Eric David
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One group’s malicious ads racked up 1B views in 2017
Malicious ads have plagued the internet almost from the beginning, and it does not look like they are getting any better. In fact, they may even be getting worse. Confiant Inc., a company that provides security tools for online ads, revealed in a report today that it uncovered a large malicious advertising operation that bought an estimated 1 billion ...
Spyware posing as apps like WhatsApp stole data in at least 20 countries
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and cybersecurity company Lookout Inc. have uncovered a global spyware campaign that has stolen hundreds of gigabytes of data, primarily from mobile Android devices. The campaign, which the two groups have named “Dark Caracal,” accidentally outed itself by storing the stolen data on an unsecured server accessible via the internet. According to EFF and Lookout, Dark Caracal uses ...
Twitch signs on Disney-managed YouTube stars, launches tools for produced videos
Twitch, the video game streaming site owned by Amazon.com Inc., announced today that it has partnered with Disney Digital Network to get exclusive content from four Disney-managed YouTube stars. The two companies said the creators will manage their own Twitch channels, with exclusive live broadcasts and video-on-demand content debuting today. The YouTubers who will be producing new content for Twitch include Sean “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin, Mark ...
Drone helps rescue stranded swimmers at Australian beach
A training session for a new rescue drone turned into a trial by fire at an Australian beach today when it saved a pair of stranded swimmers, a first for drone technology. Lifeguards were training to fly the “Little Ripper” drone at Lennox Head, a popular surfing area south of Brisbane, when they received a call ...
Amazon’s $5B second headquarters will be in one of these 20 cities
Amazon.com Inc. is one step closer to choosing the location for its second headquarters, announcing today that it has narrowed down the choices for its “HQ2” to just 20 candidates. Amazon said in September that it expects to spend $5 billion on HQ2, which will house up to 50,000 employees once it is complete as a “full equal to its ...
Apple pledges $350B toward US economy with repatriated overseas cash
Apple Inc. announced today that it will contribute $350 billion to the U.S. economy as it brings most of its overseas cash holdings back to the country to fuel domestic investments and hire thousands of new employees. The announcement led to a modest bump in Apple’s shares, which rose 1.7 percent today. Apple said the recently passed U.S. tax ...
YouTube raises Partner Program requirements to win over advertisers
It is hard enough to make a living on YouTube, but now the popular video sharing platform has announced a change to its monetization rules that will make it even harder for new channels to earn money. Many YouTube channels make their earnings through the YouTube Partner Program, which automatically displays relevant ads before and during their videos. In the past, any channels could ...
Android malware ‘Skygofree’ has unprecedented spying abilities
Be careful what you say around your smartphone—you never know who might be listening. Russian antivirus provider Kaspersky Lab revealed in a report today that it uncovered a new type of spyware for Android that demonstrates “never-before-seen surveillance features.” Kaspersky said the spyware, which it named “Skygofree” after a word found on one of its domains, appears ...
Facebook Messenger boss promises to streamline ‘too cluttered’ app
Facebook Inc. has dumped dozens features into Messenger since it split the service from its core app in 2014, adding everything from in-app games to peer-to-peer payments. Now, Messenger chief David Marcus is conceding that Facebook may have gone a bit overboard with the app, and he promised to make Messenger more user-friendly this year. “Over the last ...
Instacart acquires Unata, a digital shopping platform for grocery stores
Same-day grocery delivery service Instacart announced today that it has acquired Unata, a white-label ecommerce platform for grocery retailers. The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but Bloomberg reported that the acquisition came out to $65 million, according to two people familiar with the matter. Founded in 2009, Unata provides grocers with a digital shopping platform that allows their ...