Amazon announces a new medical service, the Justice Department makes ransomware indictments and Google's Sundar Pichai will face Congress. Here's your Daily Crunch for November 28, 2018. 1. Amazon's newest service uses machine learning to extract medical data from patient records Amazon has launched a new service that uses machine learning to extract key data from patient records and can potentially help healthcare providers and researchers save money, make treatment decisions and manage clinical trials. The service joins the company's other forays into healthcare, including paying almost $1 billion to acquire online prescription service PillPack, plus a new joint venture with Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan Chase to improve employee healthcare. 2. Justice Department indicts two Iranians over SamSam ransomware attacks Faramarz Shahi Savandi, 34, and Mohammad Mehdi Shah, 27, were indicted by a federal grand jury in New Jersey on Monday on several counts of computer hacking and fraud charges. 3. Google's Sundar Pichai will face Congress next week Google may have dodged a raised right hand moment on the Hill earlier this year as top executives from Twitter and Facebook faced Congress, but the company will now have its own time in the hot seat. 4. It turns out some Google staff do believe in controversial plan to re-enter China Speaking of Google, the internal backlash to its project code-named Dragonfly has been covered pretty extensively. But there's also support inside the search giant, with a pro-Dragonfly letter that has been in circulation for a number of weeks, picking up 500 signatures in an effort to stop the project from being dropped. 5. For a small fee, entrepreneurs can now manage their own fleet of Bird e-scooters The company will provide the independent operators with scooters, which they will have free rein to brand as they please, as well as access to the company's marketplace of chargers and mechanics, in exchange for 20 percent of the cost of each ride. 6. Elon Musk's Boring Co. drops LA Westside tunnel plan Musk and co. debuted the plan to drill on L.A.'s Westside last year, but ultimately reversed course after local lawsuits looked to subject the project to a review of its potential environment impact. 7. Australian scheduling software company Deputy brings in $81M amid rapid growth After eight years of bootstrapping, Deputy sought scale — and it's now announcing the biggest Series B in Australian history. |