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April 21, 2021, 1:10 PM
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WeSmirchTop News
| Wall Street Journal: |
EU proposes strict AI rules, regulating “high-risk” uses such as loan applications, with non-compliant companies fined up to 6% of annual global revenues — EU is proposing one of the first laws globally to regulate the use of artificial intelligence for applications like hiring and policing
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European Commission, Access Now, New York Times, MIT Technology Review, Tech Policy Press, AppleInsider, TechCrunch, BBC, TNW, European Commission, Tech Xplore, The Verge, Politico, Protocol, Silicon Republic, Associated Press, ComputerWeekly.com, Fortune, Politico, Financial Times, Bloomberg, and EURACTIV.com
Tweets: @aurasalla, @shashj, @eu_commission, @samschech, @katecrawford, @nytimes, @wsj, @vestager, and @akoronakis
| Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: |
Instagram is rolling out tools to filter out abusive DMs based on keywords and emojis, and to block users along with any new accounts they may create — Facebook and its family of apps have long grappled with the issue of how to better manage — and eradicate — bullying and other harassment …
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Instagram, The Verge, Silicon Republic, ZDNet, Social Media Today, XDA Developers, BBC, Wccftech, Android Headlines, inews.co.uk, Daily Mail, Neowin, Reuters, Bloomberg, Mashable, Engadget, iDownloadBlog.com, LBC, The Independent, KnowTechie, TNW, RT, Tech Xplore, and New York Post
Tweets: @titaniajordan, @alexvoica, and @instagramcomms
| Sean Hollister / The Verge: |
How Kosta Eleftheriou became a one-man App Store fraud squad, by looking for top grossing apps with fake user reviews and ridiculously high subscription prices — A one-man Bunco Squad is poking holes in Apple's App Store image — Recently, I reached out to the most profitable company …
More:
world.hey.com. Tweets: @gartenberg, @dhh, @simonw, @martinfowler, @dhh, @nicklockwood, @keleftheriou, and @fosspatents
| Catalin Cimpanu / The Record: |
REvil ransomware gang claims to have breached Apple contractor Quanta Computer and is threatening to leak Apple product schematics unless a ransom is paid — The operators of the REvil ransomware are demanding that Apple pay a ransom demand to avoid having confidential information leaked on the dark web.
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9to5Mac, YouTube, Bloomberg, MacRumors, HotHardware.com News, Engadget, Tom's Guide, Financial Times, iPhone in Canada Blog, iDownloadBlog.com, BleepingComputer, iPhone Hacks, Input, CNBC, The Register, The Hacker News, iMore, Heimdal Security Blog, Patently Apple, South China Morning Post, SiliconANGLE, AppleInsider, and The Mac Observer
Tweets: @bleepincomputer, @bleepincomputer, @bleepincomputer, @vxunderground, and @campuscodi
| 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.
More:
The Keyword, The Register, VentureBeat, SiliconANGLE, 9to5Google, ZDNet, TechCrunch, CNET, and SlashGear
| Matt Novak / Gizmodo: |
Amazon brings its palm reader payment system to a Whole Foods location in Seattle and will roll it out to seven more stores in the coming months — Whole Foods will launch a palm reader payment system at its Madison Broadway location in Seattle today and has plans to roll out the biometric program …
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About Amazon, Engadget, GeekWire, The Hill, Associated Press, Insider, Vox, TechCrunch, NBC News, CNN, Ubergizmo, and PYMNTS.com
| Joseph Cox / VICE: |
Facebook says a vulnerability that lets attackers find a Facebook profile given an email address is still active after being “erroneously closed out” — A video shared with researchers and Motherboard shows a tool linking email addresses to Facebook accounts. — Joseph Cox
More:
Ars Technica and Engadget
| Jason Snell / Macworld: |
Apple's M1 iPad has killer hardware, especially mini-LED displays, but iPadOS lags behind, bereft of Apple's pro apps, proper second display support, and more — The hardware is top notch. The software leaves a lot to be desired. — MORE COLOR — Nobody needed to convince me that Apple's …
More:
Gizmodo, 9to5Mac, ZDNet, PCMag, Bloomberg, Pocketnow, PCMag, and Trusted Reviews
Tweets: @stroughtonsmith, @markgurman, @gartenberg, @reneritchie, and @universeice
| Apple: |
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MacRumors, iThinkDifferent, Android Authority, Gizmodo, AppleInsider, On my Om, Mashable, MacStories, 9to5Mac, Macworld, The Verge, ExtremeTech, TechRadar, Silicon Republic, iPhone in Canada Blog, MacRumors, news.com.au, TechSpot, iMore, DigiTimes, TechPowerUp, Ubergizmo, The Register, Popular Mechanics, TidBITS, Techaeris, Computerworld, Appleosophy, and MacRumors
Tweets: @viticci, @bdsams, @detroitborg, @benedictevans, @ishanagarwal24, @bengeskin, @snazzyq, @universeice, @swizec, @andrewmartonik, and @gregjoz
| Haroon Siddique / The Guardian: |
Former children's commissioner for England sues TikTok, alleging that it illegally collects the personal info of child users because “kids can't give consent” — Former children's commissioner for England launches case against video-sharing app
More:
BBC, UPI, Al Jazeera, 9to5Mac, infosecurity-magazine.com, Tech Xplore, Reuters, Reuters, Daily Mail, Sky News, Telegraph, cityam.com, Silicon Republic, Bloomberg, and Financial Times
Tweets: @alethedenis, @haroon_siddique, @tim2040, @privacymatters, @indopac_info, @legalkant, @bbcnewsbeat, and @rinachandran
| Anna Kramer / Protocol: |
Google data center contractors say they sign up for two year contracts, but to keep the same job they are required to leave for six months before reapplying — Shannon Wait felt a muscle pull in her shoulder as she knelt to lug a 50-pound battery into its rack, but she ignored the pain and kept going.
