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• Tesla was the electric-vehicle sales leader in the US by a wide margin during the first half of 2019, according to estimates from the electric-vehicle website InsideEVs.
• It sold around 83,875 vehicles in the US between January and June, InsideEVs estimated, over 10 times the number of vehicles sold by General Motors, which came in second in the rankings.
• Tesla's best-selling vehicle, the Model 3 electric luxury sedan, outsold every other vehicle by staggering degree, at least 750%, according to InsideEVs.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Tesla was the electric-vehicle sales leader in the US by a wide margin during the first half of 2019, according to estimates from the electric-vehicle website InsideEVs.

It sold around 83,875 vehicles in the US between January and June, InsideEVs estimated, over 10 times the number of vehicles sold by General Motors, which came in second in the rankings. While Tesla sells three fully-electric models, more than most other automakers, Tesla's best-selling vehicle, the Model 3 luxury sedan, outsold every other vehicle by at least 750%, according to InsideEVs.

Read more: MotorTrend named Tesla's 2013 Model S its 'ultimate' car of the year among the vehicles that have won the honor in the past 7 decades

But electric vehicles account for just 1% of the US automotive market and remain unprofitable for Tesla and many of its rivals, which means traditional automakers may not yet be motivated to sell them in large numbers.

These are the 10 best-selling electric vehicles in the US during the first half of this year, according to InsideEVs. The website's estimates are based on factors like vehicle identification numbers and automaker sales data, though some are based more heavily on the judgement of InsideEVs' staff.

SEE ALSO: 40 electric cars you'll see on the road by 2025

10. Smart EQ fortwo

2019 US sales through June: 496

 

9. Jaguar I-Pace

2019 US sales through June: 1,309

8. Audi e-tron

2019 US sales through June: 1,835

7. Volkswagen e-Golf

2019 US sales through June: 1,893

6. BMW i3

2019 US sales through June: 2,207

5. Nissan Leaf

2019 US sales through June: 6,008

4. Tesla Model S

2019 US sales through June: 7,225

3. Chevrolet Bolt EV

2019 US sales through June: 8,281

2. Tesla Model X

2019 US sales through June: 9,000

1. Tesla Model 3

2019 US sales through June: 67,650

Have you worked for Tesla? Do you have a story to share? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.

At 10 million daily users, Slack is a vendor-neutral tool that makes integrations simple and vendor lock-in less of a concern.

The T-Mobile and Sprint merger was reportedly supposed to be a done deal weeks ago after much of their total spectrum assets were set to be allocated to Dish to spur the creation of another major carrier. But according to The Wall Street Journal, talks have slowed, and it’s unclear when the two parties will come to an agreement.

T-Mobile and Sprint announced their $26 billion merger over a year ago, and the Journal reports that it will once again push past another deadline, July 29th, before closing the deal. This will be the second such extension since the initial announcement that has struggled to receive approval from the Justice Department.

As early as May, all Republican commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission had...

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Teams, Microsoft’s two-year-old Slack competitor, is the company’s fastest-growing application in its history. That’s something Microsoft has said in the past, but for the first time, Microsoft today also announced actual user numbers for the service ahead of its Inspire partner conference next week. Teams now has 13 million active daily users, Microsoft said, and 19 million weekly active users. Microsoft also today said that Teams is now in use by 91 of the Fortune 100 companies.

The company isn’t afraid of putting those numbers up against Slack, which IPOed only a few weeks ago. Jared Spataro, Microsoft Corporate VP for Microsoft 365, doesn’t mention Slack by name in his blog post, but the company put together a little graphic that clearly shows why it is now willing to share these numbers.

The last official number from Slack is that it had 10 million daily active users in January. Without update numbers from Slack, it’s hard to say if Teams now has more users, but unless Slack’s growth accelerated in recent months, that’s probably the case.

In addition to disclosing these numbers, Microsoft also announced a number of updates to Teams that range from features like priority notifications, which take the annoyance of chat notifications to a new level by pinging you every two minutes until you respond, to read receipts, new moderation and cross-posting options for Teams channels and a time clock feature that lets employees clock in and out of work shifts right from the Teams mobile apps.

Because Inspire is an event for Microsoft partners, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Microsoft is also launching a few new Teams features that involve its resellers and other partners. These include the ability to integrate teams with compliance recording partners like ASC, NICE and Verint Verba, as well as a contact center solution in partnership with Five9, Nice InContact and others. The most important of these announcements, though, is surely the fact that Microsoft is launching a new partner-led Teams trial (PDF) that will enable Microsoft 365 partners to offer a free six-month trial of Teams to customers on the Exchange-only or Office 365 Business plan. This will surely bolster Microsoft’s user numbers for Teams in the coming months, too.

President Donald Trump took some time out of his evening to tweet about cryptocurrencies today, announcing to the world that he is “not a fan” of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies because their “value is highly volatile and based on thin air.”

In a series of tweets, Trump expanded on his thoughts on crypto, saying Facebook’s newly announced Libra virtual currency “will have little standing or dependability,” and that the company should seek a banking charter and be regulated like any other traditional financial institution. Incidentally, that puts Trump on the side of House Democrats, a group of which last week officially asked Facebook to put its Libra plans on hold so it can be properly investigated for risks to the global financial...

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Individual fines are determined by multiple factors, but the clearest criteria is the type of infringement: Was it intentional or negligent?

"GDPR is designed to protect consumers and their data," said Tim Erlin, VP of product management and strategy at Tripwire. "The type of company holding that data is irrelevant."

The Apple Watch Walkie-Talkie app has been disabled after Apple found a vulnerability that could let people listen in on other iPhones, the company tells TechCrunch. Apple isn’t aware of the vulnerability having been used, and hasn’t provided any details of how it works beyond saying that “specific conditions and sequences of events are required to exploit it.”

Here’s Apple’s statement to TechCrunch:

We were just made aware of a vulnerability related to the Walkie-Talkie app on the Apple Watch and have disabled the function as we quickly fix the issue. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and will restore the functionality as soon as possible. Although we are not aware of any use of the vulnerability against a customer and...

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• Apple has temporarily shut down the Walkie Talkie app on Apple Watches after finding a bug which would allow someone to eavesdrop on another person via their iPhone.
• Apple gave little detail about the nature of the vulnerability, but said it had found no evidence the flaw was exploited by anyone prior to its discovery.
• Earlier this year, an embarrassing bug was found in Apple's FaceTime video chat app which allowed people to listen in on others before they'd even picked up a call.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Apple has had to shut down its Apple Watch Walkie Talkie app while it patches up a bug that could enable someone to eavesdrop on users via their iPhones.

