Techmeme: Tinder says it will start testing Global Mode, a new opt-in feature that lets user profiles show up around the world (Ashley Carman/The Verge)

Top News

Sources: Amazon has decided to move its annual Prime Day event to September and has started allowing unlimited nonessential goods shipments to warehouses — E-commerce giant also allows nonessential goods shipments, indication of wider variety of products — Amazon.com Inc. AMZN -.25% …

More: TechRadar.com, GeekWire, The Verge, CNET, Reuters, dot.LA, PYMNTS.com, CNBC, Tom's Guide, and Android Central

Tweets: @dcseifert, @joshelman, @brianroemmele, @caseynewton, @wsj, @johnholtnews, @danamattioli, and @edbott

Techdirt:

Despite qualms from some experts, Google and Apple's exposure notification API enables the most privacy-respecting approach to contact tracing in history — Apple and Google have now released their update to their mobile operating systems to include a new capability for COVID-19 exposure notification.

More: The Verge, Fast Company, and SiliconANGLE. Tweets: @alecstapp

Russell Brandom / The Verge:

Apple and Google launch the Exposure Notification API to the public in updates to iOS and Android; at least three US states are working on apps that use it

Ashley Carman / The Verge:

Tinder says it will start testing Global Mode, a new opt-in feature that lets user profiles show up around the world — Meet a foreign cutie — Tinder no longer sees physical closeness as a necessity for dating. The company announced today that it'll soon be testing Global Mode …

More: Engadget. Tweets: @sameer_singh17 and @mattnavarra

Ian Fogg / Opensignal:

Analysis of ten 5G operators across US, S. Korea, UK, and Australia finds that while Verizon has the fastest 5G speeds, its users see 5G just 0.5% of the time — Understanding the extent to which 5G improves the mobile experience is critical both for consumers considering upgrading to 5G …

More: Verizon, Android Authority, Android Authority, Android Authority, 9to5Mac, Light Reading, MacDailyNews, Android Central, Tom's Guide, Android Headlines, Droid Life, FierceWireless, PhoneArena, Android Headlines, TmoNews, TmoNews, and XDA Developers

Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:

Facebook unveils a new Messenger feature to alert users about malicious activity, aimed at preventing scams and unwanted interactions with those under 18 — In an effort to beat back a rise in scams and other unwanted interactions during the pandemic, Facebook today unveiled …

More: Messenger News, Pocketnow, TechCrunch, CNET, Vox, iPhone in Canada Blog, and MSPoweruser. Tweets: @messenger

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:

Ecwid, which sells e-commerce tools directly and via third parties like Square and Wix, raises $42M; Ecwid had raised only about $6.5M since its 2009 founding — In the same week that Facebook announced a redoubled effort to make a bigger mark in e-commerce, one of its long-time partners has closed a large round of funding.

More: TechCrunch and TechCrunch. Tweets: @arihelgason

Larry Dignan / ZDNet:

Samsung unveils the Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition with custom features for terrain navigation and data encryption, made for rugged use cases like law enforcement — The move highlights how Samsung is pushing its devices into more industry use cases. — Samsung is continuing its push …

Aditi Shrivastava / The Economic Times:

Amazon India launches a food delivery service called Amazon Food in select areas of Bengaluru and says it will expand to other cities in a few weeks — Amazon has been luring eateries with competitive commissions as a part of its larger plan to build a comprehensive product portfolio

More: TechCrunch, DealStreetAsia, Channel NewsAsia, NDTV Gadgets 360, The Financial Express, MediaNama, Indiaretailing.com, Inc42 Media, Entrackr, and BGR India

Tweets: @rishialwani, @tanvi_madan, @cristinagberta, @dalanmendonca, @chandrarsrikant, and @ettech. Thanks:@tsuvik

Ron Miller / TechCrunch:

Google Cloud says it's made a deal with the DoD's Defense Innovation Unit, which will use Google Cloud's Anthos for its multi-cloud management solution — Google dropped out of the Pentagon's JEDI cloud contract battle fairly early in the game, citing it was in conflict with its “AI principals.”

More: Axios, The Information, Google Cloud, Ars Technica, Reuters, CNBC, cloudpro.co.uk, Federal Computer Week, Beyond Search, CNET, Business Insider Nederland, SDxCentral, and ZDNet

Tweets: @jonerp, @organizejs, and @patrickmoorhead

Scott Roxborough / Hollywood Reporter:

ScreenHits launches a streaming video aggregator app that lets users bundle different services like Netflix and Disney+; app subscriptions start at $1.99/month — The app, which allows consumers to manage all their online viewing through a single interface, is betting viewers will pay to simplify their on-demand lives.

