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| Here's a look at today's tech briefing: - Microsoft to unbundle Teams from Office globally.
- Google agrees to delete 'incognito mode' data.
- AT&T resets customer passcodes after data leak.
- LinkedIn testing TikTok-like video feed.
- X funding former Block employee's termination lawsuit.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Microsoft announced it will no longer bundle its Teams video conferencing app with its Office software worldwide amid antitrust concerns. Teams will be sold separately in all markets after Microsoft spun off the software in Europe last August. More: - Microsoft said it's now expanding the separation of Teams from Microsoft 365 and Office 365 to global customers.
- The move — a response to European Commission feedback — will give multinational companies greater purchasing flexibility across regions, according to the company.
- Current Office subscribers can renew or upgrade their plans as usual, or opt for one of the new versions that separates out Teams.
Zoom out: - The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, launched an antitrust probe into the bunding of Teams in July.
- That probe came after a 2020 antitrust complaint from Slack, alleging that it was illegal to integrate Teams into Office and that Microsoft prevented customers from removing the chat platform
- It's uncertain if Microsoft's actions will help it avoid an antitrust fine from the EU.
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| 2 | | Google said it would delete data it collected on users while they were browsing in "incognito" mode, according to new federal court filings. Google agreed to remove the data to help settle a class-action lawsuit claiming it illegally tracked users in Chrome's incognito mode. More: - The 2020 lawsuit accuses Google of collecting users' data in the "private" browsing mode without their knowledge.
- In December, Google tentatively settled the lawsuit, the details of which were made public today in court filings.
- While the lawsuit sought at least $5B from Google, the company will not pay that amount.
- Instead, it agreed to delete billions of data records older than nine months and notify users about its data collection in incognito mode.
- Google will also disable third-party trackers by default in the mode, a change from its previous practice.
- The settlement allows users to file individual claims against the company, with 50 plaintiffs already seeking monetary damages in California.
Zoom out: - The plaintiffs claim that Google deceived customers when its cookies, analytics, and app tools continued tracking browsing activity while they thought they were doing private browsing.
- Google disputed the claims, saying that Incognito allows users to browse the internet without saving their activity, though websites can still collect information during a session.
- In January, Google updated its Chrome "incognito mode" message to clarify that sites can collect user data while browsing, contrary to what many users have believed.
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| 3 | | AT&T reset the passcodes of millions of account holders whose personal information was leaked on the dark web in a data breach. Last month's leak affected 7.6 million existing AT&T account holders and about 65.4 million former customers, according to a preliminary analysis by At&T. More: - A seller published the complete dataset on a cybercrime forum in March.
- The leak included encrypted passcodes that could compromise accounts, prompting the company to reset customers' codes today.
- In addition to the passcodes, the data may have included customers' social security and phone numbers, email addresses, full names, dates of birth, and mailing addresses.
- It didn't include personal financial information or call history.
- The company hasn't confirmed yet whether the data originated from AT&T or one of its vendors.
Zoom out: - Verizon has also had data leaks over the year, while T-Mobile reported at least eight incidents since 2018, including a 2021 breach affecting millions of customers.
- T-Mobile reached a $350M settlement to address claims that its negligence led to the exposure, making it one of the largest data breach payouts in U.S. history.
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| 4 | | LinkedIn is testing a short-form video feed similar to TikTok and Instagram Reels. The vertical feed, currently undergoing beta testing, is accessible in the LinkedIn app through a new "Video" tab. More: - For certain users, the "Video" option now appears next to the "Home" button at the bottom of LinkedIn's navigation bar.
- After tapping it, users are directed to a vertical feed of short-form videos, where they can scroll between clips.
- The videos function similarly to other LinkedIn posts, allowing users to like, comment on, or repost them.
- It's uncertain if the feature will roll out to the wider LinkedIn community.
Zoom out: - The videos could attract younger users to LinkedIn, bridging the gap with platforms like TikTok.
- As of February 2023, over 70% of U.S. TikTok users also used Instagram, while Facebook usage was around 64%. Only 41.5% reported also being on LinkedIn.
- However, U.S. officials worry that infinite scrolling on social media platforms can worsen addiction to social media apps and harm children's mental health.
- A federal lawsuit filed last year by 33 state attorneys general accuses Meta of promoting infinite scrolling as a tactic "designed to defeat children's attempts to self-regulate and disengage" from social platforms.
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| 5 | | Elon Musk's X Corp. is funding a lawsuit filed by a former employee of Block, the fintech company led by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. In her lawsuit, former worker Chloe Happe alleged that Block terminated her employment due to two personal posts she made on X, formerly Twitter. More: - Happe claims she made the posts from a "pseudonymous, satirical account" on X during her personal time, not work hours.
- In one of the posts, she alleged to be from Kurdistan and referenced refugees fleeing Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
- The other post used slurs against transgender people about a "gender-neutral restroom in the office."
- Happe claimed she "voluntarily deleted" the posts within days. She alleged Block fired her without severance for expressing views that went against the company's beliefs.
Zoom out: - X announced that it's supporting Happe's lawsuit "to vindicate her rights."
- The company also is funding actor Gina Carano's lawsuit against Walt Disney Co. and Lucasfilm following her 2021 dismissal from "The Mandalorian." Carano alleges she was wrongfully terminated after she shared conservative political views and conspiracy theories on X.
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| 6 | | Microsoft and OpenAI are reportedly working on a $100B+ data center project that would house an AI supercomputer named "Stargate." The supercomputer, made up of millions of AI chips, could come online as early as 2028, according to a report by The Information. More: - The project, expected to cost over $115B, is likely to be funded by Microsoft.
- At that cost, the project would be around 100 times more expensive than some of the largest data centers today.
- Stargate would be the largest in a series of supercomputers planned by the companies over six years.
- It would be built for OpenAI after a smaller fourth-phase supercomputer, which is expected to come online around 2026.
- Stargate's power requirements, estimated to be "at least several gigawatts," could force Microsoft and OpenAI to explore alternative energy sources like nuclear power.
- In a statement, Microsoft said it's "always planning for the next generation of infrastructure innovations needed to continue pushing the frontier of AI capability."
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is a contributing editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters. She has written for publications including USA Today, the Arizona Business Gazette, and The Arizona Republic, where she received recognition with a Pulitzer Prize nomination and a First Amendment Award for collaborative reporting on state pension cost increases. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Beth Duckett | |
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