Techmeme
January 30, 2019, 3:50 PM

Top News

The Verge:
Apple shuts down Facebook's ability to distribute internal iOS apps, blocking staff transportation apps and early releases of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger  —  Facebook's internal iOS apps simply don't launch anymore  —  Apple has shut down Facebook's ability to distribute internal iOS apps …
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Investigation finds that Facebook has been paying people to install a “Facebook Research” VPN to gather data on phone use habits on Android and iOS  —  Desperate for data on its competitors, Facebook has been secretly paying people to install a “Facebook Research” …
Rob Price / Business Insider:
Memo: Facebook confirms Apple disabled access to internal iOS apps and says it's “working closely” to reinstate “our most critical internal apps immediately”  —  - Facebook employees are furious after Apple temporarily crippled the company by revoking its developer certificate.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Apple says it revoked Facebook's Enterprise Certificate yesterday used to distribute the Research app outside of App Store, before Facebook could shut it down  —  In the wake of TechCrunch's investigation yesterday, Apple blocked Facebook's Research VPN app before the social network could voluntarily shut it down.
Reuters:
Sources detail UAE's Project Raven, a group of 12+ ex-US intel operatives that help surveil governments, militants, and critics, sometimes using NSA tactics  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two weeks after leaving her position as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. National Security Agency in 2014 …
Reuters:
Sources: UAE hacked iPhones of activists, diplomats, and rival foreign leaders using a spying tool called Karma, which exploited an iMessage vulnerability  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A team of former U.S. government intelligence operatives working for the United Arab Emirates hacked …
Michael Bott / NBC Bay Area:
Unsealed court documents: FBI arrests second Chinese Apple employee for allegedly trying to steal trade secrets related to Apple's autonomous vehicles  —  For the second time in six months, an Apple engineer is accused of stealing intellectual property in order to benefit a China-based competitor
TechCrunch:
Google's Screenwise Meter app has coaxed users with rewards into sharing info since 2012, in a similar way to Facebook's Research app but with better disclosure  —  It looks like Facebook is not the only one abusing Apple's system for distributing employee-only apps to sidestep the App Store and collect extensive data on users.
Apple:
Apple Music subscribers can stream music without paying for Wi-Fi on domestic American Airlines flights in the US starting February 1  —  Apple Music Subscribers can Stream Over 50 Million Songs, Playlists and Music Videos on US Flights  —  Starting Friday, Apple Music subscribers can enjoy …
Business Wire:
Alibaba Q3: revenue up 41% YoY, its weakest pace in three years, to ~$17B, driven by cloud computing revenue, up 84% YoY at $962M; net income up 33% to $4.5B  —  HANGZHOU, China—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA) today announced its financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2018.
Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch:
WhatsApp hires EFF counsel Nate Cardozo and Facebook hires Open Technology Institute counsel Robyn Green, both as privacy policy managers  —  In an effort to bolster its public credibility in the wake of a very rough year, Facebook is bringing a fierce former critic into the fold.
Reuters:
Foxconn is reconsidering plans for its $10B Wisconsin plant, says it plans to hire engineers and researchers instead of manufacturing workforce promised earlier  —  (Reuters) - Foxconn Technology Group is reconsidering plans to make advanced liquid crystal display panels at a $10 billion Wisconsin campus …
Stephen Nellis / Reuters:
Apple says revenue from services reached $10.8B, in line with estimates, and that it now has 360M subscribers to both its own and to third-party services  —  (Reuters) - Apple Inc on Tuesday reported sharp growth in its services business and Chief Executive Tim Cook said trade tensions between …
Apple:
Jack Nicas / New York Times:
An attempt to work out how many fake accounts are on Facebook, as the company ramps up efforts to remove them and provides confusing estimates  —  The social network has disclosed an estimate for years, but a closer look raises lots of questions.  —  Facebook sells advertisers on its access …
Kate Clark / TechCrunch:
Health insurance firm Clover Health, which uses health and behavioral data to lower costs, raises $500M led by Greenoaks Capital, bringing total raised to $925M  —  Despite a number of well-publicized hiccups, venture capitalists are betting another $500 million on health insurance provider Clover Health, TechCrunch has learned.

Sponsor Posts

Tribe AI:
Is AI just hype?  —  Find out how top enterprises use Tribe to get real business results.
Techmeme Leaderboards:
Discover the top reporters on AI, VR, policy, and much more  —  We've analyzed Techmeme's news crawl to identify the most influential and prolific writers on 48 news topics.  Download reports immediately for just $100.
Zoho:
All new Zoho Workerly 2024  —  Staffing businesses around the world face a unique set of challenges when it comes to managing their temporary workforce.  With a constantly shifting job market and changing staffing needs …
Comprehensive.io:
Browse salary data from 3,000 startups for free  —  Click for FREE, immediate access to real-time compensation benchmarking data.  Paid version helps HR automate comp reviews and communicate total compensation to employees.
The Kevin Rose Show:
Henry Shukman, Lessons from an Authentic Zen Master
Gain unconventional wisdom and insights through conversations with top expert in AI, investing, wellness, technology, and culture.
Techmeme Ride Home:
Thu. 03/28 - Claude 3 Opus Surpasses GPT-4 For The First Time
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 3:50 PM ET, January 30, 2019.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

The Intercept:

Earlier Picks

Nicole Perlroth / New York Times: