Techmeme
February 26, 2020, 9:45 AM

Top News

Rob Price / Business Insider:
Facebook says it will now ban ads that promise to cure or prevent COVID-19, or attempt to “create a sense of urgency” about it  —  - Facebook is tightening up its rules on ads that reference the coronavirus outbreak.  — It is banning ads that mentioned it if they attempt to …
Salesforce:
Salesforce says Keith Block has stepped down as co-CEO but will still advise Marc Benioff; Gavin Patterson named President and CEO of Salesforce International  —  Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) today announced that Keith Block has stepped down as co-CEO of Salesforce and Marc Benioff is Chair and CEO of the company.
Jordan Novet / CNBC:
Salesforce acquires Vlocity, a provider of cloud and mobile software built atop Salesforce, for $1.33B, reports Q4 revenue of $4.85B, up 35% YoY, vs $4.75B est.  —  - Keith Block became co-CEO alongside Marc Benioff less than two years ago.  — Salesforce announced the $1.33 billion acquisition …
Rebekah Valentine / GamesIndustry.biz:
Facebook has acquired Sanzaru Games, developer of Asgard's Wrath, for an undisclosed amount; the game studio will remain independent under Oculus Studios  —  Studio behind Asgard's Wrath to join Oculus Studios and continue VR development  —  Facebook has acquired Asgard's Wrath developer Sanzaru Games for an undisclosed amount.
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
PayPal is investigating unauthorized transactions affecting numerous German users; a researcher says hackers could be exploiting PayPal's Google Pay integration  —  All signs point to an attack exploiting PayPal's Google Pay integration. … Hackers have found a bug in PayPal's Google Pay integration …
The Walt Disney Company:
Bob Chapek has been named CEO of The Walt Disney Company, effective immediately; Bob Iger will serve as executive chairman through 2021  —  Robert A. Iger Assumes Role of Executive Chairman through 2021 Mr. Iger Will Direct the Company's Creative Endeavors Mr. Chapek Brings 27 Years …
Tom Krisher / NBC Bay Area:
NTSB says the driver in a 2018 Tesla accident was distracted by a game on his phone and that the NHTSA's hands-off approach to self-driving tech is “misguided”  —  Just before the crash, the Tesla steered to the left into a paved area between the freeway travel lanes and an exit ramp
Reuters:
Ex-Apple employees and supply chain experts say preparation for new iPhone production, which usually starts early in the year, may be delayed due to COVID-19  —  SAN FRANCISCO/TAIPEI (Reuters) - Travel restrictions to China because of the coronavirus have come just as Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) …
Alfred Ng / CNET:
A look at US schools' growing use of mobile phone tracking tech from companies like Inpixon, using scanners to pick up Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cell signals  —  Teachers often lament that phones can be a distraction in classrooms.  Some governments have even banned phones outright in schools.
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
Plume, which develops an AI-powered adaptive home Wi-Fi mesh network system, has raised $60M Series D at a $510M valuation, bringing its total raised to $127M  —  Plume, a Comcast-backed startup that develops an AI-powered adaptive home Wi-Fi mesh network system, has raised $85 million in a mixture of equity and debt financing.
Catherine Shu / TechCrunch:
On-demand tutoring app Snapask raises $35M Series B led by Asia Partners and Intervest to expand in Southeast Asia, bringing its total raised to $50M  —  Snapask, an on-demand tutoring app, announced today that it has raised $35 million in Series B funding.
Hannah Gilberstadt / Pew Research Center:
Pew: 74% of Americans have little or no confidence in tech companies like Facebook and Google preventing misuse of their platforms to influence 2020 election  —  Nearly three-quarters of Americans (74%) express little or no confidence in technology companies like Facebook …
Lara O'Reilly / Digiday:
Sources: France's third largest telecom, Bouygues, awarded a contract to Google to develop a targeted TV ad system using data from Bouygues' set-top TV boxes  —  Google has long pitched YouTube as an alternative to traditional TV advertising, but it's never managed to make a move into the $170 billion global TV ad market itself.
Matt Novak / Gizmodo:
US DOD has adopted a series of ethical principles for the use of AI, says recommendations came after 15 months of consultation with “leading AI experts”  —  The U.S. military has adopted new ethics guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence in its futuristic robot tanks …

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Earlier Picks

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