The Walkie Talkie app allows two people with Apple watches to add each other, then enter a voice chat via a touch-and-hold system.

Apple gave little detail about the nature of the app's bug, but said it could "allow someone to listen through another customer's iPhone without consent."

Read more: A flaw in video conferencing tool Zoom is leaving Apple Mac users' webcams vulnerable to being hijacked

Apple told TechCrunch on Thursday that it had taken down the app after being alerted to the security flaw via its "report a vulnerability" portal.

The company said it had found no evidence that the vulnerability had been exploited, and apologized for the inconvenience to customers. When contacted by Business Insider for further details, Apple referred us to the statement given to TechCrunch.

Here is Apple's statement in full:

"We were just made aware of a vulnerability related to the Walkie Talkie app on the Apple Watch and have disabled the function as we quickly fix the issue. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and will restore the functionality as soon as possible.

"Although we are not aware of any use of the vulnerability against a customer and specific conditions and sequences of events are required to exploit it, we take the security and privacy of our customers extremely seriously.

"We concluded that disabling the app was the right course of action as this bug could allow someone to listen through another customer's iPhone without consent. We apologize again for this issue and the inconvenience."

It comes three days after a researcher revealed a vulnerability on video-conferencing service Zoom's Mac app, which left users vulnerable to having their webcams remotely activated.

Zoom said it began rolling out a patch the next day, but Apple also quietly pushed out an update, removing hidden web servers placed on users' devices by Zoom which were at the root of the flaw.

Earlier this year, a flaw in Apple's FaceTime video chat app was found, which would allow people to listen in on people before picking up a call.

SEE ALSO: An insider reveals how the nasty spyware used in the WhatsApp breach lets governments secretly access everything in your smartphone, from text messages to the microphone and cameras

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch SpaceX's 'most difficult launch ever'

France has passed a controversial tax on “digital services” that will hit American tech giants, as the United States says it will investigate the plan.

Under the bill, just passed by the French Senate, tech companies with more than €750 million in global revenue and €25 million in French revenue will be required to pay a 3 percent tax on total annual revenue generated by providing services to French users. The move will affect major players like Google, Facebook, and Amazon, and was made as plans for EU-wide tax changes seemed to stall.

Even before the bill was passed, the United States said it was launching an investigation into the legislation. In a statement on Wednesday, the...

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Microsoft is planning to make Windows 10 PCs work without passwords. While the company has been working on removing passwords from Windows 10 and its Microsoft Accounts for a number of months now, the next major update to Windows 10 next year will go one step further. You’ll soon be able to enable a passwordless sign-in for Microsoft accounts on a Windows 10 device. This means PCs will use Windows Hello face authentication, fingerprints, or a PIN code. The password option will simply disappear from the login screen, if you decide to opt-in to this new “make your device passwordless” feature.

So why does Microsoft want people to stop using passwords to log into Windows 10 PCs? It’s really simple: passwords suck. People love to reuse them...

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Unlike rival Verizon Wireless, AT&T isn’t ready to share its plans for the next generation of wireless technology, called 5G, in Denver just yet. But the company has revealed $400 million in investments made to its existing network across the metro area.

“Our investment in Denver is another example of how AT&T is investing in local communities to help keep customers connected when and where they need it most,” Roberta Robinette, president, AT&T-Colorado, said in a news release.

The improvements, which took place between 2016 and 2018, included things like deploying an antenna system to improve coverage at the new Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center; upgrading antenna systems at sports venues, including Coors Field; building new cell sites to better serve the Denver Botanic Gardens and the area around 6th Avenue and Sable Boulevard in Aurora; and improving the FirstNet platform used by first responders.

RELATED: 5G is coming to Denver, and it’s not just for smartphones: It could mean super-fast internet at home, too

The company said it made 385 wireless network upgrades across metro Denver last year and claims it now has the fastest LTE wireless network in metro Denver, based on testing done earlier this year by Speedtest.

A different test in June from PC Magazine across 15 locations in the metro area, however, still gave Verizon bragging rights to the fastest 4G network in metro Denver. AT&T did lead Verizon on upload speeds and barely edged it out on network reliability.

5G will significantly boost speeds and allow for multiple devices in a small area to connect to the cellular network, although it will only be available in limited areas at first. Some of the upgrades that AT&T made will support its 5G Evolution and LTE-LATT technologies, the company said.

AT&T also said it has made another $250 million in investments elsewhere in the state the past three years beyond those made in metro Denver.

• While electric vehicles aren't posting big sales numbers yet, auto companies are making significant investments in them.
• Both new and traditional car manufacturers plan to release electric vehicles in the coming years.
• Some of the vehicles have specs and tech features that exceed most gas-powered cars.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

While electric vehicles still represent a very small percentage of global car sales, automotive companies have made significant investments in them. As governments move to increase emissions standards, even traditional manufacturers anticipate electric vehicles playing a big role in the near future.

These are 40 electric cars you can expect to see by 2025:

SEE ALSO: I drove a $90,000 Jaguar F-PACE SVR to see if it's the best value in high-performance SUVs — here's the verdict

1. Porsche Taycan

Porsche will release the Taycan at the end of 2019.

Porsche says it will have over 310 miles of range.

Porsche has said the Taycan will have a range of over 310 miles per charge, over 600 horsepower, and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds. 

2. Volkswagen ID Buzz

Volkswagen is revamping its iconic minibus with the I.D. Buzz, which will hit dealerships in 2022.

The van will have a customizable interior.

It will feature seats that can move and rotate on tracks in the floor, allowing owners to set up the interior for a variety of purposes.

3. Volkswagen ID Crozz

Volkswagen will release its I.D. crossover SUV in 2020.

Volkswagen says the vehicle will have a range of up to 300 miles.

The ID Crozz will have two motors, 302 horsepower, and the ability to drive up to 300 miles per charge, Volkswagen has said.

4. Volkswagen ID.3

Volkswagen will start delivering a special edition of the ID.3 to European customers in mid-2020.

Volkswagen says the ID.3 will have a range of between around 205 and 310 miles, depending on the trim.

The entry-level version of the ID.3 will cost less than $34,000. The vehicle will be able to travel between around 205 and 310 miles per charge, depending on the trim, according to Volkswagen.

5. Jaguar I-Pace

Jaguar released its first fully-electric vehicle, the I-Pace, in 2018.

The I-Pace was named the best car of 2019 by the World Car Awards.

The I-Pace has a range fo 234 miles and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds.

6. 2019 Nissan Leaf Plus

Nissan released a new version of the Leaf this year.

The 2019 Leaf Plus has a 226-mile range.

The 2019 Leaf Plus comes with over 50% more range than the standard trim.

