With a TikTok sale, China would lose control of its first global internet sensation, hardening suspicions that the US is sabotaging its tech growth
Washington's push for Chinese company to sell American operations hardens suspicions in China that the U.S. aims to sabotage its technology
After Satya Nadella and Trump spoke, Microsoft says it will continue discussions to explore a TikTok acquisition in US, ending on Sept. 15 if no deal is reached
and draw scrutiny Jane Li / Quartz : TikTok is too Chinese for the US—and too American for China South China Morning Post : China may not like forced TikTok sale but experts warn few other options Ste...
Microsoft's xCloud game streaming service will launch on September 15 on Android in 22 countries, bundled with the Xbox Games Pass Ultimate subscription
Available in 22 countries, but no iOS support at launch — Microsoft will launch its game streaming service, known as Project xCloud …
Trump says he is fine with the idea of Microsoft buying TikTok in US, but the US government should be paid a “substantial amount of money” as part of the deal
Today the President appeared to bless the budding Microsoft-TikTok deal, continuing his evolution on a possible transaction.
Apple announces a refresh for its 21.5" and 27" iMacs, including 10th-generation Intel CPUs, a 1080p webcam, and SSDs as standard, shipping from next week
But the design remains the same — Apple is announcing updates for both the 27-inch and 21.5-inch iMacs.
Facebook adds a search tool in WhatsApp to help check viral messages for misinformation, rolling out today in Brazil, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, UK, and US
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, but that also means a lot of misinformation and rumors are shared on the platform.
Apple says there are no talks to buy TikTok, and it isn't interested, after sources said it is among the companies that have expressed interest in buying TikTok
what you'd expect to hear on a wiretap, not from the White House to reporters, @danprimack writes. https://www.axios.com/... M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler : But seriously, with a TikTok a deal Apple would...
The European Commission opens an in-depth investigation into Google's proposed acquisition of Fitbit over concerns about vast amounts of data Google could use
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Fitbit by Google under the EU Merger Regulation.
Sony beats estimates with quarterly profit of $2.15B and says its PlayStation Plus subscription service added 3.4M users, for a total of 44.9M
- Company had delayed issuing firm full-year forecast on virus — The Last of Us 2 was a record-breaking PS4 exclusive debut
Microsoft should refuse Trump's TikTok payoff, as it would set a dangerous precedent for the seizure of foreign businesses through regulatory fiat
Paying the U.S. government a cut of TikTok's sale price would be a dangerous precedent that could blow up in corporate America's face
Fawkes, a tool developed by researchers at the University of Chicago, disguises photos with pixel-level changes that confuse facial recognition systems
Researchers at the University of Chicago want you to be able to post selfies without worrying that the next Clearview AI will use them to identify you.
Twitter says FTC may soon fine it between $150M-$250M for using users' email addresses and phone numbers for ad targeting; practice was disclosed in Oct. 2019
Twitter said the identifiers were ‘inadvertently’ used for advertising — Twitter said that the Federal Trade Commission …
Rippling, an employee data management company led by Parker Conrad, raises $145M led by Founders Fund, valuing it at $1.35B, up 5x from its last valuation
- Former Zenefits founder's new company valued at $1.35 billion — Investors include Founders Fund, Kleiner Perkins and Coatue
As tech giants renew vows to diversify their workforces, a look at why their efforts have fallen short, especially in retaining new Black and Latinx employees
Quora Inc., which runs the eponymous questions and answers website, couldn't figure this one out: Why were so many Black … Tweets: @rebeccamkern , @dinabass , @girlsintech , @paigesmithnews , @adblanc...
Alphabet borrowed $10B in its largest ever bond issue from the corporate debt market, which it secured at its lowest-ever cost of financing
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) borrowed $10 billion in the investment-grade corporate debt market on Monday, the Google parent's largest ever bond issue …
Canalys: global Q2 tablet shipments grew 26% YoY to 37.5M, desktop PC shipments fell 26%; iPad shipments grew 19.8% YoY to 14.24M for a leading 38% market share
Jeremy Horwitz / VentureBeat :
Google announces the $349 Pixel 4a, available on August 20 with preorders open now, $499 Pixel 4a 5G, and Pixel 5, coming later this fall
and not just because Google bribed reviewers with cookies and a non-alcoholic cocktail) https://www.theverge.com/...
Take-Two Interactive beat expectations in fiscal Q1 with revenue of $831.3M, up 54% YoY, despite not launching any new games during the quarter
games to be priced on title-by-title basis Rob Thubron / TechSpot : Take-Two says more expensive games on the PS5/XBSX reflect “the quality of the experience” Tweets: Daniel Ahmad / @zhugeex : Take Tw...
UK's competition watchdog approves Amazon's investment for a 16% stake in Deliveroo, ending a long battle by the firms to convince regulators to clear the deal
Ryan Browne / CNBC :
An inside look at the rise of r/The_Donald subreddit, which trafficked in violent rhetoric and was nearing 800K subscribers before Reddit banned it in June
The notorious subreddit trafficked in violent rhetoric, growing a prodigious following over five years. Here's how—and why—Reddit finally shut it down.
Another video making Nancy Pelosi seem drunk goes viral; YouTube, Twitter removed versions of it, while Facebook, where it has 3M+ views, adds fact-check label
once again targeting @SpeakerPelosi. If Facebook can't defend against low-tech disinfo like this video, it's clear they're not ready for the threats that are coming our way in November. They need to d...
China to launch a state-run authentication system in Sept. for game makers to enforce game playing with real names; Tencent and NetEase use their own systems
Masha Borak / South China Morning Post :
Google says it will invest $450M in smart home security company ADT, which will sell and install Nest smart home products, for a 6.6% stake
the fact that it already has so much of our data allows it to develop more accurate home security systems. Of course, that lets Google see even more of our lives. What is the endpoint of this surveill...
Yotpo, which develops e-commerce marketing tools, raises $75M Series E at a valuation its CEO calls “nearly a unicorn”, bringing its total raised to $176M
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch :
[Thread] A look at the correspondence between a hacked US travel management firm, CWT, and the ransomware attackers, who were paid $4.5M in BTC to decrypt files
Jack Stubbs / @jc_stubbs : Tweets: @jc_stubbs , @jc_stubbs , @codybrown , and @jc_stubbs Tweets: Jack Stubbs / @jc_stubbs : After the ransom was paid, the attackers even provided some bonus security ...
YouTube says the number of creators who no longer rely on ads for the majority of their earnings grew 40% between January and May
Bloomberg : Tweets: @lucas_shaw See also Mediagazer Tweets: Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw : YouTube built an empire on free video, but a growing numbers of creators are finding success charging their fans...
Syntiant, which develops AI speech-processing edge chips, raises $35M Series C led by M12 and Applied Ventures, bringing its total raised to $60M+
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat :
Zoom will halt direct sales to consumers in mainland China, only offering its tech via third-party partners starting Aug. 23 amid scrutiny over privacy concerns
Paayal Zaveri / Business Insider :
During the pandemic, users are increasingly turning to charts, infographics, and headlines on Instagram, benefiting accounts that post text-based info
Sources: AGs from NY and CA are partnering with the FTC to investigate Amazon's online marketplace, with plans to interview witnesses in coming weeks
Spencer Soper / Bloomberg :
The FCC will take public comment for 45 days on the Trump administration's petition for new transparency rules on how social media companies moderate content
David Shepardson / Reuters : Tweets: @dangillmor , @blakereid , and @frankpallone Tweets: Dan Gillmor / @dangillmor : Instead of tossing Trump's blatantly unconstitutional media censorship plan into ...
Google announces partnerships with six more banks to offer digital checking and savings accounts to Google Pay users in the US, starting next year
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch :
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.