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May 20, 2021, 4:35 PM
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| The Verge: |
Twitter is rolling out its new verification program, with revamped categories that include activists and journalists, and previews upcoming changes to profiles — It also previewed potential changes coming to profiles — Twitter is relaunching its public verification program, allowing anyone to apply for a coveted blue check mark.
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Twitter, TechCrunch, Nieman Lab, TechCrunch, CNET, Protocol, 9to5Mac, Engadget, Insider, Appleosophy, XDA Developers, BleepingComputer, PCMag, MacRumors, The Economic Times, Vox, Livemint, Silicon Republic, TNW, MSPoweruser, CNBC, Firstpost Tech, and KnowTechie
Tweets: @verified, @verified, @laurengoode, @verified, @oloni, @twitter, @johnwolfeyt, @quinnypig, @manishm, @mathewi, @noahpinion, @hunterschwarz, @calebwatney, @larakate, @kurtwagner8, @twittersupport, @sal19, @kayvz, @luca, @wongmjane, @talkhoops, @ashleymayer, @pashulman, @verified, @mikaelthalen, @lucaswazowski, @nmasc_, and @lindsmccallum
| Thomas Franck / CNBC: |
US Treasury announces it will require any cryptocurrency transfers worth $10,000+ to be reported to the IRS, saying cryptocurrencies pose a tax evasion risk — - The Treasury Department announced that it will require any transfer worth $10,000 or more to be reported to the IRS.| Jason Rosenthal / The Keyword: |
Google is opening its first ever physical retail store in New York this summer, letting users buy Pixel phones, Nest products, Fitbit devices, more — Today, we're announcing our plans to open Google's first ever physical retail store, in one of the greatest cities in the world: New York.
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CNN, The Verge, PYMNTS.com, TNW, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, Insider, SiliconANGLE, 9to5Mac, ZDNet, New York Business Journal, Reuters, The Hill, Agence France-Presse, TechSpot, MSPoweruser, Thurrott, Phandroid, Neowin, PCMag, iPhone in Canada Blog, Android Central, MUO, CNET, Wccftech, Android Police, SlashGear, Engadget, Android Headlines, CNBC, Patently Apple, AndroidGuys, and XDA Developers
Tweets: @isaach, @ricsanchez, @epro, @sapna, @jank0, @psawers, @asymco, @smashdawg, @kent_walker, and @adamlaiacano
| Alex Heath / The Verge: |
Snap unveils its first AR glasses, with four built-in microphones, two stereo speakers, and a touchpad, and says it will test them with some AR effects creators — The fourth-gen glasses have built-in AR displays — Snap's new Spectacles glasses are its most ambitious yet.
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UploadVR, 9to5Google, The Information, AppleInsider, Financial Times, TechCrunch, The Economic Times, 9to5Mac, CNET, Engadget, Adweek, Tom's Guide, Variety, SlashGear, Wired, CNBC, and Mashable
| Kerry Flynn / CNN: |
Snapchat says 5,400+ creators earned $130M in total via its Spotlight incentive program and it will stop giving away $1M per day to creators starting June 1 — New York (CNN Business)When Snap took on TikTok, it didn't just release a copycat product. It distributed $1 million every …
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The Verge, Reuters, CNBC, TechCrunch, Social Media Today, and Mashable
Tweets: @carnage4life, @joshconstine, @chrismessina, and @kerrymflynn
| Echo Wang / Reuters: |
ByteDance co-founder Zhang Yiming says he's stepping down as CEO to “daydream about what may be possible”; co-founder and HR head Liang Rubo will become new CEO — (Reuters) -Zhang Yiming, co-founder of TikTok owner ByteDance, told employees of the Chinese technology giant …
Source:
ByteDance. More:
The Information, ZDNet, TechCrunch, Financial Times, Gizmodo, TechNode, Agence France-Presse, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Reuters, The Verge, BBC, Cult of Mac, Fortune, Synced, and Financial Times
Tweets: @juliey4, @samro, @techinsider, @mhbergen, @jim_edwards, @akm1410, @matthuang, @kennedycsis, @carnage4life, @caseynewton, @amir, @ruima, @pelstrom, @moorehn, @mattgarrahan, @sairee, @loudmouthjulia, and @kenli729
| Jacob Krol / CNN: |
Apple TV 4K (2021) review: faster than competition and the new Siri Remote is very good with a power button and easy-to-use click wheel, but very expensive — Like the refresh of the iPad Pros, the updates to the Apple TV 4K are all internal, namely new hardware that leads to an overall speedier experience.
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iMore, ZDNet, Stacey on IoT, Pocket-lint, TechRadar, MobileSyrup, 9to5Mac, Macworld, independent, Wccftech, iPhone Hacks, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, and Cult of Mac
Tweets: @winstonsih, @reneritchie, and @patrick_orourke
| Jason Del Rey / Vox: |
Internal Amazon messages show that FTC pressure to act against sellers using fake-review schemes may have led to bans of sellers tied to electronics brand Mpow — One of the takedowns involves the large Chinese electronics brand Mpow. — Amazon recently banned some sellers …
Tweets: @delrey
| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
Spotify partners with Audible rival Storytel, allowing the latter's subscribers to listen to books on Spotify; Storytel has 500K titles and 1.6M subscribers — Spotify is further expanding into audiobooks — but not in the way you may think. The company today announced a new partnership …
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Spotify, Reuters, Storytel, Engadget, SlashGear, and MUO
Tweets: @getbenchmarkco, @nwquah, @ashleyrcarman, @spotifynews, @francoolivera, @basche42, and @dan_rowinski
| Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: |
Berlin-based Trade Republic, a zero-commission “neo-broker” app, raises $900M Series C led by Sequoia at a $5.3B valuation — Consumers are moving into investing to complement — or in some cases, offset — less good returns from things like traditional savings accounts …
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Decrypt, FinSMEs, dgap.de, Tech.eu, CNBC, Bloomberg, and The Block
Tweets: @sarthakgh, @rabois, @kateclarktweets, and @martinvars
| Katie Roof / Bloomberg: |
Enterprise video messaging service Loom raises $130M led by a16z at a valuation of $1.53B, and says it now has 10M users across 120K businesses — - Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner, Sequoia join $130 million round — Work-from-home accelerated Loom's video messaging growth
Tweets: @katie_roof, @_shahedk, @katie_roof, @andrew__reed, and @iankar_
| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
Apple launches an affiliate program for paid podcast subscriptions, letting users earn a one-time commission of 50% of a podcast's monthly subscription price — Apple last month unveiled its plans for paid podcast subscriptions in a newly redesigned Apple Podcasts app.
More:
podcasters.apple.com, Engadget, AppleInsider, and 9to5Mac
| S. Shah / Engadget: |
Opera is testing its gaming-focused browser Opera GX on iOS and Android; Opera GX had 9M+ monthly active gamers across Windows and Mac as of March, up 190% YoY — desktop browser for gamers to further distinguish itself from Google Chrome. Over the following months and years …
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Opera Desktop, 9to5Mac, PCMag, XDA Developers, Opera Newsroom, Slashdot, iMore, and MUO
| Maggie Fitzgerald / CNBC: |
Robinhood announces IPO Access, which will let retail investors buy shares of companies at their IPO price before trading begins on public exchanges — - Robinhood said it is giving retail investors access to IPO shares. — Retail traders typically don't have a vehicle to buy … | Bloomberg: |
Sources: CNA Financial, one of the largest insurance companies in the US, paid $40M in late March to regain control of its network after a ransomware attack — CNA Financial Corp., among the largest insurance companies in the U.S., paid $40 million in late March to regain control of its network …
Tweets: @williamturton
| Paul Sawers / VentureBeat: |
Pitch, which develops collaborative presentation software, raises $85M Series B led by Lakestar and Tiger Global — Elevate your enterprise data technology and strategy at Transform 2021. — Collaborative presentation platform Pitch today announced it has raised $85 million in a series B round … | Natasha Mascarenhas / TechCrunch: |
Maven, which helps professionals teach cohort-based classes, has raised $20M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz — Maven, a startup that helps professionals teach cohort-based classes, has raised $20 million in a Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz.| David Cohen / Adweek: |
Facebook launches a new Transparency Center, a site for info on its policies to tackle hate speech, says it now removes 97% of hate speech before it's reported — Facebook introduced its new Transparency Center Wednesday, billing it as a single destination for information on its integrity and transparency efforts.
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Facebook Transparency Center, About Facebook, Social Media Today, and Forbes
Tweets: @evelyndouek, @andymstone, @_andyburrows, @thekenyeung, @base2wave, @issielapowsky, @puzzlesthewill, @protocol, and @davegillis
| Bloomberg: |
Figure, which uses blockchain tech to provide home equity loans, raises $200M at a valuation of $3.2B; Figure is founded by ex-SoFi CEO Mike Cagney — - Blockchain-based startup raised $200 million from investors — CEO Cagney says goal is for Provenance to supplant Ethereum
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The Block, Business Wire, CoinDesk, Finextra, PYMNTS.com, and Crowdfund Insider. Tweets: @mcagney
| Rebecca Klar / The Hill: |
FTC and six state AGs sue internet service provider Frontier for allegedly providing slower internet speeds than promised to 1.3M DSL customers across 25 states — Frontier Communications is accused of misrepresenting internet speeds it advertised and charged for, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday …
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Federal Trade Commission, Ars Technica, Reuters, VICE, and TechSpot
Tweets: @rstephens and @neil_chilson
| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
TikTok launches tools to allow creators to bulk delete comments and block users — TikTok today is introducing a feature that will allow creators to deal with online abuse in an easier way. The company is launching new tools that will allow creators to bulk delete comments and block users … | Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch: |
Privacy.com, which offers APIs to issue virtual credit cards, rebrands as Lithic and raises $43M Series B led by Bessemer Venture Partners — When Privacy.com was founded in 2014, the company's focus was to let anyone generate virtual and disposable payment card numbers for free.
More:
FinSMEs and The Economic Times
Tweets: @beh_zod, @ourielohayon, @sairarahman, @bayareawriter, @jmover, @mashadrokova, @cbirn, and @sarthakgh
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