10 things in tech you need to know today

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1. T-Mobile is investigating an alleged data breach affecting 100 million users. According to Vice, the data breach is said to have compromised users' social security numbers, phone numbers, physical addresses, and more. Here's a look at what we know so far.

2. Flawless AI influencers are becoming a billion-dollar industry in China. "Virtual idols," or computer-generated influencers, don't gain weight, never age, and keep their noses out of controversy - and are landing major ad deals with companies like Tesla. Here's everything you need to know about the fake influencers that are engineered to perfection.

3. These startups are using the H-1B visa program to hire the most foreign workers. We've compiled a list of the venture-backed, private companies that have hired the most foreign workers since the start of 2020. Here are 20 startups that sponsor the most H-1B visas - including ByteDance, Instacart, and Stripe.

4. The CEO of fact-checking site Snopes was caught plagiarizing dozens of articles. The site's CEO and cofounder, David Mikkelson, has admitted to plagiarizing 54 stories from outlets like the Guardian and LA Times. More on that here.

5. A Texas firm is helping to create a fake Martian habitat for NASA. NASA just announced it's seeking volunteers to spend a year living on a fake Martian surface - which will be 3D printed by a Texan construction-tech firm. Check out the habitat here.

6. An Apple exec defended the company's much-criticized plan to scan iPhones for child abuse images. Apple's SVP Craig Federighi told the WSJ the new feature has been "widely misunderstood." Read his explanation of the feature, which security experts have called a "misstep."

7. Amazon wants your palm prints - and lawmakers are asking why. The tech giant introduced Amazon One, a palm-print scanner, last year. Now, a bipartisan group of Senators is demanding an explanation of how the company plans to use the biometric data it gathers. Get the full rundown.

8. A $50,000 camper that turns the Tesla Cybertruck into an RV has hit $80 million in pre-orders. Known as "the Cyberlandr," the pop-up camper combines two growing trends that have recently flooded the automobile industry: camper vans and electric pickup trucks. See inside the Cyberlandr.

9. Politicians who slam Big Tech still spend money on Facebook, Amazon, and Google products to help them win elections. Big Tech-weary politicos like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have spent upwards of $600,000 on Facebook ads this year, despite criticizing the platform. We have the receipts here.

10. The honeymoon might be over for cloud computing. After a year of pandemic-driven hype for companies like Amazon Web Services, experts from Wall Street and Silicon Valley warn that cloud customers are getting more cautious. Why the cloud frenzy is wearing off.

Compiled by Jordan Erb. Tips/comments? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @JordanParkerErb.

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