Latest News
Russia blocks ProtonMail and ProtonVPN
The Russian government has blocked access to Proton Technologies end-to-end encrypted email service ProtonMail as well as to the company’s VPN service ProtonVPN for failing to comply with local laws. In a press release, Russia’s telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor explained why it decided to block access to the company’s services, saying:…
Read More
Latin America Roundup: Loft raises $175M, Softbank invests in Mexico’s Alphacredit and Rappi pulls back
Brazil’s famously-tricky real estate market has long drawn international investors to the region in search of tech solutions. This time, Brazilian startup Loft brought in a $175M Series C from first-time investor in the region, Vulcan Capital (Paul Allen’s investment arm), alongside Andreessen Horowitz. Loft is also a16z’s first and…
Read More
Hulu CEO steps down as Disney moves almost everything in house
Randy Freer is stepping down from his role as Hulu CEO as Disney moves to consolidate it’s direct-to-consumer business under its own executives. Part of the decision to roll Hulu’s business operations into Disney’s direct-to-consumer division is to help “rapidly grow our presence outside the US,” according to a company…
Read More
DOJ going after telecom companies for assisting robocall scams
The Department of Justice is taking a new approach to robocalls, seeking approval to hold telecommunications companies responsible for calls on their networks instead of just going after the often-overseas criminals who actually do the dialing. The companies identified by the DOJ allowed two groups with ties to India and…
Read More
Trump to halt immigration from Africa’s top tech hub, Nigeria
The Trump administration announced Friday it would halt immigration from Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with the continent’s largest economy and leading tech hub. The restrictions would stop short of placing a full travel ban on the country of 200 million, but will suspend U.S. immigrant visas for Nigeria —…
Read More
Maxar and NASA will demonstrate orbital spacecraft assembly with a new robotic arm
NASA has awarded Maxar an estimated $142 million contract to demonstrate in-orbit spacecraft refueling and assembly of new components using a custom robotic platform in space. The space infrastructure dexterous robot, or SPIDER, program will be part of NASA’s Restore-L mission to demonstrate automation of proposed orbital tasks like reconfiguring…
Read More