Exclusive: Spotify's valuation turned up to $16 billion in private trades - sources

LONDON/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Private trades in Spotify shares are valuing the music streaming company at about $16 billion, according to people familiar with the deals, raising the prospect of a bumper flotation next year. That is around $3 billion higher than in similar trades up until June, the pe...

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Trump criticizes Facebook, questions its role during campaign

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized Facebook Inc (FB.O) as “anti-Trump” and questioned its role during the 2016 presidential campaign, amid ongoing probes into alleged Russian interference in the election and possible collusion by Trump’s asso...

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Europol: Ransomware top threat in 2017 cybercrime 'epidemic'

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Ransomware eclipsed most other forms of cybercrime as on-line crime surged in 2017, European policing agency Europol said on Wednesday, citing high-profile attacks such as “WannaCry” that reached millions of computers. Europol coordinated several successful cross-bo...

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Greek central bank dismisses Anonymous hacking claim

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece’s central bank dismissed claims by hacking group Anonymous that it had accessed confidential internal files, saying on Wednesday the material was already in the public domain. Anonymous responded by warning that it was merely testing out the bank’s defenses and ...

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Uber defends business model at UK tribunal on worker rights

LONDON (Reuters) - Uber went to a British employment appeal tribunal on Wednesday to argue its drivers are self-employed, not workers entitled to a range of extra benefits, less than a week after the firm was told it would lose its London license. The U.S. ride-hailing service has faced regulatory a...

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Uber seeks UK chairman as threats to its business mount

LONDON (Reuters) - Taxi hailing app Uber said on Wednesday it had hired a headhunter to fill a new position of UK chairman, as part of a process which began weeks before London’s transport authority stripped it of its license. The non-executive position would bolster the taxi app just as it fi...

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Samsung scion Jay Y. Lee set to begin appeal

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee on Thursday will begin an appeal of his five-year jail term for corruption, in a case highlighting South Korea’s issues with the family-run conglomerates that dominate the economy. A lower court last month convicted the 49-year-old...

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Amazon says Google has pulled YouTube from Echo Show device in tech face-off

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - In a rare public feud between large technology companies, Amazon.com Inc said on Tuesday its Echo Show devices could no longer play videos from YouTube because the site’s parent, Google, stopped supporting the service. The spat is the latest in Silicon Valley in which...

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Ford, Lyft will partner to deploy self-driving cars

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co said on Wednesday it will collaborate with Lyft to deploy Ford self-driving vehicles on the ride services company’s network in large numbers by 2021. Ford and Lyft teams will begin working together to design software to allow Ford vehicles to communicate with ...

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Fast-food runner Sonic notified of unusual credit card activity

(Reuters) - U.S. fast-food chain operator Sonic Corp said on Tuesday it had been notified of unusual activity regarding credit cards used at its drive-in outlets. Sonic’s credit card processor informed the company earlier this week of the activity, which could have affected an unknown number o...

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Fast-food runner Sonic's payment systems breached: KrebsOnSecurity

(Reuters) - U.S. fast-food chain operator Sonic Corp has acknowledged a breach affecting an unknown number of store payment systems, KrebsOnSecurity reported on Tuesday. The cyber security blog said that millions of credit and debit card numbers were being sold on underground exchanges. (bit.ly/2xve...

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U.S. picks companies to help make rules for advanced personal health monitors

(Reuters) - Digital devices designed to monitor the wearer’s health in much greater detail than current models will need regulatory approval, and Apple Inc, Fitbit Inc and seven other companies will take part in a program to speed the approval process, the U.S. health regulator said on Tuesday...

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Breach at Sonic Drive-In May Have Impacted Millions of Credit, Debit Cards

Sonic Drive-In, a fast-food chain with nearly 3,600 locations across 45 U.S. states, has acknowledged a breach affecting an unknown number of store payment systems. The ongoing breach may have led to a fire sale on millions of stolen credit and debit card accounts that are now being peddled in shado...

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Breach at Sonic Drive-In May Have Impacted Millions of Credit, Debit Cards

Sonic Drive-In, a fast-food chain with nearly 3,600 locations across 45 U.S. states, has acknowledged a breach affecting an unknown number of store payment systems. The ongoing breach may have led to a fire sale on millions of stolen credit and debit card accounts that are now being peddled in shado...

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Twitter to test 280-character tweets, busting old limit

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The days of Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) limiting messages to 140 characters, a signature of the social network since its launch in 2006, may be numbered. Twitter said on Tuesday that it would begin a test with a random sample of users allowing them to send tweets that are as long as 28...

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Tesla shifts to Intel from Nvidia for infotainment: Bloomberg

(Reuters) - The giant information and entertainment screens in Tesla Inc’s cars will now be powered by chipmaker Intel Corp after the electric carmaker replaced Nvidia Corp for that function, Bloomberg reported. Tesla's Model 3 and new versions of its other cars will get the new Intel processi...

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Equifax CEO departs, forgoes bonus after massive data breach

(Reuters) - Equifax Inc (EFX.N) said on Tuesday that Chief Executive Richard Smith would leave the company and forgo this year’s bonus as criticism mounts over a massive cyber attack that has plunged the credit-monitoring firm into crisis. Smith’s departure is the latest development foll...

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FCC finds 'effective competition' in U.S. wireless market

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A divided Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday approved a report that found for the first time since 2009 there is “effective competition” in the wireless market, a finding that could help Sprint Corp and T-Mobile US Inc to merge. Reuters reported last week...

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Uber says it will pull out of Canada's Quebec province

TORONTO (Reuters) - Ride-hailing service Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] said on Tuesday it will stop operating in the Canadian province of Quebec next month, pulling out to avoid following tough new regulations announced last week. Uber is withdrawing from Canada’s second-most populous provin...

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Uber to withdraw from Quebec

TORONTO (Reuters) - Ride-hailing service Uber [UBER.UL] will stop operating in the Canadian province of Quebec, CBC News reported on Tuesday, deciding to pull out rather than abide by tougher rules. Uber also is battling a decision to strip the company of its London license, the latest regulatory at...

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