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December 16, 2021, 5:40 PM
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| The Citizen Lab: |
Two Egyptians living in exile had their iPhones compromised in June 2021 using Predator spyware built by North Macedonian developer Cytrox — Key Findings — Two Egyptians—exiled politician Ayman Nour and the host of a popular news program (who wishes to remain anonymous) …
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Meta, Washington Post, The Guardian, Protocol, VICE, NPR, CyberScoop, Bloomberg, Wired, and The Daily Beast
Tweets: @citizenlab, @jsrailton, @razhael, @lindseyod123, @tonyajoriley, @caseynewton, @skirchy, @amnestytech, @runasand, and @cpjtechnology
| Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch: |
Meta bans seven surveillance-for-hire groups, including Cytrox, removing over 1,500 Facebook and Instagram accounts and alerting 50K users who were targeted — Cytrox is one of seven surveillance companies now banned from Meta's platforms — While NSO Group was taking flak for hacking …
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Axios, NBC News, Reuters, The Verge, Engadget, BleepingComputer, MIT Technology Review, CNET, Forbes, The Hill, Forbes, and Rolling Stone
Tweets: @evacide, @arawnsley, @jsrailton, @bing_chris, @carolafrediani, @howelloneill, @dashdecosta, @joyce_karam, @marietjeschaake, @davidakaye, @howelloneill, @w7voa, @tomgara, @evacide, @davidakaye, @davidagranovich, @anthony, @rj_gallagher, @jckichen, @zackwhittaker, @iblametom, @anthony, @iblametom, @washingtonpost, and @zackwhittaker
| Zachary Basu / Axios: |
The US bans investing in eight Chinese companies, including DJI and Megvii, for their alleged involvement in surveilling Uyghurs and other minority groups — The Treasury Department has added eight Chinese companies — including DJI, the world's largest commercial drone manufacturer …
More:
The Verge, South China Morning Post, U.S. Department …, and fmprc.gov.cn
Tweets: @ustreasury and @zacharybasu
| Mark Gurman / Bloomberg: |
Job listings show Apple is hiring engineers for a new office in Irvine, California to develop wireless chips that could replace Broadcom and Skyworks components — - Company seeks engineers for location in Irvine, California — Apple is poised to attract employees from Broadcom, Skyworks
More:
Macworld, AppleInsider, MacRumors, The Verge, iMore, MacDailyNews, Patently Apple, Philip Elmer‑DeWitt, 9to5Mac, iPhone Hacks, iPhone in Canada Blog, and Cult of Mac
Tweets: @newsynick, @markgurman, and @benbajarin
| Reddit: |
Reddit confidentially files its S-1 with the SEC for an IPO; the number of shares to be offered and the price range have yet to be determined — Reddit, Inc. today announced that it has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission …
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Reuters, Variety, The Economic Times, The Verge, Bloomberg, BBC, TechCrunch, CNBC, Tubefilter, Gizmodo, Adweek, Wall Street Journal, Coinspeaker, Newser, 9to5Mac, WRAL TechWire, iPhone in Canada Blog, thegamer.com, The Register, HotHardware.com News, Insider, iMore, PYMNTS.com, CNN, Barron's Online, Engadget, CoinDesk, Protocol, and Axios
Tweets: @reddit, @mikeisaac, @mikeisaac, @mathowie, @valuations_, @killedbygoogle, @loudmouthjulia, @lamonicabuzz, @ourielohayon, @hoctopi, @leeodden, and @carnage4life
| Henry Mance / Financial Times: |
Interview with Meta's VP of Global Affairs Nick Clegg on leaving politics, the impact of Haugen's leaks, and his leading role in the decision to ban Trump — Nick Clegg may be available in Berlin. He has a slot in Paris. He'll make time for lunch in Brussels.
More:
Australian Financial Review, Financial Times, and YouTube
Tweets: @henrymance, @parkermolloy, @timmaughan, @jamestitcomb, @jack_sommers, @cwarzel, @hblodget, @kimberlynfoster, @lorenzofb, @henrymance, @robinwigg, @katie_martin_fx, @timcast, @arirabinhavt, @jackcevans, @stephenkb, @apzonerunner, @parismarx, @owillis, @cecianasta, @milo_edwards, @dkthomp, @jolyonmaugham, @mathewolson, @michaelsavage, @byyourlogic, @hamburger, @brendelbored, @gossithedog, @larakiara, @shefaly, @johnthornhillft, @davidpilling, @ariehkovler, @davemolloy, @psythor, @peterguest, @stokel, and @martinsfp
| Kris Holt / Engadget: |
Sidewalk Labs plans to shut down, fold its products into Google, and spin out Canopy Buildings; CEO Dan Doctoroff says he is stepping down for health reasons — Alphabet's smart city project is winding down and Google will take over its products. Sidewalk Labs CEO Dan Doctoroff announced …
More:
Sidewalk Talk, Reuters, The Verge, 9to5Google, and Protocol
Tweets: @jeffnolan, @levynews, @roybahat, @arielmai, @njbowden, @andyjayhawk, @kantrowitz, @daiwaka, @sidewalklabs, @mhbergen, and @richard_florida
| Tanya Basu / MIT Technology Review: |
Meta says a woman was groped in Horizon Worlds on November 26; an internal review found she should have used the VR platform's Safe Zone tool — Last week, Meta (the umbrella company formerly known as Facebook) opened up access to its virtual-reality social media platform, Horizon Worlds.
More:
Bloomberg, Futurism, and Pandaily
Tweets: @tanyabasu, @parmy, @teachguz, @mikebutcher, @calbucci, @damienmcferran, @oliviasolon, @mattnavarra, @vickiturk, @markgongloff, @autumncapital, @niallfirth, @eileenguo, @jjaron, @lazerwalker, @parmy, @parmy, @parmy, and @quicktake
| Orla McCaffrey / Wall Street Journal: |
Tax preparation company H&R Block sues Block, formerly Square, for trademark infringement, claiming Block's name and logo are “nearly identical” to its own — Square changed name to Block earlier this month, a nod to CEO Jack Dorsey's blockchain ambitions
More:
Decrypt, Engadget, Bloomberg, Protocol, GlobeNewswire News Room, CoinDesk, and CNBC
Tweets: @theryanford, @rstephens, @readdanwrite, @lanceulanoff, @ryan, and @orla_mccaffrey
| Liza Lin / Wall Street Journal: |
TikTok says it will adjust its recommendation algorithm to avoid negative reinforcement and let users pick words and hashtags to remove videos from their feed — The app says it is working to diversify the content it pushes to individual users in order to protect their mental well-being
More:
TikTok, TechCrunch, Social Media Today, Protocol, Axios, TechCrunch, Engadget, 9to5Mac, Tubefilter, and The Verge. Tweets: @tiktokcomms
| Aisha Malik / TechCrunch: |
Apple releases Swift Playgrounds 4, which lets users develop iPhone and iPad apps on their iPads, preview apps in real time, and upload them to the App Store — Apple announced that it has officially released Swift Playgrounds 4. The tech giant first announced the upcoming launch of the new software at WWDC earlier this year.
More:
MacRumors, Apple Developer, SiliconANGLE, Thurrott, Michael Tsai, O'Grady's PowerPage, Cult of Mac, Redmond Pie, Wccftech, PhoneArena, Pocketnow, and appadvice.com
Tweets: @twostraws, @frankefoster, @zollotech, @chris_lawley, @tommyprezioso, and @timroesner
| Chainalysis: |
Analysis: cryptocurrency scams cost victims $7.7B in 2021, up 81% from 2020, driven by DeFi-based “rug pulls” wherein developers unexpectedly abandon projects — This blog is a preview of our 2022 Crypto Crime Report. Sign up here to reserve your copy and we'll email you the full report when it comes out in February!
More:
The Register, Insider, Protocol, Decrypt, and CryptoSlate
Tweets: @ann_arcana, @chainalysis, @arvidkahl, @ryan, and @mdudas
| Sara Fischer / Axios: |
Spotify acquires Australian company Whooshkaa, which helps radio broadcasters turn existing content into podcasts and sell ads around them — Spotify on Thursday said it acquired Whooshkaa, a podcast technology platform that specializes in technology for radio broadcasters to turn existing content into podcasts.
More:
Spotify, Engadget, The Verge, TechCrunch, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, RAIN News, and Whooshkaa
Tweets: @evoterra, @spotifyads, @spotifynews, @ashleyrcarman, @sarthakgh, and @sarafischer
| Bloomberg: |
Sources: Indian edtech company Byju's is in advanced talks to go public via a SPAC on the NYSE, raising around $4B and seeking a $48B valuation — - Education startup is discussing deal with Churchill Capital — SPAC merger could value Byju's at more than $40 billion
More:
TechCrunch, Reuters, Financial Times, Inc42 Media, SPACInsider, The Economic Times, DealStreetAsia, and Tech in Asia
Tweets: @chandrarsrikant and @saritharai
| Dan Primack / Axios: |
Source: delivery startup Gopuff, which recently launched in London and NYC, raised $1.5B in convertible notes at a valuation of up to $40B — Gopuff, an instant delivery platform for everyday items, has raised $1.5 billion in new funding at around a $40 billion valuation, Axios has learned.| Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat: |
Adidas Originals launches an NFT collection with Bored Ape Yacht Club, Gmoney, and Punks Comic that offers access to wearables in The Sandbox virtual world — Adidas Originals will launch its first nonfungible tokens (NFTs) as it dives into Web 3 and the metaverse.
More:
The Verge, PYMNTS.com, Crypto Briefing, Coinspeaker, designboom, and Tech in Asia
| Todd Spangler / Variety: |
Spotify rolls out a podcast ratings system that will let users rate a show from one to five stars only after listening to it — Spotify is borrowing a page from rival Apple with the addition of a five-star user ratings system for podcasts — a new tool for sorting through …
More:
Spotify, Gizmodo, Word of Mouth, The Verge, TechCrunch, XDA Developers, Hollywood Reporter, Tubefilter, MSPoweruser, and Engadget
Tweets: @spotifynews and @evoterra
| Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge: |
Amazon Echo Show 15 review: a bright screen with HD streaming doesn't make up for laggy performance, inconsistent personalized content, and too few widgets — The $249.99 Echo Show 15 is billed as a shared hub for families to see things like upcoming calendar appointments, to-dos, digital sticky note reminders, and shopping lists.| Washington Post: |
An in-depth look at the four-minute tornado in Illinois, with the only deaths coming at an Amazon warehouse, where workers sheltered in restrooms — A woman told 911 that one of the people sheltering with her had been ‘bent in half’ by rubble. A driver detailed his frantic flight to safety.
More:
VICE, The Verge, and Ars Technica
Tweets: @gerritd, @washingtonpost, @markseibel, @markseibel, @markseibel, and @markseibel
| Kyle Orland / Ars Technica: |
Legacy, an NFT-powered game by Peter Molyneux's 22cans studio and Gala Games planned for next year, raised $54M in virtual land NFT sales in less than a week — But are these games a brave new world or a FOMO-driven gold rush bubble? — On Saturday, Peter Molyneux's 22cans studio … | Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat: |
Elementary, which uses AI to automate product inspections in factories, raises a $30M Series B led by Tiger Global, bringing its total funding to $47.5M+ — While it might not be the first example that comes to mind when thinking of AI applications, AI systems are increasingly being used in the manufacturing sector.
More:
FinSMEs and TechCrunch
| Alex Wilhelm / TechCrunch: |
Denver-based Gtmhub, which offers OKR software with data integrations, raises a $120M Series C led by Index Ventures, bringing its total funding to ~$160M — Denver-based software startup Gtmhub announced this morning that it has closed a $120 million Series C. Index Ventures led the round …
More:
SiliconANGLE and VentureBeat
| Ryan Weeks / The Block: |
Nansen, a crypto analytics service known for its ability to track high-value investors, raises a $75M Series B led by Accel, sources say at a $750M valuation — Quick Take — Venture capital firm Accel led the fundraise, with participation from a16z and Tiger Global.
More:
Decrypt, Reuters, Crypto Briefing, CoinDesk, and The Economic Times
| Ron Miller / TechCrunch: |
Cockroach Labs, which makes the SQL database CockroachDB, raises a $278M Series F at a $5B valuation led by Greenoaks, up from $2B valuation in January — Cockroach Labs, makers of CockroachDB, has been raking in money this year. It started the year with a $160 million Series E …
More:
CRN, VentureBeat, Reuters, CNBC, PR Newswire, SiliconANGLE, Cockroach Labs …, and The Register. Tweets: @itsaydrian
| Andrea Navarro / Bloomberg: |
Latin America-based Nowports, which lets importers and exporters ship goods directly through its service, raises a $60M Series B led by Tiger Global — - Nowports raised $60 million in its Series B funding round — Startup growing fast amid problems with global supply chain| Gillian Tan / Bloomberg: |
Stocktwits, a social network used by investors and day traders, raises $30M, source says at a $210M valuation, led by Alameda Research, and says it has 1M MAUs — Stocktwits, a social-media platform used by day traders and other retail investors, raised $30 million in a funding round led by Alameda Research Ventures.
Tweets: @rkhanna, @howardlindzon, @michaelbatnick, @mdudas, and @jposhaughnessy
| Jackie Davalos / Bloomberg: |
Uber plans to pilot driverless food-delivery in Santa Monica next year with partner Motional, a Hyundai and Aptiv joint venture that also has a Lyft deal — Uber Technologies Inc. plans to launch a driverless food-delivery pilot program in the U.S. next year, the company announced on Thursday.| Lucy Harley-Mckeown / The Block: |
Dutch startup Silverflow, which claims to be the first cloud-native card payments service, raises a $17M Series A led by Coatue Management — Quick Take — Dutch payment tech company Silverflow has closed a $17 million Series A round, led by Coatue Management.
More:
TechCrunch, FinSMEs, Finextra, Silicon Canals, and Insider
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