Techmeme
September 15, 2017, 12:45 PM

Top News

ProPublica:
Facebook let ad buyers target users interested in algorithmically generated anti-Semitic topics like “Jew hater”, then removed some topics after being contacted  —  Want to market Nazi memorabilia, or recruit marchers for a far-right rally?  Facebook's self-service ad-buying platform had the right audience for you.
Facebook:
Facebook says it's temporarily removing self-reported ad targeting fields and will improve its processes following uproar over anti-Semitic targeting options  —  Facebook equips businesses with powerful ways to reach the right people with the right message.  But there are restrictions on how audience targeting can be used on Facebook.
Axios:
Sources: Alphabet, which invested in Uber through GV, is in talks to invest about $1B in Lyft, driven by CEO Larry Page  —  Google has held talks to invest around $1 billion in Lyft, Axios has learned from multiple sources.  It is unclear which group within Google would make the investment …
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:
Chrome will no longer autoplay videos with sound starting from January 2018  —  Google today announced Chrome is going to war with autoplay.  Starting next year, Chrome will only autoplay a given piece of content when the media won't play sound or the user has indicated an interest in the media.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook says it's testing a “snooze” button that mutes people or pages for a day, week, or month  —  Sick of a friend's non-stop vacation photos?  Bored of hearing about some business Page's big launch?  One of your groups won't shut up about their upcoming get-together?
Jon Russell / TechCrunch:
Hamza Shaban / Washington Post:
Gab.ai sues Google for removing Gab's app from Play Store, says Google violated federal antitrust laws  —  The alternative social media site Gab.ai is alleging that Google violated federal antitrust laws when the tech giant booted it from the Google Play Store, according to a new lawsuit filed by the company on Thursday.
Tweets: @hshabanThanks:@hshaban
Yasha Levine / The Baffler:
Interview with Pavel Durov, Telegram creator, on US government-funded secure messaging apps, privacy, and the FBI's attempt to bribe his team into being moles  —  How the politics-by-app hustle conquered all  —  IT'S 7:30 P.M. ON A MONDAY in June at an undisclosed location somewhere in northern Europe.
Neil Hughes / AppleInsider:
Craig Federighi says gripping buttons on both sides of iPhone X will temporarily disable Face ID  —  Apple software chief Craig Federighi has revealed that Face ID unlock on the new iPhone X will come with a hidden security feature, allowing users to press buttons on both sides of the phone …
Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:

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Earlier Picks

Sam Levin / The Guardian:
Marty Swant / Adweek: