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Thursday, August 27, 2020

Presenting TechCrunch Disrupt’s Asia sessions

As you know by now, Disrupt is going completely virtual for its 10th anniversary. TechCrunch’s Asia team (me, Rita Liao and Manish Singh) will miss seeing everyone in Moscone Center, but this will be the most accessible Disrupt ever, and we are excited to bring a full roster of Asia-focused sessions to its agenda for the first time. The sessions, with people from some of Asia’s most influential tech companies, startups and investment firms, will be broadcast during the day in this part of the world, followed by live Q&A sessions. And of course, all Disrupt attendees will get full access to everything TechCrunch’s team has spent months working to bring online: the Disrupt and Extra Crunch stages, virtual networking at CrunchMatch and Digital Startup Alley.

Many of the most important recent startup trends and tech stories have come from Asia, or were driven by Asian companies. The continent is home to several of the world’s most complex and dynamic markets: China, India and Indonesia, to name just some of the biggest ones.

Available at a time that works best for you, catch these sessions Sept 15-18th from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM HKT. Immediately after each interview, join the speakers for a live Q&A. So come with your questions!

India is Facebook’s biggest market by number of users, and our speakers will include its head of India, Ajit Mohan.

We also have Russell Cohen, regional head of operations at Grab, the ride-hailing company that acquired Uber’s Southeast Asia operations two years ago and is now also one of the region’s largest on-demand delivery platforms.

Byju Raveendran, founder of BYJU’s, India’s most highly-valued edtech startup, will talk about online learning, one of this year’s most important topics.

As another example of how tech innovations in Asia influence other parts of the world, we will speak to Kaisei Hamamoto, co-founder and chief operating officer of SmartNews, which runs versions of its news aggregator app in two very different markets, Japan and the United States.

Our lineup of founders include Sonny Vu, whose last startup, Misfit, was acquired by Apple, and is currently the chief executive officer of continuous carbon-fiber 3D printing company Arevo.

We’ll also talk to Steven Yang of Anker about how he built his company into one of the most popular and well-regarded smartphone charger and power bank brands.

Gillian Tee, founder of Singapore-based caregiving and telehealth startup Homage, will share insights about how tech can serve the world’s most vulnerable people.

On the investment side, we will hear from Edith Yeung, general partner at Race Capital, about emerging technology trends in China and Silicon Valley.

East Ventures, one of the most prolific and influential investment firms in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest market, will be represented by Melisa Irene, the firm’s first female partner.

And Karthik Reddy, co-founder of Blume Ventures, will be on hand to talk about the challenges and opportunities of helping build India’s startup ecosystem.

Each session will be followed by a live Q&A, so attendees will get a chance to ask each speaker questions. Stay tuned for the final schedule. In the meantime, make sure to get your pass to attend these sessions and a whole bunch more! If you move quickly, you can take advantage of savings on your pro pass if you buy before Friday, September 11 at 11:59pm PT.



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Elon Musk confirms Tesla was target of foiled ransomware attack

Elon Musk called an attempted cyberattack against Tesla “serious,” a comment that confirms the company was the target of a foiled ransomware attempt at its massive factory near Reno, Nevada.

The Justice Department released a complaint Thursday that described a thwarted malware attack against an unnamed company in Sparks, Nevada. Tesla has a factory in Sparks that makes battery cells, packs and electric motors; while Tesla was not named in the complaint several blogs, including Electrek and Teslarati, reported that the company was the target.

The Justice Department alleged that Russian national Egor Igorevich Kriuchkov, 27, attempted to recruit and bribe a Tesla employee to introduce malware in the company’s network.

The malware was designed to install ransomware, a kind of malware that encrypts a victim’s files in exchange for a ransom. Prosecutors said the ransomware used an increasingly popular new tactic that not only encrypt a victim’s files but also exfiltrates the data to the hacker’s servers. The hackers typically threaten to publish the victim’s files if the ransom isn’t paid.

An unnamed employee at the Tesla factory, known as the Gigafactory, met with Kriuchkov, who allegedly offered to pay him $1 million to introduce malware into the computer network. The employee informed Tesla, which then notified the Federal Bureau of Investigations. The FBI used the employee in a sting operation.

Kriuchkov was arrested August 22.



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Mobile users still "ripped off" by operators says Which?

Some customers are still paying full price for contracts even after they paid off expensive phones.

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Elon Musk to show off working brain-hacking device

Neuralink is working on ways to connect the human brain to machines.

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The best indoor home security cameras for 2020 - CNET

Find out which indoor security cameras are the best at keeping an eye on your home.

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The New Mutants team on why the superhero story was worth the long wait - CNET

Director Josh Boone and actress Blu Hunt talk about the movie finally landing and an awkward screen test involving Game of Throne's Maisie Williams.