7. Aston Martin Rapide E

Aston Martin will make only 155 Rapide E sedans.

Production for the Rapide E will begin at the end of 2019.

The Rapide E will deliver 604 horsepower, 700 pound-feet of torque, and have the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in under four seconds. It will have over 200 miles of range, according to Aston Martin.

8. Tesla Model Y

Tesla will start producing the Model Y near the end of 2020.

The Model Y will have up to 300 miles of range, Tesla says.

The Model Y will have between 230-300 miles of range, depending on the trim, Tesla says, as well as the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in as little as 3.5 seconds.

9. Tesla pickup truck

Musk has said Tesla will release a pickup truck after the Model Y.

Musk has said the pickup truck will start at under $50,000.

Musk has said that Tesla's pickup truck will start at under $50,000 and outperform a Ford F-150. He's also said the truck's standard features will include "crazy" torque, two motors, all-wheel-drive, and a suspension that is able to adjust to the load the vehicle is hauling. 

 

10. Audi e-tron

Audi started delivering the e-tron in May.

The e-tron has a range of 204 miles.

The e-tron has a 204-mile range, up to 402 horsepower, and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds.

11. Mercedez-Benz EQC

Mercedes-Benz will start delivering its EQC SUV to US customers next year.

Mercedes-Benz says the EQC will have over 275 miles of range.

The EQC will have over 275 miles of range, 408 horsepower and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in around 5 seconds, according to Mercedes-Benz.

12. Mercedes-Benz EQA

In addition to the EQC, Mercedes-Benz has shown a concept for a compact electric car, called the EQA. 

The EQA concept has a little under 250 miles of range.

The concept has aro udn 250 miles of range, two motors, all-wheel-drive, and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in around 5 seconds.

While Mercedes-Benz has not indicated when a production version of the EQA will arrive, the company has said it plans to invest $11 billion in electric vehicles by 2022, which suggests a production EQA could be on the horizon

13. Mercedes-Benz EQS

Michael Kelz, a Mercedes-Benz chief engineer, told Autocar in 2018 that Mercedes-Benz will make an electric sedan under the EQ brand.

The EQS will not be based on the S-Class.

Kelz said the EQS will not be a variant of the S-Class, which is pictured above. He also said the EQS could arrive as soon as 2020, but will be available no later than 2022.

14. Tesla Roadster

Tesla revealed its new Roadster in November 2017. The company said the car will be available in 2020.

The car will be incredibly fast, Tesla says.

Tesla said the base version of the vehicle will be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, reach a top speed of 250 mph, and drive 620 miles per charge. Elon Musk said a premium version with a SpaceX upgrade package will include around 10 small rocket thrusters that will improve the vehicle's acceleration, maximum speed, braking, and handling.

15. 2019 Chevy Bolt EV

General Motors surprised many in 2015 by releasing an affordable electric vehicle, the Chevy Bolt, before Tesla. 

The 2019 Bolt starts at $37,495.

The 2019 Chevrolet Bolt has 238 miles of range, 200 horsepower, and the ability to accelerate form 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds. It starts at $37,495.

16. Mini Cooper SE

BMW will start producing an electric version of the Mini in November.

The Mini Cooper SE will have 146 to 167 miles of range, BMW says.

The Mini Cooper SE will have 146 to 167 miles of range, 184 horsepower, and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in around 7.3 seconds, according to BMW.

17. Polestar 2

Polestar will begin production of its first fully-electric vehicle, the Polestar 2, early next year.

The Polestar 2 will have around 310 miles of range, Polestar says.

The Polestar 2 will start around $63,000 in the US. The vehicle will have around 310 miles of range, 408 horsepower, 487 pound-feed of torque, and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in under five seconds, according to Polestar.

18. Volvo XC40 EV

Volvo told Automotive News Europe in March that it would unveil an electric version of its XC40 SUV before the end of this year.

Volvo hasn't released any details about the electric XC40 yet.

Volvo has said it wants half of its sales to come from electric vehicles by 2025.

19. Fisker SUV

Fisker says it will release an SUV in 2021.

The SUV could have a 300-mile range.

The SUV could have a range of 300 miles and will start at $40,000, Fisker says.

20. Fisker EMotion

Fisker plans to release the EMotion electric sedan after it releases an electric SUV in 2021. The release date for the EMotion is unclear, Fisker said in May.

The company says the car will have impressive specs.

The EMotion will be able to travel more than 500 miles per charge due its use of solid-state batteries, which have the potential to increase range and safety for electric vehicles.

21. Faraday Future FF 91

Faraday Future once planned to start delivering the FF 91 in 2019, but the electric-vehicle startup has had serious financial difficulties and did not mention a prospective release date for the FF 91 in its most recent press release.

The company has said the vehicle will be incredibly powerful.

Faraday Future has said the FF91 will have 3 motors, 1050 horsepower, and a 0-60 mph time of 2.39 seconds.

22. Toyota and Subaru's electric SUV

Toyota and Subaru announced in June that they will jointly develop an electric SUV that each automaker will sell separately.

The companies have not announced a release date for the vehicle.

Toyota and Subaru will create a new electric-vehicle platform for the SUV.

23. BMW iX3

BMW will release its iX3 electric SUV next year.

BMW says the iX3 will have over 249 miles of range.

BMW says the iX3 will have a range of over 249 miles per charge and a motor that can produce over 270 horsepower.

24. GM/Cruise AV

General Motors announced an electric, self-driving vehicle from its Cruise division in 2018. The company had planned to release it as part of an autonomous ride-hailing service in 2019, but recent reports have indicated that Cruise, the autonomous-driving startup that GM bought in 2016, has struggled to refine its technology.

The vehicle will represent a big step forward for GM.

The self-driving car will have no pedals or steering wheel, and customers will be able to request rides in them with their phones.

25. Byton M-Byte

Chinese startup Byton will start delivering its M-Byte SUV this year in China and next year in the US.

The M-Byte has a unique interior.

In place of a traditional dashboard, the concept version of the M-Byte — which Byton CEO Daniel Kirchert said represents around 80% of the production version — has a 49-inch touchscreen, as well as touchscreens on the steering wheel and the backs of the front seats. The M-Byte concept also has individually-adjustable seats, gesture control features, and onboard Wi-Fi.

26. Byton K-Byte

Byton will bring its K-Byte electric sedan to market in 2021.

Byton prioritizes interior features over performance specs.

Kirchert said performance metrics are secondary to interior features like cabin space, touchscreens, and adjustable seats, and their ability to make a ride more comfortable. He also said the K-Byte will have between 250-325 miles of range, depending on the trim.

27. Hyundai Kona Electric

Hyundai relased its Kona Electric crossover SUV this year, though the vehicle is not available in every state. It's available in California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The Kona Electric has 258 miles of range.

The Kona Electric has a 258-mile range and starts at $36,950. The vehicle has 201 horsepower and 291 pound-feet of torque.

28. Ford electric crossover

Ford has said it will release an all-electric crossover inspired by the Mustang in 2020.

The crossover doesn't have a name yet, but the company says it will have a 300-mile range.

Ford has said the vehicle will have a 300-mile range and an entry-level price under $40,000.

29. Seres SF5

The electric-vehicle startup Seres is developing the SF5 electric SUV.

The SF5 will have 310 miles of range, Seres says.

The SF5 will have 310 miles of range, a top speed of 155 mph, and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds, according to Seres.

30. Seres SF7

Seres is also developing the SF7 crossover SUV.

Seres says the SF7 will have 300 miles of range.

The SF7 will have a 100 kWh battery and a 300-mile range, Seres says.

31. Rimac C_Two

Rimac will start production on an all-electric supercar, the C_TWO, in 2020.

The C_Two has breathtaking specs.

The C_Two will have 1,914 horsepower, a 403-mile range, a top speed of 258 mph, and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 1.85 seconds.

32. Rivian R1T

Rivian plans to start delivering its R1T pickup truck late next year.

Rivian has said the vehicle will have a range of up to 400 miles or more.

In addition to a planned range of up to 400 miles or more, Rivian has said the R1T will have four motors and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in three seconds.

33. Rivian R1S

Rivian also plans to release an SUV, the R1S, late next year.

Rivian says the R1S and R1T will have similar specs.

As with the R1T, Rivian has said the R1S will have a range of up to 400 miles or more, four motors, and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in three seconds.

34. Kia Niro EV

Kia released the Niro EV electric SUV this year, though the vehicle is only available in California and other states that follow its regulations for vehicle emissions.

The Niro EV has a range of 239 miles.

The Niro EV starts at $38,500 and has a 239-mile range, 201 horsepower, 291 pound-feet of torque, and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in around 7.8 seconds.

35. Ford F-150

Ford has said it is planning on making a fully-electric version of its F-150 pickup truck.

Ford is also making a hybrid version of the F-150.

Ford has not disclosed a release date for the fully-electric F-150.

36. Cadillac electric crossover

Cadillac unveiled a concept for an electric crossover SUV in January.

The vehicle will be built on a new electric-vehicle platform.

Cadillac has not disclosed a release date or specs for the vehicle.

37. Porsche Macan

Porsche said in February that the next generation of its Macan SUV will be electric.

Porsche has not given a release date for the electric Macan.

Porsche plans to invest over $6.75 billion in electric mobility by 2022.

38. BMW i4

BMW will release the i4 sedan in 2021.

The i4 will have a range of over 372 miles, according to BMW.

BMW says the i4 will have a range over 372 miles and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in around four seconds.

39. BMW iNext

BMW plans to release the iNext SUV in 2021.

The iNext will also have a range of over 372 miles, according to BMW.

BMW has suggested that the iNext may have Level 3 autonomous-driving technology, which would allow the vehicle to drive itself in some situations while requiring the driver to be ready to take over if needed.

40. Audi e-tron GT

Audi will begin deliveries of the e-tron GT sedan in 2021.

The concept version of the e-tron GT has a range of 248 miles.

The concept version of the vehicle has 248-mile range, 590 horsepower, and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in around 3.5 seconds.

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

After all of the drama over Zoom’s use of a hidden web server on Macs, Apple itself has decided to step in, TechCrunch reports. It is issuing a silent update — meaning your Mac will get it without any interaction on your part — to remove the web server, which was designed to save Safari users an extra click, from any Mac that has Zoom’s software installed.

Although Zoom itself issued an emergency patch yesterday to remove that web server, apparently Apple is concerned that enough users won’t update or are unaware of the controversy in the first place that it’s issuing its own patch. It makes perfect sense not only because many users may not open Zoom for some time, but also because many of them had uninstalled the app. Before Zoom’s...

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• A new report from The Wall Street Journal found more companies worth $10 billion or more have gone public in the first half of 2019 than any other time since the height of the 2000 tech bubble.
• Already in 2019, six "decacorns," or private venture-backed companies with valuations surpassing $10 billion, have made their public market debuts. 
• In 2000, several decacorns also went public, including the infamous online retailer Pets.com, just months before the dot-com bubble infamously burst.
• Here are all the decacorns-gone-public of 2000, and how they compare to this year's crop.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Silicon Valley's bubble may not be ready to burst — but if history is any indication, it may very well have started deflating.

According to a new report in The Wall Street Journal, more private venture-backed companies valued at $10 billion or more, dubbed "decacorns," have gone public in the first half of 2019 than any other time since the height of the great dot-com bubble in 2000. 

Companies like Lyft, Uber, Pinterest, Zoom, CrowdStrike, and Chewy have already raised billions in respective IPOs over the last six months. For comparison, 2000 saw more than 75 blockbuster IPOs in the same time period.

Read More: POWER PLAYERS: Meet the 9 executives helping Silicon Valley's biggest corporate venture capital funds pump billions into tech startups

Of course, history doesn't always repeat itself — it doesn't necessarily follow that just because the great IPO rush of 2000 presaged the end of a bubble, we'll see a similar trend play out in 2019. Still, it's hard to avoid a feeling of deja vu: In 2000, we had Pets.com, the ill-fated online pet store; in 2019, we have Chewy.

So we looked back at the decacorns of 2000 to see how today's tech giants stack up.

SEE ALSO: This Brazilian immigrant CEO thinks that Silicon Valley investors need to do more to help customers outside America, even if their income is lower

In 2000, right before the dot-com bubble popped, pricey startups were going public at eye-popping valuations. Here’s a look at the companies with a $10 billion valuation or higher who went public that year.

Embarcadero Technologies

According to a Forbes report, enterprise software company Embarcadero Technologies was one of the few profitable companies to go public in 2000, and raised $42 million in its public debut. Pitchbook data indicates, the company was acquired by Thoma Bravo for $118.17 million in 2007 and taken private. Thoma Bravo sold the company to cloud software company Idera in 2015 for an undisclosed amount.

Pets.com

The online pet store Pets.com is commonly referred to as the poster child for the 2000 tech bubble and subsequent bust. The buzzy company was featured on morning talk shows and took out pricey Super Bowl ads before raising $82 million in its public offering. Just 268 days later, the startup filed for bankruptcy, citing that it had miscalculated shipping costs.

eFunds

The payments software provider raised more than $71 million in its June 2000 IPO, according to Pitchbook data. In 2007, the company was purchased by investments management giant Fidelity for $1.8 billion.

Sonus Networks

The network security company was one of the hottest IPOs of 2000, and was trading up more than 600% by August 2000 from its opening price of $23 per share. Fourteen years later, the company was purchased for just $2 million by surveillance hardware company Sunhillo and folded into its new parent company, according to Pitchbook data.

WebMethods

Enterprise software maker WebMethods was valued at $6.6 billion following its February 2000 IPO which raised more than $147 million, according to Pitchbook. The company wasn't profitable when it went public, and was scooped up in 2007 by German tech giant Software AG for $546 million.

Fast forward to today, and history may be repeating itself, as six startups worth $10 billion or more hit the public markets in the first half of 2019.

Lyft

Ride-hailing app Lyft went public in March just a few months ahead of competitor Uber but performed poorly during its first months of trading. As of Tuesday, Lyft shares were trading at $60.93, down from its IPO price of $72.

Pinterest

Pinterest was one of the few decacorns that priced its public offering cautiously and ended up with a public valuation below its last private round of funding. The $19 share price set the visual search site's valuation right at $10 billion. On Tuesday, shares were trading above its opening price at $26.72.

Zoom

Video conferencing software maker Zoom seems to be the sleeper hit of 2019's IPO boom, with shares currently trading more than $50 above its $36 opening share price. According to The Wall Street Journal, enterprise companies like Zoom may have piqued investor interest where consumer startups have struggled because there is an inherent path to profitability.

Uber

Popular ride-sharing app Uber went public in May under the leadership of CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over for founder Travis Kalanick in 2017 after a series of leadership missteps and scandals. Kalanick was present on the trading floor for Uber's public debut in May that opened at $45 a share. On Tuesday, shares were trading at $43.65.

CrowdStrike

Cybersecurity startup CrowdStrike had yet to turn a profit before it raised more than $600 million in its June IPO. The startup was privately valued at $3.4 billion and included backers from some of Silicon Valley's biggest investors, such as Accel of Slack and Facebook fame, and Google's venture arm, CapitalG.

Chewy

Perhaps the best comparison to the old guard of unprofitable public tech companies, Chewy is an online store for pet products. Sound familiar? But unlike its predecessor Pets.com, Chewy is still going strong in the public markets after raising more than $1 billion in its debut in June.

Video conferencing provider Zoom has pushed out an emergency patch to address the zero-day vulnerability for Mac users that could potentially expose a live webcam feed to an attacker, launching you into a Zoom video chat you’d never intended to launch. The move is a surprise reversal of Zoom’s previous stance, in which the company treated the vulnerability as “low risk” and defended its use of a local web server that incidentally exposed Zoom users to potential attacks.

The fix, detailed in the latest update to Zoom’s blog post on the vulnerability, will now “remove the local web server entirely, once the Zoom client has been updated,” to take away the ability for a malicious third party to automatically activate webcams using a Zoom...

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A few short months after Samsung released the Galaxy Tab S5E, leaked images suggest that it’s preparing to launch a successor, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6. According to SamMobile, the tablet will include a new S Pen that can wirelessly charge from the tablet while it’s magnetically attached to it. However, unlike the iPad Pro, which uses a similar trick to charge a side-mounted Apple Pencil, it looks like the S Pen will attach to the rear of Samsung’s tablet.

91Mobiles claims that the Tab S6 will be the first tablet to feature an in-display fingerprint sensor. We thought Samsung’s first attempt at an under-display fingerprint wasn’t great when it debuted on the Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus earlier this year, so hopefully the technology has been...

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• Even the most successful companies in the world have the occasional flop.
• As Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos once said, "Amazon will be experimenting at the right scale for a company of our size if we occasionally have multibillion-dollar failures."
• We put together 33 of the world's biggest flops, from Nintendo's Virtual Boy to Google Glass.

Launching a product is tough.

"Less than 3% of new consumer packaged goods exceed first-year sales of $50 million — considered the benchmark of a highly successful launch," say Joan Schneider and Julie Hall, co-authors of "The New Launch Plan."

That's part of the reason that the most heavy-hitting names in business — from Nintendo to Netflix, Microsoft to McDonald's — have had some of the biggest belly flops. 

Here's a look at 32 of those flops, and what we can learn from them. 

Aimee Groth, Jay Yarow, and Drake Baer contributed reporting to this story.

Lawmakers pressed officials on the federal government’s use of facial recognition today, as activists push for an outright ban on the technology.

The issue came under renewed scrutiny this week after a report on how Immigration and Customers Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are using the technology in investigations. “Americans don’t expect — and certainly don’t consent — to be surveilled just because they get a license or ID card,” Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said in a tweet soon after the report was released. “This has to stop.”

Ahead of the hearing this week, a coalition of civil rights advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union and...

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The Link Bar, JBL’s $400 soundbar / smart speaker / Android TV set-top box hybrid, is finally available to buy, a year after it was originally supposed to release. Android Police reports that the soundbar is listed as “ready to ship” from JBL’s US store, while on the other side of the Atlantic JBL’s UK store says the soundbar should be in stock on July 18th.

JBL’s Android-powered soundbar has been a long time coming. It was originally announced back at Google I/O last year, when Google announced a summer release date for the device, billing it as the “first in a series of hybrid devices that delivers a full Assistant speaker and Android TV experience.” However, its planned summer release date came and went without any official word from...

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• The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) plans to fine hotel giant Marriott International £99 million (about $123 million) for a data breach that exposed the sensitive data of 339 million guests.  
• The breach occurred in 2014 in hotel company Starwood's database. Marriott inherited the undetected breach when it bought Starwood in 2016. Marriott discovered the breach in November 2018. 
• The Information Commissioner's Office stated that Marriott did not conduct sufficient due diligence when it bought Starwood.
• Marriott intends to defend its position against the fine.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) announced on Tuesday that it intends to fine hotel giant Marriott International £99 million (about $123 million) for a data breach that exposed the sensitive data of 339 million guests.  

The ICO said that Marriott had "failed to undertake sufficient due diligence when it bought Starwood and should also have done more to secure its systems" in its investigation of the breach. The ICO's intention to fine Marriott is based on "infringements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)."

The incident occurred in 2014 when hotel company Starwood's database was breached. Marriott bought Starwood in 2016 and inherited the breach that went undetected until November 2018.

The breach exposed sensitive guest data, including combinations of names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, passport numbers, Starwood Preferred Guest account information, date of births, genders, arrival and departure information, reservation dates, and communication preferences. Some encrypted payment card numbers and expiration dates were also exposed, but the company didn't confirm whether that payment information was safe due to its encryption in its initial statement in November. 

