Techmeme
June 17, 2020, 7:55 PM

Top News

Twitter:
Twitter will let users record and add up to 140 seconds of audio to tweets, rolling out to iOS users in the coming weeks  —  Twitter is where you go to talk about what's happening.  Over the years, photos, videos, gifs, and extra characters have allowed you to add your own flair and personality to your conversations.
Nico Grant / Bloomberg:
Zoom backtracks on end-to-end encryption, saying it plans to offer E2EE to all tiers of users who verify phone numbers and will start testing it in July  —  - Company will require users of free service to verify identity  — Video-conferencing app will test strongest encryption in July
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
No, Google didn't demonetize The Federalist and Zero Hedge, as NBC's misleading story claims, and it is not an example of anti-conservative bias  —  from the another-day-another-story dept  —  So, earlier today, NBC reported that Google had “banned” two well known websites from its ad platform, namely The Federalist and Zero Hedge.
Aaron Holmes / Business Insider:
Brian Barrett / Wired:
eBay confirms that ex-CEO Devin Wenig is the person who allegedly ordered six eBay employees to initiate a cyberstalking campaign; Wenig is not being charged  —  Surveillance.  Harassment.  A live cockroach delivery.  US attorneys have charged six former eBay workers in association with an outrageous cyberstalking campaign.
Margaret Harding McGill / Axios:
DOJ proposes Congress adopt new legislation adding conditions to Section 230 protections, opening up Facebook, Google, Twitter, others to additional liability  —  The Justice Department is urging Congress to limit the legal protections enjoyed by online platforms, seeking to narrow the law …
Margaret Harding McGill / Axios:
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
As the HEY debacle shows, the text of Apple's App Store policies is vague, and their arbitrary interpretation and enforcement makes things worse  —  Arbitrariness is a feature, not a bug  —  I started this morning all riled up and ready to write a newsletter about how Google is using …
John Gruber / Daring Fireball:
Rob Copeland / Wall Street Journal:
Sundar Pichai says Google will increase its proportion of execs from underrepresented groups by 30% by 2025, contribute $175M+ for Black business owners, more  —  Not new to debates on race, Google seeks to address ‘systemic racism’ in society  —  Google announced a new hiring goal …
John Bolton / Wall Street Journal:
Book excerpt by Trump's former national security adviser: Trump offered in 2019 to reverse Huawei's criminal prosecution if China agreed to a trade deal  —  The president pleaded with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for domestic political help, subordinated national-security issues …
Lizette Chapman / Bloomberg:
Uber to sell the software that powers its ride-hailing business, starting with public transit agencies; California Marin county is first to buy Uber's software  —  - Ride-hailing giant partners with California county officials  — Program is Uber's first software sale with a third party
Nikhilesh De / CoinDesk:
Coinbase launches Rosetta, an open-source framework for blockchains that makes integrating with them and listing them on exchanges simpler and more reliable  —  Crypto exchange Coinbase is hoping to streamline how it adds new tokens to its platform.  —  The San Francisco-based exchange rolled …
Mark Zuckerberg / USA Today:
Facebook launches Voting Information Center for accurate election information and tools for voter registration, aiming to help register 4M people via its apps  —  The 2020 election is going to be unlike any other.  It was already going to be a heated campaign, and that was before the pandemic …
Ryan Mac / BuzzFeed News:
Documents from an ACLU lawsuit show Microsoft tried to sell facial recognition tech to the DEA in late 2017, six months before the company called for regulation  —  Last week, Microsoft said it would not sell its facial recognition to police departments.  But new documents reveal it was pitching …
VICE:
Investigation into a “supply chain” of people who scrape OnlyFans content en masse before reposting it for free, often on other adult websites or Discord  —  In late February, rumors of a massive database of adult content stolen from OnlyFans subscription-only accounts spread through social media.

Sponsor Posts

ElevenLabs:
ElevenAgents by ElevenLabs  —  You know us for voice.  Now meet ElevenAgents — featuring Expressive Mode, our most human-sounding AI voice technology in 70+ languages with ultra-low latency.  Hear it for yourself.
Niantic Spatial:
World models need real-world data  —  Scaniverse is the gateway to spatial services — self-serve and built for AI and robotics.  Large-area 3D reconstruction from 360° cameras and precise localization, anywhere machines operate.
Zoho:
Introducing the sandbox environment: Safely test and optimize e-signature workflows  —  Changes are an inevitable part of any workflow.  The average agreement workflow involves recipients across organizations …
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

Access:
OpenClaw for normies is here
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
The Nick, Dick and Paul Show:
When AI Kills
Nick Bilton, Dick Costolo, and Paul Kedrosky pull back the curtain on AI, startups, and the future rushing toward us, all with healthy dose of irreverence.
Subscribe to The Nick, Dick and Paul Show.
Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI vs. Anthropic's Direct Faceoff + Future of Agents — With Aaron Levie
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.
Great Chat:
OpenAI's new media M&A and old media exposé
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Invest Like the Best:
Alan Waxman - Private Credit and the Modern Financial System
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ryan Roslansky: Turning AI Anxiety into Skills for the Future of Work
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 7:55 PM ET, June 17, 2020.

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

Jennifer Alsever / Marker:

Earlier Picks