Hashtag Trending – Uber paid hackers after a massive data breach, Apple buying into VR/AR with acquisition

Uber paid hackers after a massive data breach, Apple has reportedly acquired a Montreal-based virtual reality company, and activists are planning a December 7^th protest against the FCC potentially ending net neutrality.

From Reddit today is news that Uber concealed a massive security breach for more than a year that affected the personal data of 57 million customers and drivers. While social security numbers, credit card information, and trip locations were not compromised, names, email addresses and phone numbers were, as well as driver license information. To top it all off, the company paid the hackers $100,000 to delete the information and keep quiet. Uber’s chief security officer and one of his deputies were fired on Tuesday for their role in keeping the breach under wraps. The company is now under investigation for the hack.

Trending on Google is reports from TechCrunch that Apple has acquired a Montreal startup called Vrvana for $30 million US Dollars. Vrvana makes virtual reality headsets that can also support augmented reality, and with Apple seriously interested in making an AR headset, this acquisition makes sense. Bloomberg has reported that Apple plans to release its first ever AR headset in 2019 and it is said to be a standalone device with its own onboard chip and operating system.

And finally from Twitter, yesterday’s news that the US Federal Communications Committee wants to reverse net neutrality has spurred plenty of debate, and now, action. Activists are planning nationwide protests outside Verizon stores on December 7^th, a week before the expected December 14^th vote on the net neutrality rollback. Verizon stores are being targeted by protesters because the company has been a leading opponent of net neutrality for years, not to mention the current FCC chairman, Ajit Pai, used to work there. It’s also worth noting that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has attempted to convince Donald Trump to abandon these rollback plans by telling him any regulation change would put his ability to communicate with the world via tweets at risk.