Techmeme
October 13, 2019, 10:10 PM

Top News

Sheraz Sadiq / KQED:
SF proposes an Office of Emerging Technology to evaluate, issue permits for new devices and services that operate on the city's streets and other infrastructure  —  San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee unveiled this week a proposal to create an Office of Emerging Technology …
Matthew Green / A Few Thoughts on Cryptographic Engineering:
Safari on iOS, which only used Google Safe Browsing for malicious site warnings earlier, now says it may also use Tencent Safe Browsing, which can log IPs  —  This morning brings new and exciting news from the land of Apple.  It appears that, at least on iOS 13, Apple is sharing some portion …
Makena Kelly / The Verge:
Tencent-owned Riot says its broadcasters shouldn't discuss politics and religion on air; Epic, in which Tencent has a 40% stake, says political speech is OK  —  Epic Games is cool with political speech though  —  On Friday, Riot Games said that League of Legends broadcasters should “refrain” …
Nick Statt / The Verge:
Nicole Carpenter / Polygon:
Anna Fifield / Washington Post:
Study: Xuexi Qiangguo, a propaganda app developed by China's Communist Party, enables authorities to retrieve messages, photos, contacts, and even record audio  —  Clarification: This article has been updated to clarify that the Cure53 researchers audited only the version …
MacRumors:
Kuo: iPhone SE 2 will have 3GB RAM, 64GB and 128GB storage options, but won't have 3D Touch, and will be priced from $399  —  Apple is planning on releasing an iPhone SE 2 in the first quarter of 2020 and starting at a $399 price point, according to the latest research report from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Horace He / The Gradient:
ML frameworks in 2019: analysis of AI research papers shows TensorFlow is the platform of choice in industry, but most researchers are now using PyTorch  —  Since deep learning regained prominence in 2012, many machine learning frameworks have clamored to become the new favorite among researchers and industry practitioners.
Brian Fung / CNN:
Elizabeth Warren targets Facebook's ad policy of exempting ads by politicians from third-party fact-checking by running a Facebook ad with a clear falsehood  —  Zuckerberg says legal battles during a Warren presidency would ‘suck’  —  (CNN)A fresh series of Facebook ads this week …
Noam Scheiber / New York Times:
A book based on labor ideas from the early 20th century has provided a blueprint for workers at Google, Uber, and Kickstarter to organize without a formal union  —  A book based on ideas associated with a labor group from the early 20th century has provided a blueprint for organizing without a union.
Columbia Journalism Review:
While tech journalists recently have embraced a watchdog role, they could be even more useful by focusing on solutions rather than palace intrigue and villains  —  In March, when Mark Zuckerberg called for new regulations on internet companies, journalists rightly covered the move with skepticism.
Kaitlyn Tiffany / The Atlantic:
Newsletter platforms like Substack, which recently raised a $15.3M funding round, offer some writers a sustainable business model, but others see a bubble  —  Venture capital has finally come for the least sexy communication style.  —  It's unclear to me whether anyone has ever fallen in love over email …

Sponsor Posts

Okara:
Meet Okara, the AI platform that doesn't train on your data  —  Chat with 30+ open-source models (Llama, Kimi, Qwen, DeepSeek) through encrypted infrastructure.  Used by teams handling proprietary code and strategy.
Soxton:
AI-powered law for startups  —  Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better.  We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts.  Join the waitlist for early access!
Zoho:
ERP software from the builders of world-class products  —  Every business starts with a vision.  Sustaining it is a more rigorous and complex pursuit.It lives in reconciled books, accurate inventory, and predictable cash flow.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Salesforce data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Grit:
The Safest Dollar on the Internet | Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
5 questions to ask when your product stops growing | Jason Cohen (2x unicorn founder)
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.
Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's $50 Billion Fundraise, AI Advertising Game Theory, Apple's AI Wearable Pin
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:
Will ChatGPT Ads Change OpenAI? + Amanda Askell Explains Claude's New Constitution
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:
Home robots are coming faster than you think, with Sunday's Tony Zhao
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Special Edition: Key findings from the Microsoft AI Diffusion Report
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 10:10 PM ET, October 13, 2019.

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

New York Times:
Kevin Roose / New York Times:

Earlier Picks

Dustin Gardiner / San Francisco Chronicle:
Lauren Feiner / CNBC: