Tech
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Essential tech industry news & intel to start your day.
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September 14, 2022
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Today’s Top News
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Former Twitter Inc. security chief and whistleblower Peiter Zatko told lawmakers during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that Twitter’s protection of users’ sensitive data is so slipshod that nearly anyone with an account should be concerned about its security. (Politico) Zatko also testified that within the week before he was fired from the company, he learned that the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned Twitter that an agent of China’s Ministry of State Security was on the company’s payroll, though a Twitter spokesperson said Zatko’s allegations are “riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies.” (Reuters)
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Twitter shareholders voted to approve Elon Musk’s proposed $44 billion acquisition of the company. (CNBC)
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The European Union’s General Court mostly upheld a 2018 decision by the bloc’s competition regulator that fined Google $4.33 billion for allegations that the company abused the market dominance of its Android operating system for cellphones in order to bolster its search engine and Chrome browser. The court did annul one part of the decision that accused Google of breaking competition laws by making revenue-sharing payments to manufacturers to pre-install only Google Search, and the court reduced the company’s fine to about $4.12 billion. (The Wall Street Journal)
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The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology reached a cooperative research and development deal with Google which will see the company produce chips that researchers can use to create new nanotechnology and semiconductor devices. Under the partnership, Google will pay the initial cost for establishing production and subsidize the first production run, while NIST and university research partners will design the chips’ circuitry. (Reuters)
Worth keeping an eye on today (all times local):
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A MESSAGE FROM MORNING CONSULT |
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What Else You Need to Know
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Antitrust and Competition
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Texas Beats Google’s Push to Toss Out Ad Tech Antitrust Suit
Leah Nylen, Bloomberg
An antitrust suit by state attorneys general accusing Alphabet Inc.’s Google of monopolizing the technology underlying online advertising can move forward, a New York federal judge ruled.
Judge throws out Facebook collusion claims in Google antitrust suit
Adi Robertson, The Verge
A federal judge has allowed crucial elements of an antitrust case against Google to proceed, including allegations that Google illegally monopolized the ad-tech market. However, Judge P. Kevin Castel dismissed claims of collusion between Google and Facebook (now Meta) in the “Jedi Blue” program.
Twitter whistleblower exposes limits of FTC’s power
Cat Zakrzewski and Joseph Menn, The Washington Post
A whistleblower’s accusation that Twitter is failing to comply with a 2011 consent decree is raising questions not just about the tech company’s actions, but also about the Federal Trade Commission, the agency that is supposed to ensure Twitter abides by its pledge to protect users’ private data.
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Artificial Intelligence/Automation
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Telecom, Wireless and Internet Access
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U.S. to discuss new chips bill with Taiwan next month
Sarah Wu, Reuters
The United States will hold talks with Taiwan next month to discuss new U.S. legislation designed to boost the American semiconductor industry, the top U.S. diplomat in Taipei said on Wednesday.
Uber CEO says the company may actually benefit from rising inflation
Ashley Capoot, CNBC
A key August inflation report sent stocks tumbling Tuesday after the index gained 0.1% for the month despite falling gas prices. But the report isn’t all bad for companies like Uber, which said its supply side may actually be benefitting from the inflationary environment.
For Apple’s App Boss, a New Battle Nears
Wayne Ma, The Information
App Store chief Phil Schiller has often made decisions that left money on the table for the iPhone maker during his six years running it. But his actions are still likely to face growing scrutiny as antitrust regulators get closer to a possible lawsuit against the tech giant.
Disinformation via text message is a problem with few answers
Kevin Collier, NBC News
The biggest election disinformation event of the 2022 midterm primaries was not an elaborate Russian troll scheme that played out on Twitter or Facebook. It was some text messages.
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Cybersecurity and Privacy
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Google, Meta fined $71.8M for violating privacy law in South Korea
Kate Park, TechCrunch
South Korea has hit Google and Meta with a fine of ~$71.8 million (100 billion KRW) after finding they violated the country’s privacy law, the country’s authorities said on Wednesday.
Federal Action is Needed to Protect Consumer Data, New Report Says
Edward Graham, Nextgov
The increasing use of consumers’ personal data by businesses poses a privacy risk that should be addressed by Congress through comprehensive legislative action, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office released on Tuesday.
Democratic senators call on ICE to stop use of ‘Orwellian’ facial recognition, surveillance
Jared Gans, The Hill
Two Democratic senators called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to discontinue its use of facial recognition and other surveillance technologies that they say threaten individual privacy rights.
Human Trafficking’s Newest Abuse: Forcing Victims Into Cyberscamming
Cezary Podkul and Cindy Liu, ProPublica
Tens of thousands of people from across Asia have been coerced into defrauding people in America and around the world out of millions of dollars. Those who resist face beatings, food deprivation or worse.
How Whistleblowers Navigate a Security Minefield
Matt Burgess, Wired
Exposing wrongdoing is risky on the best of days. Whistleblower Aid cofounder John Tye explains the extensive steps needed to keep people safe.
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Social Media and Content Moderation
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Meta merging content moderation teams for ads and user posts
Sara Fischer, Axios
Meta is merging its business integrity unit, the team that moderates ad content, with its central integrity team, which moderates users’ posts, according to an internal memo obtained by Axios.
Amazon to Fund Raises for Delivery Drivers Amid Tight Labor Market
Dana Mattioli, The Wall Street Journal
Amazon.com Inc. said it is planning to raise pay and benefits for its delivery partners, as the e-commerce giant gears up for the peak holiday season amid a persistently tight labor market.
Tech Workers Say Salaries Have Not Kept Pace With Inflation
Sabiq Shahidullah, Bloomberg
Most technology professionals say their pay isn’t keeping up with inflation, raising pressure on employers to meet growing demand for remote work.
Laid off by Big Tech? Big Pharma wants you
Adam Bluestein, Fast Company
As layoffs mount at tech firms, biotechs and pharmaceutical companies are scooping up employees with AI and data science experience.
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Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
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NASA Lunar Programs: Improved Mission Guidance Needed as Artemis Complexity Grows
U.S. Government Accountability Office
The guidance NASA uses to create and manage Artemis mission schedules was intended for individual programs, not missions. Missions integrate several programs together and require coordination across different NASA divisions and with contractors. Schedule guidance specifically for missions would help NASA coordinate integration activities, as Artemis missions will involve more programs over time.
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