Techmeme
April 11, 2021, 3:50 PM

Top News

Bloomberg:
Sources: Microsoft in advanced talks to buy speech technology company Nuance Communications for ~$16B, or $56 a share, a 23% premium to Nuance's Friday close  —  - Price under discussion would value Nuance at $56 a share  — An agreement could be announced as soon as this week
Wall Street Journal:
Erroneously unredacted court docs reveal Google ran a secret program called “Project Bernanke” that used past bid data to boost its win rate in ad auctions  —  Program used past bid data to boost tech giant's win rate in advertising auctions, according to court filing
CyberNews:
Database containing 1.3M Clubhouse profiles was posted to a hacker forum; Clubhouse says it hasn't been breached, and the data is public info from its app  —  So far, it seems like it's been the worst week of the year for social media platforms in terms of data leaks, with Clubhouse seemingly joining the fray.
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Google confirms it is ending support for Google Shopping apps on Android and iOS, as it expands shopping functionality in Search and apps like YouTube  —  A new Google Shopping experience that featured a personalized homepage launched in 2019.  On Android, Google rebranded the existing Express app …
Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:
Some SMB owners who advertise heavily online say Facebook is speaking the truth about how iOS privacy changes might disproportionately affect such businesses  —  With big changes coming to iPhones, small online merchants are bracing for lost sales.  ‘Why is Apple now the decider?’
Balaji S. Srinivasan:
Adding crypto to IndiaStack, a set of national APIs for payments and identity, could allow India to build an OSS stack for domestic and foreign transactions  —  Use the digital rupee to facilitate domestic commerce and crypto protocols to attract international investment.
Lizette Chapman / Bloomberg:
Austin has been a top destination for tech workers leaving CA during Covid, and residents are concerned about how the new wave is affecting city's culture  —  Matthew Congrove got the first offer on his house one month into the pandemic.  Now, says Congrove, who lives in an eclectic neighborhood …
Raymond Zhong / New York Times:
China says it is imposing a record $2.8B fine on Alibaba for monopolistic business practices; Alibaba says it will accept the penalty “sincerely”  —  The penalty is Beijing's toughest action to date in its campaign to tighten supervision of the country's internet Goliaths.
Bloomberg:
Current and ex-employees say inattention to data protection at Verkada is emblematic of a “bro culture” that tolerated sexual harassment, misleading customers  —  Verkada Inc.'s security camera customers were livid.  Hackers had breached footage from thousands of surveillance devices trained …
Sarah Manavis / New Statesman:
A look at Tattle Life, a gossip forum where users dox celebrities and influencers, dissect their personal lives, and target them with vicious comments  —  When the lifestyle influencer Jessie Lethaby - better known as SunbeamsJess - announced she was pregnant in December …

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More News

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