Marriott International said that "the company intends to respond and vigorously defend its position," and that it "has the right to respond before any final determination is made and a fine can be issued by the ICO."

"We are disappointed with this notice of intent from the ICO, which we will contest," Marriott International's president and CEO, Arne Sorenson, said in a statement. "Marriott has been cooperating with the ICO throughout its investigation into the incident, which involved a criminal attack against the Starwood guest reservation database. We deeply regret this incident happened. We take the privacy and security of guest information very seriously and continue to work hard to meet the standard of excellence that our guests expect from Marriott."

According to its guidelines, the GDPR can levy fines up to 4% of the worldwide annual revenue of a company's prior financial year.

SEE ALSO: Here's how to check if you were one of the 500 million customers affected by the Marriott hack

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NOW WATCH: A London hotel makes cakes that are disguised as everyday objects — and they’re incredibly realistic

If you have an office job, chances are you get invited to a lot of meetings. In 2019, that means jostling to book a meeting room days in advance, or trying to figure out where the hell you put that link to the video conference.

The popular video conference app maker Zoom had a clever solution for that scenario, which made video conferencing a bit faster: it installed a server on your Mac that remained there even if you uninstalled the Zoom app, turning on your camera as soon as you joined a meeting. In practice, there were two Zoom apps, the video conferencing one, and the app that install the server.

That, according to a security researcher, is a bug. And judging by how many people appeared surprised to find out about this solution on social media, the researcher isn’t alone thinking this is not cool. Jonathan Leitschuh, a security engineer at open source coding platform Gradle, revealed the vulnerability on Monday, publishing not only details of how it works, but also two proof-of-concept exploits that people can use to test the bug on their machines.

Read more: Zoom Vulnerability Lets Hackers Hijack Your Webcam

You can do the test yourself by clicking on this link created by Leitschuh: https://jlleitschuh.org/zoom_vulnerability_poc/

"All a website would need to do is embed the above in their website and any Zoom user will be instantly connected with their video running," Leitschuh says.

Others have created similar sites for testing purposes, such as zoomzeroday.com.

If you don’t have the Zoom app installed, when you visit those links your Mac downloads the Zoom app .pkg file. That means you’re not vulnerable to these exploits. (Good pre-emptive OPSEC on your part.)

However, if you click on those links and the Zoom app launches and you auto-join a meeting and your camera turns on automatically, then hackers could—in theory—spy on you that way.

You can blame your boss for making you install Zoom but that may not be the best approach. And if you simply drag the Zoom app from your Applications folder to the Trash, and then click on Empty Trash, that likely won’t do it either. At least that didn’t work on my Mac computer.

Have a tip about a data breach or a security incident? You can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, OTR chat at lorenzofb@jabber.ccc.de, or email lorenzofb@vice.com

Luckily, there are a few simple ways for you to mitigate this bug without waiting for Zoom to do it for you.

The easiest is to open your Zoom app and disable this feature. Open the Zoom app, open the Settings (by either clicking on the icon in the app or by clicking Preferences in the dropdown menu on the top left corner of your screen), click on Video, then under “Meetings” click on “Turn off my video when joining a meeting.”

That should do the trick, but if you prefer to use the Terminal, and you’re comfortable using commands, just follow the instructions Leitschuh wrote in his blog post. (Note, you may have to do this for every user on the machine unless you have administrative privileges on the computer you’re using.)

For me, it worked following Leitschuch’s step by step.

First, open Terminal, paste this command and press enter:

defaults write ~/Library/Preferences/us.zoom.config.plist ZDisableVideo 1

To disable it for all users, do the same but with this command:

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/us.zoom.config.plist ZDisableVideo 1

Then run this command:

lsof -i :19421

Look at the processes that are open. For example, on my machine it was the following, with a process clearly related to Zoom.

Then run:

kill -9 [process number]

And replace the brackets with the process number, for example: 3025. That means your next command is:

kill -9 3025

Verify this all worked by running this command again:

lsof -i :19421

If your Terminal doesn’t display the Zoom-related process, you’re good. Finally, to remove all the files for the Zoom web server application, run this:

rm -rf ~/.zoomus

And voila. Now you can remove the main app too if you want.

To make sure the Zoom webserver app doesn't get installed again after you reboot. Run this command:

pkill "ZoomOpener"; rm -rf ~/.zoomus; touch ~/.zoomus && chmod 000 ~/.zoomus;

If you want to be alerted when an app like Zoom turns on your camera and you want to be extra paranoid, we recommend trying out Patrick Wardle’s Oversight, a free app that warns you when the camera on your Mac is turned on.

Subscribe to our new cybersecurity podcast, CYBER.

On Monday a security researcher published details on several security and privacy issues with the massively popular video conferencing software Zoom after the company failed to properly fix or address them. One issue allows websites to turn on a Mac users' webcam without their explicit consent or perhaps knowledge. The vulnerabilities are still active as of the time of this article's publication.

"You can still use this exploit to launch someone into a call without their permission," Jonathan Leitschuh, a security engineer at open source system Gradle, wrote in a Medium post, along with two proof-of-concept links Mac Zoom users can try themselves.

Clicking this link on a Mac will launch you into a Zoom call: https://jlleitschuh.org/zoom_vulnerability_poc/

Clicking this link on a Mac will launch you into a Zoom call with your camera switched on: https://jlleitschuh.org/zoom_vulnerability_poc/zoompwn_iframe.html

Motherboard verified that the issue with a link turning on a user's webcam still exists at the time of writing.

The problem lies is how Zoom allows whoever sets up the call—be that someone creating a conference call for a company, or perhaps a hacker—to decide whether participants' webcams are enabled at the start of the call or not. Leitschuh says Zoom did fix this, and stopped an attacker from turning on a user's video camera, but then an issue with the patch was discovered, still allowing a hacker to turn on the camera. Leitschuh gave Zoom 90-days to fix the issues before he published details publicly; a common practice in information security.

After including a snippet of code in his write-up, Leitschuh says "all a website would need to do is embed the above in their website and any Zoom user will be instantly connected with their video running." This could be used for malicious adverts, or perhaps a phishing campaign, Leitschuh writes.

Going through Zoom's options, Leitschuh found that enabling the setting "Participants: On", and he could feed that option into his custom, malicious URL.

Another issue is that even if a user has uninstalled the app, Zoom still leaves a web server up and running on the users' computer, allowing Zoom to still download software onto the machine. This isn't some oversight, but a deliberate decision by Zoom—this is designed for Zoom to be able to swiftly, and it seems surreptitiously, re-install the app if a user visits a Zoom conference link.

"What I found out was that this web server can also re-install the Zoom app if a user has uninstalled it," Leitschuh wrote.

Leitschuh said he searched for several hours in both official and unofficial documentation for any mention of this desktop web server. "This webserver’s API is completely undocumented as far as I can tell," he wrote.

"Having an installed app that is running a web server on my local machine with a totally undocumented API feels incredibly sketchy to me. Secondly, the fact that any website that I visit can interact with this web server running on my machine is a huge red flag for me as a Security Researcher," he added.

In his Medium post, Leitschuh provided a set of mitigations you can follow to remove the web server from your Mac. They require pasting some short commands into the terminal of your machine.

Leitschuh communicated with Zoom throughout his disclosure process about the issues, he adds in the Medium post. In a blog post published to its website, Zoom said "In light of this concern, we decided to give our users even more control of their video settings. As part of our upcoming July 2019 release, Zoom will apply and save the user’s video preference from their first Zoom meeting to all future Zoom meetings. Users and system administrators can still configure their client video settings to turn OFF video when joining a meeting. This change will apply to all client platforms."

As for the web server, Zoom wrote, "We feel that this is a legitimate solution to a poor user experience problem, enabling our users to have faster, one-click-to-join meetings. We are not alone among video conferencing providers in implementing this solution."

In response to a question from Motherboard specifically asking if Zoom planned to remove the web server from users’ machines, a spokesperson wrote in an email, “We did not have an easy way to help a user delete both the Zoom client app and also the Zoom local web server app that launches our client. This was an honest mistake. The user needs to manually locate and delete those two apps for now. By this weekend we will introduce a new app to help user easily delete both apps.”

After the publication of this article, Zoom updated its blog post to say the company is issuing a patch Tuesday, July 9th, that will remove the web server component of its software.

"We are stopping the use of a local web server on Mac devices," the blog post reads. It also adds that Zoom will now more readily allow users to manually uninstall the application, including the web server.

Update: This piece has been updated to include more comment from a Zoom spokesperson, and more information from Zoom's updated blog post.

Subscribe to our new cybersecurity podcast, CYBER.

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Today, security researcher Jonathan Leitschuh has publicly disclosed a serious zero-day vulnerability for the Zoom video conferencing app on Macs. He has demonstrated that any website can open up a video-enabled call on a Mac with the Zoom app installed. That’s possible in part because the Zoom app apparently installs a web server on Macs that accepts requests regular browsers wouldn’t. In fact, if you uninstall Zoom, that web server persists and can reinstall Zoom without your intervention.

Update, 5:15PM ET July 9th: Zoom has published a blog post detailing its response to this vulnerability, including how it will patch its software and uninstall the webserver it has installed on Macs. More details here, and original story follows.

U...

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Logitech’s gaming brand is unveiling a new headset today in its G Pro line, refreshing the last year’s model with one that’s slightly more expensive. But with that extra cost, you’re getting a more comfortable, higher-quality wired headset designed designed for PC gaming. It also looks much sleeker than before, with a new aluminum and steel design.

Logitech is billing this new version as an pro-grade audio device built with games that require frequent voice communication in mind, and it’s worked with Blue Microphones to design an audio input feature its calling Blue Voice, which promises clearer and crisper microphone and a bevy of tuning and filter options in its companion G Hub app. That way, if you don’t already own a standalone...

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• A researcher found a vulnerability in Zoom's Apple Mac app, which means users can have their cameras remotely activated by clicking a link.
• Even if a user uninstalled the app on their Mac, it could be remotely re-installed, the researcher found. Zoom has since patched this vulnerability.
• Zoom said the camera vulnerability was the result of a "legitimate solution to a poor user experience."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Zoom users on Apple Mac are being left vulnerable to having their camera hijacked, researcher Jonathan Leitschuh revealed in a Medium post on Monday.

Leitschuh discovered the flaw in March which would allow malicious actors to remotely force users into joining Zoom calls, automatically turning their camera on.

"This vulnerability leverages the amazingly simple Zoom feature where you can just send anyone a meeting link... and when they open that link in their browser their Zoom client is magically opened on their local machine," he wrote in his blog.

Others on Twitter tried the vulnerability out for themselves with success.

Leitschuh also found that even if a user uninstalled Zoom on their Mac, a malicious actor could remotely re-install it. He also found attackers could launch denial of service (DOS) attacks, although this was patched by Zoom in May, according to a blog post released by the company.

Leitschuh recommends users can patch the vulnerability themselves by going into their settings and ticking "turn off my video when joining a meeting."

According to Zoom, this flaw stems from the fact it lets users click straight into Zoom meetings, a workaround it implemented after Apple rolled out an update which required users to confirm with a click if they want to launch Zoom every time they use it.

Zoom said the workaround was a "legitimate solution to a poor user experience, enabling our users to have seamless, one-click-to-join meetings, which is our key product differentiator."

Read more: This is how attackers were able to spread spyware through WhatsApp with just a phone call

Although Zoom implemented a "quick fix," which Leitschuh recommended when he got in touch with the company in March, the researcher was not impressed with the company's response.

"Unfortunately, Zoom has not fixed this vulnerability in the allotted 90-day disclosure window I gave them, as is the industry standard. As such, the 4+ million users of Zoom on Mac are now vulnerable to an invasion of their privacy by using this service."

In a statement to Forbes, Zoom admitted the vulnerability was still live: "If an attacker is able to trick a target user into clicking a web link to the attacker's Zoom meeting ID URL, either in an email message or on an internet web server, the target user could unknowingly join the attacker's Zoom meeting." 

Zoom went public in April after being founded in 2011. Its share price is down nearly 2% to $89.10 in pre-market trading on Tuesday, though it remains significantly above the $36 price it listed at. The company says its customers spend more than 5 billion minutes using the service for meetings every month.

SEE ALSO: Video conferencing company Zoom prices IPO at $36 per share, giving it a $9.2 billion valuation — 9 times its last private valuation

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NOW WATCH: It's time for iTunes to die, even though it was key to Apple's early success

McDonald's and Sonic Drive-In are among the fast food chains testing voice-automation and AI as part of a push to modernize the drive-thru.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been getting pretty bored by phone colors of late. Everyone is offering the same silver and gold finishes, of course, while China’s initially laudable effort to develop every single blue gradient pattern imaginable seems to be running out of steam.

Former Oppo sub-brand Realme thinks it has the answer, and that answer is — what else? — “hire the most famous Japanese industrial designer alive to make phones inspired by vegetables.”

Yes, vegetables. Naoto Fukasawa, who you may know from his iconic work with Muji and the Infobar range of phones, has turned to the kitchen for inspiration with the new “Master Editions” of the Realme X flagship phone. Two versions are available: Onion and Garlic.

And, well,...

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We've noted repeatedly that the repeal of net neutrality did far more than just kill popular net neutrality rules. It effectively neutered the FCC's ability to do its job and oversee lumbering natural telecom monopolies. And, contrary to the claims of the telecom lobby, it threw any remaining authority to an FTC that lacks the resources or authority to do the job either. In short the repeal gave loathed telecom giants like Comcast and AT&T carte blanche to do pretty much anything they'd like to their captive customer bases, provided they're marginally clever about it.

Here's one case in point: the previous FCC had passed some fairly basic rules requiring that ISPs be transparent about the kind of connection you're buying. As in, ISPs were required to not only inform you what kind of throttling or restrictions were on your line, but they were supposed to make it clear how many hidden fees you'd pay post sale. With those rules dead, the FCC's process now basically involves you complaining to the Ajit Pai FCC, and the agency doing jack shit about it. Under Pai's model, ISPs are allowed to bullshit you all they'd like in terms of caps, throttling, and other limits, as long as their bullshit is hidden somewhere in their website. And even that's not likely to be enforced:

And here’s where it gets even worse: ISPs aren’t actually required to display this information on their own websites, even though doing so apparently offers the advantage of being able to obscure it under a mountain of Lorem Ipsum-esque self-laudatory text. Companies may also submit their “transparency disclosures” directly to the FCC.

But whereas the Open Internet Order—the now-repealed FCC rules that established net neutrality—required ISPs to offer consumers quick access to information in a format that’s easy to digest, the method devised by Chairman Pai all but ensures that some consumers will never find it.

Another case in point from last week. Customers of Frontier Communications have been complaining that the company continues to charge them a $10 router rental fee every month, even when they own their own router. Customers who complain to the FCC are basically being told there's nothing the FCC can do:

Son filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission; Frontier responded to the complaint but stuck to its position that he has to pay the fee. A voicemail that Frontier left with Son and his wife said the company informed the FCC that "the router monthly charge is an applicable fee, and it will continue to be billed.

The FCC complaints team told Son in an email, "We reviewed the provider's response and based on the information submitted, we believe your provider has responded to your concerns." With FCC Chairman Ajit Pai having deregulated the broadband industry, there's little to no chance of the commission taking action to stop fees like the one charged by Frontier.

Take a moment to understand that. An ISP decided to charge a consumer a $10 per month router rental fee, despite the fact the customer paid $200 to own that router. When they complained to the FCC, the agency told the consumer it was no big deal and refused to help. This is life now under Ajit Pai. And when lumbering apathetic ISPs have neither competition nor competent regulatory oversight to keep them in line, they simply double down on bad behavior, knowing there's zero repercussion. Again, zero accountability was the entire point of the whole lobbying gambit.

Here's where telecom lobbyists and Ajit Pai claimed the FTC would "step in to protect consumers." But they always knew that was bullshit. The FTC's regulatory enforcement behavior is very clearly limited only to acts that are clearly "deceptive." When an ISP is looking you straight in the eye and telling you you're being screwed, there's technically nothing deceptive going on:

Even in instances where the FTC technically could act, the telecom lobby knew they'd be so inundated with other obligations (everything from monitoring accuracy in bleach labeling to policing cramming fraud), they'd take years to tackle issues--if they acted at all. The telecom lobby, in effect, told the government to neuter oversight of one of the most problematic sectors in tech, kneecapping an agency (the FCC) built specifically to monitor the sector, and the government thought that was a wonderful idea. Unless you're an inhalant addict you should probably be able to see why this could be problematic longer term.

Both examples above clearly showcase how repealing net neutrality rules will impact much more than net neutrality. And anybody still arguing that killing net neutrality rules didn't matter because the internet didn't explode (still a common refrain in some quarters), is either arguing in bad faith, doesn't understand the unique fuckery of the telecom sector, or simply has no damn idea what they're talking about.

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• Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak advised that most people "find a way to get off Facebook" when speaking with TMZ. He said he quit the site last year.
• Wozniak says he does not think using Facebook is worth the trade-off when it comes to personal privacy.
• He also expressed concern over the notion that our mobile devices may be listening to us, an accusation that Facebook has long denied.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has stressed the company's focus on privacy in recent months, particularly during its developers conference. But Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak isn't convinced that Facebook is keeping our personal interactions confidential.

He recently suggested that "most people" should "figure out a way to get off Facebook" in a recent interview with TMZ. 

"There are many different kinds of people and some the benefits of Facebook are worth the loss of privacy," Wozniak recently said when approached by the outlet at the Reagan International Airport. "But to many like myself, my recommendation to most people is, you should figure out a way to get off Facebook."

When discussing potential ways social media companies like Facebook could keep user data private from advertisers while still making money, Wozniak suggested offering users the choice to pay for an extra layer of security. 

Read more: These are the social media platforms teens are ditching in 2019

It's not the first time Wozniak, who famously cofounded Apple in a garage with Steve Jobs, has spoken publicly about the topic of social media and privacy. Last year, he told USA Today that he was leaving Facebook over privacy concerns, also adding that he would rather pay for Facebook then have his personal data shared with advertisers.

When asked generally about whether our electronic devices are listening to us, a concern that CBS This Morning's Gayle King raised when speaking with Instagram chief Adam Mosseri recently, Wozniak said it's something he's worried about but doesn't think there's a way to stop it.

"I worry because you're having conversations that you think are private ... you're saying words that really shouldn't be listened to because you don't expect it," he said to TMZ. "But there's almost no way to stop it."

Wozniak's comments come as Facebook has been embroiled in a slew of privacy-related controversies in recent years. The biggest of such privacy scandals came to light in 2018 when The New York Times and The Guardian reported that Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm with ties to President Trump's campaign, had unknowingly harvested data from the Facebook profiles of 50 million users.

Facebook, along with other tech giants like Google and Twitter, have come under scrutiny in recent years over how they handle consumer data and the role their platforms have played in political campaigns.

Apple, meanwhile, has made privacy a focal point of its public keynotes and product commercials. It has been reminding users that its business model does not heavily rely on advertising, as is the case with Facebook and Google, and therefore does not benefit from collecting personal information.

Apple CEO Tim Cook also recently called online privacy "a crisis" when speaking with ABC News in May. "Privacy in itself has become a crisis," he said. "It's of that proportion — a crisis."

See the full video from TMZ below. 

 

SEE ALSO: Facebook, Apple, and Google are going on the defense as the battle cry to break up 'big tech' gets louder than ever

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NOW WATCH: It's time for iTunes to die, even though it was key to Apple's early success