Techmeme
December 15, 2021, 4:20 PM

Top News

Tim Hardwick / MacRumors:
Apple quietly removes all mentions of CSAM scanning on its Child Safety webpage, but says its plans have not changed since September when it delayed the feature  —  Apple has quietly nixed all mentions of CSAM from its Child Safety webpage, suggesting its controversial plan …
Wall Street Journal:
Microsoft and cybersecurity company Mandiant say hacking groups linked to China, Iran, North Korea, and Turkey are exploiting the Log4j flaw  —  Researchers call it one of the most dire cybersecurity threats to emerge in years and could enable devastating attacks
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
CISA orders US federal civilian agencies to patch systems affected by the Log4j vulnerability by December 24  —  The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has told federal civilian agencies to patch systems affected by the Log4Shell vulnerability by Christmas Eve.
Jennifer Elias / CNBC:
Leaked memo: Google tells employees they must comply with vaccine policies by January 18 or lose pay and eventually be fired  —  - In a memo circulated by leadership, Google told employees that they must comply with vaccine policies or they face losing pay and then losing their job.
Dan Primack / Axios:
Katie Haun is leaving Andreessen Horowitz to start a new firm focusing on crypto and Web3 startups; Haun's deals at a16z included OpenSea and Coinbase  —  Katie Haun, one of the world's most influential crypto venture capitalists, is leaving Andreessen Horowitz to form her own firm.
Rest of World:
A look at Chinese fast fashion online retailer Shein, as 2020 sales reportedly hit $10B thanks to knockoff items, a nimble supply chain, and social media  —  By connecting China's garment factories with Western Gen-Z customers, Shein ushered in a new era of “ultra-fast” shopping.
Financial Times:
Sources: the US will ban eight Chinese companies, including DJI, for their alleged involvement in the surveillance of Uyghur Muslims  —  American investors will be banned from groups accused of involvement in Xinjiang abuses  —  The Biden administration will place eight Chinese companies including DJI …
Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:
IBM and Samsung say Vertical Transport Field Effect Transistors, an alternative to FinFET chip designs, can offer 2x performance, amid similar claims from Intel  —  The next big advance in chips is looking up  —  IBM and Samsung have announced their latest advance in semiconductor design …
Emily Birnbaum / Politico:
The Internet Association says it is closing at the end of the year; sources describe financial struggles and tension between members  —  The Internet Association, once branded as Silicon Valley's most important trade group in Washington, announced Wednesday that it is shutting down.
Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss / Reuters:
Anchorage Digital, which offers institutions digital asset services for secure crypto custody, trading, and more, raises $350M led by KKR at a $3B valuation  —  Anchorage Digital, a digital asset financial platform, said on Wednesday it raised $350 million in its latest funding round led by private equity firm KKR & Co Inc (KKR.N).
Martin Matishak / The Record:
The US Department of Homeland Security launches “Hack DHS”, a bug bounty program that pays hackers between $500 and $5,000 per flaw found in its systems  —  The Homeland Security Department has launched a bug bounty program that will allow hackers to report vulnerabilities …
Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch:
Swimply, a marketplace for renting private swimming pools, raises $40M led by Mayfield, seven months after raising $10M  —  The concept of creating a marketplace for underutilized assets that can turn into a meaningful business for hosts is not a new one.  And there is no higher profile of how successful that model can be than Airbnb.
Tweets: @pkedroskyThanks:@bayareawriter
Project Zero:
Deep dive into an NSO zero-click iMessage exploit, captured in the wild by Citizen Lab and one of the most sophisticated Google's Project Zero has seen  —  We want to thank Citizen Lab for sharing a sample of the FORCEDENTRY exploit with us, and Apple's Security Engineering and Architecture …
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge:
A look at the industry-backed smart home standard Matter, slated for mid-2022, and whether it can achieve its promises to fix smart home interoperability  —  The smart home should be a natural evolution of our homes, bringing better appliances, better systems, better experiences.
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
Meta updates its bug bounty program to pay researchers who find anti-scraping loopholes and reward those who find scraped Facebook data with charity donations  —  The Meta (formerly Facebook) security team has added scraping attacks to the list of incidents covered by the company's bug bounty program.
New York Times:
How China helps foreign influencers in the country who spread pro-China messages, funding their travel and generating lucrative, likely inauthentic, traffic  —  We are on the outskirts of Shanghai today at the most incredible hotel we've ever stayed at.  —  It's the first in the world built inside a quarry.
Reuters:
Eighteen Democratic lawmakers ask the Treasury and State Departments for Magnitsky rights abuse sanctions on four spyware firms, including NSO and DarkMatter  —  A group of U.S. lawmakers is asking the Treasury Department and State Department to sanction Israeli spyware firm NSO Group and three …
Sam Byford / The Verge:
Oppo unveils Find N, a foldable with a 7.1" inner and a 5.49" outer display, Snapdragon 888, 8-12GB RAM, 256-512GB SSD, coming December 23 to China for ~$1,200  —  An open and shut case?  —  After teasing its first folding phone last week, Oppo is revealing the Find N in full today.
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
The UK's CMA issues an interim report voicing concerns over Apple and Google's “vice-like grip” on the mobile ecosystem, hinting at future antitrust action  —  The UK's antitrust watchdog has given the clearest signal yet that interventions under an upcoming reform …

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Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch: