Daily Crunch: Trump targets Huawei with emergency declaration

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1. Trump declares national emergency to protect US networks from foreign espionage

While the U.S. already restricted government contractors and federal agencies from using technology supplied by Huawei or its subsidiaries, this new executive order gives Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and other federal agencies broad powers of oversight and approval over private company transactions.

It seems that tech has been on Trump’s mind, as the White House also launched a website aimed at collecting reports of social media censorship due to their political views.

2. Instagram is killing Direct, its standalone Snapchat clone app, in the next several weeks

Facebook says that moving forward, the Instagram team will channel all developments and activity into the direct messaging feature of the main Instagram app.

3. Europol, DOJ announce the takedown of the GozNym banking malware

Europol and the U.S. Justice Department, with help from six other countries, have disrupted and dismantled the GozNym malware, which they say stole more than $100 million from bank accounts since it first emerged.

4. Mobile ticketing company TodayTix raises $73M in new funding

TodayTix says it’s now sold more than 4 million tickets, representing 8% of annual Broadway ticket sales and 4% for London’s West End.

5. Samsung reportedly readying Galaxy Fold for release after finding ‘fix’

According to reporting from Yonhap News Agency, Samsung is currently testing the handset with mobile carriers in Korea, putting the phone’s official release some time next month.

6. Walmart beats on earnings in Q1, with US e-commerce up by 37%

The company has been heavily investing in the key categories of home, fashion and grocery over the past several years as part of its efforts to better compete with Amazon.

7. Reality Check: The marvel of computer vision technology in today’s camera-based AR systems

AR experiences can seem magical, but what exactly is happening behind the curtain? (Extra Crunch membership required.)