Duncan Riley
Latest from Duncan Riley
After being targeted successfully by hackers again, IRS shuts down e-File PIN service
The United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced the abolition of its PIN tool due to the platform being hacked. Under the now abolished electronic filing PIN tool (e-File PIN), people dealing with the IRS were able to use a PIN number to access services on IRS.gov or by toll-free phone call. The agency ...
Google updates Maps with Landsat 8 imagery for pretty, cloud-free satellite views
Google has updated the satellite imagery it uses in Google Maps to provide users with a more superior view of Earth from above. The new imagery comes from NASA’s Landsat 8 satellite, and combined with new processing techniques not only provides sharper images than before, but cloud-free imagery as well by stitching together millions of ...
Report: Lyft hires M&A specialist, seeks potential buyer or new investors
Ridesharing startup and Uber, Inc. competitor Lyft, Inc. may be looking to sell itself, with a report Monday claiming the company has hired a boutique investment bank known for helping tech companies find a buyer. According to The Wall Street Journal, Lyft has hired Qatalyst Partners LP. Further, Qatalyst Founder Frank Quattrone has been contacting companies ...
DHS wants the power to ask visitors to the U.S. for their social media account details
If you’re not American and are visiting the United States soon you may need to provide more than a visa in your passport, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seeking the power to allow U.S. Customs officials to ask foreign visitors to provide their Facebook and Twitter account names. Under the proposal, Customs and ...
Facebook tries to placate conservatives by introducing political bias training for staff
Social networking giant Facebook, Inc. is to begin training employees about political bias following accusations made in May that it was removing links to conservative content in its trending news section. Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg made the announcement last week at an event at the American Enterprise institute, noting that it was important ...
New Godless Android malware running rampant, over 850,000 devices affected
New malware that targets Google’s Android mobile operating system and hijacks a target phone has affected over 850,000 devices worldwide. Security firm Trend Micro said the malware, dubbed Godless (ANDROIDOS_GODLESS.HRX), targets a set of rooting exploits in its pockets and uses multiple exploits that can target virtually any Android device running Android 5.1 (Lollipop) or ...
YouTube to add live app streaming as Facebook announces masks, two people streaming
The battle for live streaming market supremacy has risen a notch with both the Google-owned YouTube, and Facebook, Inc. making new announcements Thursday in an effort to expand their user bases. YouTube was first, announcing at the VidCon Conference that it is extending its live streaming functionality to the mobile YouTube app. The company explained in a ...
Happy days are here again: Twilio stock price surges after going public
Cloud communications company Twilio, Inc. went public on the New York Stock Exchange Thursday in a sign that is being interpreted as being a return of happy days for tech initial public offerings (IPOs). Shares in Twilio, listed as TWLO, floated at $15 a share, up from an initial price guidance of $12-$14 a share, ...
US Regulators warn that Bitcoin and Blockchain tech is a threat to financial stability
A group of powerful United States regulators has named Bitcoin and Blockchain technologies as being a threat to financial stability in a new report. The report (pdf) from the Financial Stability Oversight Council, which includes representatives of the Federal Reserve, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Treasury Department, serves to identify risks and ...
Bitcoin & Blockchain startup Circle raises $60m Series D for push into China
Bitcoin and Blockchain startup Circle Internet Financial, Inc. has raised $60 million Series D in a round led by IDG Capital Partners that included leading Chinese firms Baidu, CICC Alpha, China EverBright Investment Management, Fenbushi Capital and CreditEase. The new funding will be used to establish a dedicated China-based subsidiary, Circle China. Founded in 2013 ...