Mashable

1. Bitfinex and Tether accused of $850 million cover-up by New York Attorney General

   

   

   Welp, it's not like you weren't warned something shady was going on. 

   The New York Attorney General's office today accused iFinex Inc., the company behind both the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex and the stablecoin Tether, of a massive coverup to hide the loss of $850 million in customer funds. It seems, the attorney general alleges, that Tether is not in fact backed one-to-one by U.S. dollars (as the company claimed until March of this year) and that Bitfinex can't cover customer withdraws. 

   SEE ALSO: A little-known token may be fueling Bitcoin's rise. Critics say it's a scam.

   This, to put it lightly, is a big deal. As the Wall Street Journal notes, approximately 80 percent of all cryptocurrency trades are done in Tether. If the so-called stablecoin is shown to essentially be worthless, then markets are not going to react kindly.  Read more...

   More about Bitfinex, Cryptocurrency, Tether, Stablecoin, and Tech

2. New York launches new investigation into Facebook

   

   

   Another day, another investigation for Facebook to deal with. 

   New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office is opening an investigation into Facebook over its scraping of millions users' email contacts lists.

   "Facebook has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of respect for consumers’ information while at the same time profiting from mining that data," James said in a statement.

   The investigation comes after it was reported earlier this month that Facebook's email verification process, which asked some users for their email passwords, resulted in the company "unintentionally" scraping the email contacts lists of 1.5 million users. Hundreds of millions of people potentially had their information accessed by the company as a result, according to James. Read more...

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3. E-scooters aren't going anywhere — in fact, their numbers are still growing

   

   

   The number of scooters in cities around the world is quickly growing.

   Though communities like San Francisco and Santa Monica, Califlimited the number of scooters companies could offer for rent last year, other cities are still seeing a major increase in the number of available electric two-wheelers.

   On Thursday, Lime announced that its scooters and bicycles reached 50 million trips since launching mid-2017. That's enough mileage to circle the globe twice. Those trips come from a growing, global bike- and-scooter share network that reaches 100 cities in more than 20 countries, and five continents. The latest places Lime e-scooters have landed: Bogota, Colombia and Montevideo, Uruguay. Lime also said its had more than 15 million sign-ups. Read more...

   More about Mobility, Bird, Scooters, Lime, and Scooter Share

   

4. Canadian officials: Facebook broke the law and won’t accept responsibility

   

   

   Just one day after Facebook revealed it expects to pay up to $5 billion to the FTCfor privacy violations, another country has condemned the social network for breaking its privacy laws. 

   Facebook broke Canadian privacy laws, according to officials who say the company refuses to take responsibility for its actions. 

   “Facebook has spent more than a decade expressing contrition for its actions and avowing its commitment to people’s privacy, but when it comes to taking concrete actions needed to fix transgressions they demonstrate disregard,” Information and Privacy Commissioner Michael McEvoy said in a statement released by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Read more...

   More about Tech, Facebook, Tech, and Social Media Companies

5. Walmart Yodel Boy crowdsurfing on an inflatable horse has deep yeehaw energy

   

   

   Please enjoy this absolutely transfixing display of yeehaw energy. 

   Mason Ramsey, also known as the Walmart Yodel Boy, is already an immortal being in the eyes of the internet. The 12-year-old country sensation captured our hearts with his impossibly small red bow tie and a 2018 Coachella set. 

   His dedication to the yeehaw agenda only intensified during a performance in Nashville on Wednesday. Stagehands laid out a horse-shaped pool float for Mason to gingerly step into, before they lifted him into the air. Like pushing a lone boat off into the night, they gently sent the adolescent cowboy off into a sea of welcoming hands.  Read more...

   More about Viral Videos, Yeehaw, Mason Ramsey, Culture, and Web Culture