Israeli spies found Russians using Kaspersky software for hacks: media

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli intelligence officials spying on Russian government hackers found they were using Kaspersky Lab antivirus software that is also used by 400 million people globally, including U.S. government agencies, according to media reports on Tuesday. The Israeli officials who had...

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Hot chips to make Samsung's third-quarter profit sizzle

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is expected to forecast a record third-quarter profit on Friday thanks to the strong market for memory chips, and as mobile earnings bounce back from last year’s costly withdrawal of the Note 7. The failure of the fire-prone Note 7 smartphone is now...

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U.S. signals tougher stance with tech companies on encryption

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Tuesday sharply criticized technology companies that have built strongly encrypted products, suggesting Silicon Valley is more willing to comply with foreign government demands for data than those made by their home country. While...

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Apple nears TV deal with Spielberg for 'Amazing Stories'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is finalizing a deal to make 10 new episodes of Steven Spielberg’s 1980s science fiction anthology series “Amazing Stories,” landing a premiere Hollywood talent for its plunge into original TV programming, a source with knowledge of t...

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Exclusive: Symantec CEO says source code reviews pose unacceptable risk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-based cyber firm Symantec (SYMC.O) is no longer allowing governments to review the source code of its software because of fears the agreements would compromise the security of its products, Symantec Chief Executive Greg Clark said in an interview with Reuters. Tech compan...

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Equifax says 15.2 million UK records exposed in cyber breach

(Reuters) - Credit reporting agency Equifax Inc (EFX.N) said on Tuesday that 15.2 million client records in Britain were compromised in the massive cyber attack it disclosed last month, including sensitive information affecting nearly 700,000 consumers. The U.S.-based company said 14.5 million of th...

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Apple inks content deal with Spielberg, NBCUniversal: WSJ

(Reuters) - Apple Inc has signed a content deal with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television and Comcast Corp‘s  NBCUniversal television production business, the Wall Street Journal reported. The deal involves a 10 episode reboot of "Amazing Stories," a science fiction and ho...

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Vivendi offers compensation to settle dispute with Mediaset: sources

MILAN/PARIS (Reuters) - French media group Vivendi has offered to pay compensation to Mediaset to settle a dispute with the Italian broadcaster over a soured pay-TV deal, three sources close to the matter said on Tuesday. The two companies have been at loggerheads since July last year when Vivendi, ...

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Russia turns cold on crypto-currencies

SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday crypto-currencies were risky and used for crime, as Russia’s central bank said it would block websites selling bitcoin and its rivals - a change of tone from a month-old promise to legalize the market. Central Bank First Deputy...

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Looking for an Uber? Book it through Snapchat's 'context cards'

(Reuters) - Snap Inc’s Snapchat on Tuesday introduced “context cards”, a new feature that will allow users to book an Uber ride or reserve a seat at a restaurant without leaving the messaging app. The new feature is aimed at increasing the time a user spends on the app by providing...

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Deloitte cyber attack affected up to 350 clients: Guardian

(Reuters) - A hack at global accounting firm Deloitte [DLTE.UL] disclosed in September compromised a server with emails of some 350 clients, including U.S. government agencies and large corporations, the Guardian reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources. The Guardian said clients who had material...

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Qualcomm offers to buy NXP minus some patents to allay EU concerns: sources

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. smartphone chipmaker Qualcomm (QCOM.O) has offered to buy NXP Semiconductors (NXPI.O) without some of its patents in a bid to win EU antitrust regulatory approval for the $38 billion deal, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The NXP deal, the biggest-ever i...

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U.S. top court asks Justice Department for views in Apple antitrust case

WASHINGTON(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Trump administration for its views on whether to hear Apple Inc’s (AAPL.O) bid to avoid a class-action lawsuit accusing the tech giant of inflating consumer prices by charging illegally high commissions on iPhone software sales ...

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JPMorgan, Temasek lead $100 million investment in payments company Bill.com

NEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co and Temasek Holdings [TEM.UL] have led a $100 million investment in Bill.com, a Palo Alto, California-based company that helps business digitize their payments. The round, which included participation from existing investors, will be used by the company t...

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Uber says UK National Insurance contributions would cost tens of millions of pounds

LONDON (Reuters) - Uber said on Tuesday that paying National Insurance contributions for its British drivers would add tens of millions of pounds to the taxi app’s costs were they to be deemed employees. Uber currently classifies its around 50,000 drivers in Britain as self-employed, affording...

