Techmeme
March 23, 2022, 11:25 PM

Top News

Brian Krebs / Krebs on Security:
A look at Lapsus$, a data extortion group that first surfaced in December 2021 specializing in stealing data from big companies by bribing or tricking employees  —  Microsoft and identity management platform Okta both this week disclosed breaches involving LAPSUS$, a relatively new cybercrime group …
Bloomberg:
Researchers say a 16-year-old from England is the mastermind behind the Lapsus$ group; seven unique accounts associated with Lapsus$ were identified  —  Cybersecurity researchers investigating a string of hacks against technology companies, including Microsoft Corp. and Nvidia Corp. …
Raphael Satter / Reuters:
Lily Hay Newman / Wired:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google Play pilots a third-party billing option to select partners globally, starting with Spotify; Google said user choice billing still involves a service fee  —  Amid increasing global regulations over app stores and their commission structures, Google today announced the launch …
Mitchell Clark / The Verge:
Stephen Wilhite, one of the lead creators of the GIF, has died at 74; Wilhite worked on the GIF while employed by CompuServe in the 1980s  —  It's pronounced ‘jif’  —  Stephen Wilhite, one of the lead inventors of the GIF, died last week from COVID at the age of 74, according to his wife, Kathaleen, who spoke to The Verge.
Joe Rossignol / MacRumors:
Apple adds driver's licenses and state IDs to Wallet in Arizona, the first state with the feature; Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, and Puerto Rico are next  —  Apple today announced that Arizona has become the first U.S. state to support driver's licenses and state IDs in the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch.
Jay Peters / The Verge:
YouTube makes nearly 4,000 TV episodes available for free with ads in the US and plans to add up to 100 shows and movies each week  —  The platform already offers free movies with ads  —  YouTube is the latest company to offer free shows TV with ads.  The video giant says you'll now be able …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Instagram rolls out chronological Following and Favorites feeds to all iOS and Android users globally, neither of which can be set as the default  —  Instagram today is making a chronological feed available to all users, as earlier promised, alongside another new feed filtering option …
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
DSCC report: Apple is planning a MacBook Air with a ~15-inch display and an entry-level iPad with a display bigger than the current 10.2-inch for 2023  —  Apple has new form factors in store for the MacBook Air and entry-level iPad for 2033, according to a new report from Display Supply Chain Consultants.
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Carl Pei teases Nothing's Phone (1), a smartphone running on Nothing OS, an Android skin, and powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon, debuting this summer  —  Nothing will launch its debut smartphone this summer, its CEO and former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei announced today during a live stream.
The Block:
Sources: Apple acquired UK banking startup Credit Kudos, which offers APIs to lenders, earlier this week; source says the deal is valued at around $150M  —  Quick Take  — Credit Kudos becomes the latest European open banking startup to be snapped up by a US acquirer.
Alex Heath / The Verge:
Snap acquires Paris-based neurotech startup NextMind and discontinues its $400 headband that let users control aspects of a computer; NextMind had raised ~$4.5M  —  NextMind made a headband for controlling virtual objects with your thoughts  —  Meta, Apple, and a slew of other tech companies …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Sony releases PS4 and PS5 updates; the PS5 will get Variable Refresh Rate “in the coming months”, syncing a display's refresh rate to the PS5's graphical output  —  Sony says VRR will be available in the coming months on the PS5  —  Sony is planning to release a Variable Refresh Rate …
Wall Street Journal:
Meta's top executives are embracing remote work, as sources say Mark Zuckerberg spends extended periods in Hawaii; Sandberg is taking a sabbatical this spring  —  Executives are scattering to locations far from Silicon Valley headquarters, working from Hawaii, Cape Cod, Europe
Queenie Wong / CNET:
A look at the Roblox experiences created by large retail brands like Gucci, Nike, Vans, and Ralph Lauren, with some offering virtual items for Robux  —  Gucci, Dyson and other big brands are experimenting with immersive virtual experiences.  —  As I enter the Alo Yoga store …
David Anders / CNET:
The FBI says internet crime victims in the US reported losing over $6.9B in 2021, up from $4.2B in 2020, and it received 847,376 complaints in 2021, up 7% YoY  —  The FBI releases its annual Internet Crime Report, detailing the most prevalent cybercrimes in 2021.

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More News

Matt Burgess / Wired:

Earlier Picks

Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Nelson Renteria / Reuters:
Javier Espinoza / Financial Times:
Casey Newton / Platformer: