10 things in tech you need to know today

Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Friday. Sign up here to get this email in your inbox every morning.

1. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top adviser Dominic Cummings has told government staffers he wants to build $1 trillion tech companies in the UK, potentially via a no-deal Brexit. Sources say Cummings has not consulted the broader tech industry about this plan, and that a no-deal Brexit will cause greater damage to the sector than leaving the EU with a trade deal.
2. Hackers linked to Russia, Iran, and China are attacking the Biden and Trump campaigns ahead of the election, Microsoft said. While hackers linked to Russia appeared to be attacking people affiliated with both campaigns, hackers linked to China tended to focus on Biden’s and those aligned with Iran went after Trump’s, Microsoft found.
3. Google said it will block autocomplete search suggestions that could sway voters in the run-up to the vote. The firm will remove autocomplete predictions “that could be interpreted as claims for or against any candidate or political party.”
4. US officials are reportedly considering extending the deadline for TikTok’s sale. Talks stalled after China set new restrictions on exports of artificial-intelligence technology, requiring Chinese companies to get approval from the government to conduct trade.
5. Facebook announced a new college-only social network called Facebook Campus, 16 years after launching as a student-only social network. The move could serve as an opportunity for the social network to gain a following among younger users again. 
6. Facebook took an unusually aggressive stance against Apple in a filing to the EU on Tuesday, complaining about the App Store and threats to block ad tracking. Facebook told Europe’s competition watchdog that Apple has made “policy and enforcement decisions that privilege its own services and revenue streams to the detriment of others.”
7. Elon Musk traded blows with a former US trade secretary on Twitter. Musk branded Robert Reich a “modern day moron” in response to Reich’s tweet referring to the billionaire as a “modern day robber baron.”
8. China’s UK embassy demanded Twitter launch a ‘thorough’ investigation after its ambassador’s account liked a pornographic video. According to The Guardian, the tweet remained liked for at least an hour.
9. Tech giant Baidu is in talks with investors to raise $2 billion for a new biotech startup.The spin-out firm would use Baidu’s AI technology to find and develop drugs, as well as diagnose early-stage cancer, anonymous sources told Reuters.
10. Y Combinator announced its Winter program will be fully remote again – which is both easier and harder on startups, founders from the last class say. Participants in this year’s program spoke to Business Insider positively about their experiences, but regretted not getting to make in-person connections with other founders.

Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear 10 Things in Tech each morning. Just search for “Business Insider” in your Alexa’s flash briefing settings.