Technology
Snap launches new shows, games, developer tools in bid to grow audience
Snap Inc on Thursday announced a slate of new features for its photo messaging app Snapchat, such as new original shows and ways for outside developers to create products that will entice users to spend more time using the app.
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Microsoft declines to sell facial recognition tech to police
Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it would not sell its facial-recognition technology to police departments until there is a federal law regulating the technology.
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Apple will increase spending with black-owned suppliers as part of $100 million racial justice effort
Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook said on Thursday the iPhone maker will increase spending with black-owned partners in its supply chain and seek to increase minority representation among the firms it does business with.
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France's 5G spectrum auction planned for end September: watchdog
France plans to hold its 5G spectrum auction at the end of September after repeated delays, the country's telecoms watchdog Arcep said on Thursday.
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Amazon may face EU antitrust charges over merchant data in coming weeks: source
Amazon may face EU antitrust charges in the coming weeks over its use of data from merchants with whom it competes on its platform, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday, putting it at risk of a hefty fine.
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Microsoft declines to sell facial recognition tech to police: Washington Post
Microsoft Corp will not sell its facial-recognition technology to police departments until there is a federal law regulating the tech, the Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing the software maker's president, Brad Smith.
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Instacart valued at nearly $14 billion in latest funding amid online sales boom
Instacart said on Thursday it had raised $225 million in a new funding round, valuing it at $13.7 billion, as the grocery delivery company cashes in on a surge in online shopping due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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U.S. EPA orders Amazon, Ebay to remove unsafe products that cash in on pandemic fears
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday that it ordered Amazon.com Inc and eBay Inc to stop selling a wide range of pesticide products on their platforms, including those that are falsely marketed as being effective against the novel coronavirus.
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Pandemic pushes central bank digital currencies into top gear
The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the development of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) as it has prompted millions of people to turn to cashless payments, central bank officials said on Thursday.
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Zoom suspends U.S.-based activists' account after Tiananmen event
Zoom Video Communications temporarily shut the account belonging to a group of U.S.-based Chinese activists after they held an event to commemorate the 31st anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown, the activists said on Thursday.
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Just Eat Takeaway's $6 billion Grubhub grab tests growth limits
Just Eat Takeaway said on Thursday its proposed $6 billion takeover of Grubhub to create a trans-Atlantic giant would give it the upper hand in the online food delivery market, where competitors are scrambling for share.
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Europe's Just Eat Takeaway to buy Grubhub for $7.3 billion
European food-ordering firm Just Eat Takeaway.com NV said on Wednesday it had agreed to buy U.S. peer Grubhub Inc in an all-stock deal that, if completed, would create the world's largest food delivery company outside China.
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EU to file antitrust complaint against Amazon over treatment of third party sellers: WSJ
The European Union is planning on filing formal antitrust charges against Amazon.com Inc over its treatment of third-party sellers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
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Outside panel to review Samsung heir Lee's case: Seoul prosecutors
An outside panel will weigh the validity of an investigation into Samsung Group heir Jay Y. Lee over a 2015 merger and alleged accounting fraud, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said on Thursday.
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Battling anti-encryption drive, tech companies pledge new child abuse disclosures
Tech companies including Facebook , Google and Microsoft on Thursday pledged to improve and standardise annual disclosures around online child exploitation, as they fight off moves to limit encryption.
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Facebook says no proof of malicious acts by fake accounts in Philippines
Facebook has yet to find evidence that user-reported accounts that proliferated in the Philippines at the weekend had engaged in malicious and coordinated acts, the world's biggest social network said on Thursday.
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Just Eat Takeaway's Grubhub grab tests expansion appetite
Just Eat Takeaway's proposed $6 billion takeover of Grubhub to create a trans-Atlantic giant that could thwart Uber's food delivery ambitions has raised concerns among some analysts about the pace of the European company's expansion.
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Softbank-owned Arm's China JV rejects allegations against CEO
The Chinese joint venture of SoftBank Group Corp-owned Arm Ltd rejected on Thursday allegations of misconduct made by its investors against its CEO and said it would take legal action, escalating an internal spat.
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Chinese smartphone brands in India turn to expensive imports as plants struggle: sources
China's Xiaomi Corp and Oppo are importing some smartphone models into India as their local plants struggle to get back to production levels needed to meet demand that built up during lockdown, sources familiar with matter said.
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SoftBank buyback puts financial rigour in question, says S&P
Credit-rating firm S&P Global Ratings on Thursday questioned SoftBank Group Corp's financial discipline as the tech conglomerate pursues a massive 2.5 trillion yen ($24 billion) share buyback program in volatile markets.
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