Techmeme
August 27, 2020, 10:05 PM

Top News

Dan Primack / Axios:
Walmart says it is working with Microsoft on the TikTok deal, sources say with the idea of turning TikTok US into an e-commerce app for creators and users  —  Microsoft is working with Walmart on its efforts to buy TikTok's U.S. business from China's ByteDance, Axios has learned from multiple sources close to the process.
Financial Times:
TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigns, sources say after Trump threatened to ban the app; Vanessa Pappas, currently general manager of TikTok, will become interim head  —  Former Disney executive resigns just months after appointment by Chinese video platform  —  Kevin Mayer has quit TikTok …
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Sources: Walmart sought majority stake in TikTok, but US demanded a tech firm as lead investor; Walmart originally was in consortium with SoftBank and Alphabet  —  - Walmart wanted to be the majority owner of TikTok, but the U.S. government demanded a technology company that could secure …
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Sources: TikTok likely to announce a sale of US, Canada, Australia, and NZ operations in a deal worth $20B to $30B as soon as next week  —  - TikTok is nearing an agreement to sell its U.S., Canadian, Australian and New Zealand operations in a deal that could be announced as soon as next week, sources say.
The Wrap:
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Amazon unveils Halo, a $100 fitness band with an app to track emotional tone and create 3D scans for body fat, with an optional $4/month subscription service  —  It makes a 3D model of your body and tracks the emotional tone in your voice  —  Amazon is getting into the health gadget market …
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
DOJ sues to recover 280 BTC and ETH accounts the DOJ believes are storing funds that North Korean hackers stole from two cryptocurrency exchanges in 2019  —  US officials are going after 280 BTC and ETH accounts storing funds North Korean hackers stole from two cryptocurrency exchanges.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google revamps Assistant's Snapshot feature for iOS and Android, adding personalized recommendations powered by existing user data  —  Google is revamping its two-year old “Snapshot” feature in Google Assistant for iOS and Android.  The company in 2018 had first introduced Google Assistant Snapshot …
Sarah Frier / Bloomberg:
Facebook allows advertisers to target users in mainland China, despite national ban; Facebook says this is intentional, as a “small fraction” can circumvent ban  —  - Social network has been blocked in mainland China since 2009  — Ad archive shows messages targeting Beijing, Shanghai, Yunnan
Sara Fischer / Axios:
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority:
Leaked video appears to show LG's forthcoming dual-screen Wing, which has a rumored 6.8-inch main display and a flip-out 4-inch second display  —  - The video gives us ideas of possible use cases for a phone with this design, and they are pretty compelling.
Chris Gilliard / OneZero :
The technocratic language Facebook uses in its takedown reports hides the human trauma caused by material that exists only because Facebook made it possible  —  These reports obscure a torrent of hate speech and other toxic content  —  If  —  you've never read a Facebook …
Russell Brandom / The Verge:

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Rafat Ali / Skift:
Annie Palmer / CNBC:
Bloomberg: