Good morning. It’s Thursday, August 28. Today we are covering:
FBI warns Chinese hacking campaign has expanded, reaching 80 countries
Google Vids adds AI avatars to its video editor and launches a consumer version
The Chinese gadget maker taking on Tesla and Apple
Apple Makes Music Push in Radio After Losing Ground to Spotify
Google Cloud is developing its own blockchain for payments, currently in private testnet
Let’s dive in
FBI warns Chinese hacking campaign has expanded, reaching 80 countries
By Joseph Menn via Washington Post
The FBI and global allies warned that a Chinese-government hacking campaign has struck at least 200 U.S. organizations and entities in 80 countries, far beyond earlier telecom breaches.
Hackers, linked to the group known as Salt Typhoon, accessed call records and law enforcement directives, targeting industries from lodging to transportation, and even prominent U.S. politicians.
Officials say the campaign, aided by private companies tied to the PLA and Ministry of State Security, represents broad, indiscriminate attacks on global critical infrastructure with ongoing risks.
𝕏: China used three private companies to hack global telecoms, US says. An FBI spokesperson told NBC News in an emailed statement that Salt Typhoon has hacked more than 200 companies across 80 countries. - Mayte Chummia (@Maytechummia)
Google Vids adds AI avatars to its video editor and launches a consumer version
By Ivan Mehta via TechCrunch
Google Vids is adding new features for Workspace users, including AI avatars, automatic transcript trimming to cut filler words, and image-to-video generation for short clips.
A consumer version of Vids launches with free access to templates, fonts, and stock media, but without AI-powered tools.
Upcoming updates include noise cancellation, virtual backgrounds, and support for multiple aspect ratios, with AI features available to Workspace Business, Enterprise, Education, and AI Pro/Ultra subscribers.
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The Chinese gadget maker taking on Tesla and Apple
By Gloria Li via Financial Times
Chinese electronics group Xiaomi is intensifying its push into electric vehicles and premium consumer hardware, positioning itself as a challenger to Tesla and Apple.
The company is leveraging its vast smartphone ecosystem and manufacturing scale to build a competitive edge in EVs, AI-driven devices, and connected services.
Analysts see Xiaomi’s expansion as a test of whether a Chinese brand can break through in global high-end markets long dominated by U.S. tech giants.
Apple Makes Music Push in Radio After Losing Ground to Spotify
By Rolfe Winkler via Wall Street Journal
Apple Music will distribute its six curated radio stations through TuneIn, marking the first time they are available outside Apple’s own app.
The partnership makes Apple stations accessible to TuneIn’s 75 million monthly active users worldwide via home speakers and connected cars.
The move is part of Apple’s push to regain ground lost to Spotify by expanding the reach of its music service.
Google Cloud is developing its own blockchain for payments, currently in private testnet
By Danny Park via The Block
Google Cloud is developing Google Cloud Universal Ledger (GCUL), a private, permissioned blockchain for payments and financial services, now in private testnet.
GCUL aims to be a “credibly neutral” platform for financial institutions, offering Python-based smart contracts and a single API for payment automation and digital asset management.
Despite being described as a Layer 1 network, the private nature of GCUL has drawn community skepticism about its decentralization, though partners like CME Group are already piloting use cases.
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