Technology News (Reuters)
Venture-backed startups line up for U.S. government stimulus loans after weighing risks
The COVID-19 pandemic arrived just as Respond Software CEO and co-founder Mike Armistead was trying to sell automated cyber security software to new clients. Most of them are no longer in a buying mood. So Respond Software, a 50-employee, venture-backed startup, applied for about $1 million in government support.
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UK to allow company meetings online or on the phone in pandemic
Companies will be able to hold their annual shareholders' meeting over the phone or online during the coronavirus pandemic under a promised new law, Britain's business ministry and accounting watchdog said on Friday.
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Italy tests contact-tracing app to speed lockdown exit
Italy plans to use a smartphone app developed by tech start-up Bending Spoons to track people who test positive for the new coronavirus as part of efforts to lift its nationwide lockdown.
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Australians urged to adopt phone tracking app in coronavirus fight
Australians were strongly urged to sign up for a controversial mobile phone app that will track their movements as officials warned on Friday that public life could be constrained for another year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Amazon France CEO hopes can reopen warehouses 'very quickly'
Amazon does not know when its warehouses in France might reopen but hopes it can be soon, the head of its French business said on Friday.
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FBI official says foreign hackers have targeted COVID-19 research
A senior cybersecurity official with the Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Thursday that foreign government hackers have broken into companies conducting research into treatments for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.
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FCC chairman wants to greenlight Ligado's U.S.-wide 5G network
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) circulated on Thursday a draft order asking FCC members to approve Ligado Networks' low-power nationwide 5G network despite objections from the Defense Department and major U.S. airlines.
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Verizon snaps up Zoom rival BlueJeans for less than $500 million
Verizon Communications Inc on Thursday agreed to buy BlueJeans Network Inc, a rival of Zoom Video Communications Inc, for less than $500 million as it looks to tap into the new-found popularity of video-conferencing apps.
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Facebook to notify users who have engaged with harmful COVID-19 posts
Facebook Inc said on Thursday it would start notifying users who had engaged with false posts about COVID-19 which could cause physical harm, such as drinking bleach to cure the virus, and connect them to accurate information.
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E-sports pull in more viewers as coronavirus halts live sports matches
Sports fans and players across the world frustrated by canceled matches because of the coronavirus epidemic are turning to e-sports, with professional real-world athletes joining virtual game tournaments of football, auto racing and basketball.
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Foreign state hackers target U.S. coronavirus treatment research: FBI official
A senior FBI cybersecurity official said on Thursday that foreign government hackers have broken into institutions conducting research into treatments for COVID-19, the sometimes fatal respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.
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Toyota-backed Pony.ai to offer autonomous delivery service in California
Toyota-backed self driving company Pony.ai said on Friday it would provide an autonomous delivery service to residents of Irvine, California, as demand for online orders surges because of the coronavirus lockdown.
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Uber expects up to $2.2 billion charge, drop in quarterly revenue due to pandemic
Uber Technologies Inc said on Thursday it expects an impairment charge of up to $2.2 billion in the first quarter due to the coronavirus outbreak and revenue to decline by $17 million to $22 million in the quarter.
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Stripe raises $600 million as COVID-19 gives fintech a boost
U.S. fintech startup Stripe Inc said on Thursday it raised $600 million, as companies that provide the online infrastructure for financial and payment services get a boost from the coronavirus pandemic.
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Exclusive: Apollo readies IPO of cloud company Rackspace - sources
Private equity firm Apollo Global Management Inc has registered Rackspace Holding Inc for an initial public offering (IPO) that could value the cloud services firm at more than $10 billion, including debt, people familiar with the matter said.
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Nvidia gets China's go-ahead for $6.9 billion Mellanox deal
U.S. chip supplier Nvidia Corp said on Thursday Chinese authorities had approved its $6.9 billion acquisition of Israeli chip designer Mellanox Technologies Ltd, overcoming the last obstacle for the deal announced over a year earlier.
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Apple, Google weigh location tracking rules as EU seeks privacy-based virus apps
Apps to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus should not collect user location data, the European Commission said on Thursday, as Apple Inc and Google weighed whether to work with virus apps that use location tracking.
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EU says coronavirus tracking apps should avoid storing data on servers
Mobile apps to track coronavirus cases in Europe should keep as much data as possible on the user's device rather than in a central server to best maintain individual privacy, an EU document says.
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Starboard ends proxy fight at eBay, withdraws director nominations
Activist investor Starboard on Thursday ended its proxy fight at eBay by withdrawing its four director nominees four days after the ecommerce company named a new chief executive.
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FCC chairman wants to greenlight Ligado U.S.-wide network
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Thursday circulated a draft order asking the five-member panel to approve Ligado Networks' request to deploy a low-power nationwide network to support next-generation 5G wireless despite Defense Department objections.
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