, become the default platform for people seeking information, and today one of the companies leveraging …
Citrix says hackers had access to its networks for five months beginning on October 13, 2018, and could have stolen personal data on company employees
Networking software giant Citrix Systems says malicious hackers were inside its networks for five months between 2018 and 2019 …
Indian education platform Unacademy raises $110M Series E from General Atlantic, Sequoia Capital India, Facebook, and others
Unacademy, one of India's fastest growing education startups, has just received the backing of a major technology giant: Facebook. Tweets: @gauravmunjal , @refsrc , and @aparanjape Tweets: Gaurav Munj...
An Indian election candidate created multiple deepfakes of his own video with him speaking different languages to access voters, reaching ~15M WhatsApp users
Nilesh Christopher / VICE :
Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon X60 5G modem built on a 5nm process, offering up to 7.5 Gbps download and 3 Gbps upload speeds
Dr. Ian Cutress / AnandTech :
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
Driverless vehicle technology has the potential to transform industries — and indeed, it already has.
SentinelOne, which provides autonomous, real-time, AI-based endpoint security protection, raises $200M Series E led by Insight Partners at a $1B+ valuation
SentinelOne has raised $200 million in a venture capital round that pushes its valuation past $1 billion as investors continue …
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
- MUFG gains access to millions of users in Southeast Asia — Grab is trying to build a regional super-app like WeChat
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
Weeks after Zomato acquired Uber's Eats business in India, its chief local rival is bulking up some ammunition of its own.
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
Alfred Ng / CNET :
Sources: Uber shuts down its customer support office in LA, laying off ~80 employees and outsourcing their jobs to a support office in Manila
Johana Bhuiyan / Los Angeles Times :
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
Steve O'Hear / TechCrunch :
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
with potentially 7 years in jail https://techcrunch.com/...
Dell announces it is selling its RSA cybersecurity firm to a consortium led by private equity firm Symphony Technology Group for $2.075B
Today's news signals our transition … Jeff Clarke / Direct2Dell : Symphony Technology Group Enters Definitive Agreement with Dell Technologies to Acquire RSA Larry Dignan / ZDNet : Dell Technologies s...
Aisera, which uses AI to help with customer service and internal operations, raises $20M Series B led by Norwest Venture Partners
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch :
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
Founders Fund has raised $3 billion for a pair of new funds, so expect a slew of headlines about how “Peter Thiel's venture capital firm” is now flush with cash.
ForgePoint Capital raises $450M for its second cybersecurity investment fund, taking its funds under management to $750M
Duncan Riley / SiliconANGLE :
Huntress, a SaaS cybersecurity provider, raises $18M Series A led by ForgePoint Capital as it expands into additional market segments and geographies
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat :
Whatfix, which helps companies onboard users and improve employee training, raises $32M Series C led by Sequoia Capital India
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat :
Indonesia-based Eureka, which provides consumer intelligence to mobile carriers and enterprises by using AI and mobile data analytics, raises $20M Series B
Doris Yu / Tech in Asia :
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
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat :
London-based Concirrus, which builds an AI-based predictive analytics platform to help insurance providers rate customers, raises $20M Series B led by AlbionVC
Annie Musgrove / Tech.eu :
Shopify's new AI commerce stack
Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Email fatigue is real: Here's how smart email tools help you regain control
Picture this: It's Monday morning. You walk into the office feeling energized and ready to take on the week.
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data
Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.