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Uber says giving UK drivers worker rights would cost tens of millions of pounds

LONDON (Reuters) - Uber said on Tuesday that treating its British drivers as workers, entitling them to rights such as the minimum wage and holiday pay, would add tens of millions of pounds to the taxi app’s costs. Uber currently classifies its around 50,000 drivers in Britain as self-employed...

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Netflix fends off criticism over Canada investment

(Reuters) - Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) said on Tuesday it had received formal approval to set up a C$500 million production unit in Canada and sought to quell talk it had sought special tax benefits for investing in its first such unit outside the United States. The maker of Emmy winning shows like The Cr...

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NVIDIA unveils next-generation chip for fully autonomous cars

LONDON (Reuters) - Silicon Valley graphics chipmaker NVIDIA unveiled on Tuesday the first computer chips for developing fully autonomous vehicles and said it had more than 25 customers working to build a new class of driverless cars, robotaxis and long-haul trucks. Deutsche Post DHL Group, the world...

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Panasonic expects autonomous driving system launch in 2022

TOKYO (Reuters) - Panasonic Corp’s autonomous driving system is expected to be launched in commercial vehicles as early as in 2022, in a move that will likely help the Japanese company narrow its gap with rival suppliers in a highly competitive market. Panasonic, the exclusive battery cell sup...

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Japan launches fourth satellite for high-precision GPS

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan on Tuesday launched a fourth satellite for a new high-precision global positioning system (GPS) it hopes will encourage new businesses and help spur economic growth. The fourth Michibiki satellite lifted off from Japan’s southern Tanegashima space port aboard an H-2A ro...

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Russian central bank to ban websites offering crypto-currencies

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will block access to websites of exchanges that offer crypto-currencies such as Bitcoin, Russian Central Bank First Deputy Governor Sergei Shvetsov said on Tuesday. He called them “dubious”. Russian financial authorities initially treated any sort of money issue...

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Nokia plans to cut up to 310 jobs, halt VR camera development

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia plans to reduce up to 310 jobs from its Nokia Technologies unit and halt development of its virtual reality camera “OZO” and hardware, the Finnish company said on Tuesday. The unit has about 1,090 employees and the potential cuts are expected to affect staff in...

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Takeway.com to increase commission rates from Jan 1

(Reuters) - Dutch meal delivery firm Takeaway.com said it would increase its commission rates from Jan. 1 and that it expects this to have a 5 percent positive effect on its revenue growth.

Starbucks' Schultz still not running for president, launches series on Amazon

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp Chairman Howard Schultz on Tuesday will debut the second season of the coffee chain's inspirational video series "Upstanders" on Amazon Prime, and the outspoken executive said he would not run for president, despite persistent speculation.

Samsung Electronics shares jump on expected record third-quarter memory chip profit

SEOUL (Reuters) - Shares in Samsung Electronics Co Ltd rose 4.5 percent after the market opened in Seoul on Tuesday, as analysts expected the tech giant to announce record profits in memory chips for the July-September quarter. Samsung shares marked their biggest intraday percentage gain since Octob...

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UK tech firm Micro Focus to curb code reviews by 'high risk' governments

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - British tech firm Micro Focus International Plc (MCRO.L), the new owner of ArcSight security software, said it would restrict reviews of the core operating instructions in its products by “high-risk” governments, after Reuters reported that the application had been...

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Google uncovered Russia-backed ads on YouTube, Gmail : source

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Google has discovered Russian operatives spent tens of thousands of dollars on ads on its YouTube, Gmail and Google Search products in an effort to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, a person briefed on the company’s probe told Reuters on Monday. The ads do n...

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U.S. governors, hackers, academics team up to secure elections

(Reuters) - Ethical hackers will team up with U.S. governors, academics and others to help prevent election results from being hacked, according to a person familiar with the plan. The coalition’s members include organizers of the Def Con hacking conference, the National Governors Association,...

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Credit monitor TransUnion hires new Washington lobbyists

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Credit monitoring firm TransUnion added to its lobbying roster in Washington in early October after news of a hack at its competitor Equifax brought more government scrutiny to the industry. TransUnion, which already had three lobbying shops under contract, added CGCN Group, a...

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Apple praises French iPhone work before talking tax with Macron

PARIS (Reuters) - Apple (AAPL.O) boss Tim Cook went out of his way on Monday to single out a small French firm behind innovative features in the latest iPhones ahead of meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, who has called for a tougher line on technology company taxes. The Apple chief executive pa...

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