General
Qualcomm says it’s waiting to hear from the US on its license to sell technology to Huawei
Elizabeth Schulze, CNBC
Qualcomm has applied for licenses to continue selling its technology to Chinese tech giant Huawei, which has been placed on a U.S. entity list blocking it from doing business with American companies amid the U.S.-China trade war.
Facebook’s Libra falls into ‘big gap’ in EU rules: regulator
Huw Jones, Reuters
Facebook’s proposed Libra cryptocurrency falls into a “big gap” in European Union financial regulation at a time when the bloc’s ability to tackle money laundering is already stretched, a top EU regulator said on Thursday.
Palantir to Seek Funding on Private Market, Delay IPO
Lizette Chapman et al., Bloomberg
Palantir Technologies Inc. is in talks to raise significant funding from private investors, a move that could indefinitely delay one of Silicon Valley’s most hotly anticipated initial public offerings, according to people familiar with the company.
How High Tech Is Transforming One of the Oldest Jobs: Farming
Norman Mayersohn, The New York Times
Of all the out-of-the-box products a Silicon Valley tech start-up could offer, Bear Flag Robotics may be delivering the most unexpected: plowed fields. The company is developing autonomous tractors, a goal that equipment companies like Case IH, John Deere and Kubota are chasing as well.
Kochs Downplay Politics to Find Common Ground in Liberal Silicon Valley
Sarah McBride, Bloomberg
Last year at Base Camp, the sleepaway summer gathering hosted by venerated venture firm Sequoia Capital, a surprise guest greeted the assembled entrepreneurs—Charles Koch, the chief executive officer of Wichita, Kansas-based Koch Industries Inc.
The Silicon Valley Heavyweights Who Want to Settle the Moon
Ashlee Vance, Bloomberg
The moon is all the rage these days. China wants to send people there. So too does the United States and NASA.
U.S. Stock Futures Rise Before Jobs Data, Powell: Markets Wrap
Laura Curtis, Bloomberg
U.S. equity futures climbed and European shares struggled for traction ahead of Friday’s American employment report and remarks by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Treasuries slowed declines after yesterday’s sharp sell-off.
Intellectual Property and Antitrust
Amazon is testing a ‘New’ badge to highlight newly released products
Eugene Kim, CNBC
Amazon has a new way of highlighting newly released products: a “New” badge. The badge is Amazon’s latest attempt at labeling products to help shoppers decide what to buy.
Telecom, Wireless and TV
FCC to Vote on 3.5 GHz Framework
John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable
The FCC will launch its latest effort to free up 5G spectrum at its Sept. 26 open meeting. That is according to FCC chair Ajit Pai.
New York City Sues T-Mobile Over Sales Practices
Sarah Krouse, The Wall Street Journal
T-Mobile US Inc. ’s pay-as-you-go wireless brand allegedly sold used phones as new devices and overcharged customers, a New York City agency said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday. The city sued T-Mobile and several of its authorized Metro by T-Mobile brand dealers for what it said are abusive sales practices that span charging fees for unwanted services, failing to give customers legal receipts and charging illegal taxes.
Mobile Technology and Social Media
Google Is Promoting Climate Change Denialism On Its Apps And Its Mobile Homepage
Ryan Mac and Zahra Hirji, BuzzFeed News
In July, Tommaso Boggia, a climate activist turned programmer, swiped to the Google Discover tab on his phone to scan the headlines the company had algorithmically selected for him. He was shocked to find a climate change denial website prominently featured in his feed. The next day, it happened again.
YouTubers say kids’ content changes could ruin careers
Julia Alexander, The Verge
On Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission fined YouTube $170 million for collecting data and targeting ads to children, an alleged violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The fine is relatively small — roughly 1 percent of the service’s annual revenue — but it comes with strict conditions that could spell disaster for the thousands of creators who are making content for children.
Facebook’s dating service finally hooks up with Instagram
Kia Kokalitcheva, Axios
Facebook debuted Facebook Dating in the U.S. on Thursday after offering it for less than a year in some other countries. The company is also finally integrating the dating service with Instagram.
Huawei Unveils Updated Phone Running Google’s Latest Software
Nate Lanxon, Bloomberg
Huawei Technologies Co. announced an update to its P30 Pro smartphone and said it would run the latest version of Google’s Android software in some regions. It’s the company’s first major update to a flagship phone since the imposition of U.S. export restrictions, which forced Huawei to slash projections for annual revenue at its consumer devices business by about $10 billion.
Cybersecurity and Privacy
Sen. Markey seeks answers from Ring on doorbell-camera police network
Drew Harwell, The Washington Post
Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) is seeking answers from the doorbell-camera firm Ring about its hundreds of video-sharing partnerships with U.S. police agencies, citing “serious privacy and civil liberties concerns” that he said could put people at risk.
Ring Has Given ‘Active Camera’ Maps of Its Customers to Police
Caroline Haskins, Motherboard
Ring, Amazon’s home surveillance company, has consistently told Motherboard and other reporters that it does not share maps showing the exact locations of camera-owners with police.
Back to school: With latest attack, ransomware cancels classes in Flagstaff
Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica
As students returned to school across the country over the past two weeks, school districts are facing an unprecedented wave of ransomware attacks. In the past month, dozens of districts nationwide have been affected by ransomware attacks, in some cases making entire school systems’ networks down in the process.
Apple Change Causes Scramble Among Private Messaging App Makers
Aaron Tilley, The Information
A change Apple is making to improve privacy in an upcoming version of its iPhone operating system has alarmed an unlikely group of software makers: developers of privacy-focused encrypted messaging apps. They warn the change, which is already available in public test versions of iOS 13, could end up undermining the privacy goals that prompted it in the first place.
The founders of a billion-dollar Israeli spyware startup accused of helping Saudi Arabia attack dissidents are funding a web of new companies that hack into smart speakers, routers, and other devices
Becky Peterson, Business Insider Prime
The Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO Group has been accused of selling sophisticated digital surveillance technology to Saudi Arabia and other countries that are suspected of using it to attack dissidents and journalists. Despite the controversy, the company is extremely profitable, earning roughly $125 million in profit last year, according to a source who has seen its financials.
Influential Coalition With 15 Million Members Calls for Outright Ban on Facial Recognition
Dell Cameron, Gizmodo
More than thirty organizations on Thursday called for a nationwide ban against government use of face recognition calling the technology “unreliable, biased, and a threat to basic rights and safety.”
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
I’m a tech CEO, and I don’t think tech CEOs should be making policy
Alex Karp, The Washington Post
There are lively and necessary debates underway on many critical issues in the United States, but when a small group of executives at the largest Internet companies in Silicon Valley try to impose their moral framework on America, something has gone seriously and dangerously awry.
Debates are sign that companies taking data privacy more seriously
Richard Waters, Financial Times
Two decades after Google first turned insights about its users’ online behaviour into gold, the basic infrastructure underpinning the data economy still displays worrying flaws. The systems and tools required to support the collection and sharing of personal data on a mass scale — while also providing the security and control users might expect — do not always live up to their billing.
Don’t Trust Facebook With Your Love Life
Charlie Warzel, The New York Times
On Thursday, Facebook announced the start-up in the United States of Facebook Dating, a product that allows users to search for love all without the hassle of leaving the app where your angry uncle continues to share recycled memes about “Crooked Hillary.”
Pentagon Should Take the Lead on Tech
Mackenzie Eaglen, The Wall Street Journal
In the global arms race, a moment’s hesitation is enough to lose your lead. The Pentagon pioneered research 15 years ago into hypersonic missiles that can cruise at Mach 5.
Research Reports
A Policymaker’s Guide to Broadband Competition
Doug Brake and Robert D. Atkinson, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation
Competition is a crucial component of broadband policy in that it pressures providers to be efficient and innovative. Whether any given market has adequate competition is a key underpinning question for the regulatory structure of broadband networks.
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