Self-driving tech pioneer arrested for trade secrets theft. Anthony Levandowski, a noted star in autonomous driving both at Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo self-driving unit and later at Uber Technologies Inc., was arrested Tuesday and charged by federal authorities with 33 counts of trade-secret theft.
A new twist in Silicon Valley saga. The criminal case comes more than a year after a civil lawsuit between Alphabet and Uber was settled. Alphabet had accused Mr. Levandowski, a former leader in its autonomous vehicle program, of stealing technology and taking it to Uber. (WSJ)
'ello Beeb. The British Broadcasting System plans to release next year a digital voice assistant. The working title is "Beeb." (BBC)
Dutch regulators say Microsoft violating privacy rules. The Dutch Data Protection Agency said Tuesday that two Microsoft Corp. products, Windows Home and Windows Pro, is remotely collecting data from users. (Reuters)
While Germany probes Facebook over voice transcriptions. Hamburg’s data protection authority is investigating reports of the social media employing humans for a voice chat transcription service. (Bloomberg)
Agents find use for LinkedIn. Western intelligence officials say that Chinese agents are creating fake profiles on the workplace social network to connect with targets, including former government officials. (New York Times)
Facebook ad prices surge. An advertising spree on Facebook from Democratic presidential hopefuls is pushing up prices for other campaigns and progressive-advocacy groups. (WSJ)
CEOs can't dunk. But they now have their very own sneaker, The Startup, courtesy of K-Swiss. "These sneakers are purpose built for the hustle, the grind, the journey of building your business and brand," reads the promo copy. The Startup comes in three palettes: Vision, Risk, and Ambition.
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