Techmeme
September 19, 2020, 7:55 PM

Top News

Bloomberg:
Trump says he has approved Oracle's bid for the US operations of TikTok “in concept”  —  - Chinese government must still sign off on new U.S. company  — TikTok Global to donate $5 billion to education foundation  —  Donald Trump said he's approved Oracle Corp.'s bid …
Steve Kovach / CNBC:
Commerce Department announces that it will ban US downloads of and business transactions with TikTok and WeChat on Sunday  —  - The Commerce Department announced it will ban U.S. business transactions with China-owned social apps WeChat and TikTok on Sunday.
More: Axios, SiliconANGLE, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, U.S. Department of Commerce, Android Central, South China Morning Post, New York Times, CNN, The Verge, Washington Post, The Verge, Reuters, The Verge, Reuters, International Business Times, CNET, TechSpot, Engadget, The Hill, Reuters, Wired, SC Media, TechCrunch, Engadget, Forbes, Ars Technica, Tech.co, Bloomberg, equalocean.com, Marketplace, The Next Web, Tom's Hardware, Gamasutra, Slate, Decrypt, Daring Fireball, Computer Business Review, Axios, ZDNet, NBC Bay Area, MacRumors, New.blicio.us, Bloomberg, Fortune, Protocol, XDA Developers, Android Central, and WRAL TechWire
Bloomberg:
TikTok asked a court on Friday to block its ban, saying US govt. exceeded its authority, the ban was issued for political reasons, and violates First Amendment  —  - Company says Trump exceeded his authority with ban order  — Video-sharing app surged in popularity, especially with teens
Jason Koebler / VICE:
Banning TikTok from US app stores but allowing it to operate until Nov. 12 prevents TikTok from patching any security vulnerabilities found in the meantime  —  Any TikTok vulnerabilities patched by ByteDance will continue to persist for Americans and Americans only under Trump's new TikTok ban.
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
Check Point: Iranian hacker group Rampant Kitten, which has been active for 6+ years, has developed an Android malware capable of stealing 2FA SMS codes  —  The malware could steal 2FA SMS codes for Google accounts.  Also contained vague functionality to do the same for Telegram and various social networks.
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
iOS 14 Picture in Picture functionality stops working for YouTube's mobile website in Safari for users who do not subscribe to YouTube Premium  —  Apple in iOS 14 added Picture in Picture to the iPhone, a feature designed to let you watch a video in a small screen on your device while you continue to do other things on the phone.
Jon Fingas / Engadget:
In a new filing, Epic rejects Apple's claim that “interest” in Fortnite declined by 70%, says active players grew 39% between October 2019 and July 2020  —  Epic is hitting back at Apple's claims that the developer's lawsuit was just an attempt to revitalize sagging interest in Fortnite on iOS.
Zac Bowden / Windows Central:
An inside look at how Microsoft tried and failed in creating a version of Windows for dual-screen devices like Surface Duo, and eventually picked Android  —  Curious what Surface Duo was like when it was a Windows device?  Wonder no more.  —  Here at Windows Central …
Julia Alexander / The Verge:
Apple's subscription bundle Apple One will greatly help TV+ by keeping subscriber metrics high as the service grows, following a strategy similar to Prime Video  —  A big push ahead of the streaming service's anniversary  —  Apple's new Apple One bundle, which gives customers an assortment …
Alex Kantrowitz / Big Technology:
The FTC and DOJ antitrust divisions are underfunded, as current and ex-staffers say tech giants use close personal ties and deep pockets to stymie regulation  —  U.S. regulators don't have enough money to properly check the tech giants, according to firsthand accounts

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Gerry Smith / Bloomberg:
New York Times:
Annie Palmer / CNBC:
Manish Singh / TechCrunch: