Techmeme
August 28, 2020, 12:10 PM

Top News

Reuters:
Facebook says that to add the new paid events feature to its app on iOS, Apple had it remove a message telling users that Apple takes a 30% cut of sales  —  (Reuters) - Facebook Inc on Thursday told Reuters that Apple Inc rejected its attempt to tell users the iPhone maker would take a 30% cut …
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.
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 …
Financial Times:
Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central:
Xiaomi says its under-display cameras are ready for consumer use, will ship in a phone next year, and will be completely invisible under the screen  —  Xiaomi's third-generation under-display camera tech is ready for consumer use. … Xiaomi showed off a prototype with an under-display selfie camera …
Louise Matsakis / Wired:
Citizen Lab: between January and May 2020, China censored over 2000 terms related to coronavirus on WeChat to control the narrative about China and the disease  —  In China, the messaging platform blocked thousands of keywords related to the virus, a new report reveals.
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
Facebook sues MobiBurn, which provides SDK to embed ads in apps, claiming it illegally collected Facebook users' data and failed to comply with an audit  —  Facebook also sued the operator of a website selling Instagram followers, likes, and comments.  —  Facebook has filed lawsuits today …
Matt Burgess / WIRED UK:
A look at the state of deepfake pornography, which has become rampant on porn websites, with some videos of popular actresses having millions of views  —  Non-consensual deepfake videos, that humiliate and demean women, are racking up millions of views on mainstream porn sites.  Nothing is being done about them
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.
FinSMEs:
Shopmonkey, which provides cloud-based software for auto repair shop management, raises $25M Series B led by Bessemer Venture Partners  —  Shopmonkey, a San Jose, Calif.-based software company serving the automotive industry, raised $25m in its Series B funding.
Alexander Maxham / Android Headlines:
Sources: Sony's Xperia 5 II will feature a 6.1" 21:9 OLED screen, 120Hz refresh, Snapdragon 865, 8GB RAM, 4,000mAh battery, 3-camera array; release on Sept. 17  —  The Sony Xperia 5 II is shaping up to be a pretty impressive device from the company.  And we have just about every detail about Sony's new flagship smartphone.
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Facebook is testing linking users' accounts to their news subscriptions, to let them read articles without hitting the paywall or having to log-in again  —  Facebook is testing out a new feature that could help news publishers create a better experience for paying subscribers on the social network.
More: Adweek
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 …
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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Earlier Picks

Shubham Agarwal / Digital Trends:
Bloomberg:
Scott Stein / CNET:
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Annie Palmer / CNBC: