WhatsApp battles coronavirus misinformation. The Facebook-owned messaging platform said users are limited to sending along frequently forwarded messages they receive to only one person or group at a time, down from five. Misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic has proliferated on the service in its biggest market, India. (WSJ) Instagram draws surge in offers of coronavirus masks. Researchers found at least 10,450 accounts on Instagram that have popped up in the past few months selling masks, some of which appear to be scams and most of which aren’t vetted for safety or price concerns. (WSJ) CFOs look to ramp up automation investments amid pandemic. While many finance executives are slashing costs to weather the downturn, some view investments in technology as essential to better equip newly remote finance teams or strengthen other parts of the business. “For many, the crisis is accelerating the vision that they’ve already had for a long time,” Michael Heric, a partner at consulting firm Bain & Co., tells CFO Journal's Mark Maurer. “While it could have taken years or even decades to make that shift, I think you’re going to see it much faster now.” Twitter’s Jack Dorsey pledges $1 billion to charity, including coronavirus relief. Mr. Dorsey said the money would come from his stake in financial-tech company Square Inc., which he also co-founded and runs. (WSJ) WeWork sues SoftBank. Two directors of the co-working company filed a lawsuit against SoftBank Group for backing away from a deal to buy $3 billion in WeWork shares Softbank says it terminated the offer on April 1 over “multiple new and significant pending criminal and civil investigations” against WeWork that surfaced after the deal was struck in October. (WSJ) Zoom banned in Taiwan government over security concerns. The move follows after news that the video collaboration tool routed some traffic through China. (BBC) Chip makers push back on export controls to China. U.S. chip makers are opposing proposed changes by the Trump administration on the types of semiconductors and chip manufacturing equipment that companies can export to China. Semiconductor groups in the U.S. said that such controls could impact the exports of chips used in medical devices, which could affect the response to the pandemic. (South China Morning Post) China tops patent filing list. The World Intellectual Property Organization said 57,840 patents were filed last year from the U.S. while 58,990 were filed from China. The U.S. had topped the patent filing list for more than 40 years. (Reuters) G Suite reports new numbers. Google's suite of productivity apps now has 6 million paying businesses, the company said, up from 5 million in February 2019. (CNBC) Meh: Virtual happy hours. Yay: Virtual talent shows; virtual lunches. (WSJ) |