Techmeme: Analysis of ten years of cryptocurrency discussions and funding data shows repeated cycles of rising crypto activity followed by eventual “crypto winters” (Andreessen Horowitz)

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May 17, 2020, 8:35 PM

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Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:

A look at the grassroots movement of professional home bakers that have found a home on Etsy, where they can continue to be productive under lockdown — Homebound consumers are flocking to the site for scones, biscuits, breads, muffins, doughnuts and...alkaline tahini spelt cookies.

More: Seeking Alpha. Tweets: @mims, @senatorshoshana, @mims, @profjeffjarviss, @sarthakgh, @stephanierieger, @levie, and @mims

Brian Krebs / Krebs on Security:

US Secret Service memo warns a crime ring is targeting state unemployment insurance programs to commit fraud by using data belonging to identity theft victims — A well-organized Nigerian crime ring is exploiting the COVID-19 crisis by committing large-scale fraud against multiple state …

More: New York Times, CNET, The Verge, Engadget, and Decrypt

Tweets: @briankrebs, @asktoconsider, @jckichen, @patriciamazzei, @trengriffin, @kimkalunian, @bobbensonbill, @every6thday, @sustainkohala, @kbaugh12, @kimmasters, @baxter_eh, @carolynmcc, @adamhdomby, @osterman, @jgibbons1974, @asktoconsider, @benbwieder, and @nytimes

Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:

Edison Mail says it has “rolled back” an iOS app update that gave a “small percentage” of users full access to other users' email accounts — Edison Mail is one of the more popular third-party email applications for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, but an apparent bug in the service is raising major privacy concerns.

More: The Verge, MacRumors, Softpedia News, Digital Trends, Engadget, AppleInsider, and iPhone in Canada Blog

Tweets: @cabel, @cabel, @zackwhittaker, and @chancehmiller

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:

General Atlantic to invest $870M in Reliance Jio Platforms at a $65B valuation, joining Facebook, Silver Lake, and Vista Equity Partners among Jio investors — Mukesh Ambani's Jio Platforms has agreed to sell 1.34% stake to General Atlantic, the latest deal in a series of deals …

More: The Next Web, Reuters, Moneycontrol, India TV, Bloomberg, Entrackr, and Livemint

Tweets: @tanayj, @kanchangupta, @generalatlantic, @yourstoryco, and @mdudas

Seth Schiesel / Protocol:

Jason Rubin, Facebook VP for special gaming initiatives, on how Facebook thinks about gaming and how Oculus Quest can get AAA games like Call of Duty — Jason Rubin, Facebook's vice president for special gaming initiatives, tells Protocol how Facebook thinks about gaming — and why streaming games are the future.

Tweets: @l4stewar, @wbmason, and @pierce

Bloomberg:

Chinese state-backed funds invest $2.25B in chip factory of local company Semiconductor Manufacturing International, amid US move to limit chips sold to Huawei — - State-backed funds invest in Semiconductor Manufacturing plant — China is aiming to increase monthly capacity by 5 times

Tweets: @next_china

Andreessen Horowitz:

Analysis of ten years of cryptocurrency discussions and funding data shows repeated cycles of rising crypto activity followed by eventual “crypto winters” — People who've been in crypto for a long time view the space as evolving in cycles, alternating between periods of high activity and “crypto winters.”

More: CryptoSlate. Tweets: @a16z, @mdudas, @sassal0x, @katie_haun, @kimbatronic, @brian_armstrong, and @counternotions

Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:

Multiple supercomputers in some EU countries were hacked this week with crypto mining malware via compromised SSH credentials; evidence suggests a single actor — Confirmed infections have been reported in the UK, Germany, and Switzerland. Another suspected infection was reported in Spain.

More: Cado Security, BleepingComputer, Cointelegraph, Security Affairs, InsideBitcoins.com, Slashdot, and Dark Reading

Tweets: @paulsparrows, @littllemel, and @teriradichel

Edvard Pettersson / Bloomberg:

Ubisoft sues Apple and Google for selling Alibaba's Area F2 game, which it claims is a “near carbon copy” of Rainbow Six: Siege — Ubisoft Entertainment SA sued Apple Inc. and Google LLC, accusing the companies of selling a ripoff of its popular video game “Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege.”

More: Engadget, Pocketnow, Digital Trends, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, TechSpot, iPhone in Canada Blog, MacRumors, Game Rant, Kotaku, GameSpot, AppleInsider, 9to5Mac, Dot Esports, and Android Central

Tweets: @screamingrowlet, @legalgameruk, @smk_gaming_, and @chrisonmobile

Nir Kshetri / The Conversation:

While only 1% of female internet security workers are in senior management positions, these underrepresented perspectives are critical in addressing cyber risks — Women are highly underrepresented in the field of cybersecurity. In 2017, women's share in the U.S. cybersecurity field was 14%, compared to 48% in the general workforce.

South China Morning Post:

While the pandemic has boosted recruitment at Chinese tech companies in some sectors, many smaller online companies have experienced job cuts and hiring freezes — In the first quarter of 2020, the number of Chinese recruitment postings across all industries fell 22.6 per cent compared …

Daniel Zuidijk / Bloomberg:

Trump tweet accuses Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google of control by the “Radical Left”, says his administration is working to remedy “illegal situation” — - U.S. President scolds Facebook, Google, Twitter in a tweet — Trump says he is ‘working to remedy this illegal situation’

More: Seeking Alpha and The Daily Dot

Tweets: @realdonaldtrump, @dickc, @billkristol, @petehegseth, @colinflaherty, @drpaulgosar, @secupp, @georgetakei, @prisonplanet, @caslernoel, @agent_of_change, and @mdudas

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From Mediagazer

Reuters:

Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta plans to shut down after 30+ years, following pressure from Russian authorities and the persecution of its reporters

Gavin Blair / The Hollywood Reporter:

The Association of Japanese Animations: Japan's anime industry revenue grew 15.8% YoY to a record ~$28.5B in 2025, with overseas revenue reaching ~$16B

Bruce Gil / Gizmodo:

Fan fiction site AO3 says it will be offline for two to four weeks after a security incident; it hosts over 18M works and has 11M registered users

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Martin Giles / Forbes:

Gartner survey of IT leaders forecasts 8% YoY decline in global IT spending to $3.46T in 2020, vs. $3.76T in 2019, as budgets are slashed due to the pandemic

More: Gartner, Slashdot, and ITworld.com

Tweets: @jasonlk, @mdudas, @buggeroaf, and @bpatrick001

Tim Anderson / The Register:

A nonprofit founded by privacy advocate Max Schrems has filed a complaint against Google on behalf of an Austrian citizen, claiming Android Ad ID violates GDPR

More: Noyb, Bloomberg, and TechCrunch

Tweets: @noybeu, @doctorow, @doctorow, @florencebonnet, and @summer__heidi

Mary Ann Azevedo / Crunchbase News:

Homeward, a web-based service that helps homeowners buy a new home before listing their existing home for sale, raises $20M in equity and secures $85M in debt

China Money Network:

Chinese facial recognition unicorn CloudWalk Technology raises ~$253M from investors including the China Internet Investment Fund, ICBC, and Haier Capital

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Aditi Shrivastava / The Economic Times:

Internal email: Indian food delivery startup Zomato to lay off 520 employees, or 13% of its workforce, and temporarily cut salaries of the rest

More: TechCrunch. Tweets: @ettech

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Nancy Scola / Politico:

Profile of Nick Clegg, Facebook's VP of Global Affairs and Comms, who led the creation of its Oversight Board and is now shaping the company's COVID-19 response

Tweets: @peterrhague, @nravitz, @willcritchlow, @michaelkruse, @alxthomp, @kaminskimk, @stephenkb, @twcuddleston, @jamesrbuk, @daveleeft, @hlp, @marymood, @fascistbfast, @nancyscola, @marielamensch84, @dseetharaman, @magsmitchell, @markflanagan_, and @phil_reilly

Karissa Bell / Engadget:

Conspiracy theories and misinformation about vaccines dominate Instagram's search results, and are made more visible by the app's recommendation algorithms

Tweets: @harrymccracken, @mattk, @sachabaroncohen, @alfiekohn, @chelseaclinton, and @sykescharlie. Thanks:@jpmanga

Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge:

The pandemic could accelerate consolidation in the scooter-sharing industry, as companies cut costs and lay off staff to cope with severe declines in ridership

Tweets: @lorcand, @ridereport, @c_ehrlichman, @mikeelgan, and @quan

Issie Lapowsky / Protocol:

John Borthwick, one of Giphy's early investors and board members, describes how the Facebook deal came about and says talks began in late March

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