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Report: Facebook pays teens to install app that can collect data on them Is it legal for Facebook to secretly monitor your kids? Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley weighs in on Facebook's latest privacy scandal.

Amazon delivers woman stun gun, pepper spray instead of cat dish she ordered A Canadian woman who ordered a dish for her cat through Amazon reportedly received a stun gun and pepper spray instead.

Tucker: Smartphones make kids dumber, less happy Studies show smartphones and social media have negative impact on children's psychological health; should Congress pass legislation to restrict kids' tech use?

After TechCrunch caught Facebook violating Apple’s employee-only app distribution policy to pay people for all their phone data,  Apple invalidated the social network’s Enterprise Certificate as punishment . That deactivated not only this Facebook Research app VPN, but also all of Facebook’s internal iOS apps for workplace collaboration, beta testing and even getting the company lunch or bus schedule. That threw Facebook’s offices into chaos yesterday morning. Now after nearly two work days, Apple has ended Facebook’s time-out and restored its Enterprise Certification. That means employees can once again access all their office tools, pre-launch test versions of Facebook and Instagram… and the lunch menu. A Facebook spokesperson issued this statement to TechCrunch: “We have had our Enterprise Certification, which enables our internal employee applications, restored. We are in the process of getting our internal apps up and running. To be clear, this didn’t have an impact on our cons

In the early 2000s, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt was frustrated with the roles he was being offered. Instead of starring in critically acclaimed indies, he was typecast as “the funny kid on TV” due to roles like Tommy from “3rd Rock from the Sun.” So like anyone who matured alongside the internet, he created a website where he could ideate, produce and share his work. More than 10 years later, he wants to turn that pet project, called HitRecord , into a full-fledged technology company. Onstage at Upfront Venture’s annual summit outside of Los Angeles, Gordon-Levitt announced a $6.4 million Series A funding to do just that. Javelin Venture Partners has led the round, with participation from Crosslink Capital, Advancit Capital, YouTube co-founder Steve Chen, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin and MasterClass co-founder David Rogier. Gordon-Levitt, known for starring in “Inception,” “Snowden” and, my personal favorite, “10 Things I Hate About You,” tells TechCrunch that HitRecord has a team o

Facebook kills hundreds of 'inauthentic' accounts linked to Iran Facebook announced Thursday that it had removed close to 800 pages, groups and accounts from the social media network for engaging in what it called "coordinated inauthentic behavior tied to Iran."

By MIKE ISAAC from NYT Technology https://nyti.ms/2Gejfme

By KAREN WEISE from NYT Technology https://nyti.ms/2MIgo6m

Apple has blocked Google from distributing its internal-only iOS apps on its corporate network after a TechCrunch investigation found the search giant abusing the certificates. “We’re working with Apple to fix a temporary disruption to some of our corporate iOS apps, which we expect will be resolved soon,” said a Google spokesperson. Apple did not immediately comment on the ban. TechCrunch  reported Wednesday that Google was using an Apple-issued certificate that allows the company to create and build internal apps for its staff for one of its consumer-facing apps, called Screenwise Meter , in violation of Apple’s rules. The app was designed to collect an extensive amount of data from a person’s iPhone for research, but using the special certificate allowed the company to allow users to bypass Apple’s App Store. Google later apologized, and said that the app “should not have operated under Apple’s developer enterprise program — this was a mistake.” It followed in the footsteps o

“KP used be a small team doing hands-on company building. We’re moving away from being this institution with multiple products and really just focusing on early stage venture capital” Kleiner Perkins partner Ilya Fushman tells me. 47 years after its founding, the storied venture fund is going “back to the future” with today’s announcement of a 18th fund — a $600 million fund for seed, Series A, and Series B financings. It’s investing across consumer, enterprise, hard tech, and fintech, looking for high-potential teams to help mold into unicorns. Kleiner Perkins partner Ilya Fushman “We went out to market to LPs. We got a lot of interest. We we were significantly oversubscribed” Fushman says of the firm’s raise. Kleiner Perkins was recently rocked by the departure of legendary investor Mary Meeker. She brought along Kleiner partners Mood Rowghani, Noah Knauf, and Juliet de Baubigny and they’re reportedly raising a $1.25 billion growth fund  called Bond. Fushman explained that wit

Houzz, a $4 billion-valued home improvement startup that recently  laid off 10 percent of its staff , has admitted a data breach. A reader contacted TechCrunch on Thursday with a copy of an email sent by the company. It doesn’t say much — such as when the breach happened, what was stolen, or if a hacker to blame or if it was a data exposure that the company could’ve prevented. Houzz spokesperson Gabriela Hebert would not comment beyond an FAQ posted on the company’s website , citing an ongoing investigation. In that FAQ, the company said it “recently learned that a file containing some of our user data was obtained by an unauthorized third party.” It added: “We immediately launched an investigation and engaged with a leading forensics firm to assist in our investigation, containment, and remediation efforts.” The company said it was notifiying all of its users who may have been affected. An email from a Houzz user. (Image: supplied) Houzz said some publicly visible information

By KATE CONGER from NYT Technology https://nyti.ms/2HINxzW

San Francisco could ban facial recognition technology, becoming first US city to do so San Francisco could become the first U.S. city to ban the use of facial recognition technology — criticized as biased by lawmakers and privacy advocates — by all city agencies if a new bill becomes law.

Super Bowl LIII: Tom Brady, Patriots and Pepsi tops among social media buzz As the hype around Super Bowl LIII reaches white-hot status, social media and internet users are doing everything and anything they can to learn about the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams and join in on the conversation.

Libby's father says he reported disturbing content to Instagram, but the company did nothing. from BBC News - Technology https://bbc.in/2t2rtpz

By DON CLARK from NYT Technology https://nyti.ms/2WxUbML

Guidelines about what constitutes "obscene" pornography have been relaxed in England and Wales. from BBC News - Technology https://bbc.in/2GbfmOU

Outrage over Facebook's use of teens to spy on rivals as Sandberg says they 'consented' Facebook is being hit with a growing backlash over the revelation that it paid teenagers in order to monitor their online activity to gain valuable insights into its rivals. 

Sunny Dhillon Contributor Sunny Dhillon is a partner at Signia Venture Partners . More posts by this contributor Security tokens will be coming soon to an exchange near you The rise of experiential commerce Animated characters are as old as human storytelling itself, dating back thousands of years to cave drawings that depict animals in motion. It was really in the last century, however—a period bookended by the first animated short film in 1908 and Pixar’s success with computer animation with Toy Story from 1995 onwards—that animation leapt forward. Fundamentally, this period of great innovation sought to make it easier to create an animated story for an audience to passively consume in a curated medium, such as a feature-length film. Our current century could be set for even greater advances in the art and science of bringing characters to life. Digital influencers—virtual or animated humans that live natively on social media—will be central to that undertaking. Digita

Nintendo announces the Mario Kart Tour app will be delayed until summer 2019. from BBC News - Technology https://bbc.in/2G1broD

A new mobile banking startup called Step wants to help bring teenagers and other young adults into the cashless era. Today, cash is used less often, as more consumers shop online and send money to one another through payment apps like Venmo. But teenagers in particular are still heavily burdened with cash — even though they, too, want to spend their money on things that require a payment card, like Amazon.com purchases or mobile gaming, for example. That’s where Step comes in. The company aims to address the needs of what it believes is an underserved market in mobile banking — the 75 million children and young adults under the age of 21 in the U.S., who are still being forced to use cash. This market isn’t the “unbanked,” it’s the “pre-banked,” explains Step CEO CJ MacDonald , whose  previous startup , mobile gift card platform Gyft, sold to First Data  several years ago. Above: Step CEO, CJ MacDonald “We’re building an all-in-one banking solution that primarily focuses on tee

Hackers are trying to discredit the inquiry into alleged Russian interference in US politics, prosecutors say. from BBC News - Technology https://bbc.in/2Rujpbd

Army tests new communication device that could save wounded soldiers’ lives The U.S. Army is testing a new medical communication device that could help save soldiers’ lives.

