Axios

People are lighting up social media with COVID-19 vaccination selfies.

Why it matters: After a long, hard year with COVID-19, vaccine selfies offer a much-needed dose of hope — and act as an advertisement for those on the fence about getting vaccinated.

At least 30,000 U.S. victims — including small businesses and local governments — have been hacked by a cyber espionage unit backed by the Chinese government, Krebs on Security reports.

What's happening: Hackers focused on stealing emails from victim organizations by exploiting flaws in the Microsoft Exchange Server, widely used by large companies and organizations.

John McAfee, the eccentric founder of the cybersecurity company McAfee, was indicted Friday on charges related to securities fraud and money laundering, according to the Justice Department.

Details: McAfee and his adviser Jimmy Watson have been accused by federal prosecutors in New York of using McAfee's Twitter account to promote cryptocurrencies to his 1 million+ followers in order to artificially inflate their market price.

T-Mobile is making another concerted effort to win big businesses as customers as it announced a trio of new services at an online event Thursday.

Why it matters: While T-Mobile was the fastest growing mobile carrier even before it absorbed Sprint, it has struggled to crack the lucrative big business market, where Verizon and AT&T control more than 90% of the market.

Arizona has moved a step closer toward enacting a new law opening up the app stores Apple and Google run. It would allow app developers to use their own payment systems instead of giving Apple and Google hefty shares of every transaction.

What's happening: On Wednesday, the Arizona House passed a bill that would let developers in the state avoid the typical 30% fees that Apple and Google charge developers. The approval came despite a fury of tech industry lobbying against the deal, especially by Apple.

In the absence of uniform federal rules, states across the U.S. have ramped up online privacy legislation, which could in turn push Congress to pass its own law faster and with tougher provisions.

Driving the news: Virginia became the second state to enact a consumer privacy law this week. A number of other states are working on similar bills.

The research arms of Big Tech companies have made breakthroughs galore — but as the industry's role in society grows dominant and researchers examine tech's human dimensions, corporate labs are also becoming lightning rods of controversy.

The big picture: Academic researchers claim the freedom to pursue their studies wherever they lead. Corporate research departments profess independence, too — but that ideal can face tension with a company's goals and profit-seeking.