washington DC
Washington’s political class doesn’t know Y Combinator exists — yet
After educating the D.C. market, YC aims to leverage its influence, particularly in areas like competition policy.
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‘Always on and watching’: A former Xinjiang prisoner describes life inside China’s detention camps
For 10 months in 2018, Ovalbek Turdakun was a prisoner in one of China’s notorious detention camps, where he was tortured, subject to horrific conditions and under constant surveillance. In a makeshift courtroom inside the detention camp he was being held, Turdakun was not permitted to speak and was made…
EU-US data transfers deal could be finalized by end of year, says bloc
The European Commission continues to eschew pronouncing a firm timeline for finalizing a new EU-U.S. data transfers deal after the two sides reached a political agreement on a way forward…
Google has a Wordle Easter egg and it’s cute, okay
I know, I know, you’re tired of Wordle. Just mute the word “wordle” on Twitter and don’t be like the guy who made a Wordle-spoiling bot and got banned from…
Google gets hit with a new lawsuit over ‘deceptive’ location tracking
Washington, DC, Texas, Washington state and Indiana announced the latest lawsuit against Big Tech Monday, alleging that Google deceived users by collecting their location data even when they believed that…
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Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testifies before the Senate
After revealing her identity on Sunday night, Frances Haugen — the whistleblower who leaked controversial Facebook documents to The Wall Street Journal — testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Tuesday. Haugen’s testimony came after a hearing last week, when Facebook global head of Safety Antigone Davis…
Court orders US Capitol rioter to unlock his laptop ‘with his face’
The FBI argued that compelling Guy Reffitt to unlock his computer by sitting in front of it ‘would not run afoul of the defendant’s Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.’
Closing on $103M, MaC VC is changing the face of venture capital
The partners at MaC Venture Capital, the Los Angeles-based investment firm that has just closed on $103 million for its inaugural fund, have spent the bulk of their careers breaking…
Micromobility startup Helbiz to go public via a SPAC, and will expand into ghost kitchens
Micromobility startup Helbiz, which now operates across Europe and the USA, is merging with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) to become a publicly listed company, giving it a war…
MotoRefi raises $10M to keep pedal on auto refinancing growth
A month before the COVID-19 pandemic had spread to North America, auto fintech startup MotoRefi — newly armed with nearly $9 million in venture capital — was preparing to bring…
2020 was one of the warmest years in history and indicates mounting risks of climate change
It’s official. 2020 was one of the warmest years on record, either edging out or coming in just behind 2016 for the warmest year in recorded history according to data…
Airbnb cancels all bookings for DC during Inauguration week
Airbnb won’t be hosting anyone in Washington DC during the week of the Presidential Inauguration, the company said in a statement. Brian Chesky took to Twitter to confirm the company’s…
Human Capital: The biggest labor stories of 2020
Hellllooooo, 2021! Welcome back to Human Capital, a weekly newsletter that details the latest in the realms of labor, diversity and inclusion. Not a ton happened this week so I…
Applicants say DC Bar exposed their personal data and background checks
Lawyers applying for a license to practice law in Washington, D.C., say a security lapse by the bar association exposed their application files, including their government-issued IDs and background checks.…
A new technique can detect newer 4G ‘stingray’ cell phone snooping
Security researchers say they have developed a new technique to detect modern cell-site simulators. Cell site simulators, known as “stingrays,” impersonate cell towers and can capture information about any phone…
88 out of top 200 US cities have seen internet speeds decline this past week, 3 cities by more than 40%
The impacts of telecommuting, shelter-in-place laws and home quarantines resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak are starting to impact broadband speeds across a number of U.S. cities, a new report has…
All eyes are on the next liquidity event when it comes to space startups
At the FAA’s 23rd Annual Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington, DC on Wednesday, a panel dedicated to the topic of trends in VC around space startups touched on public…
Kenyan logistics startup Sendy raises $20M round backed by Toyota
Africa’s logistics startup space has gained another multi-million-dollar round with global backing. Kenyan company Sendy — with an on-demand platform that connects clients to drivers and vehicles for goods delivery…
By tweeting from a SCIF, House lawmakers put national security at risk
If you thought storming into a highly secured government facility with your electronics but without permission was a smart idea, you’d be wrong. But that didn’t stop Rep. Matt Gaetz…
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Mobile gaming is a $68.5 billion global business, and investors are buying in
By the end of 2019, the global gaming market is estimated to be worth $152 billion, with 45% of that, $68.5 billion, coming directly from mobile games.
Why eVTOLs could be providing regional air service sooner than you think
At Uber’s Elevate summit in Washington, DC earlier this month, researchers, industry leaders and engineers gathered to celebrate the approaching advent of on-demand air service. For Dr. Anita Sengupta, co-founder…
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Samantha Bee: Canadian, comedian, and defender of the free press
The only job named in and protected by the U.S. constitution is journalism. But when it’s under attack from fake news, misinformation, and the supposed defender-of-the-constitution-in-chief, who looks out for the press? Reporters have an unlikely ally in the late night comedy circuit. Late night television has a steady stream…
For true transparency around political advertising, US tech companies must collaborate
In October 2017, online giants Twitter, Facebook and Google announced plans to voluntarily increase transparency for political advertising on their platforms. The three plans to tackle disinformation had roughly the…
Zimbabwe’s government faces off against its tech community over internet restrictions
After days of intermittent blackouts at the order of Zimbabwe’s Minister of State for National Security, ISPs have restored connectivity through a judicial order issued Monday.
VC funding of cybersecurity companies hits record $5.3B in 2018
2018 wasn’t all bad. It turned out to be a record year for venture capital firms investing in cybersecurity companies. According to new data out by Strategic Cyber Ventures, a…
Electronics giant Philips invests in monitoring and information platform for expecting mothers
The international electronics and medical device giant Philips is pushing further into pregnancy and childcare services by leading a $6 million early stage investment in the pregnancy-focused app-developer and device…
In 2018 the ticketing industry finally killed the ‘sold-out’ show
Among the many myths that were laid low in 2018, perhaps none was as welcome to throngs of live-event fans as the fantasy of the sold-out show.
Cities that didn’t win HQ2 shouldn’t be counted out
Now that the hysteria is over and cities have stopped asking “how can we get Amazon,” we’d like to ask this: How can cities build stronger startup ecosystems for the…
Amazon did exactly what it should have with its HQ2 process
I love my colleague Jon Shieber, he’s a great guy. But his arguments against Amazon’s HQ2 process are just wrong, and are part of an increasingly poisonous atmosphere around employment…
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Open sourcing analysis, plus US, China and HQ2
The big news today is that — finally — we have Amazon’s selection of cities for its dual second headquarters (Northern Virginia and NYC). Then some notes on China. But first, semiconductors and open sourcing analysis. We are experimenting with new content forms at TechCrunch. This is a rough draft…
