Techmeme
December 22, 2015, 4:50 PM

Top News

Kim Zetter / Wired:
Experts' findings suggest NSA is at least indirectly responsible for Juniper backdoor because of the weakness NSA embedded in the Dual_EC encryption algorithm  —  Researchers Solve Juniper Backdoor Mystery; Signs Point to NSA  —  Security researchers believe they have finally solved …
Matthew Green / A Few Thoughts …:
How hackers piggybacked on an existing backdoor in Juniper's ScreenOS software to create a backdoor of their own  —  On the Juniper backdoor  —  You might have heard that a few days ago, Juniper Systems announced the discovery of “unauthorized code” in the ScreenOS software that underlies the NetScreen line of devices.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google begins testing login system that uses phone notifications for authentication instead of passwords  —  Google Begins Testing Password-Free Logins  —  Google confirmed this morning it's now testing a new way to sign into your Google account without having to type in a password.
Alex Hern / Guardian:
Microsoft to detect and remove adware that uses man-in-the-middle techniques, like Superfish, beginning in March, will only allow adware as browser plugins  —  New Microsoft adware rules could stop another Superfish security scare  —  From March, adware on Windows will have to be easily removable …
Alistair Barr / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Google has been working on new messaging app for over a year that supports chatbots and uses AI to answer questions and perform other tasks  —  Google Plans New, Smarter Messaging App  —  Users will be able to text friends or a chatbot that will scour the Web and other sources to answer a question
More: The Verge
Yahoo:
Sources: Google and Ford will create a joint venture to build self-driving vehicles  —  Google Pairs With Ford To Build Self-Driving Cars  —  Justin Hyde and Sharon Carty, Yahoo Autos  —  Google and Ford will create a joint venture to build self-driving vehicles with Google's technology …
JC Torres / SlashGear:
Early build of final Oculus Rift hardware starts shipping to devs  —  Things might finally be really getting along for the company that rebooted the whole virtual reality hype.  Perhaps taking advantage of the delay that HTC's and Valve's Vive VR headset will suffer in the next few months …
Katherine Noyes / PCWorld:
Oracle settles with the FTC after leaving insecure, older versions of Java SE installed on users' computers  —  Oracle settles with the FTC over ‘deceptive’ Java security promises  —  Once finalized, the order could impose a civil penalty of $16,000 per violation
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
FAA's drone registration site is now live: registrations are valid for 3 years, free for next 30 days or $5 afterwards  —  The FAA's Drone Registration Site Is Now Up And Running  —  As promised, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched its drone registry today.

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify's new AI commerce stack  —  Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Zoho:
Zoho People in 2025: A year in review  —  As we wrap up 2025, we're taking a moment to look back on a year filled with progress and transformation at Zoho People.  Our team has been constantly pushing boundaries …
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's Potential, Google's Speedy Model, Copilot Hits Turbulence
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Hard Fork:
Why Roomba Died + Tech Predictions for 2026 + A Hard Forkin' Xmas Song
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
Access:
Betting on reality with Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Lenny's Podcast:
The new AI growth playbook for 2026: How Lovable hit $200M ARR in one year | Elena Verna (Head of Growth)
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
"Neither Side Is Used to Losing." Lucas Shaw on What's Next for Netflix and Paramount in the Battle for Warner Bros.
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 4:50 PM ET, December 22, 2015.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Earlier Picks

Alex Hern / Guardian:
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat: