TikTok outflanked Facebook, focusing on curation and user-made video, but its China ties mean privacy, censorship, and propaganda issues should lead to a US ban  —  Over the last week, as the idea of banning TikTok in the U.S. has shifted from a fringe idea to a seeming inevitability …

Microsoft issues a patch for a critical “wormable” flaw affecting OSes including Windows 10 and Server; Check Point says the flaw has been in code for 17 years  —  Microsoft is issuing a patch for a severe and wormable Windows Domain Name System Server vulnerability …

Samsung predicts early commercialization of 6G networks “as early as 2028”, and places bets on terahertz radio spectrum to reach peak data rates 50 times 5G  —  Take the latest VB Survey to share how your company is implementing AI today.  —  Just as the earliest 5G networks began …

Report: phones of many politicians in Spain, including the Pres. of the Parliament of Catalonia, were hacked; source: Spain has been an NSO customer since 2015  —  The cellphones of several politicians in Spain, including that of the president of one of the countries' autonomous regional parliaments …

Regulations passed this week in the EU afford App Store devs new protections, such as a 30 day warning before removing an app from store, with some exceptions  —  App Store developers in the European Union now have more protections afforded to them following the passage of new regulations this week …

Google sued for allegedly tracking users' app activity via Firebase even after opting out of sharing data in settings, following Incognito mode suit last month  —  A lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges Google tracks user activity through hundreds of thousands of apps, even after people opt out of sharing information.

Investigation: Google Search displays YouTube videos more prominently than nearly identical videos from Facebook and other sites; sources say this is by design  —  Facebook and other competitors host the same videos, but engineers have made changes that effectively preference YouTube—owned by Google—over other video sources.

UK says it will bar telecom companies from purchasing new equipment from Huawei and gives them until 2027 to remove its technology from their 5G networks  —  British government gives cellular companies until 2027 to remove Chinese firm's technology  —  LONDON—The British government …

Sources: Datto, a provider of cloud-based data backup software and protection services for SMBs, has confidentially filed for an IPO  —  - Company could plan listing for later this year or 2021  —  Datto Inc., a developer of cloud-based data backup software, has filed confidentially …

In email to artists, Facebook announces launch of officially licensed music videos on US artist Pages; artists will be enrolled August 1 if they don't opt out  —  Facebook is preparing to launch officially licensed music videos on its social network in the U.S. next month, in a direct challenge to YouTube.

Google Play Pass, Android's rival to subscription-based game store Apple Arcade, adds 150 more titles, a $29.99/year pricing option, and expands outside the US  —  Google Play Pass, the Android alternative to subscription-based game store Apple Arcade, is expanding.

US reverses directive requiring international students take an in-person class to avoid being sent home, following a suit with support from the tech industry  —  - Deal ends standoff that could have sent thousands back home  — Schools can now resume planning for the fall semester

Google says it will invest $4.5B in Jio Platforms for a 7.73% stake as part of the recently announced $10B India digitization fund  —  This investment will be part of Google's recently announced $10 billion India digitization fund  —  Internet major Google is buying a 7.73% stake …

Report: US VC deals slowed in Q2, with $34.3B invested across 2,197 deals, down 23% YoY, but started to pick up by mid-May with govt stimulus package rollout  —  2020 has been an unprecedented year thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, with radical changes in the way tech companies do business coupled …

Spotify is launching a Trending podcast chart with 50 rising shows, and expanding its Top chart to the 200 most popular shows overall, localized by region  —  A long-awaited feature  —  Spotify is revamping its podcast charts today to help listeners find new shows and keep up with what people are enjoying in their area.

US House Oversight subcommittee chair for national security sends letters to Apple and Google seeking assurances on the risks of apps made by foreign entities  —  Rep. Stephen Lynch seeks commitments from the tech giants to be more transparent about applications on their stores.

Business giant SAP patches RECON bug, which impacted most of its customers and let hackers create admin accounts on SAP servers  —  SAP patches bug impacting most of its apps and customer base.  —  Business giant SAP released a patch today for a major vulnerability that impacts the vast majority of its customers.

Kano releases the second-generation model of its $300 “buildable” 2-in-1 Windows 10 tablet aimed at kids, with upgraded CPU and updated design  —  More of a real laptop, less of a toy  —  Kano is releasing a second-generation model of its buildable Windows 10 PC …

The EFF, in partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno, debuts a searchable database of 3,000+ US police agencies and the tech surveillance tools they use  —  Take the latest VB Survey to share how your company is implementing AI today.  —  It took me less than 10 seconds to find …

Amazon unveils Dash Cart, a shopping cart that links to Amazon account, tracks items placed inside, and allows cashierless checkout, first at Amazon's LA store  —  The Dash Cart is coming to Amazon's LA grocery store later this year  —  Amazon is expanding its real-world footprint …

Shares of nCino, which develops a cloud-based operating system for financial institutions, surged 195%+ on first day of trading after raising ~$249M in IPO  —  NCino, which provides cloud-based software for financial institutions, saw its stock surge more than 150% in its first day of trading.

Interview with Rashad Robinson, one of the organizers of the Facebook ad boycott, on working with Facebook, accountability, and mobilizing public support  —  Rashad Robinson, who has helped organize a high-profile advertising boycott of Facebook during the month of July …