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UVC wands kill viruses. They're also a 'major safety issue,' experts warn - CNET

The invisible light can kill viruses and pathogens like the one that causes COVID-19, but experts are raising alarms about the potential safety risks.

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Nutanix reported FY 2020 revenue of $1.31B, up 6% YoY, and announced a $750M investment from Bain Capital, as CEO and co-founder Dheeraj Pandey to retire (Natalie Gagliordi/ZDNet)

Natalie Gagliordi / ZDNet:
Nutanix reported FY 2020 revenue of $1.31B, up 6% YoY, and announced a $750M investment from Bain Capital, as CEO and co-founder Dheeraj Pandey to retire  —  Nutanix also announced that Bain Capital will purchase $750 million in Convertible Senior Notes to become a leading shareholder in the company.



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Sources: Walmart sought majority stake in TikTok, but US demanded a tech firm as lead investor; Walmart originally was in consortium with SoftBank and Alphabet (Alex Sherman/CNBC)

Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Sources: Walmart sought majority stake in TikTok, but US demanded a tech firm as lead investor; Walmart originally was in consortium with SoftBank and Alphabet  —  - Walmart wanted to be the majority owner of TikTok, but the U.S. government demanded a technology company that could secure …



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Sources: Sony's Xperia 5 II will feature a 6.1" 21:9 OLED screen, 120Hz refresh, Snapdragon 865, 8GB RAM, 4,000mAh battery, 3-camera array; release on Sept. 17 (Alexander Maxham/Android Headlines)

Alexander Maxham / Android Headlines:
Sources: Sony's Xperia 5 II will feature a 6.1" 21:9 OLED screen, 120Hz refresh, Snapdragon 865, 8GB RAM, 4,000mAh battery, 3-camera array; release on Sept. 17  —  The Sony Xperia 5 II is shaping up to be a pretty impressive device from the company.  And we have just about every detail about Sony's new flagship smartphone.



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Paris is now getting a mandatory mask requirement following an 'undeniable resurgence' of coronavirus cases

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced mask mandate for Parisians beginning Friday.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced mask mandate for Parisians beginning Friday.
  • Masks will become mandatory for all pedestrians and cyclists in Paris starting on Friday.
  • On Wednesday, France reported 5,429 new daily infections, a level not seen since April.
  • "The spread of the epidemic could become exponential if we do not react quickly," French Prime Minister Jean Castex said.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

On Thursday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex encouraged local authorities to impose new restrictions to address the net increase coronavirus cases in France, including a compulsory mask mandate for all Parisians.

The virus is circulating in nearly 20% of France's regions, with the number of "red zones" rising from two to 21, BBC News reported. Being categorized as a red zone allows local authorities to impose additional restrictions if necessary. 

Beginning on Friday morning, all pedestrians in the city and its inner ring of suburbs will be required to wear face-coverings when in public areas. The mask mandate has been extended to all bicyclists and people on motorcycles and scooters as well. 

"The deterioration of the health situation…has led the prefect to take this strong measure in interest of the population," Paris police prefecture said in a statement.

The mandatory mask requirement for Paris, one of the 21 red zones, follows one for Marseilles, France's third-largest city. Marseilles, which has been categorized as a red zone for several days, also imposed a curfew for all bars and restaurants Wednesday evening to limit the spread of the virus.

"The spread of the epidemic could become exponential if we do not react quickly," Castex said, adding that there was an "undeniable resurgence of the epidemic." 

Nearly 300,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in France since February, with over 30,000 deaths from the virus.

France reported 5,429 new daily infections on Wednesday, a level not seen since lockdowns were imposed in April, Reuters reported.

Despite the surge in cases of the virus, schools across the country are opening up for in-person instruction. 

In his statement, Castex said that infections were surging in young people and told grandparents not to pick up their grandchildren from school. He said the country needed to "do everything" to get people back into school and work. 

Labs in France are currently testing 830,000 people each week and aim to reach 1 million tests weekly by September, when schools reopen, Castex said. 

Read the original article on Business Insider


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Trump got hit with another lawsuit over his executive order targeting social media companies — this time from voting rights groups who say he's suppressing accurate election info

Trump Twitter
US presdient Donald Trump and the Twitter logo are seen in this photo illustration on December 1, 2017.

President Donald Trump's controversial executive order taking aim social media companies is facing another legal challenge after voting rights advocates and watchdog groups took the president to court on Thursday.

Trump issued the order last month, just days after Twitter fact-checked two of his tweets pushing false information about voting by mail, in an attempt to chip away tech companies' legal protections under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

The order seeks to empower federal regulators to amend Section 230 such that it would eliminate tech companies' legal immunity if they "discriminate" against users or restrict their access without giving them a fair hearing. It also directs federal agencies to review their ad spending on social media platforms

In their lawsuit, the groups claim that the order not only violates tech companies' rights to ensure the accuracy of information on their platforms by retaliating against them, but also voters' rights to receive accurate information, particularly about elections.

"Online platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (all targeted by name in the Executive Order) have First Amendment rights to ensure that accurate information — including about how to register to vote and successfully cast a ballot by Election Day — is not undermined by misinformation on their platforms," the groups argue in the complaint.

"The Executive Order is fundamentally incompatible with the First Amendment. It deprives users of their right to receive information curated by online platforms, including information critical of President Trump or corrective of his falsehoods," they added.

The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of California by Rock the Vote, Voto Latino, Common Cause, Free Press, and MapLight against Trump, Attorney General William Barr, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, and Douglas Kinkoph, who holds various tech policy roles within the Commerce Department.

The groups accuse Trump of using federal agencies to threaten legal action against tech companies that moderate content in ways he disagrees with and by threatening to withhold government ad spending on their platforms.

The lawsuit claims that the order "is unlawfully retaliatory and coercive, sending a clear and chilling message: question President Trump and face retribution from the entire Executive Branch."

The first legal challenge against Trump's order, filed last month by the Center for Democracy and Technology, an industry-backed think tank, similarly argued that the order is unlawfully retaliatory against tech platforms and violates their First Amendment rights.

Legal scholars and tech policy experts immediately cast doubt on the legality of Trump's order when it was announced last month.

"This is not how the Constitution works," Ashkhen Kazaryan, the director of civil liberties at TechFreedom, a libertarian technology policy think tank, previously told Business Insider. "The First Amendment protects Twitter from Trump. It does not protect Trump from Twitter."

Social media companies have gradually ramped up their efforts to fact-check misinformation pushed by Trump in the past few months, particularly around elections and the coronavirus pandemic.

In response, Trump has lashed out at them in various public attacks as well as his attempts to revoke Section 230, which prevents companies from being held legally liable for content published on their platforms by third parties as well as gives them broad discretion to moderate content on their platform as they see fit.

Read the original article on Business Insider


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Frontier Developments reveals two games from its new publishing label

Lemnis Gate.
Frontier Developments has announced the first two games from Frontier Foundry, its new external publishing arm.Read More

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Best alarm clocks of 2020 - CNET

Wake up feeling rested with a reliable alarm clock that can make your morning routine easier.

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Bill & Ted Face the Music review: A most excellent adventure through time - CNET

Review: The Wyld Stallyns return to remind us all to play in harmony even during the worst of times. Warning: Minor spoilers ahead.

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15 best movies to stream on Amazon Prime Video - CNET

Searching for a great movie to watch on Amazon tonight? Let's round up its best gems.

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Wednesday, August 26, 2020

The Justice Department opened a federal civil rights investigation into police shooting of Jacob Blake

GettyImages 1228201510
Family members of Jacob Blake are seen as they hold press conference in front of the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States on August 25, 2020.
  • The US Department of Justice announced Wednesday that its Civil Rights Division had opened an investigation in the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
  • Blake, a Black man, was shot in the back in front of his children in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
  • Eyewitnesses previously told Insider that Blake appeared to be checking to make sure his kids were safe.
  • The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, which is investigating Blake's shooting, said in an initial account of the incident officers attempted to arrest Blake and deployed a Taser before he was shot. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A federal investigation has been launched into the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the US Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

The investigation will be conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Wisconsin state authorities, the department said in an August 26 press release, and will be overseen by prosecutors from the US Attorney's Office and the criminal section of DOJ's Civil Rights Division.

Blake, a 29-year-old Black man and father of three, was shot in the back by a Kenosha police officer seven times on Sunday as he tried to get into his car. Eyewitnesses told Insider that he appeared to be checking on the well-being of his three sons in the backseat.

"His kids are his priority," one eyewitness, neighbor Dan Stone, said in an interview. "He wanted to make his kids safe."

An attorney for Blake's family said he is now paralyzed and that it would "take a miracle" for him to ever walk again, the Associated Press reported.

The officer who shot Blake was identified Wednesday as Rusten Sheskey, a seven-year veteran of the Kenosha police force. Police encountered Blake after they initially responded to a woman calling to report that her boyfriend was present but "wasn't supposed to be on the premises," according to a press release from the department.

The release described an initial account of the incident that said officers attempted to arrest Blake and deployed a Taser on him before Sheskey shot him in the back seven times. In the initial investigation after the incident, authorities recovered a knife from the car.

Neighbors told Business Insider that Blake appeared to be a peacemaker, seeking to deescalate the situation.

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com

Read the original article on Business Insider


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