The US starts imposing 15% tariffs on certain tech products made in China like the Apple Watch; 15% tariffs on laptops and cellphones go into effect on Dec. 15 — The Trump administration slapped tariffs on roughly $110 billion in Chinese imports on Sunday, marking the latest escalation …
Sources: a number of recently disclosed malicious websites used to hack into iPhones over a two-year period were designed to target Uyghur Muslims in China — A number of malicious websites used to hack into iPhones over a two-year period were targeting Uyghur Muslims, TechCrunch has learned.
Some sellers are hijacking listings of discontinued Amazon private-label products to sell their own wares, using the pages' old reviews to appear trustworthy — Under the surface, Amazon is a scene of constant warfare. A growing share of goods on the platform are sold by third parties, who compete viciously for limited real estate.
As the drone market matures, many of the startups which raised hundreds of millions in aggregate have either closed or pivoted to services — - Commercial market for unmanned aircraft is slow to take flight — Some companies gain by buying up rivals to broaden focus
Apple launches a free screen replacement program for aluminum models of Watch Series 2 and Series 3 that exhibit a crack along the rounded edge of the screen — Apple today announced the launch of a new screen replacement program for Series 2 and Series 3 Apple Watch models, due to cracking issues.
So your aluminum Series 2 or Series 3 Apple Watch is suddenly cracking around the edges… but you don’t remember bumping it on anything, or being particularly rough with it.
Surprise! It might not be your fault at all.
Apple says that they’ve determined that “under very rare circumstances”, the displays on aluminum Series 2 and 3 Watches are developing cracks that can wrap along the rounded edges.
The good news? If Apple determines your display crack is caused by this newly discovered issue, they’ll replace the screen for free. The bad news? It’s not the kind of thing they can fix at the Genius Bar, so getting it patched up means shipping the Watch to Apple and being without it for 5+ days.
(It sounds like the kind of cracks they’re looking for are pretty specific — they’re looking for cracks that developed around the rounded edges, as pictured above. So if you really just dropped something on the watch and the display got obliterated, you probably aren’t gonna be able to pull a fast one here.)
As spotted by MacRumors, Apple has a full list of watches that are going to be covered under this new screen replacement program here. The company says that all eligible aluminum Series 2 and 3 watches will be covered under this new screen replacement program for 3 years from its original retail purchase date, or one year from today — whichever is longer.
A look at the tech startups selling the opportunity to preserve one's legacy online forever, as an interactive memorialized bot or avatar — Will the rise of virtual beings be the next step in the human quest for immortality? — When Andrew Kaplan reminisces, his engrossing tales leave …
Happy (almost) Labor Day to all the hardworking members of the early-startup community — entrepreneurs, founders, investors, engineers and everyone in between. We know how hard you work to build your dream, so we’re cutting you a break and extending our early-bird pricing on passes to Disrupt San Francisco 2019 through 11:59 p.m. (PST) on September 6. One extra week to save up to $1,300.
Don’t fritter away this absolute last opportunity to save big bucks on our flagship event, where you’ll find more than 10,000 attendees, 400 media outlets and a passel of eager investors. Get your early-bird tickets now.
Disrupt events always feature incredible speakers, and we’ve got an amazing agenda lined up for you this year. Let’s take a look at just some of the discussions and interviews you’ll enjoy over the course of three Disruptive days.
Reigniting the Space Race: Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith intends to return the U.S. to crewed spaceflight, with a goal of doing so this year with its first suborbital trips. Hopefully, we can also get Smith to tell us the ticket price for a trip, once it begins taking on paying customers.
Could the U.S. Government Be Your Next Investor: No founder likes dilution, which is why the U.S. government is becoming an increasingly popular source for early-stage, ambitious venture capital. Hear from Steve Isakowitz (The Aerospace Corporation) along with other VC leaders and founders who have navigated the process to discover your next source of non-dilutive capital.
How to Build a Sex Tech Startup: As the old adage goes, sex sells. Cyan Banister (Founders Fund), Cindy Gallop (MakeLoveNotPorn) and Lora Haddock (Lora DiCarlo) will discuss the opportunities — and challenges — of building a successful sex tech startup, and how to capitalize on a market that’s projected to be worth more than $123 billion by 2026.
The Grass Is Greener: The cannabis industry is projected to reach $50 billion in 10 years. Keith McCarty (Wayv) and Bharat Vasan (Pax Labs) represent two of the biggest names in the market. Hear the duo talk about an industry with undeniable potential, but plenty of red tape to deal with, too.
Quite the appetizer, no? Then there’s the big event that everyone wants to watch — Startup Battlefield. Which awesome startup will outshine the rest and take home $100,000?
Want to meet and greet even more top early-stage startups? Be sure to stop by Startup Alley and connect with the TC Top Picks — and hundreds of other cool startups. This year, our editors hand-picked 45 companies that represent the very best in their tech categories. Check the list of winners right here so you can see which ones you want to meet IRL.
Disrupt San Francisco 2019 takes place October 2-4. Enjoy your Labor Day weekend, but be sure to take advantage of the one-week early-bird price extension. Buy your passes to Disrupt SF and save up to $1,300 — but only if you beat the new deadline: September 6 at 11:59 p.m. (PST).
Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt San Francisco 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.
Highlights from Jack Ma and Elon Musk's discussion about AI in Shanghai, where Musk sounded the alarm and Ma argued humans would prevail — - Tesla's Elon Musk holds public debate with Alibaba's Jack Ma — Ma says AI isn't a threat, Musk responds “famous last words”
Security researchers at Google say they’ve found a number of malicious websites which, when visited, could quietly hack into a victim’s iPhone by exploiting a set of previously undisclosed software flaws.
Google’s Project Zero said in a deep-dive blog post published late on Thursday that the websites were visited thousands of times per week by unsuspecting victims, in what they described as an “indiscriminate” attack.
“Simply visiting the hacked site was enough for the exploit server to attack your device, and if it was successful, install a monitoring implant,” said Ian Beer, a security researcher at Project Zero.
He said the websites had been hacking iPhones over a “period of at least two years.”
The researchers found five distinct exploit chains involving 12 separate security flaws, including seven involving Safari, the in-built web browser on iPhones. The five separate attack chains allowed an attacker to gain “root” access to the device — the highest level of access and privilege on an iPhone. In doing so, an attacker could gain access to the device’s full range of features normally off-limits to the user. That means an attacker could quietly install malicious apps to spy on an iPhone owner without their knowledge or consent.
Google said based off their analysis, the vulnerabilities were used to steal a user’s photos and messages as well as track their location in near-realtime. The “implant” could also access the user’s on-device bank of saved passwords.
The vulnerabilities affect iOS 10 through to the current iOS 12 software version.
Google privately disclosed the vulnerabilities in February, giving Apple only a week to fix the flaws and roll out updates to its users. That’s a fraction of the 90 days typically given to software developers, giving an indication of the severity of the vulnerabilities.
Apple issued a fix six days later with iOS 12.1.4 for iPhone 5s and iPad Air and later.
Beer said it’s possible other hacking campaigns are currently in action.
The iPhone and iPad maker in general has a good rap on security and privacy matters. Recently the company increased its maximum bug bounty payout to $1 million for security researchers who find flaws that can silently target an iPhone and gain root-level privileges without any user interaction. Under Apple’s new bounty rules — set to go into effect later this year — Google would’ve been eligible for several million dollars in bounties.
A spokesperson for Apple did not immediately comment.
Adult film producer Bang Bros says it has bought PornWikiLeaks.com, a forum devoted to doxxing and harassing porn performers, and is shutting it down — PornWikiLeaks was a forum devoted to revealing the names and personal information of porn performers, including several in the Girls Do Porn trial.
An in-depth look at five iOS exploit chains that were used in hacked websites for carrying out watering hole attacks against devices running iOS 10 through 12 — Project Zero's mission is to make 0-day hard. We often work with other companies to find and report security vulnerabilities …
Anyone wondering if Alphabet might reprimand its chief legal officer, David Drummond, for a long-ago extramarital, inter-office affair that continues to be a distraction to the company, the answer seems to be . . . not right now. Though a former subordinate outlined in greater detail than ever yesterday the “hell” she says she has endured in the years since her break-up with Drummond, including a custody battle for their son that she won, Google said today it is not sharing a statement on the matter.
Instead, we were pointed by Google to the personal statement that Drummond issued this afternoon, wherein he acknowledges the affair with Jennifer Blakely, a former senior contracts manager with the company during a time when Drummond was Google’s general counsel.
As BuzzFeed notes, he doesn’t apologize to Blakely, saying instead of their “difficult break-up 10 years ago” that “I am far from perfect and I regret my part in that.” He also emphasizes that there are “two sides to all of the conversations and details Jennifer recounts,” saying that he takes a “very different view about what happened.”
Drummond’s full statement:
It’s not a secret that Jennifer and I had a difficult break-up 10 years ago. I am far from perfect and I regret my part in that.
Her account raises many claims about us and other people, including our son and my former wife. As you would expect, there are two sides to all of the conversations and details Jennifer recounts, and I take a very different view about what happened. I have discussed these claims directly with Jennifer, and I addressed the details of our relationship with our employer at the time.
But I do want to address one claim that touches on professional matters. Other than Jennifer, I never started a relationship with anyone else who was working at Google or Alphabet. Any suggestion otherwise is simply untrue.
I know Jennifer feels wronged and understand that she wants to speak out about it. But I won’t be getting into a public back and forth about these personal matters.”
Drummond is presumably hoping that by acknowledging Blakely’s post, the affair will recede again into the background, and it might. Drummond has enjoyed the support of the company for the last 17 years, even while Google officially recognized the affair back in 2007.
On the other hand, other powerful people who’ve come under scrutiny for their decision-making have discovered they have less control over a situation than they imagined. While Alphabet isn’t a democracy, Google employees have shown they’re willing to flex their muscle if need be to force change on the company, and Blakely’s account has seemingly infuriated anew many who say the company’s culture has always been, and continues to be discriminatory toward women.
Dell reports Q2 revenue of $23.4B, up 2% YoY, and earnings of $4.5B, beating estimates, on strong sales at its PC unit due to enterprise demand — Dell Technologies' second quarter was ahead of estimates as its PC unit delivered strong results due to enterprise demand.
Redmi is all set to unveil the Redmi Note 8 series along with the Redmi TV and RedmiBook 14 refresh. The smartphone manufacturer is hosting a press event today, at 2pm CST Asia (11:30am IST) in the Beijing headquarters. Redmi Note 8 lineup is expected to include the regular Note 8 and a Note 8 Pro. The latter could be company’s first 64MP camera phone.
The launch will be livestreamed on Weibo and Xiaomi’s official website. However, taking clues from the previous events, today’s event is also expected to be in Chinese with no English translation.
Redmi Note 8, Note 8 Pro expected specifications.The Redmi Note 8 pro will reportedly feature a 6.53-inch full-HD+ display. It could be powered by MediaTek Helio G90T processor, paired with up to 8GB RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage. Moreover, a quad camera setup will be part of the phone as it has already been teased. The company has also said that the Redmi Note 8 will sport a 64MP primary shooter, which could be accompanied by an 8MP wide-angle lens, and a couple of 2MP sensors. The smartphone might pack a 4,500mAh battery with QuickCharge 4+ support, NFC, MIUI 10, and a 20-megapixel selfie shooter.
In contrast, the Redmi Note 8 could feature a 6.53-inch display. It is said to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset. The phone is confirmed to sport a 48MP primary camera. Other three cameras could be the same as the Pro variant. It is tipped to run MIUI 10 based on Android Pie.
According to previous reports, Redmi Note 8 Pro 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant could be priced at CNY 1,799 (roughly Rs 18,000), whereas the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage model could carry a price tag of CNY 2,099 (roughly Rs. 21,000). The Redmi Note 8 might be priced at CNY 1,199 (roughly Rs. 12,000) for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant.
Redmi TV and RedmiBook 14 refresh also expectedNot much is known about the Redmi TV yet. However, one of the models could sport a 70-inch display. Other smaller display versions could also feature at the event. As per the teasers, Redmi TV is tipped to have slim bezels and possibly a pop-up camera for video calls.
RedmiBook 14 refresh is also expected to be announced at the event. It has been teased to be powered by 10th-generation Intel Core processors, thus offering a 13 percent performance upgrade over the existing version. The original RedmiBook 14 featured a 14-inch full-HD screen, Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics, and 8GB of RAM.
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As part of its efforts against health misinformation, Pinterest is now displaying information from public health organizations for keywords like “measles” or “vaccine safety.” The social media platform had previously blocked vaccination-related search terms, but a new announcement says the company wants to close the “data void” that results from false information being spread more widely than accurate information.
“What we and others have observed is an enthusiasm gap between those creating and disseminating harmful health misinformation and those creating resources rooted in settled science,” wrote Ifeoma Ozoma, Pinterest’s public policy and social impact manager. “Generally, there’s more accessible and visually compelling health misinformation than science-based journal articles on the virtues of vaccinations. In addition, we’ve found that some purveyors of health misinformation have a financial incentive.”
Pinterest search results for health-related keywords will now display information from the World Health Organization, the Vaccine Safety Net (created by WHO to provide vaccine information in different languages), the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers of Disease Control.
In addition, an information card on top of the results notifies users that “pins about this topic often violate our Community Guidelines, which prohibit harmful medical misinformation. Because of this, we’ve limited search results to Pins from internationally-recognized health organizations. If you’re looking for medical advice, please contact a healthcare provider.”
Users also won’t see recommendations or comments on Pins in these search results. “We’re taking this approach because we believe that showing vaccine misinformation alongside resources from public health experts isn’t responsible,” said Ozoma.
The new search feature is currently available in English on Pinterest’s website and iPhone and Android apps and will be expanded into other languages. Ozoma wrote that Pinterest will focus on vaccine-related searches first but “keep evolving our list of terms for which we block medical misinformation and provide expert advice as people try to get around our safeguards. We’ll also continue to remove this content and accounts that spread it from our service.”
Importantly for a visually-based platform, Pinterest, which has more than 300 million visitors a month, is also developing resources that health organizations can use to create eye-catching pins for text-based information.
Once filled with anti-vaccine pins (in 2016, researchers found that most vaccine-related posts on Pinterest contained anti-vaccine sentiment), Pinterest has become one of the most active social media platforms in terms of stemming the spread of misinformation about vaccines. In 2017, it began banning pins with “anti-vaccination advice,” which have always been prohibited by its advertising policies.
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have also begun taking measures to stop the proliferation of anti-vaccine content, which has contributed to the return of diseases like measles around the world. In the U.S., the Centers of Disease Control said that between January 1 and August 22, 1,215 cases of measles were confirmed, the greatest number of cases reported in the country since 1992, and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.
Bloomberg : Google says it plans to counter Japan's FTC over claims that it hobbles rivals in search; a source says Japan's FTC s...
