Techmeme
April 22, 2021, 7:35 AM

Top News

Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / VICE:
Signal's CEO says he analyzed a Cellebrite device, used to extract data from phones, that fell off a truck, and it is full of easily exploitable security flaws  —  One of the biggest encrypted chat apps in the world just showed how a device used to decrypt messages can be hacked and tampered with.
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee:
Recording of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing to examine competition in app stores, with testimony from Apple, Google, Spotify, Tile, and others  —  Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights.  Mr. Kyle Andeer Chief Compliance Officer Apple Cupertino …
Bloomberg:
During Senate hearing, Spotify and Match said Apple abuses its power over app developers, leveraging its user base; Spotify said the goal is to hurt rivals  —  - Spotify, Match, Tile blast Apple over fees, barriers to rivals  — Match lawyer says Apple told company: ‘You owe us every dime’
Michael Potuck / 9to5Mac:
Tile said Apple holds third-party products hostage by restricting their use of Find My; Apple lawyer confirmed Tile can't disclose Find My agreement under NDA  —  The latest antitrust hearing looking into concerns about Apple and Google's market power is underway.
Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:
Twitter rolls out the option to upload and view 4K images on Android and iOS to all users, after testing the feature earlier this year  —  Twitter finally fixes its low-res picture problem  —  Get ready for Twitter to start looking a whole lot crisper — starting today …
Ryan Tracy / Wall Street Journal:
FTC nominee Lina Khan appeared on track to be confirmed after she signaled support for an aggressive approach to Big Tech during her hearing  —  Sen. Cruz ‘looks forward’ to working with Lina Khan, but other Republicans question her views and experience  —  WASHINGTON— Lina Khan …
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Files from REvil, which is extorting Apple supplier Quanta, appear to confirm new MacBook Pros with MagSafe, USB-C, HDMI, SD card slot, and no Touch Bar  —  Schematics stolen from Apple supplier Quanta Computer outline Apple's plans for the next-generation MacBook Pro models that are expected in 2021 …
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
Bloomberg:
Sources: Google's Ethical AI group was in turmoil long before the ouster of Gebru and Mitchell, after friction over handling of harassment and bias allegations  —  The ouster of lead researchers Gebru, Mitchell followed years of friction over how Google handled allegations of harassment and bias
Joseph Cox / VICE:
Bipartisan lawmakers introduce Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act to address police surveillance, including banning warrantless location data purchases  —  The sweeping bill has support from both Democrats and Republicans, and will address multiple forms of surveillance.  —  Joseph Cox
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Google announces updates to Meet, rolling out next month on desktop, including a new UI, improved presentation features, and background replacement  —  Background video, automatic light adjustment, and much more  —  Google is refreshing its Meet user interface next month for desktop and laptop users.
Nic Fildes / Financial Times:
Dish partners with AWS to build the first public cloud-based 5G network, which Dish plans to launch initially in Las Vegas in the third quarter  —  World's first public cloud-based 5G network will run on AWS in major test for global telecoms  —  Dish Network has become the first telecoms company …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Netherlands-based on-demand e-moped startup Go Sharing, which has a fleet of ~5K e-mopeds across 30 cities, raises €50M led by Opportunity Partners  —  On-demand access to electric mopeds — the small, motorised scooters that you sit on, not kick — has been a small but persistent part …
More: Tech.eu
Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch:
Tribal Credit, which offers credit lines to startups and SMBs in emerging markets via an AI-driven approval process, raises $34.3M in a Series A and debt round  —  The B2B payments space has seen an explosion in demand, and investor interest, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic as businesses try …
More: PYMNTS.com
Jason Snell / Macworld:
The new iPads have great hardware, led by M1 and mini-LED, but iPadOS lacks proper second display support and pro apps like Final Cut Pro, Xcode, and Logic Pro  —  The hardware is top notch.  The software leaves a lot to be desired.  —  MORE COLOR  —  Nobody needed to convince me that Apple's …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Ornikar, an online marketplace for driving instructors, raises €100M Series C led by KKR, source says at a $750M valuation, bringing its total raised to $175M  —  A French startup that set out to bring a new approach to driver education and road safety, and then used that foothold …
More: Tech.eu
Filipe Espósito / 9to5Mac:
Apple Support article says lost AirTags will be readable by any NFC-enabled device, including Android devices, when in Lost Mode  —  After numerous rumors, Apple finally introduced AirTag during today's special event.  Apple's item tracker works based on the ultra-wideband U1 chip and relies …
Nicolas Parasie / Bloomberg:
Saudi startup Tamara, which offers customers the flexibility to pay later for online purchases, raises $110M Series A led by Checkout.com  —  - Deal is one of the Mideast's largest startup investments ever  — Payments business Checkout.com is among biggest fintech firms

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More News

Ari Levy / CNBC:
Ben Thompson / Stratechery:
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Earlier Picks

Dustin Volz / Wall Street Journal:
Wall Street Journal:
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: