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February 20, 2020, 1:45 PM
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| Mark Gurman / Bloomberg: |
Sources: Apple is weighing an option to set third-party browser and email apps as defaults on iPhones and iPads and third-party music services on the HomePod — - Company considers letting users change web browser, email app — Spotify, Pandora may be allowed to stream directly on HomePod
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Vox, VICE, Digital Trends, CNN, Gizmodo, Philip Elmer‑DeWitt, Macworld, 9to5Mac, Business Insider, CNET, Yahoo Finance, Gizchina, KnowTechie, Thurrott, Apple Must, MacRumors, Neowin, iPhone Hacks, BGR, MacDailyNews, Input, AppleInsider, WinBuzzer, iMore, WebProNews, SlashGear, MSPoweruser, iPhone in Canada Blog, Cult of Mac, iDownloadBlog.com, Tom's Guide, MACお宝 …, and The Mac Observer
Tweets: @markgurman, @dhh, @dhh, @dhh, @adrianholovaty, @scottjenson, @tsgiles, @raywongy, @journeydan, @steipete, @ow, @firt, @can, @onejarednewman, @reckless, @tomwarren, @martinsfp, @markjaquith, @technology, and @ranjanxroy
| Jordan Novet / CNBC: |
Microsoft says it will offer its Defender antivirus software for Android and iOS devices later this year — - Microsoft's Defender software will become available for Android and iOS devices later this year. — It's meant to prevent malware and phishing attacks.| New York Times: |
Morgan Stanley says it will buy online discount brokerage E-Trade for about $13B, in the biggest takeover by an American lender since the 2008 financial crisis — The $13 billion deal will give a powerful Wall Street firm control of a major presence in the world of online brokerages.
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Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, CoinDesk, TechCrunch, Business Wire, CNBC, TechSpot, Cointelegraph, Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, Wccftech, The Block, Fortune, and Silicon Valley Business …
Tweets: @fingregg, @shahjayni, @gerberkawasaki, @michaelkitces, @sub8u, @nategeraci, @gamesblazer06, @psb_dc, @lizrhoffman, @reformedbroker, and @shaig
| Sam Byford / The Verge: |
HTC announces new Cosmos VR headset variants: $899 Elite, lower-end Play, and XR with “high-quality XR passthrough cameras”, giving it AR capabilities — One for gamers, one for AR, one for Angry Birds — HTC is expanding its range of virtual reality headsets today with multiple new variants of the Vive Cosmos.
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VentureBeat, IGN, Input, VentureBeat, Windows Central, CNET, Tom's Hardware, Ars Technica, and GeekWire
| Chance Miller / 9to5Mac: |
Twitter announces a “continue thread” option, a new feature that links tweets together while they are being composed — Twitter is rolling out a new feature that makes it easier to thread multiple tweets together. With this change, you can now link tweets together while you compose them.
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TechCrunch, The Next Web, The Verge, iMore, Social Media Today, Adweek, BetaNews, and MacRumors
Tweets: @twitter, @caseynewton, @fujifilmx_us, @lanceulanoff, @stevesi, @yoda, @kcoleman, @mattcassinelli, and @mgsiegler
| Craig Silverman / BuzzFeed News: |
Google removed ~600 Android apps, which were installed 4.5B+ times, and banned their developers from the Play store for ad fraud and pushing “disruptive” ads — Google has removed close to 600 Android apps and banned their developers from the Play store and its ad networks as part … | Malathi Nayak / Bloomberg: |
Trump administration urges Supreme Court to reject Alphabet's appeal against Oracle, on the same day Trump attended a re-election fundraiser by Larry Ellison — The Trump administration urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject an appeal by Alphabet Inc.'s Google, boosting Oracle Corp.'s bid …
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Philip Elmer‑DeWitt
| Jezebel: |
A look at the data sharing practices of therapy apps like Better Help, which notify third parties when an app is opened and if a patient has suicidal thoughts — Starting treatment with Better Help, one of the most prominent “therapy-on-demand” apps to launch over the last few years, is easy, which is more or less the point.
Tweets: @dmehro, @dmehro, @ohthatflo, @dmehro, @superamit, @carnage4life, @xoxogossipgita, and @privacyproject
| Andy Greenberg / Wired: |
US links Sandworm hacking group to Russian agency GRU's Main Center for Special Technology, blaming it for cyberattacks that hit neighboring Georgia in October — By calling out Russia for digital assaults on its neighboring country, the US hopes to head off similar efforts at home.| Abner Li / 9to5Google: |
Google launches Android 11 Developer Preview earlier than expected, with new display types, improved messaging, biometrics, and more; final release expected Q3 — Following an inadvertent tease last week, Google today officially launched the Android 11 Developer Preview.
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XDA Developers, Android Developers Blog, ZDNet, XDA Developers, Android Police, XDA Developers, Ars Technica, Android Developers, Axios, Tom's Guide, Pocketnow, NFCW, TechRadar.com, International Business Times, Neowin, BGR, Android Headlines, Technology Personalized, Gizchina, Computerworld, BGR India, Android Authority, CNX Software, The Verge, The Next Web, AndroidGuys, 9to5Google, Input, and Memeburn
Tweets: @mspoweruser, @laurengoode, @backlon, @alexdobie, @maxwinebach, @ow, and @androiddev
| Mishaal Rahman / XDA Developers: |
| Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch: |
The European Data Protection Board, the EU's data protection advisor, says Google's acquisition of Fitbit entails “a high level of risk” to privacy rights — The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has intervened to raise concerns about Google's plan to scoop up the health …
More:
Reuters and 9to5Google
| Mike Hofman / Marker: |
PitchBook: 159 companies went public in the US in 2019 raising $33B, a ~30% drop from 2018, as founders and investors opt for direct listings over bank-led IPOs — Founders, companies, and investors are rebelling against the investment banks — and taking matters into their own hands| Joseph Menn / Reuters: |
Sources: following Brexit, Google plans to move UK user accounts out of EU's jurisdiction and into the US', where privacy protections are weaker — SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google is planning to move its British users' accounts out of the control of European Union privacy regulators … | Shona Ghosh / Business Insider: |
Google tells Cloud Vision API customers it will no longer label pictures with “woman” or “man” as a person's gender cannot be inferred by appearance alone — - A Google AI tool that can recognize objects in pictures will no longer attach gender labels like “woman” or “man” to images of people.
More:
The Verge, The Next Web, Fast Company, and Input
Tweets: @grvsmth, @undersequoias, @penelope_zone, @f_kaltheuner, @supernodal, @betterallies, and @mmitchell_ai
| Tony Romm / Washington Post: |
Streaming platforms like Roku and Hulu aren't subject to the same political ad transparency rules as broadcasters even as campaigns and PACs buy ads on them — With more Americans cutting the cord, watchdogs worry that voters lack a full understanding of who's trying to influence them
Tweets: @oliverdarcy, @geoffreyfowler, @likebutterfield, @opensecretsdc, and @tonyromm
| Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: |
The Org, which is building a database of organizational charts of companies and claims to have 16K businesses profiled, raises $11M in seed and Series A rounds — LinkedIn has cornered the market when it comes to putting your own professional profile online and using it to network for jobs … | Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat: |
ZeroFox, a SaaS that detects risks on social media and digital channels such as phishing and malicious file sharing, raises $74M led by Intel Capital — A Clark School study at the University of Maryland found that there's a hacker attack every 39 seconds, affecting one in three Americans annually.
More:
FinSMEs, SiliconANGLE, SecurityWeek, and Business Wire
| Catherine Shu / TechCrunch: |
HungryPanda, a food delivery service for Chinese communities in cities worldwide, raises $20M led by 83North and Felix Capital — HungryPanda, a food delivery service for Chinese communities in cities around the world, announced today it has raised $20 million in funding.| Tom Simonite / Wired: |
Risk assessment algorithm PSA, used to see if pretrial defendants in NJ should be held in jail, has led to jail population drop, yet racial disparities persist — A nonprofit group encouraged states to use mathematical formulas to try to eliminate racial inequities. Now, it says the tools have no place in criminal justice.
Tweets: @grandmacheesy77, @wired, @wired, and @demandprogress
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