Twitter released datasets for 3,841 accounts affiliated with Russia’s Internet Research Agency and 770 other accounts potentially linked to Iran. The data collection included more than 10 million tweets and more than 2 million images, GIFs, videos and Periscope broadcasts, the platform said Wednesday. Some activity dated to 2009.

Mobile device manufacturers can license the Google mobile app suite separately from the Google Search App and Chrome, Senior Vice President-Platforms Ecosystems Hiroshi Lockheimer blogged Tuesday. Android partners distributing Google apps can also build “non-compatible, or forked, smartphones and tablets for the European Economic Area.” Google is appealing the European Commission’s $5 billion fine for Android anticompetitive behavior (see 1807300048).

China is the largest market for IoT spending, augmented and virtual reality and robotics, while the U.S. “continues to dominate spending on software-driven markets,” said IDC Tuesday. By 2022, China will account for nearly 40 percent of worldwide robotics spending, with almost $80 billion annually, it said. It does more than a quarter of global spending on IoT and AR/VR. The U.S. does nearly 70 percent of artificial intelligence spending and more than half on big data and analytics, said IDC. It estimates U.S. annual spending on AI will grow to nearly $50 billion by 2022, as big data and analytics investments reach $140 billion.

Google is exploring launching a Chinese version of Search (see 1809260050), CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed Monday. During a Wired event, Pichai discussed a project named Dragonfly: “If Google were to operate in China, what would it look like? ... We’ll be able to serve well over 99 percent of the queries.” The company previously received backlash internally and from lawmakers about the plan.

Samsung joined the Basel Action Network’s EarthEye e-waste GPS-tracking service, said the company Tuesday. BAN launched EarthEye in June with hopes of thwarting unauthorized exports of discarded electronics (see 1806210002).

Broadcom’s $18.9 billion buy of CA Technologies received European antitrust approval, Broadcom told the SEC Friday (see 1808240028). The decision was the final regulatory hurdle, and Broadcom expects the deal to close by Nov. 5.

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s (USCC) annual report to Congress, to be released Nov. 14, will include a partial focus on China’s high-tech development activities, including its progress on “Next Generation Connectivity,” USCC says for Tuesday’s Federal Register. The event is 10 a.m. in 902 Hart. Concerns about China’s role in 5G include in a leaked National Security Council draft memo that proposed building a government-owned national 5G network (see 1801290034). USCC Vice Chairman Carolyn Bartholomew said in March she believes China is intent on leading the world on 5G and won't play fair in challenging the U.S. for such dominance (see 1803200036).

Canada should reconsider letting Huawei participate in developing the country's 5G infrastructure, said Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. They were among senators who unsuccessfully pushed to restore a Commerce Department ban on U.S. companies selling telecom software and equipment to Chinese equipment manufacturer ZTE (see 1808010068). September testimony by Canadian Center for Cyber Security Head-Designee Scott Jones to a parliamentary committee said that country's government has strong cybersecurity protections. Canada is reluctant to outright ban any telecom equipment provider in case that leaves it vulnerable if any other vendors' equipment is attacked, Scott testified. Huawei is barred from Canadian government contracts and from providing equipment to Canada's core telecom infrastructure. Still, "we have serious concerns that such safeguards are inadequate,” Rubio and Warner wrote Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “We are concerned about the impact that any decision to include Huawei in Canada’s 5G networks will have on both Canadian national security and 'Five Eyes' joint intelligence cooperation among the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.” The “strong alignment between the United States and Canada in spectrum management has meant that American and Canadian carriers in many cases share complementary spectrum holdings,” they noted. Trudeau's office didn't comment.

Google Tuesday appealed a $5 billion fine from EU antitrust enforcers (see 1807180003) who alleged the company abused dominance of its Android operating system, a company spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. Google in July announced its intent to appeal.

Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., warned against Chinese back doors allowing a foothold for commercial espionage and destructive cyberthreats, responding to a recent report of Chinese spies targeting U.S. companies (see 1810090029). The lawmakers Tuesday prodded Super Micro Computer, which is on the list of alleged targets that also include Apple and Amazon. The companies denied the validity of Bloomberg Businessweek's report, with Supermicro “strongly” refuting claims that “servers it sold to customers contained malicious microchips in the motherboards of those systems.” The Department of Homeland Security said it had “no reason to doubt the statements from the companies named in the story.”