In a new report, Apple says letting iOS users sideload apps would undermine privacy protections, complicate parental controls, and potentially expose user data
which would also work in a world where those apps were sideloaded. No change at all. @rileytestut : Thanks to sideloading, I can make a living developing my open source apps. If Apple had their way, D...
After debate, House committee approves five major antitrust bills, including regulations on user data portability and acquisitions of competitors
Tech companies to take the battle over the proposed new regulations and oversight to the House floor and Senate
Google will delay plans to block third-party cookies from early 2022 to late 2023, to find ways to protect privacy without hurting ad-dependent publishers
Google has delayed a major privacy change to its Chrome browser, pushing back a plan to block third-party cookies until late 2023 …
Microsoft announces Windows 11, with a simplified UI, new Windows store, Start menu, Teams integrated into taskbar, and more, available free to Windows 10 users
A new version of Windows is officially on the way — Microsoft is officially confirming the name for the next release of Windows today: Windows 11.
Google and Jio Platforms announce JioPhone Next, an “affordable” phone running an optimized version of Android, launching in India on September 10; price TBD
Jio Platforms, run by India's richest man (Mukesh Ambani), and Google on Thursday unveiled the JioPhone Next …
Microsoft says it is bringing Android apps to Windows 11 through Amazon's app store
A surprise addition to Windows 11 — Microsoft is bringing Android apps to Windows 11. The software giant revealed its surprise Windows 11 addition during its special Windows event today.
Andreessen Horowitz raises $2.2B for its third fund focused on crypto startups and cryptocurrencies
- The Silicon Valley venture capital firm just announced a new $2.2 billion cryptocurrency-focused fund. — “We believe that the next wave of computing innovation will be driven by crypto …
EE says it will add a £2 roaming charge in Europe for new customers starting January 2022, the first UK operator to reintroduce roaming charges after Brexit
Mobile operator EE will charge new UK customers extra to use their mobile phones in Europe from January.
Visa buys Sweden-based Tink, which offers open banking APIs used by more than 3,400 banks and financial institutions in Europe, for €1.8B
Tink would give Visa a foothold in open banking, which connects consumers to multiple financial institutions — Visa Inc. agreed to pay …
Two South African brothers who founded crypto investment firm Africrypt vanished with ~69,000 bitcoins, worth $3.6B+, after informing clients of an alleged hack
- Lawyers hired by investors piece together funds' disappearance — Africrypt loss would rank among biggest-ever crypto heists
As lawmakers advance the new antitrust bills, Democrats and Republicans are split over how far the bills should go, signaling final passage will be difficult
New York Times :
Sources: Peacock had fewer than 10M paid subs as of May; Comcast is considering a deal with ViacomCBS or acquiring Roku as it seeks to become a streaming giant
Lillian Rizzo / Wall Street Journal :
NBCUniversal's Peacock app will be available on Fire TV products starting June 24, as part of a deal that will see 15 NBCUniversal apps arrive on Amazon devices
It's about time! — Nearly a year after Peacock's launch, NBCUniversal's marquee streaming app is finally coming to Fire TV and Fire tablets.
TCL says NxtWear G, its wearable external display for phones or laptops with USB-C DisplayPort tech, will go on sale in July, starting in Australia for ~$680
Also on the way: multiscreen functionality for TCL phones and a smartwatch for kids — TCL says its wearable display will go on sale …
John McAfee has died by suicide in a Spanish jail cell, according to his lawyer, hours after news that he would be extradited to face federal charges in the US
and prison system so cruel—that native-born defendants would rather die than become subject to it. Julian Assange could be next. Until the system is reformed, a moratorium should remain. https://twitt...
BuzzFeed announces plans to go public via SPAC merger, targeting a $1.5B valuation, and will acquire digital publisher Complex Networks for $300M
BuzzFeed, a 15-year-old digital media company, announced Thursday it plans to go public via a merger with a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company.
Apple launches App Store search ads in China, five years after launching in the US
After launching five years ago in the United States, Apple's search advertising service finally arrived in mainland China this week. — The feature, called Apple Search Ads, lets developers bid …
Profile of Twitter's Machine Learning, Ethics, Transparency, and Accountability team, as Responsible ML becomes one of the company's top priorities in 2021
Machine learning engineer Ari Font was worried about the future of Twitter's algorithms. It was mid-2020, and the leader …Tweets:@anna_c_kramer,@ruchowdh,@williams_jutta,@anna_c_kramer,@ruchowdh,@nee...
Crypto analytics startup Chainalysis raises $100M Series E led by Coatue at a $4.2B+ valuation, after raising $100M Series D in March at a $2B valuation
It's the firm's second $100 million raise this year. — Chainalysis is adding another $100 million in venture capital as crypto's role …
Filing: Wise, previously TransferWise, plans to go public on the London Stock Exchange via a direct listing in early July, reportedly at a $6B-$7B valuation
Following Wise's announcement earlier this month that it planned to go public by way of a direct listing on the LSE …
Software design company Figma raises $200M at a valuation of $10B, quintupling its valuation since last year
Software design company Figma Inc. has raised fresh funding at a valuation of $10 billion, quintupling its pricetag since last year. The company, which allows customers … Tweets: @zoink , @skuwamoto ...
Tonkean, which is developing a no-code automation service for companies, raises $50M Series B, bringing its total raised to $81M
Where does your enterprise stand on the AI adoption curve? Take our AI survey to find out. — Tonkean, a software startup developing a no-code workflow …
Instagram says it will test mixing suggested posts throughout primary feeds, even above posts from people users follow, and adds new controls
especially monetized content — on us as possible. https://twitter.com/... Alex Heath / @alexeheath : Instagram is quickly becoming the Facebook app with a different skin. Was destined to happen after ...
What to expect from Microsoft's “next generation” Windows event on Thursday: new Windows 11 UI, updated Windows Store, and a focus on productivity and gaming
India-based Classplus, which lets coaching centers accept fees and deliver study materials online, raises $65M Series C, sources say at a $200M valuation
B2B edtech startup Classplus has raked in $65 million in its Series C round led by Tiger Global. GSV Ventures, Falcon Edge's AWI …
JW Player, a video streaming and analytics service used by major companies like Viacom, raises $100M Series E from LLR Partners
Where does your enterprise stand on the AI adoption curve? Take our AI survey to find out. — JW Player, a video streaming and analytics platform …
Firebolt Analytics, which builds a cloud data warehouse designed for rapid analysis of large data sets, raises $127M Series B led by Dawn Capital and K5 Global
Speedy cloud data warehouse startup Firebolt Analytics Inc. is looking like a very hot prospect indeed after landing $127 million in an all-equity round of funding.
UK Court of Appeal rules Deliveroo couriers are self-employed after a union challenge, the fourth time a court has ruled in Deliveroo's favor
Sam Shead / CNBC :
Researcher: counterfeit packages on the official Python repository, downloaded ~5,000 times, contained code that installed cryptomining software
International coalition of consumer groups, digital and civil rights organizations, and data protection experts call for ban on “surveillance-based advertising”
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch :
A look at some of the apps used by Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash drivers to increase earnings, like Gridwise, which collates drivers' earnings across platforms
Adoption of apps to track pay, events and dispute complaints is soaring amid patchwork of regulatory efforts Tweets: @wsj Tweets: @wsj : Gig workers for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and more, are adopting add...
Tim Berners-Lee defends his decision to auction an NFT representing the web's source code, comparing it to the sale of an autographed book or a speaking tour
Sanity, which lets users repurpose and use content assets across a number of platforms, raises $39M Series B led by ICONIQ, bringing its total raised to $51.8M
Content is king, as the saying goes. But in actual fact, a lot of what companies do today with content, and thus the power of that content …
South Korea retailer E-Mart buys 80% stake in eBay's South Korean business for $3B
Snap and Universal Music Group strike a licensing deal that lets users share songs in messages and posts; financial terms were not disclosed
- Move is latest tie-up between music companies and social media — Snap wants to become key place for artists to promote songs
Snackpass raises $70M Series B led by Craft Ventures at a $400M+ valuation as its social food ordering service surpasses 500k users across 13 college towns
The e-commerce business of Saks Fifth Avenue's discount chain spun off into a standalone company after raising $200M from Insight Partners at a valuation of $1B
Adam Jackson / Bloomberg :
DeepMind partners with Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, after its AlphaFold AI had considerable success in finding new treatments for sleeping sickness
David Cox / Wired UK :
Four former executives of Nexa Technologies, an alleged supplier of surveillance tech to Libya and Egypt, were indicted for complicity in torture and war crimes
Sidney Fussell / Wired : Tweets: @startpage and @wired Tweets: @startpage : The tools were used to “identify dissidents and activists, read their private emails and messages, and, in some cases, kidn...
Illumio, which takes a zero trust approach to protect data centers and cloud networks, raises $225M Series F led by Thoma Bravo at a $2.75B valuation
Carly Page / TechCrunch :
Adobe: total US e-commerce sales during Prime Day exceeded $11B; Amazon says Prime Day was the biggest two-day sales period for 3rd-party sellers in its history
Nathaniel Meyersohn / CNN :
Stack Overflow launches Collectives, branded communities where companies can organize discussions around broad topics and interact directly with developers
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat :
Uber will add labels to Uber Eats in PA and DC saying app menu prices might be higher than those charged by restaurants, after pressure from the states' AGs
Adobe launches Substance 3D, a suite of 3D design tools Adobe says has applications in video games and VFX and uses AI to ease technical complexity of 3D design
it is truly one of the greatest strengths of the medium. https://twitter.com/... Jade / @jadel4w : The new ‘Adobe’ substance designer and painter videos look like they were designed by people who have...
Bird to add e-bikes to its fleet and will open up its app to local shared operators in select cities this year; Spin launches its first e-scooter built in-house
Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge :
How job search sites such as LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, and CareerBuilder are working to remove gender and racial bias from their AI-powered matching algorithms
Sheridan Wall / MIT Technology Review : Tweets: @docstefflbauer Tweets: Doc Stefflbauer / @docstefflbauer : Isn't geographical data one way they block people in Paris suburbs from interviews? Isn't i...
Antitrust experts say the biggest obstacle to Lina Khan's agenda will be a conservative judiciary, which has made it difficult for regulators to win big cases
Pakistan outlines plans to double its IT industry in two years using new tech zones, after missing out on tech booms that lifted India and the Philippines
Boston-based Drata, which uses automation to help companies obtain SOC 2 compliance for secure cloud data storage, raises $25M Series A led by GGV Capital
Sources: Ant Group is in talks with Chinese state-owned companies to create a credit scoring company that will put Ant's vast data under Chinese control
Data infrastructure software maker Confluent raises $828M in its US IPO at a valuation of about $9B; Confluent was last valued at $4.5B last year
Bloomberg :
Habi, a Colombia-based residential real estate marketplace with automated pricing tech, raises $100M Series B led by SoftBank Latin America Fund
Incorta, which aims to optimize data warehousing projects for enterprises, raises $120M Series D led by Prysm Capital, bringing its total funding to $195M
Breakdown of officials in Biden's administration who have worked at tech giants: Facebook leads with 11 officials, followed by Alphabet at 10 and Microsoft at 8
Anjuna Security, whose Confidential Cloud isolates and encrypts workloads and data to protect against bad actors, raises $30M Series B led by Insight Partners
Duncan Riley / SiliconANGLE :
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.