Tweets: @jefescott

Mark Hachman / PCWorld:

Intel says it's acquiring Rivet Networks, makers of the Killer range of networking products, and will integrate it into its Wireless Solutions Group — Intel said Wednesday that it has acquired Rivet Networks, and will integrate the company's Killer Networking line of Wi-Fi networking products into its own wireless portfolio.

More: Windows Central, Intel Newsroom, Tom's Hardware, Thurrott, The Verge, AnandTech, ZDNet, TechSpot, Engadget, SiliconANGLE, Silicon Valley Business …, Liliputing, MarketWatch, and PCMag

Tweets: @dcseifert, @stshank, @gregorymbryant, and @inafried

Jonathan Shieber / TechCrunch:

Mindstrong, which offers a digital service to tackle severe mental illnesses and is headed by ex-Uber executive Daniel Graf, raises $100M Series C — Daniel Graf has had a long career in the tech industry. From founding his own startup in the mid-2000s to working at Google, then Twitter …

M.G. Siegler / 500ish:

Spotify may use the scale of Joe Rogan's podcast as leverage against music labels, to launch a podcasting ad network, and to start its video streaming service — The Joe Rogan/Spotify deal is about leverage and ambition — Joe Rogan has just signed a deal to take his talents to Spotify.

More: Fortune, BIG by Matt Stoller, and Michael Tsai

Tweets: @matthewstoller, @trengriffin, @barbaro1420, @moldyfish, and @tylerwinklevoss

Candy Cheng / Bloomberg:

Shopify says it will allow its 5,000 employees to work from home indefinitely — - Canadian e-commerce company switching to ‘digital by default’ — Offices will be closed until end of year and redesigned — Shopify Inc. will allow its 5,000 employees to work from home indefinitely …

More: Financial Post, American Banker, CTVNews, and Bloomberg

Elizabeth A. Harris / New York Times:

How the remote school experience, with fewer distractions and less social pressure from peers, makes learning easier for some students — “At home, it seems to be a bit easier to focus on all the work,” said one eighth grader who was struggling in school. “Everything in general is easier.”

Tweets: @nytimes, @pfagell, @donaldclark, and @suptenfield

Jordan Crook / TechCrunch:

Chief, a social network exclusively for women in professional leadership positions, raises $15M, bringing its total raised to $40M — Chief, the social network dedicated exclusively to women in professional leadership positions, announced today that it has $15 million in funding from its existing investors …

Ryan Browne / CNBC:

Evervault, which is developing an API to help ensure privacy is baked into apps from the start, raises $16M led by Index Ventures with Alex Stamos participating — - Dublin-based privacy start-up Evervault has raised $16 million in a funding deal led by Index Ventures.

More: The Irish Times and VentureBeat

Tweets: @ryan_browne_ and @ryan_browne_. Thanks:@ryan_browne_

Brian Heater / TechCrunch:

Robotic toy maker Sphero names Paul Copioli as its new CEO and announces a spin-off company called Company Six, making robotic systems for first responders — Sphero just announced that it has spun off another company. Once again, the new startup has a decidedly different focus …

More: Sphero, Engadget, Micky, Pocket-lint, Gizmodo, and The Verge

Dan Primack / Axios:

Insurance policy comparison site SelectQuote raises $570M in its IPO, the largest US IPO since early February — SelectQuote, an Overland Park, Kansas-based insurance policy comparison site backed by Brookside Equity Partners, raised $570 million in its IPO.

More: Reuters and Business Wire

Zach Edwards:

Amid Epic Games' Houseparty smear campaign bounty controversy, a researcher claims Houseparty's domain infrastructure was hijacked by a credit card skimming org — A global hacking group took over Epic Games subdomains, then the problem was swept under the rug by Epic Games.

More: The Register. Tweets: @thezedwards, @thezedwards, @blueteamblog, and @swiftonsecurity

Kirsten Korosec / TechCrunch:

San Francisco-based Xwing, which is developing software for enabling pilotless flight of small passenger aircraft, raises $10M Series A — Autonomous aviation startup Xwing locked in a $10 million funding round before COVID-19 hit. Now the San Francisco-based startup is using the capital …

More: SiliconANGLE

Jem Aswad / Variety:

Spotify, which has about 4,400 full-time employees in 79 countries, has told its staffers that they can choose to work from home until next year — As the coronavirus-induced lockdown begins to ease in Europe and the U.S. and people begin to confront the realities of returning …

More: Music Business Worldwide

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