Adam Neumann, a co-founder of WeWork, sued SoftBank on Monday, accusing it of breaching a contract by withdrawing an offer to buy up to $3 billion in WeWork stock from Mr. Neumann and other shareholders. From a report: SoftBank, a Japanese conglomerate that has invested in many fast-growing but unprofitable start-ups, included the stock offer in a bailout that saved WeWork…
Tag: criticism
Judge Orders FCC to Hand Over IP Addresses Linked to Fake Net Neutrality Comments
Before it rolled back net neutrality protections in 2017, America’s Federal Communications Commission requested public comments online. But they’re still facing criticism over how they handled them, Gizmodo reports: A Manhattan federal judge has ruled the Federal Communications Commission must provide two reporters access to server logs that may provide new insight into the allegations of fraud stemming from agency’s 2017…
Startups Pursue ‘Free Money’ With Relief Funds, Prompting Backlash
Some young companies have turned to the government loans not for day-to-day survival but simply to buy useful time. From a report: Domio, a start-up that offers short-term rentals, has its headquarters in a New York City loft that features beer on tap, a game room and a wall of house slippers for visitors. The fast-growing and unprofitable company has raised…
Facing Criticism, Germany Switches to Google/Apple’s Decentralized Contact Tracing
“Germany changed course on Sunday over which type of smartphone technology it wanted to use to trace coronavirus infections,” reports Reuters, “backing an approach supported by Apple and Google along with a growing number of other European countries.” Chancellery Minister Helge Braun and Health Minister Jens Spahn said in a joint statement that Berlin would adopt a “decentralised” approach to digital…
Trump Threatens To Block Aid For US Post Office If It Does Not Raise Prices
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to block federal aid for the U.S. Postal Service unless it raises shipping rates for online companies like Amazon.com, prompting criticism that the move would hurt consumers relying more than usual on packages during the coronavirus outbreak. The president has long accused the post office of charging…
Internet Governance Body RIPE Opposes China’s Internet Protocols Upgrade Plan
EU-based Internet governance body RIPE is opposing a proposal to remodel core internet protocols, a proposal backed by the Chinese government, Chinese telecoms, and Chinese networking equipment vendor Huawei. From a report: Named “New IP,” this proposal consists of a revamped version of the TCP/IP standards to accommodate new technologies, a “shutoff protocol” to cut off misbehaving parts of the internet,…
Zoom’s Security Woes Were No Secret to Business Partners Like Dropbox
Dropbox privately paid top hackers to find bugs in software by the videoconferencing company Zoom, then pressed it to fix them. From a report: One year ago, two Australian hackers found themselves on an eight-hour flight to Singapore to attend a live hacking competition sponsored by Dropbox. At 30,000 feet, with nothing but a slow internet connection, they decided to get…
Startups, VCs in India Request ‘Relief Package’ From the Government To Fight Coronavirus Disruption
More than six dozen startup founders, venture capitalists and lobby groups in India have requested the government to grant them a “robust relief package” to help combat severe disruptions their businesses face due to the coronavirus outbreak. From a report: In a joint letter to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, startups requested the government to bankroll 50% of their workforce’s salaries…
Federal Support Ends For Coronavirus Testing Sites As Pandemic Peak Nears
An anonymous reader quotes a report from NPR: Some local officials are disappointed the federal government will end funding for coronavirus testing sites this Friday. In a few places those sites will close as a result. This as criticism continues that not enough testing is available. In the Philadelphia suburbs, Montgomery County has a drive-through site that has tested 250 people…
Twitter Removes 9,000 Accounts Pushing Coronavirus Propaganda Praising the United Arab Emirates
An anonymous reader quotes a report from BuzzFeed News: On April 2, Twitter took down a pro-United Arab Emirates network of accounts that was pushing propaganda about the coronavirus pandemic and criticizing Turkey’s military intervention in Libya. Previously tied to marketing firms in the region, parts of this network were removed by Facebook and Twitter last year. The network was made…