Air Force may expand, speed up purchase of F-35 fighter jets While senior Air Force leaders are calling for a “fast” pursuit toward production and delivery of its stated F-35 objectives, there are some voices now raising the question as to whether the rates should be sped up even more -- potentially even increasing the overall numbers for the program.

Tonnes of poison was laid down by drones in a project to get rid of the invasive species. from BBC News - Technology https://bbc.in/2CXz8KE

Facebook's approach to parental consent was "most concerning", says a member of its Safety Advisory Board. from BBC News - Technology https://bbc.in/2MGEtug

The founders of Dadi — pronounced daddy — think men are in need of a wake-up call. “Men [have] a biological clock just like women, which is something that people don’t talk about,” Dadi co-founder and chief executive officer Tom Smith told TechCrunch. “Infertility isn’t a women’s issue; It’s both a men’s and women’s issue.” Smith believes Dadi, the provider of a temperature-controlled at-home fertility test and sperm collection kit, will encourage men to contribute to family planning conversations and become more aware of their reproductive health. The startup is officially launching its kit and long-term sperm storage service today with nearly $2 million in venture capital funding from London-based seed fund firstminute capital and New York-based Third Kind Venture Capital. “Our mission is to normalize the conversation around male fertility and reproductive health, and empower men with knowledge of fertility so they can have that conversation with their family,” Smith said. Here

Those breaching sanctions aimed at cutting rising violence could face up to two years in prison. from BBC News - Technology https://bbc.in/2S9v6bN

Meet Sencrop a French startup that wants to empower farmers using sensors, a data platform and a service marketplace. The company recently raised a $10 million funding round. The Series A round was led by Bpifrance with NCI Waterstart, Nord Capital and The Yield Lab also participating. Existing investors Demeter and Breega Capital also reinvested. If you’re a farmer and are getting started when it comes to leveraging data, Sencrop wants to be a one-stop shop for all your digital needs. The company sells connected stations that can measure temperature, humidity, rainfall, windspeed, etc. Each station costs between $340 and $570 (between €300 and €500) and you can have as many as you want. You can install the station yourself — it’s as easy as planting a post. After that, you pay a subscription to access the platform. It costs around $170 to $340 per year (€150 to €300). In addition to live readings of your sensors, Sencrop can help you predict the next steps. “On the other side of

By KAREN WEISE from NYT Technology https://nyti.ms/2sYuQOC

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE from NYT Technology https://nyti.ms/2UshOVd

By KEVIN ROOSE from NYT Technology https://nyti.ms/2RYkahS

A cross-party committee says social media companies should have a legal "duty of care" to children. from BBC News - Technology https://bbc.in/2BaE9iK

At the end of last year, Grand Central Tech announced plans to work with the Milstein real estate family to transform a midtown Manhttan high-rise into a tech hub called Company . And startups remain an important part of the mix — in fact, Company is unveiling a list of 20 startups participating in this year’s GCT Startup-in-Residence program. What does Startup-in-Residence mean? Well, Company CEO Matthew Harrigan said the program will continue to offer what it’s always offered — desk space, as well as access to events and amenities, for a select group of early-stage entrepreneurs. And participants don’t have to give up equity or pay rent. The deal might seem too good to be true, but Harrigan argued that the startups make Company more appealing to its enterprise tenants: “We are retrofitting this building to look and feel and operate like a brand new building … but the one amenity that cannot be simply rolled out is people.” He also said the program is only taking up 15,000 square

The number of people who logged into the site at least once a month rose 9% last year. from BBC News - Technology https://bbc.in/2Uu7wUu

