Mike Pompeo approves creation of Bureau of Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies (CSET) to lead diplomatic efforts on cybersecurity amid SolarWinds hack (Maggie Miller/The Hill)

Maggie Miller / The Hill:
Mike Pompeo approves creation of Bureau of Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies (CSET) to lead diplomatic efforts on cybersecurity amid SolarWinds hack  —  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday approved the creation of a new office at the State Department to address cybersecurity and emerging technologies.

Trump's Twitter account is unlocked following a 12-hour ban after he deleted several tweets; Twitter says he risks a permanent ban if he further violates rules (Jacob Kastrenakes/The Verge)

Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
Trump's Twitter account is unlocked following a 12-hour ban after he deleted several tweets; Twitter says he risks a permanent ban if he further violates rules  —  A little too late for that  —  Twitter has lifted its ban on President Donald Trump, and his latest tweet is very different than the ones we've seen for many months.

FTC settles with mobile ad company Tapjoy over deceptive practices, but Democratic commissioners call Tapjoy "a minnow next to gatekeeping giants" Apple, Google (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
FTC settles with mobile ad company Tapjoy over deceptive practices, but Democratic commissioners call Tapjoy “a minnow next to gatekeeping giants” Apple, Google  —  Mobile advertising company Tapjoy has settled with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over allegations …

SolarWinds hires ex-CISA Director Christopher Krebs as an independent consultant to help its crisis response after the hack (Financial Times)

Financial Times:
SolarWinds hires ex-CISA Director Christopher Krebs as an independent consultant to help its crisis response after the hack  —  Group's software was exploited by suspected Russian hackers to spy on governments and businesses  —  The American technology company at the centre …

UK government watchdog report says Boris Johnson's pledge of nationwide gigabit broadband coverage by 2025 will be missed due to litany of government failures (Rajeev Syal/The Guardian)

Rajeev Syal / The Guardian:
UK government watchdog report says Boris Johnson's pledge of nationwide gigabit broadband coverage by 2025 will be missed due to litany of government failures  —  Government failures will leave thousands of rural homes with slow broadband, spending watchdog says

TikTok will remove videos of several Trump speeches to supporters for violating its misinfo policy and will redirect specific hashtags used by rioters (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
TikTok will remove videos of several Trump speeches to supporters for violating its misinfo policy and will redirect specific hashtags used by rioters  —  For obvious reasons, Trump doesn't have a TikTok account.  But the President's speeches that helped incite the mob who yesterday stormed …

Apple Touts $1.8 Billion in Holiday Sales at App Store

Apple said a dizzying $1.8 billion (roughly Rs. 13,160 crores) was spent on digital goods and services at its App Store between Christmas Eve and the end of December. https://ift.tt/2MyeMjq

Pax8, which helps IT companies centralize provisioning and billing processes across multiple cloud apps, raises $96M and announces the acquisition of Wirehive (Michael Vizard/VentureBeat)

Michael Vizard / VentureBeat:
Pax8, which helps IT companies centralize provisioning and billing processes across multiple cloud apps, raises $96M and announces the acquisition of Wirehive  —  Pax8, the provider of a platform that makes it simpler for IT services firms to centralize the provisioning and billing processes …

US considering adding Alibaba, Tencent to China stock ban: Sources

The Trump administration is considering adding Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd to a blacklist of Chinese companies that are allegedly owned or controlled by the Chinese military, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. An initial report said the plan was still under deliberation and may not go through as agencies debate its impact on markets. https://ift.tt/3hTSnZt

Gaming site Roblox valued at $30 billion, plans direct listing

Roblox Corp said it aims to go public through a direct listing, instead of an initial public offering (IPO) as originally planned, and has raised new funding in a deal that values the U.S. gaming platform at nearly $30 billion. https://ift.tt/3onCxZI

Xiaomi Mi 10i to go on sale for Amazon Prime members today at 12pm

Xiaomi Mi 10i is a mid-range smartphone that comes with a starting price of Rs 20,999. It is also the company’s cheapest phone available right now with a 108MP camera. Introductory offers include Rs 2,000 instant discount on ICICI Bank credit card and EMI transactions. https://ift.tt/3bmynO9

Facebook Drops Like Button From Public Pages

Facebook has dropped the like button from its redesigned public pages used by artists, public figures and brands, the social media company said. https://ift.tt/3pWkXw5

SolarWinds Hackers Accessed US Justice Department Email Systems

The US Department of Justice said its email systems were accessed by the hackers who broke into software company SolarWinds, another indication of the gravity of the breach that has shaken Washington. https://ift.tt/38iQnH9

Twitter, Facebook Freeze Trump Accounts Following US Capitol Violence

Twitter and Facebook temporarily locked the accounts of US President Donald Trump, as tech giants scrambled to crack down on his baseless claims about the US presidential elections amid riots in the... https://ift.tt/2L2lnCy

What you should know about WhatsApp’s new privacy policy and why it’s important

We tell you all that’s new about WhatsApp’s new privacy policy and why it matters: https://ift.tt/35gVbuM