Techmeme
February 22, 2020, 6:50 PM

Top News

Los Angeles Times:
Twitter is suspending 70 accounts linked to Michael Bloomberg's campaign for violating its policies, citing platform manipulation and duplicative content  —  Michael R. Bloomberg's presidential campaign has been experimenting with novel tactics to cultivate an online following, or at least the appearance of one.
Mon(IoT)r Research Group:
Study: smart speakers accidentally activate to random words between 1.5 and 19 times per day on average, with HomePod and Cortana devices activating the most  —  WHEN SPEAKERS ARE ALL EARS  —  Understanding when smart speakers mistakenly record conversations
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Comcast's NBCUniversal is in advanced talks to acquire streaming-video service Vudu from Walmart  —  Entertainment giants increasingly look to give consumers free or low-cost alternatives to premium subscription streaming services  —  Fox Corp. and Comcast Corp. are each in discussions …
Lily Hay Newman / Wired:
Researchers detail “SweynTooth” bugs, which could allow hackers in radio range to crash Bluetooth Low Energy-based devices like pacemakers and fitness trackers  —  Hundreds of smart devices—including pacemakers—are exposed thanks to a series of vulnerabilities in the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol.
Sam Nussey / Reuters:
Alphabet and Softbank ally with telcos like China Telecom and vendors like Nokia to promote industry-wide standards for balloon, drone network tech  —  TOKYO (Reuters) - Alphabet and SoftBank's attempts to launch flying cellphone antennas high into the atmosphere have received backing from global telcos …
More: Slashdot
Jon Evans / TechCrunch:
Decentralized Finance (DeFi), the best performing sector in crypto today, feels more like cosplaying a financial system than an actual viable alternative to it  —  Over the last year or so, much-to-most of the cryptocurrency world has pivoted from the failure of “fat tokens” and ICOs …
Bloomberg:
Sources: the Trump campaign has bought exclusive nationwide masthead ads on YouTube for days leading up to and on election day; ads may cost up to $1M+ a day  —  In the immediate run up to the U.S. presidential election and on Election Day, the homepage of YouTube is set to advertise just one candidate: Donald Trump.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
With iOS 14, Apple may start opening its walled garden, beginning with allowing third-party apps as defaults, which could ease antitrust pressure  —  Default app changes are small but significant  —  I have a love-hate relationship with my iPhone.  I love the hardware …
Leila McNeill / BBC Future:
Profile of computer scientist Xia Peisu, who is called the “Mother of Chinese Computing” for shaping some of China's first computer science institutions  —  Isolated from the rest of the world, one woman pushed computing from a geeky obsession into a transformative industry.

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This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 6:50 PM ET, February 22, 2020.

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Earlier Picks

Madhumita Murgia / Financial Times:
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Joseph Cox / VICE:
Jon Porter / The Verge: