Techmeme
October 2, 2020, 9:05 AM

Top News

Annie Palmer / CNBC:
Amazon says that of its 1.37M frontline workers, 19K+ contracted COVID-19 from March 1 to September 19, with an infection rate lower than general US population  —  - Amazon on Thursday released comprehensive data into the spread of the coronavirus across its workforce.
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Google says it will turn off face retouching by default and avoid references to “beauty” in its Camera app, starting with the Pixel 4a, 4a 5G, and 5  —  When Digital Wellbeing launched, it was initially used to manage how often people use their phones.
Jay Peters / The Verge:
Netflix support document says that 4K streaming will be available only on Macs that have macOS 11.0 Big Sur, the latest Safari browser, and a T2 security chip  —  Macs without a T2 chip can't watch 4K Netflix  —  macOS Big Sur, Apple's upcoming release of its Mac operating system …
Karissa Bell / Engadget:
After criticism of racial bias, Twitter says its automated image cropping showed “salient” areas of the image, but will change it to give users more control  —  Twitter will change its automated image cropping feature after users complained that it was biased.
Zane Schwartz / The Logic:
Apple sues electronics recycling company GEEP Canada for allegedly stealing and reselling nearly 100,000 iPhones, iPads, and Watches it was supposed to recycle  —  Apple is suing electronics recycling firm GEEP Canada for allegedly stealing and reselling nearly 100,000 iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches it was supposed to destroy.
Reuters:
Sources: Roblox is considering a US IPO next year that it expects could double its recent $4B valuation  —  (Reuters) - Roblox Corporation is working with investment banks to prepare for a U.S. stock market listing that could come early next year and which the online gaming platform expects …
Michael McSweeney / The Block:
DOJ and CFTC charge BitMEX and its founders with allegedly operating an unregistered trading platform and violating CFTC anti-money laundering rules  —  The U.S. Department of Justice and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have filed charges against crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX …
Mirko Ranieri / The Keyword:
Google Maps' Live View AR feature now includes notable landmarks in ~25 cities around the world, and gets location sharing, improved accuracy, and more  —  Live View in Google Maps helps you keep your bearings so you can find your way around.  With new ways to use Live View …
The Verge:
Facebook moderators at Accenture say they were told to return to the office despite the pandemic; Facebook says their work can't be done remotely  —  Employees are concerned about COVID-19 now that they're being told to return starting October 12th  —  Facebook moderators employed …
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Facebook announces updates for Groups: automating moderation, surfacing some public group discussions in News Feeds and search results, and more  —  The company is pushing people to join Groups  —  Facebook is expanding the reach of public groups today with new features that could lead …
The Verge:
HP debuts 14-inch Spectre x360 laptop with a 3:2 aspect ratio, 11th-gen Intel processors, Thunderbolt 4, and AI-based noise removal features, starting at $1,199  —  Plus updates for Spectre x360 13 and HP's Envy lineup  —  HP has just announced several new laptops, including …
Politico:
Lauren Feiner / CNBC:
Elizabeth Dwoskin / Washington Post:
A look at Twitter's plans for work from home, two years in the making, that created a wave of copycats, and the lessons it learned  —  Twitter's plans for work from home indefinitely have prompted a wave of copycats.  But its transformation has been two years in the making — and the rest of America can learn some lessons.
Ayanti Bera / Reuters:
Uber Freight raises $500M from private equity firm Greenbriar Equity Group at a post-money valuation of $3.3B  —  (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc UBER.N said on Friday New York-based private equity firm Greenbriar Equity Group would invest $500 million in its logistics arm, Uber Freight …
Tweets: @robinwauters
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Google will pay publishers $1B+ through 2023 to create and curate high-quality journalism for the new Google News Showcase, starting in Germany and Brazil  —  Google will pay publishers more than $1 billion over the next three years to create and curate high-quality journalism for a new set …

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Earlier Picks

Wall Street Journal:
Natasha Bernal / WIRED UK:
Gordon Corera / BBC:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC: