Two Egyptians living in exile had their iPhones compromised in June 2021 using Predator spyware built by North Macedonian developer Cytrox
Key Findings — Two Egyptians—exiled politician Ayman Nour and the host of a popular news program (who wishes to remain anonymous) …
Meta bans seven surveillance-for-hire groups, including Cytrox, removing over 1,500 Facebook and Instagram accounts and alerting 50K users who were targeted
Cytrox is one of seven surveillance companies now banned from Meta's platforms — While NSO Group was taking flak for hacking …
The US bans investing in eight Chinese companies, including DJI and Megvii, for their alleged involvement in surveilling Uyghurs and other minority groups
The Treasury Department has added eight Chinese companies — including DJI, the world's largest commercial drone manufacturer … Source: U.S. Department … .
Microsoft is moving some settings, including for networks, devices, and app uninstalls, to the Settings app, heralding the end of the Control Panel
One more step to simplifying Windows — Microsoft is finally signaling the end of the legacy Control Panel in Windows 11.
The Biden administration is concerned with US investments in Chinese companies developing “dual use” tech that could have civilian and military applications
Last year, a fast-rising artificial intelligence company in China won a little-noticed contract from a Chinese military academy …
Sources: Oracle is in talks to acquire electronic medical records company Cerner, in a deal that could be worth ~$30B, which would make it Oracle's biggest yet
An agreement, which could potentially be worth $30 billion, would rank as biggest ever for software giant
TikTok launches a Discord server with five moderators, as brands use the messaging tool to forge a sense of community, including Wendy's with 60K+ Discord users
Many brands are using the messaging app Discord to forge a sense of community among their fans.
The CFPB probes buy now, pay later practices of Affirm, Afterpay, PayPal, Klarna, and Zip, citing concerns over customers' debt accumulation and data harvesting
New York (CNN Business)Regulators in Washington may crack down on the industry behind “buy now, pay later,” … Source: Consumer Financial … .
A look at the cycles of decentralization and recentralization, and why we won't understand what Web3 consists of until after the next bubble pops
There's been a lot of talk about Web3 lately, and as the person who defined “Web 2.0” 17 years ago, I'm often asked to comment. Tweets: @oreillymedia , @amyjokim , @fredbenenson , @tgoetz , @robertdou...
Sources: the FTC opened an in-depth probe into Meta's acquisition of Within, the company behind VR fitness game Supernatural
Meta Platforms' Oculus virtual reality headsets are a vital step toward creating what its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, calls the metaverse, an immersive internet in which people can interact in digital space...
Job listings show Apple is hiring engineers for a new office in Irvine, California to develop wireless chips that could replace Broadcom and Skyworks components
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg :
GM's Cruise says CEO Dan Ammann is leaving the company to “pursue other opportunities”; Cruise co-founder and CTO Kyle Vogt will take over as interim CEO
Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge :
Sources: California's civil rights regulator is investigating Google's treatment of Black female workers following allegations of harassment and discrimination
California's civil rights regulator is investigating Google's treatment of Black female workers following alleged incidents …
Corellium, which makes Android and iOS virtualization software, over which it is being sued by Apple, raises a $25M Series A from Cisco Investments and others
None of the funds from Paladin Capital and Cisco Investments will be going on Corellium's copyright fight with Apple, as the startup looks to expand.
Sidewalk Labs plans to shut down, fold its products into Google, and spin out Canopy Buildings; CEO Dan Doctoroff says he is stepping down for health reasons
Kris Holt / Engadget :
Palantir plans to shift UK data processing from the US to the UK, hire 250 UK-based employees, and open an England office in 2022
Defence-oriented American firm among first to localise data operations fully as companies Balkanise their activity — Palantir, a data analytics firm best known …
Apple releases Swift Playgrounds 4, which lets users develop iPhone and iPad apps on their iPads, preview apps in real time, and upload them to the App Store
Apple today released Swift Playgrounds 4, an update … Roland Udvarlaki / Pocketnow : Swift Playgrounds now allows devs to build and publish apps straight from the iPad Ali Salman / Wccftech : You Can ...
A look at Germany's “Silicon Saxony”, which accounts for one in three chips made in Europe, as the EU aims to double its global chip market share to 20% by 2030
Cluster that began in communist East Germany now seen as strategic asset amid supply chain crisis Tweets: @chassnews , @joemillerjr , @cornelban73 , @mamdorsky , and @cszabla Tweets: Anne-Sylvaine Cha...
Spotify rolls out a podcast ratings system that will let users rate a show from one to five stars only after listening to it
and draw in new listeners Ashley Carman / The Verge : You can soon rate your favorite podcast on Spotify Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch : Spotify is launching Apple-like ratings for podcasts Brianna P...
Legacy, an NFT-powered game by Peter Molyneux's 22cans studio and Gala Games planned for next year, raises $54M in virtual land NFT sales in less than a week
Kyle Orland / Ars Technica :
Pakistan-based CreditBook, a bookkeeping app for small merchants, raises an $11M pre-Series A led by Tiger Global, the firm's first investment in the country
Two years ago, a group of entrepreneurs in Pakistan began surveying the market to understand why financial services weren't reaching …
Hevo Data, which offers a dashboard to help companies integrate data from disparate sources, raises a $30M Series B led by Sequoia Capital India
Hevo Data, a SaaS startup that is helping firms collate troves of data they generate and accumulate to make better use of them …
Amazon Echo Show 15 review: a bright screen with HD streaming doesn't make up for laggy performance, inconsistent personalized content, and too few widgets
so much for that new Amazon AZ2 processor) https://www.theverge.com/...
Tax preparation company H&R Block sues Block, formerly Square, for trademark infringement, claiming Block's name and logo are “nearly identical” to its own
Dedrone, which lets airports, stadiums, correctional facilities, and others detect and track drones, raises a $30.5M Series C led by Axon
Dedrone, an SF-based drone defense startup, raised $30.5 million in Series C funding led by public safety firm Axon, Axios has learned.
Spotify acquires Australian company Whooshkaa, which helps radio broadcasters turn existing content into podcasts and sell ads around them
Whooshkaa helps radio broadcasters turn existing content into podcasts and sell ads around them — Spoke with the folks behind the deal. More on @axios: https://www.axios.com/... Sar Haribhakti / @sart...
As investigators examine the collapsed Amazon warehouse in Illinois where six people were killed during a tornado, Amazon says the building was built to code
Washington Post :
France's privacy watchdog says Clearview AI breached GDPR and orders it to delete user data within two months; Clearview counters that it has no EU customers
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch :
2021 saw 20+ hacks where at least $10M in digital currencies were stolen from a crypto exchange or project, with $100M+ stolen in at least six cases
It's not just lucky investors getting rich from crypto. — Hackers have made off with billions of dollars in virtual assets in the past year … Tweets: @rich_goldberg , @eriksherman , and @kevincollie...
TikTok says it will adjust its recommendation algorithm to avoid negative reinforcement and let users pick words and hashtags to remove videos from their feed
Liza Lin / Wall Street Journal :
Adidas Originals launches an NFT collection with Bored Ape Yacht Club, Gmoney, and Punks Comic that offers access to wearables in The Sandbox virtual world
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat :
Interview with Meta's VP of Global Affairs Nick Clegg on leaving politics, the impact of Haugen's leaks, and his leading role in the decision to ban Trump
Henry Mance / Financial Times :
HungryPanda, a Mandarin-language food and grocery delivery app aimed at overseas Chinese users, raises a $130M Series D, bringing its total funding to $220M
Ivan Levingston / Bloomberg :
Uber plans to pilot driverless food-delivery in Santa Monica next year with partner Motional, a Hyundai and Aptiv joint venture that also has a Lyft deal
Latin America-based Nowports, which lets importers and exporters ship goods directly through its service, raises a $60M Series B led by Tiger Global
Research: Japanese startups raised a record $3B+ in H1 2021, up from $2.37B in H1 2020, as China's crackdown leads SoftBank and others to invest in the country
Gearoid Reidy / Bloomberg : Tweets: @gearoidreidy Tweets: @gearoidreidy : People who know Japan know that things change slowly here - but they do change. The startup scene is unrecognizable now from ...
Paytm closed at ~$17, a record low, after dropping 16%+ this week, including 8% on Wednesday as a post-IPO lockup expired; Paytm is down 39% from its IPO price
Nupur Acharya / Bloomberg :
Cerebral, an app-based mental health service provider that raised $300M at a $4.8B valuation last week, makes some staff health insurance contingent on quotas
Source: delivery startup Gopuff, which recently launched in London and NYC, raised $1.5B in convertible notes at a valuation of up to $40B
Google loses a court appeal in Russia and faces daily fines following a lawsuit to unblock a YouTube account of a TV channel owned by a sanctioned Putin ally
Nansen, a crypto analytics service known for its ability to track high-value investors, raises a $75M Series B led by Accel, sources say at a $750M valuation
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.
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.