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August 19, 2020, 5:45 AM
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Adi Robertson / The Verge:
Oculus will soon require all of its VR headset users to sign up with a Facebook account, removing support for new separate Oculus accounts in October  —  Support for separate Oculus accounts will end in 2023  —  Oculus will soon require all of its virtual reality headset users to sign up with a Facebook account.
Tim Wu / New York Times:
A ban on TikTok is overdue as the US confronts China's asymmetrical “net nationalism” and fights for the future of the open internet  —  Critics say we shouldn't abandon the ideal of an open internet.  But there is such a thing as being a sucker.
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Report: a look at the narrowing regulatory exemptions Apple has been operating under in China, such as running an App Store without a local partner  —  Amid continued tension between the United States and China, a new report from The Information details how Apple could be impacted by Chinese retaliation.
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Google Maps says it's rolling out more detailed maps with improved street designs for SF, NYC, and London, and with more accurate natural features worldwide  —  Making natural features easier to see and streets easier to navigate  —  Google Maps is being redesigned to make it easier …
Steven T. Dennis / Bloomberg:
Senate Intelligence Committee concludes Putin ordered the 2016 hacking of Democratic Party accounts and the release of emails to harm Hillary Clinton's campaign  —  - Manafort described as a ‘grave counterintelligence threat’  — Report details plan to hurt Clinton, finds no Trump collusion
Matthew Handrahan / GamesIndustry.biz:
Take-Two Interactive has agreed to acquire NYC-based mobile game developer Playdots for $192M in cash and stock; Playdots had raised $10M Series A in 2014  —  New York-based studio's entire team will join Take-Two in cash and stock deal  —  Take-Two Interactive has acquired the mobile developer Playdots in a deal worth $192 million.
The New Indian Express:
India's main opposition party asks Facebook to investigate favorable treatment of BJP by Facebook's India team, and to replace the team during this probe  —  The Congress and other opposition parties have attacked the social media giant after a US media report alleged that Facebook did not apply its hate speech rules on BJP leaders.
Tsering D. Gurung / Rest of World:
India's ban on WeChat has inconvenienced Tibetan refugees in the country, who despite censorship risk, relied on the app to stay in touch with family back home  —  Navigating China's censorship and India's apps ban, Tibetan refugees rethink their dependence on WeChat.  —  • KATHMANDU, NEPAL
Victoria Turk / WIRED UK:
In the pandemic era, QR codes have seen a huge uptick in adoption as the perfect touch-free medium, used to order food and drinks, book rooms, and more  —  QR codes have been dismissed as a marketing gimmick - but in our touch-free world, they're proving their worth  —  Venture outside and you'll soon see them.
More: Wired.  Tweets: @andijarvis
Benedict Evans:
E-commerce penetration in the UK went from 20% to over 30% in the past two months and from 17% to 22% in the US according to official statistics  —  Both the UK and (today) the USA have given official statistics on how ecommerce and retail have changed during lockdown.  The headline numbers are pretty dramatic.
More: Bloomberg
Michael Simon / PCWorld:
Samsung promises three generations of Android updates for many Galaxy S, Note, foldable, and A series devices, rivaling Google's three-year promise for Pixel  —  When Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 20 earlier this month, the biggest surprise wasn't the faster screen, smoother S Pen, or more powerful processor.
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
India-based FPL Technologies, which has built a mobile-first credit card and an app for helping people find and understand credit scores, raises $10M Series A  —  A 20-month-old startup in India founded by a group of banking veterans that has built a mobile-first credit card and is improving …

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This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 5:45 AM ET, August 19, 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.

From Mediagazer

New York Times:
Lesley Stahl says David Ellison called her and promised to respect editorial independence at 60 Minutes, a sign he is taking steps to calm turmoil at the show

Samuel Stolton / Bloomberg:
The EU is reviewing Paramount's WBD takeover under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, probing involvement of Middle Eastern funds; a decision is due by July 14

Scott Nover / Washington Post:
Email: the WH press corps won't be allowed on White House grounds Sunday due to the UFC fight; only press poolers will be allowed unless UFC gives credentials

More News

Matthew Smith / TIME:
After saying it was committed to justice in Myanmar, Facebook is fighting The Gambia's suit in US court seeking info from FB for Rohingya genocide case at ICJ
Axios:
Sources: Filecoin parent company Protocol Labs, which had a couple of seed rounds before raising $205M in an ICO, faces an investor revolt over who owns what

Earlier Picks

Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Samsung Note20 Ultra review: has fast performance, multiday battery life, big display is great for streaming games, but camera bump is huge, and it's expensive
James Vincent / The Verge:
Facebook and NYU research project suggests AI can make MRI scans up to four times faster by “predicting” the final scan from less data
Apple:
Apple renames Beats 1, its streaming radio station, Apple Music 1, and launches two new radio stations: Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country
Kate Conger / New York Times:
Sources: Uber and Lyft are considering a franchise-like model in California where they would license their brands to operators of vehicle fleets
Sebastian Herrera / Wall Street Journal:
Amazon says it is expanding physical offices and adding 3,500 corporate employees in six major cities, including 2,000 jobs in New York City
Sam Byford / The Verge:
Apple says “the problem Epic has created for itself is one that can easily be remedied” if they revert to comply with the guidelines they agreed to
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