Daily Tech Snippet: Wednesday, December 7

• BMW uses remote locking to trap car thief suspect inside stolen vehicle: A suspect in a Seattle car theft had a rude awakening last week when the car he allegedly stole seemed to take on a life of its own. The man accused of stealing a BMW 550i on Nov. 30 found himself trapped inside the stolen car while surrounded by law enforcement officers in Seattle. The car's owner — a newlywed bride who had just tied the knot the day before — had lent her BMW to a friend, according to the Seattle Police Department's blotter. The friend parked the car at the owner's place that night, leaving the key fob inside the vehicle and forgetting to lock the doors. Police said a 38-year-old man  found the  car unlocked and hopped in, taking it for a joy ride before pulling over and falling asleep. The car's owner awoke to find her car missing and notified the police, who contacted BMW's roadside assistance program to help locate the vehicle, the police report said. The man was arrested and charged with auto theft and drug possession due to the small amount of methamphetamine discovered on him, police said. Several automakers — including BMW, Audi and Toyota — offer remote locking and tracking in their vehicles. It is frequently cited as a safety feature should a car be stolen.

• Instagram Introduces New Tools Meant to Curb Abuse and Expand Privacy: Instagram announced on Tuesday that it would be providing more tools for users to protect themselves and others from online abuse by allowing them to remove comments and filter out certain followers. The ability to remove comments will be an add-on to previous efforts: About three months ago, Instagram announced that it would allow users to filter out abusive words from their comments, and the platform has been experimenting with comment removal on high-profile accounts since this summer.In an effort to encourage positivity, he said, Instagram will allow users to tap a heart icon to “like” individual comments. People using private accounts will also soon be able to remove certain followers to ensure that their content stays private.

• SoftBank CEO Tells Trump He’ll Invest $50 Billion in Startup: SoftBank Group Corp. Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son told President-elect Donald Trump he would create 50,000 new jobs in the U.S. through a $50 billion investment in startups and new companies. The money will come from SoftBank’s previously announced $100 billion technology fund, according to a person familiar with the matter. That investment vehicle has a $45 billion commitment from the government of Saudi Arabia and $25 billion from Tokyo-based SoftBank, which operates technology and wireless companies around the world. The pledge helps SoftBank, which controls U.S. wireless carrier Sprint Corp., get off to a good start with Trump after failing to win the Obama administration’s backing for a plan to consolidate the mobile-phone market. SoftBank shares rose as much as 5.1 percent to 7,311 yen in early trading in Tokyo, their highest since August 2015.