Tweets: @owenthomas, @techwontsaveus, and @issielapowsky
| Tom Warren / The Verge: |
Microsoft introduces new settings in Outlook to allow breaks between back-to-back meetings after its own research showed that “digital overload is real” — Back-to-back meetings can now have a break in between — Microsoft is updating Outlook to give companies the option …
More:
Insider, Microsoft 365 Blog, Microsoft Tech Community, CNET, ZDNet, MobileSyrup, and MSPoweruser
Tweets: @lurie_msft, @microsoft365, and @kevinpeesker
| 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 … | 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
More:
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden … and The Verge
Tweets: @freepress, @ronwyden, @byrontau, @jason_koebler, and @dnvolz
| Sami Fathi / MacRumors: |
Tim Cook says Apple is now selling more M1 Macs than Intel-based models, despite them only being released in November — Despite only being released in November, sales of the M1-powered MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini now represent the majority of Mac sales, outperforming Mac computers powered …
More:
iThinkDifferent, MacRumors, Ubergizmo, Appleosophy, iMore, and iMore
Tweets: @iupdate, @themacalope, and @rjonesy
| Dustin Volz / Wall Street Journal: |
Internal memo: DOJ has formed a taskforce to combat the proliferation of ransomware attacks, targeting the entire ecosystem with prosecutions and more — After ‘worst year ever’ for the cyberattacks, department seeks to disrupt digital ecosystem that supports them
Tweets: @ericgeller, @campuscodi, @kevincollier, and @dnvolz
| Katie Roof / Bloomberg: |
Deel, which helps companies comply with local hiring laws around the world, raises $156M at a $1.25B valuation, up from $225M last year — - Company is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Spark Capital — Deel raises $156 million in latest fundraising Wednesday
More:
TechCrunch, Globes Online, FinLedger, letsdeel.com, CTech, and Finextra
| Paul Sawers / VentureBeat: |
RapidAPI, an API marketplace that covers everything from file storage to COVID-19 statistics, raises $60M Series C led by Green Bay Ventures — Join Transform 2021 this July 12-16. Register fo r the AI event of the year. — RapidAPI, a platform that helps developers find, manage …
More:
Globes Online, CTech, and insideHPC
| Christine Hall / Crunchbase News: |
Welcome Tech, which offers digital tools for immigrants to navigate financial and other services in the US, raises $35M Series B, bringing total raised to $50M — Welcome Tech's mission is to drive financial inclusion of immigrants moving to the United States.
More:
TechCrunch and Insider
| Wall Street Journal: |
Researchers: fraudsters spoofed an average of 650M online ad placements per day by infecting ~1M mobile devices with software that mimicked streaming apps — Fraudsters mimicked popular apps, siphoned off revenue from unsuspecting advertisers, cybersecurity firm says| Alina Tugend / New York Times: |
Researchers and therapists say VR has shown great promise for physical and occupational therapy, including pain management and relieving PTSD — While use of the gaming technology for improving physical ailments is still in the early stages, it shows promise — and it's fun.
Tweets: @kylebrussell
| Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: |
ActiveCampaign, which helps businesses automate email marketing, CRM, and ad campaigns, raises $240M Series C led by Tiger Global at a $3B+ valuation — As businesses continue to adopt new digital tools to get their names out into the world, a startup that's built a sales …
More:
FinSMEs, VentureBeat, SiliconANGLE, PR Newswire, and Tech News
| Deena Shanker / Bloomberg: |
Misfits Market, an online grocer specializing in delivering food that would otherwise be wasted, raises $200M Series C, source says at a $1.1B valuation — - Grocery delivery company raises $200 million in new funding — Company will use proceeds to expand its area of operation
More:
Crunchbase News and TechCrunch
| Evelyn Douek / The Atlantic: |
Facebook's recent steps to curb toxic content in Minneapolis following Derek Chauvin's trial raises the question of why the company doesn't do so all the time — On Monday, Facebook vowed that its staff was “working around the clock” to identify and restrict posts that could lead to unrest …
More:
Newsbusters. Tweets: @justinhendrix, @jesselehrich, @yappelbaum, @blackamazon, @yaeleisenstat, @b_fung, @evelyndouek, @kevinroose, @evelyndouek, @alexjamesfitz, and @evelyndouek
| Tim Culpan / Bloomberg: |
Charts show TSMC's challenges: unstable output, need for more debt, higher costs hurting margins, foreign currency swings, droughts, and more — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has quietly grown to a place of global prominence by being the outright leader in chip manufacturing technology.| Stack Overflow Blog: |
Stack Overflow: 25% of its visitors copy text within 5 minutes of hitting one of its pages and 40.6M copies were made across 7.3M posts from March 26 to April 9 — They say there's a kernel of truth behind every joke. In the case of our recent April Fools gag, it might be more like an entire cob, perhaps a bushel of truth.
Tweets: @hardkoded, @stackoverflow, and @terrajobst
| Juli Clover / MacRumors: |
Apple tells developers that on April 26 all iPhone, iPad, and Watch apps submitted to the App Store must adhere to Apple's App Tracking Transparency rules — Apple today released a series of updates aimed at app developers, letting them know about upcoming requirements related to iOS 14.5 …
More:
Bloomberg, MacRumors, VentureBeat, iThinkDifferent, and The Verge
Tweets: @eric_seufert, @joannastern, @alexeheath, @jason_kint, @drbarnard, and @jason_kint
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