Google's Sundar Pichai is testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, Supermicro says there are no spy chips in its hardware and Verizon admits this whole Oath thing isn't going very well. Here's your Daily Crunch for December 11, 2018. 1. Google CEO Sundar Pichai thinks Android users know how much their phones are tracking them The exec is testifying today in front of the House Judiciary committee for a hearing entitled "Transparency & Accountability: Examining Google and its Data Collection, Use and Filtering Practices." Pichai claimed that users are in control of the information Google has on them: "For Google services, you have a choice of what information is collected, and we make it transparent." Also, you may still be able to catch some of Pichai's testimony live. 2. Supermicro says investigation firm found no spy chips The company asked third-party company Nardello & Co. to audit its hardware, in response to a Bloomberg report claiming that China's spies managed to conceal tiny malicious chips on Supermicro motherboards. 3. Verizon to take a charge of up to $6.7B due to Oath and redundancies Verizon, the telecoms giant that owns TechCrunch, has been through the re-organizational ringer in recent quarters. Today it announced the full financial effect of that process. 4. Pew: Social media for the first time tops newspapers as a news source for US adults It's not true that everyone gets their news from Facebook and Twitter. But it is now true that more U.S. adults get their news from social media than from print newspapers, at least according to the latest research from Pew. 5. Fintech startup Plaid raises $250M at a $2.65B valuation In the five years since its product was showcased onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt New York's hackathon, Plaid has emerged as one of the most critical contributors to financial technology's evolution — and one of the most under the radar. 6. Instagram launches walkie-talkie voice messaging Users can hold down the microphone button to record a short voice message that appears in the chat as an audio wave form. 7. Vroom nabs $146M from AutoNation, VCs for its used car marketplace Led by Paul Hennessy, the former CEO of Priceline.com, Vroom is an online platform for buying and selling refurbished, pre-owned cars. The company purchases used vehicles, then includes them in its online catalog, which currently lists just over 3,200 cars. |
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