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Showing posts from June, 2021

Crypto exchange Binance says sterling withdrawals reactivated after outage

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Crypto exchange Binance says sterling withdrawals reactivated after outage Major cryptocurrency exchange Binance said on Wednesday that sterling withdrawals from its platform had been reactivated, with users also able to buy digital coins with debit and credit cards. Binance customers said on Tuesday they were unable to deposit or withdraw sterling from the platform, days after regulators in the UK cracked down on some of its activities in the country. Users of the exchange, one of the world's biggest, said they were unable to withdraw or deposit sterling via the Faster Payments network - which enables mobile, internet and other payments between British bank accounts - or bank cards. A Binance spokesperson said withdrawals via the Faster Payments network were reactivated on Tuesday, adding that bank card purchases of crypto were again possible. Many users complained that Binanc

World Wide Web source code NFT sells for $5.4 million at Sotheby’s

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: World Wide Web source code NFT sells for $5.4 million at Sotheby’s A blockchain-based token representing the original source code for the World Wide Web written by its inventor Tim Berners-Lee sold for $5.4 million at Sotheby's in an online auction on Wednesday, the auction house said. The source code was sold in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT) - a kind of crypto asset which records ownership of digital items. The NFT was created by the English scientist Berners-Lee in 2021 and represents ownership of various digital items from when he invented the World Wide Web in 1989. To be sure, the World Wide Web itself has not been sold. What was sold was a blockchain-based record of ownership of files containing the original source code for the World Wide Web. The final price was $5,434,500 and half of the bidders were new to Sotheby's. The World Wide Web, or 'the web'

Robinhood fined $70 million for harming ‘millions’ via misleading info, outages

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Robinhood fined $70 million for harming ‘millions’ via misleading info, outages Wall Street's industry regulator fined Robinhood Financial LLC $70 million for "systemic" failures, including systems outages, providing "false or misleading" information, and weak options trading controls, saying those factors combined harmed millions of the app's customers. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) fine is the latest hit to Robinhood's reputation. The broker, which has been credited with democratizing trading, is under scrutiny by federal and state policymakers following this year's meme-stock fiasco which raised questions over the California firm's business model, risk management and customer treatment. However, the sweeping agreement, which resolves alleged FINRA violations dating back to September 2016, likely paves the way for the fi

Amazon says FTC should take new chair off its cases

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Amazon says FTC should take new chair off its cases Amazon.com filed a petition asking for Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan to be recused on antitrust matters related to the online retail giant, according to documents filed with the agency. Amazon said in its filing that it was requesting Khan's recusal from all matters related to Amazon because of her previous work while at an antitrust advocacy group, public statements and work for a congressional subcommittee. "Given her long track record of detailed pronouncements about Amazon, and her repeated proclamations that Amazon has violated the antitrust laws, a reasonable observer would conclude that she no longer can consider the company's antitrust defences with an open mind," Amazon said in its filing. "Indeed, doing so would require her to repudiate the years of writings and statements that are a

AT&T to run core 5G network on Microsoft’s cloud

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: AT&T to run core 5G network on Microsoft’s cloud Microsoft Corp and AT&T Inc have said that the carrier will run core parts of its 5G wireless network on Microsoft's cloud computing platform. The newer generation of networks, which AT&T began rolling out in 2018, is designed to rely more heavily on software and data centers for routing traffic rather than telecommunications specific gear. Microsoft , which analysts believe to be the second largest cloud computing provider by revenue behind rival Amazon Web Services, has been building out specific cloud computing offering to go after carriers, and AT&T is the Redmond, Washington-based company's first major win. The two also said that Microsoft will purchase software and intellectual property developed by AT&T to help build out its offerings for carriers. The companies did not disclose the terms of the deal

Cybersecurity firm SentinelOne valued at nearly $11 billion in public debut

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Cybersecurity firm SentinelOne valued at nearly $11 billion in public debut Shares of security software provider SentinelOne Inc jumped 21.4% in their US stock market debut on Wednesday, giving the company a market capitalization of nearly $11 billion. Its shares opened at $46 and finished the day at $42.5, above their IPO price of $35, indicating investors' interest in fast-growing software companies in a week flooded with IPOs. SentinelOne sold 35 million shares to raise about $1.23 billion in the IPO. It had earlier planned to sell 32 million shares priced between $31 and $32 per share. "We're reaching a certain scale in our business, and we desire to be a trusted and transparent vendor as a public company," SentinelOne CEO Tomer Weingarten said in an interview. Mountain View, California-based SentinelOne protects laptops and mobile phones from security breache

China’s Didi worth $68 billion after U.S. debut

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: China’s Didi worth $68 billion after U.S. debut Didi Global Inc shares ended their first day of US trading slightly over their initial public offering (IPO) price, valuing the ride-hailing giant at $68.49 billion in the biggest U.S. listing by a Chinese company since 2014. The stock market debut vindicated Didi's decision to moderate its valuation expectations, after investors raised concerns over the pace and profitability of its expansion in new services and foreign markets. Wereported in March that Didi was hoping the IPO could value it at as much as $100 billion. SoftBank -backed Didi's stock opened at $16.65, significantly higher than its $14 IPO price. The shares slid in the early afternoon after reaching an $18 high. Didi had priced an upsized offering of 316.8 million American depositary shares at the upper end of its $13 to $14 range, raising $4.4 billion. Didi is

German privacy tsar tells ministries to shut Facebook pages

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: German privacy tsar tells ministries to shut Facebook pages German government organisations have until the end of the year to close their Facebook pages after the data protection commissioner found the social network had failed to change its practices to comply with German and EU privacy laws. In a letter to government departments and agencies earlier this month, commissioner Ulrich Kelber said Facebook had provided no way to run pages for institutions, whose feed users can subscribe to by clicking "like", in an EU-compliant way. Kelber added that partyline app Clubhouse, video clip app TikTok and Facebook's Instagram site also appeared to have similar shortcomings, and recommended government organisations stop using them too until his inquiry was concluded. "We updated our Page Insights supplement and clarified the responsibility of Facebook and website operator

Orange sees role for Huawei in 5G Africa rollout

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Orange sees role for Huawei in 5G Africa rollout Orange, France's largest telecoms firm, will avoid using equipment from Chinese vendors when developing Europe's 5G networks, opting for suppliers such as Ericsson and Nokia instead, its chief executive said. But the company sees no issue in working with Huawei in Africa, where the Chinese company dominates as a supplier of equipment to many telecoms operators. "We're working more and more with Chinese vendors in Africa, not because we like China, but we have an excellent business relationship with Huawei," CEO Stephane Richard told journalists at our partner news agency Reuters at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday. "They've invested in Africa while the European vendors have been hesitating." European governments have tightened controls on Chinese companies building 5G networks fo

Facebook launches ‘Bulletin’, its Substack newsletter rival

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Facebook launches ‘Bulletin’, its Substack newsletter rival Facebook Inc launched its newsletter product "Bulletin", a standalone platform for free and paid articles and podcasts that will aim to rival Substack. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg announced the platform, which is live at Bulletin.com, and introduced some of the writers that the company has recruited in a live audio room on Facebook. Facebook is pushing to compete in the fast-growing email newsletter trend, as high-profile journalists and writers have left media companies over the past year to strike out on their own. Self-publishing platform Substack is a leader in helping writers sell email subscriptions, and has lured journalists with cash advances. Other tech companies are also competing in the field, including Twitter , which acquired newsletter platform Revue. Facebook said it would not take a cut of Bul

US Justice Department says Google depositions should be in person

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: US Justice Department says Google depositions should be in person An attorney for the US Justice Department has said that he wanted depositions planned for August in an antitrust lawsuit against Google to be live rather than on Zoom. The government hopes to question, or depose, three people in August, one Google employee and two people who left Google , one in 2011 and 2013. The government sued Google last year, alleging that it broke antitrust law in seeking to hobble rivals. That lawsuit has been combined for discovery purposes with a broader antitrust lawsuit brought by 38 states and territories. "We wanted to let the court know that it is our hope to do all or most of these depositions in person," said the Justice Department's Kenneth Dintzer, noting that the three first people that he wanted to depose were in California. "It is our understanding that Califo

Google deal with French publishers on hold pending antitrust decision

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Google deal with French publishers on hold pending antitrust decision Google has put on hold a preliminary deal with some French publishers to pay for news content as it awaits an antitrust decision that could set the tone for copyright talks on online news in Europe, two sources close to the matter said. Under the three-year framework agreement signed by Google and the Alliance de la presse d'information generale (APIG), a lobby group representing most major French publishers, the US company agreed in January to pay a total of $76 million to 121 publications, according to documents seen by Reuters. It is one of the highest-profile deals under Google's "News Showcase" programme to provide compensation for news snippets used in search results, and the first of its kind in Europe. However, no individual licensing agreement has been signed by Google with an APIG membe

Big Tech wins two battles in fight with US antitrust enforcers

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Big Tech wins two battles in fight with US antitrust enforcers Facebook Inc won two big fights with antitrust enforcers - and joined the $1 trillion club for market capitalization - as a federal judge threw out two lawsuits against it this week. Below are updates on the status of major US and state government lawsuits and investigations regarding Big Tech. Two lawsuits against Facebook: In a stunning defeat, Judge James Boasberg said the Federal Trade Commission - which had sued Facebook in December asking that Facebook be forced to sell WhatsApp and Instagram - failed to show that Facebook had monopoly power in the social-networking market, among other problems. He said, however, the FTC could file a new complaint by July 29. He threw out a related state lawsuit entirely, saying that the attorneys general had waited too long. They are looking at their options. Three lawsuits ag

Language-learning app Duolingo files for US IPO, reveals revenue surge

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Language-learning app Duolingo files for US IPO, reveals revenue surge Language-learning app Duolingo Inc has filed for a US initial public offering and revealed that its revenue more than doubled in the first quarter this year. The company was last valued at $2.4 billion after a $35 million funding from Durable Capital Partners and General Atlantic in November. Duolingo recorded revenue of $55.4 million for the three months ended March 31. Net losses in the same period widened to $13.5 million from $2.2 million a year ago. The Pittsburgh-headquartered company, which expects to be listed on the Nasdaq, was founded in 2011 by two engineers, Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker. The co-founders met at Carnegie Mellon University, where Luis was a professor in the computer science department and Severin was his Ph.D. student. Duolingo's flagship app has more than 500 million downloads

Dingdong valued at $6.6 billion as shares rise 19% in NYSE debut

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Dingdong valued at $6.6 billion as shares rise 19% in NYSE debut Shares of Dingdong, backed by SoftBank Vision Fund II, opened 19% above their offer price in their debut on the New York Stock Exchange, giving the Chinese grocery app a valuation of $6.6 billion. The stock opened at $28 per share, up from the initial public offering price of $23.50. At that valuation, Dingdong would be worth 29% more than the $5.1 billion it was valued at after the Japanese conglomerate invested in it last month. Earlier, the company raised $95.7 million, selling more than 4 million American depositary shares. The pricing was at the lower end of a range announced earlier. The IPO size was slashed to almost a fourth of Dingdong's initial target, indicating a lukewarm response from investors despite a sustained mania for new listings in the United States. Established in 2017 and backed also by Tige

Digital marketing for e-commerce: 4 tips for boosting sales in 2021

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Digital marketing for e-commerce: 4 tips for boosting sales in 2021 Did you know that there are  between 12-24 million eCommerce sites around the entire world? If you are looking to boost your eCommerce sales in 2021, then you are in the right place. We have put together this guide to digital marketing for eCommerce with our top tips. Keep reading to learn eCommerce marketing tips that you want to incorporate into your own marketing plan. 1. CUSTOMER REVIEWS Glowing reviews from others that have already bought products from your store will help reassure and persuade potential buyers visiting your e-commerce store. Use this as part of your eCommerce digital marketing strategy by adding reviews to each product. Make sure that you ask your customers to leave a review on the products that they purchased and you might also want to consider offering them a discount off their next purc

Facebook hits $1 trillion market cap after judge rejects antitrust complaints

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Facebook hits $1 trillion market cap after judge rejects antitrust complaints A US judge dismissed federal and state antitrust complaints against Facebook Inc that sought to force the social media company to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, saying the federal complaint was "legally insufficient." Facebook shares rose more than 4% after the ruling. The share price rise put Facebook's market capitalization over $1 trillion for the first time. The dismissal was the first big blow to state and federal lawsuits against Big Tech firms last year seeking to rein in alleged abuses of their massive market power. Judge James Boasberg of the US District Court for the District of Columbia said the FTC failed to show that Facebook had monopoly power in the social-networking market but said the FTC could file a new complaint by July 29. He also dismissed a lawsuit by multiple US states

Uber to let office staff work up to half their time from anywhere

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Uber to let office staff work up to half their time from anywhere Uber will let employees work half their hours from wherever they want as part of its revamped return-to-office strategy, the transport app company plans to announce on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. In one of the most flexible policies offered yet by a big US tech company as the COVID-19 pandemic eases, Uber Technologies Inc plans to say that those working in offices need to spend at least 50% of their time there. But unlike many other companies the policy does not mean at least three days per week in the office, the source said. Instead, workers can show up five days one week and zero the next. The plan is a reversal from April when Uber said that from September "employees can work from home up to two days a week, but with a clear expectation that they also come into the office three d

Mexico says cryptocurrencies are not money, warns of risks

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The full version of the article, along with thousands like it, can be found on the following page: Mexico says cryptocurrencies are not money, warns of risks Mexican financial authorities have said that crypto assets are not legal tender in Mexico and are not considered currencies under current laws, warning that financial institutions that operate with them are subject to sanctions. The joint statement by the Bank of Mexico, finance ministry and banking regulator comes after Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego on Sunday said his banking business, Banco Azteca, may begin using bitcoin, which would make it the country's first bank to start accepting the cryptocurrency. Earlier this month, El Salvador made a dramatic move to make bitcoin a legal tender, a world first. "The financial authorities reiterate their warnings ... on the risks inherent in the use of so-called 'virtual assets' as a means of exchange, as a store of value or as another form of investme