Friday, July 3, 2020

Interview with Troy Hunt, founder and sole employee of Have I Been Pwned, on his reluctance to retain breached data, future revenue streams, being pwned himself (Zack Whittaker/TechCrunch)

Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch:
Interview with Troy Hunt, founder and sole employee of Have I Been Pwned, on his reluctance to retain breached data, future revenue streams, being pwned himself  —  When Troy Hunt launched Have I Been Pwned in late 2013, he wanted it to answer a simple question: Have you fallen victim to a data breach?



Uber shuts Mumbai office; services for riders to remain unaffected

Sources said the decision to close the Mumbai office was part of the global restructuring exercise https://ift.tt/3dYWnnO https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

DPIIT calls for a meet with e-tailers on July 8

The discussion comes at a time when the government has clamped down on imports from China and banned 59 Chinese apps on the grounds of data security and privacy https://ift.tt/2BEQfUG https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Consumers continue to prefer ordering online or through contactless deliveries: Report

According to a survey by community platform LocalCircles, 21% of respondents said that they are ordering essentials and other products through e-commerce platforms https://ift.tt/2D0one2 https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Over 2 lakh fertiliser retailers are directed to accept UPI

The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers’ (MoCF) directive comes amid the crucial Kharif cropping season and is aimed at promoting digital payments in the largely cash-dominated agricultural trade markets. https://ift.tt/2C0M3Pd https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

A conversation between Wendy Liu and Alex Kantrowitz on the ills and promises of Silicon Valley, following publication of their contrasting books on the subject (Brian Merchant/OneZero )

Brian Merchant / OneZero :
A conversation between Wendy Liu and Alex Kantrowitz on the ills and promises of Silicon Valley, following publication of their contrasting books on the subject  —  The authors of ‘Always Day One’ and ‘Abolish Silicon Valley’ square off in an exclusive debate about the future of tech



Why modern applications demand polyglot database strategies

Commentary: Ready to move all your applications to NoSQL databases? It's not that simple.

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Intel to invest $253.5 million in India’s Reliance Jio Platforms

Intel said on Friday it will invest $253.5 million in Jio Platforms, joining a roster of high-profile investors including Facebook, General Atlantic, and Silver Lake that have backed India’s top telecom operator in recent months.

The American chipmaker’s investment arm said it is acquiring a 0.39% stake in Jio Platforms, giving the Indian firm a valuation of $65 billion. Intel Capital is the 12th investor to buy a stake in Jio Platforms, which has raised more than $15.5 billion by selling a 25% stake since April this year.

“Jio Platforms’ focus on applying its impressive engineering capabilities to bring the power of low-cost digital services to India aligns with Intel’s purpose of delivering breakthrough technology that enriches lives. We believe digital access and data can transform business and society for the better,” said Wendell Brooks, Intel Capital President, in a statement.

The announcement today comes weeks after Mukesh Ambani, who controls Reliance Industries — the parent firm of Jio Platforms — suggested that Saudi Arabia’s PIF $1.5 billion investment on June 18 in his digital unit had marked the “end of Jio Platforms’ current phase of induction of financial partners.”

Ambani, who is India’s richest man, said on Friday that he was excited to “work together with Intel to advance India’s capabilities in cutting-edge technologies that will empower all sectors of our economy and improve the quality of life of 1.3 billion Indians.”

The new deal further illustrates the opportunities foreign investors see in Jio, a four-year-old subsidiary of Reliance Industries (India’s most valuable firm) that has upended the telecommunications market in India with cut-rate voice calls and mobile data tariffs. Jio has about 400 million subscribers.

Analysts at Bernstein said last month that they expect Jio Platforms to reach 500 million customers by 2023, and control half of the market by 2025. Jio Platforms competes with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, a joint venture between British giant Vodafone and Indian tycoon Kumar Mangalam Birla’s Aditya Birla Group.

Jio Platforms also operates a bevy of digital apps and services, including music streaming service JioSaavn (which it says it will take public), on-demand live television service JioTV and payments app JioMoney, as well as smartphones and broadband business. These services are available to Jio subscribers at no additional charge.

On Thursday evening, Jio Platforms launched JioMeet, a video-conferencing service that offers unlimited calls with “up to 24 hours” time limit on each session. The service, which currently has no paid plans, looks uncannily like Zoom.

Last month, Ambani said the funds in Jio Platforms had helped him clear oil-to-retail giant Reliance Industries’ net debt of about $21 billion. Ambani had originally pledged to clear Reliance’s debt due by early 2021.

Tesla denies reports of firing employees who chose to stay at home

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday three Tesla workers were fired after opting to stay home from the Fremont, California, factory. https://ift.tt/2NQe92j

In cloud clash with Alibaba, Tencent adopts more aggressive tactics

For Tencent Holdings Ltd in particular, it has also become the perfect time to flex new muscles as it seeks to catch up with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, its arch-rival and the dominant player in the country's cloud market by far. https://ift.tt/3dTFwmv

Intel Capital to buy 0.39 percent stake in Reliance Jio Platforms for Rs 1,894 crore

Electronic chip maker Intel's investment arm, Intel Capital, will buy 0.39 per cent stake in billionaire Mukesh Ambani's digital unit, Jio Platforms, for Rs 1,894.50 crore, the company said on Friday. https://ift.tt/3isVFCM

Facebook, YouTube, Twitter to face same EU rules on hateful content as broadcasters

The amendments to the Audiovisual Media Services Directive adopted in 2018 came in part from lobbying by broadcasters who wanted online platforms to have the same obligations as traditional media companies. https://ift.tt/2YUuWHF

Tesla beats vehicle delivery estimates for second quarter

The delivery numbers come a day after Tesla became the highest-valued automaker, surpassing the market capitalization of former front-runner Toyota Motors Corp. https://ift.tt/3gjXL6f

Intel Capital to invest Rs 1,894 crore in Jio Platforms

Intel joins a list of investors including Facebook, KKR, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, taking the total financing to Rs 1,17,588.45 crore for just a shade over 25% holding. https://ift.tt/3eYr5in https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Chinese smartphone brands put investments on hold in India amidst geopolitical tensions

Oppo and Vivo in fact are yet to register for India’s ambitious production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for manufacturing https://ift.tt/38l5EFR https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Vitalik Buterin and the Ethereum Foundation back Etherealize, a NYC-based startup to market Ethereum to financial firms, as ether lags behind bitcoin's gains (Muyao Shen/Bloomberg)

Muyao Shen / Bloomberg : Vitalik Buterin and the Ethereum Foundation back Etherealize, a NYC-based startup to market Ethereum to financia...