Weather app Dark Sky says it's been acquired by Apple along with its team; the Android app is no longer available and the API will shutter on Dec. 31, 2021  —  In a big move to improve its weather app, Apple has purchased the highly popular iOS app Dark Sky.

[Thread] Security researcher finds Zoom uses a “shady” technique to install its Mac app without user interaction, applying tricks used by macOS malware  —  Ever wondered how the @zoom_us macOS installer does it's job without you ever clicking install? Turns out they (ab)use preinstallation scripts, manually unpack the app using a bundled 7zip and install it to /Applications if the current user is in the admin group (no root needed). https://twitter.com/...

Marriott discloses data breach from mid-January affecting 5.2M hotel guests, exposing personal contact information including mailing addresses and phone numbers  —  Marriott says a hacker gained access to the accounts of two employees.  —  Hotel chain Marriott disclosed today a security breach …

Microsoft President Brad Smith calls Washington state's facial recognition law that regulates how public agencies use the tech a “significant breakthrough”  —  Microsoft President Brad Smith took a break from responding to the COVID-19 outbreak Tuesday to praise Washington state's landmark facial recognition regulations.

After reports in tabloids of Houseparty users having social media accounts hacked, Houseparty offers $1M reward to unmask those behind apparent “smear campaign”  —  App maker denies getting hacked after multiple reports in British media.  —  Houseparty, a video conferencing desktop …

Sources: Palantir is providing a tool for the CDC to check the readiness of hospitals and healthcare agencies amid the pandemic; the tool uses anonymized data  —  In the last week, staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started logging into a new web app.

Pokemon Go maker Niantic says it's acquired AR startup 6D.ai, which will shut down its dev tools and have its tech integrated into Niantic's Real World Platform  —  Even as the pandemic forces Niantic to shift the way its outdoor-friendly titles are played, the gaming company is charging ahead …

Samsung Display to end all of its production of LCD panels in South Korea and China by the end of 2020, amid falling demand for LCD panels  —  SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean panel maker Samsung Display has decided to end all of its production of liquid crystal display (LCD) …

Xerox plans to end its $30B+ tender offer for HP and proxy fight to replace HP's board after the pandemic undercut its ability to execute a merger  —  Coronavirus pandemic prompts copier maker to walk away from challenging merger attempt  —  Xerox Holdings Corp. is pulling the plug …

Sources: Microsoft plans to make most public and some internal events digital-only through first half of 2021, including Ignite, Build, and Inspire conferences  —  Microsoft is moving to make most of its external (and some internal) events digital-only for its FY'21 in light of impacts of the coronavirus.

Microsoft's years of missteps with Skype following its $8.5B acquisition have led to an opening for apps like Zoom and Houseparty to explode during the pandemic  —  If the coronavirus pandemic had swept across the world in 2011, everyone would have been using Skype to connect over video and voice calls.

Amazon's retail business has struggled to find its footing during the pandemic, as surging order volume has resulted in shortages, delays, and worker unrest  —  Tech giant faces overwhelming demand, mass absences and a restive workforce  —  On a mid-March midnight shift …

Comcast's waiving of data caps has had little effect on internet speeds even as peak traffic increased 32%, giving lie to their stance that caps are needed  —  Pandemic shows Comcast could kill data caps forever without ruining its network.  —  Back in the before times …

FCC announces that all phone carriers must adopt the STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication protocols by June 30, 2021 to combat robocalls  —  The FCC announced today all carriers and phone companies must adopt the STIR/SHAKEN protocol by June 30th, 2021.  The regulatory requirement is designed …

A teardown reveals that Huawei's P40 phone contains several critical US parts, primarily RF chips; the US parts were made by Qualcomm, Skyworks and Qorvo  —  FT teardown of new smartphone identified US parts makers including Qualcomm and Skyworks  —  Huawei is still using components …

Analysis finds that almost 4,000 jobs across 40+ US startups, operating in sectors including hospitality, transportation, and AI, were eliminated in March  —  - Over 3,500 start-up jobs were eliminated this month as the coronavirus crisis disrupted business-as-usual across the economy.

Sources: Amazon, Walmart suspend commerce marketing deals with digital media such as BuzzFeed and Vox Media; ~20% of BuzzFeed 2019 revenue came from such deals  —  Publishers are bracing for a pullback in advertising amid the Covid-19 pandemic.  And one big shoe has already dropped …