By MIKE ISAAC from NYT Technology https://nyti.ms/2UnO3om

By VINDU GOEL from NYT Technology https://nyti.ms/2UvhJA5

Earlier this week, a bug was found in FaceTime that could let others listen in to your Apple device’s microphone (or, in specific cases, view video from the camera) without you accepting the FaceTime call. Apple disabled the Group FaceTime feature that enabled this bug server-side, thus preventing its future misuse while they worked on a proper patch. Apple says that patch should land later this week, but it sounds like that won’t be the end of it for the company. New York Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Andrew Cuomo have just announced their intent to investigate the matter — how it happened, and what they call Apple’s “slow response”. While Apple responded with its temporary fix once the bug started going viral, reports suggest that at least two users — a 14-year-old from Arizona and his mother — had been trying to no avail to warn Apple of this matter for over a week prior. While bugs happen, this is a particularly egregious and mystifying one. It’s like the perf

Gurley beats Gronk in 'Madden' Super Bowl matchup First came the "Madden" simulation, which has the Los Angeles Rams edging the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII by a score of 30-27. Now, two of the game's actual stars, Todd Gurley and Rob Gronkowski, provided the same result.

Navy plans test raids on its futuristic Littoral Combat Ship The Navy plans to launch small boat attack craft raids against its futuristic Littoral Combat Ships to prepare a suite of integrated weapons systems and sensors for major ocean warfare - including missiles, guns, drones and inflatable boats.

Will the Patriots lose the Super Bowl? Ominous 'Madden' simulation has Rams winning close game If "Madden NFL 19" is any indication, the New Patriots are going to lose the Super Bowl to the Los Angeles Rams in nail-biting fashion.

Facebook slammed for 'patchy' attitude on disinformation by lawmakers Facebook was accused of taking a "patchy, opaque and self-selecting" approach to clamping down on misinformation by the European officials as the EU published its first progress report on fake news.

The move comes after the Belgian Gambling Commission threatened legal action over in-game loot boxes. from BBC News - Technology https://bbc.in/2MFq3uk

By Unknown Author from NYT Technology https://nyti.ms/2MFcs6d

Nine years after launching its online magazine, and three years after diversifying into the subscription box business , FabFitFun has raised $80 million in a growth round of funding, led by Kleiner Perkins, with participation from its previous investors Upfront Ventures and NEA.  The Los Angeles-based company has steadily expanded its retail and lifestyle empire through subscription boxes, video… and even an augmented reality app. Last year the company crossed $200 million in revenue and managed to net more than 1 million subscribers for the service. FabFitFun surpasses $200 million in revenue as it hits million-subscriber milestone In a statement the company said the new financing would be used to expand FabFitFun membership offerings and consolidate its position as a marketing partner and platform for brands. As a result of the investment, Kleiner Perkins general partners Mood Rowghani and Mary Meeker will join as board member and observer, respectively. It’s been a l

Facebook closes research program that allowed it to spy on Apple users Facebook has been paying people to install an app that allows it to hoover up data on exactly how they use their smartphones.

The car repair chain's IT system went offline on Saturday and has been experiencing problems since. from BBC News - Technology https://bbc.in/2Bbhenr

By JACK NICAS from NYT Technology https://nyti.ms/2RqYGoD

In the wake of TechCrunch’s investigation yesterday , Apple blocked Facebook’s Research VPN app before the social network could voluntarily shut it down. The Research app asked users for root network access to all data passing through their phone in exchange for $20 per month. Apple tells TechCrunch that yesterday evening it pulled the certificate that allows Facebook to distribute the Research app through Apple’s Enterprise Certificate system. TechCrunch had reported that  Facebook was breaking Apple’s policy that the Enterprise system is only for distributing internal corporate apps to employees, not paid external testers. That was actually before Facebook released a statement last night saying that it had shut down the iOS version of the Research program without mentioning that it was forced by Apple to do so. Facebook pays teens to install VPN that spies on them TechCrunch’s investigation discovered that Facebook has been quietly operated the Research program on iOS and