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February 19, 2021, 3:10 AM
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| Mike Masnick / Techdirt: |
Facebook's refusal to pay a misguided media tax, pushed by Rupert Murdoch, is a defense of the open web and criticizing it for rejecting a link tax is bizarre — None of this should have been a surprise. Back in September we wrote about Facebook publicly saying that if Australia went forward …
More:
The Guardian, BuzzMachine, SiliconANGLE, New York Times, The Economic Times, The Information, and TechCrunch
Facebook: Michael West. Tweets: @mmasnick, @sunriseon7, @jayrosen_nyu, @evan_greer, @bobbyallyn, @bradchacos, @markscott82, @ohmdee, @daphnehk, @jayrosen_nyu, @slpng_giants_oz, @brantcooper, @randyebarnett, @djamesarmstrong, @grogsgamut, @lachlan, @julianknight15, @marietjeschaake, @clairlemon, @chriskeall, @mmasnick, @djinni43142058, @andrewbartlett, @channel4news, @mmasnick, @wexler, @hkanji, @mathewi, and @benthompson
| Damien Cave / New York Times: |
As news disappears from Facebook in Australia, while leaving plenty of conspiracy theories, many Australians are outraged but remain divided over what to do — The social network's decision to block journalism rather than pay for it erased more than expected, leaving many outraged and debating what should happen next.| Jason Scott / Bloomberg: |
More:
The Guardian, BBC, Nieman Lab, Tech in Asia, and Reuters
Tweets: @eyevariety and @naijaflyingdr
| Benedict Evans: |
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Daring Fireball. Tweets: @daphnehk, @carnage4life, @sarthakgh, @mrdenmore, @noam, @jackshafer, @mcannonbrookes, @sub8u, and @benedictevans
| William Easton / About Facebook: |
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The Guardian, CNET, Forbes, HotHardware.com News, New Republic, ABC, The Australian, ZDNet, 9News, CNBC, The Conversation, WIRED UK, Fast Company, Firstpost Tech, Associated Press, Pocket-lint, The Age, New York Times, Washington Post, The Logic, Sky News Australia, New York Post, news.com.au, Gizchina, Tech Policy Press, and The Verge
Facebook: Scott Morrison. Tweets: @joshfrydenberg, @davidcicilline, @caseybriggs, @emilybell, @caseynewton, @mikeisaac, @max_fisher, @campbell_brown, @mathewi, @maxchalm, @jameeljaffer, @katecrawford, @emilybell, @kurtwagner8, @issielapowsky, @yaeleisenstat, @zenjournalist, @rshivshankar, @s8mb, @joshuawells93, and @clairlemon
| Nicholas McElroy / ABC: |
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Gizmodo, Reuters, and The Guardian
Tweets: @joshgnosis, @sarah_collard_, @zaidjilani, @albomp, @natsils_, @juliacarriew, @iancarterim, @picardonhealth, and @jeremyrlent
| Dieter Bohn / The Verge: |
Google releases Android 12 developer preview, available for Pixel devices, with under-the-hood changes adding security, support for more media formats, and more — The big, consumer-facing changes will come later this year — Google is releasing a developer preview for the next version of Android …
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Android Developers, Android Developers Blog, Android Developers, The Keyword, Android Developers, 9to5Google, 9to5Google, 9to5Google, Android Police, XDA Developers, Android Central, Pocketnow, 9to5Google, 9to5Google, CNX Software, HotHardware.com News, 9to5Google, Android Central, Trusted Reviews, Ars Technica, Android Police, 9to5Google, and Droid Life
| Todd Spangler / Variety: |
Google adds the Apple TV app to its newest Chromecast device with Google TV and has made it available on Sony and TCL smart TVs that have Google TV — Plugging a notable gap in its streaming lineup, Google has added the Apple TV app — the only way to get the Apple TV Plus service — to its newest Chromecast device.
More:
The Keyword, Reuters, Pocketnow, phonearena.com, Digital Trends, BetaNews, ZDNet, and Trusted Reviews
Tweets: @madebygoogle, @teamoplive, @richlightshed, and @macrumors
| Tom Warren / The Verge: |
Microsoft announces new standalone versions of Office: Office 2021, available for Windows and macOS later this year, and Office LTSC for commercial customers — Microsoft Office LTSC is also arriving for businesses — Microsoft is announcing two new versions of Office today …
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Microsoft 365 Blog, Microsoft Tech Community, The Next Web, ZDNet, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, BGR India, gHacks Technology News, MSPoweruser, Trusted Reviews, iDownloadBlog.com, Thurrott, MacRumors, Pocketnow, AppleInsider, iPhone Hacks, Digital Trends, Petri, BetaNews, MUO, TechRadar, SlashGear, Laptop Mag, Neowin, iTnews, MSPoweruser, Petri, OnMSFT.com, and 9to5Mac
| Usman Pirzada / Wccftech: |
Nvidia announces dedicated crypto mining GPUs and says RTX 3060 GPU will detect the Ethereum cryptocurrency mining algorithm and limit the hash rate by 50% — NVIDIA has finally conceded to the overwhelming mining demand facing the GPU market right now and launched a lineup …
More:
The Official NVIDIA Blog, ZDNet, MUO, The Verge, Ubergizmo, Financial Times, IGN, PC Gamer, Pocketnow, and Crypto Briefing
Tweets: @tomwarren, @joonian, @ryansmithat, @id_aa_carmack, @officialpcmr, @film_girl, @nathanblawrence, @patrickmoorhead, and @film_girl. Thanks:@usmanpirzada
| Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet: |
Microsoft completes its probe into its SolarWinds-related breach, finds hackers stole some source code but no evidence that they abused its internal systems — Microsoft says it has completed its investigation into its SolarWinds-related breach. — Microsoft's security team said today …
More:
Microsoft Security …, Ars Technica, Reuters, Engadget, BleepingComputer, iTnews, and SiliconANGLE
Tweets: @josephmenn, @campuscodi, @kimzetter, @gazthejourno, and @vpkivimaki
| Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica: |
House Republicans introduce the CONNECT Act, which aims to expand broadband connectivity and competition, but would limit government-run municipal networks — GOP claims ban would “promote competition by limiting government-run networks.” — House Republicans have unveiled their plan for …
More:
Gizmodo. Tweets: @jbrodkin, @theoverheadwire, @armanddoma, @karlbode, @communitynets, @apantazi, @turnedinthefire, and @turnip_tops
| Tony Romm / Washington Post: |
Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, and Jack Dorsey are scheduled to testify at the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on platform misinformation March 25 — The hostility toward Big Tech that had taken hold in Washington has intensified after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol
More:
Democrats …, The Verge, The Hill, Reuters, Pocketnow, Reuters, Bloomberg, CNBC, and Axios
Tweets: @shannonpareil, @starfire2258, @hypervisible, @tonyromm, and @housecommerce
| Makena Kelly / The Verge: |
Thursday's House Committee hearing focused very little on social media's role in the GameStop squeeze and instead focused on Robinhood's influence — A Redditor, a FinTech bro, and two hedge fund managers walk into a hearing room — This story is part of a group of stories called
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The Guardian, The Economic Times, New York Times, BitMEX Blog, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Reuters, Insider, Deadline, MarketWatch, Washington Post, Bloomberg, IGN, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Politico, MarketWatch, NPR, USA Today, Bloomberg, and Cointelegraph. Tweets: @theroaringkitty
| Ian Carlos Campbell / The Verge: |
WhatsApp says it will offer users the ability to review its new privacy policy through a banner inside its app, ahead of the update's May 15 launch — The company is trying to set the record straight on private messages and what's changing — WhatsApp has a new plan to explain …
More:
WhatsApp.com, Engadget, Android Authority, The Economic Times, MediaNama, WABetaInfo, TechCrunch, CNET, The Next Web, iPhone Hacks, and PCMag
Tweets: @wcathcart, @chartier, and @ylecun
| Nikkei Asia: |
Sources: Huawei notifies suppliers that it plans to order components for 70M to 80M smartphones this year, down over 60% from the 189M it shipped last year — China's largest handset maker suffers from US sanctions Biden appears to back — TOKYO — Huawei Technologies has notified …
More:
Android Authority, Huawei Central, Gizchina, and CNET
| Natalie Gagliordi / ZDNet: |
Dropbox beats Q4 expectations with revenue of $504.1M, up 14% YoY, vs estimates of $498M, says it has 15.48M paying users, up from 14.31M YoY — The company said paying users now sit at 15.48 million, as compared to 14.31 million for the same period last year.
More:
Dropbox, MarketWatch, TheStreet, Zacks Investment Research, CNBC, and Reuters
| Todd Spangler / Variety: |
Roku beats with Q4 revenue of $650M vs $615M expected, up 58% YoY, net profit of $65.2M vs an expected loss; 14.3M active accounts were added for FY2020 — Roku grew revenue in the fourth quarter 58%, to a record $649.9 million — and posted a $65.2 million net profit for the quarter, whereas Wall Street had expected a loss.| Kirsten Korosec / TechCrunch: |
Anthony Levandowski closed his AI-focused church, Way of The Future, in 2020 and donated the church's ~$175K funds to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund — Way of the Future's funds donated to NAACP — The first church of artificial intelligence has shut its conceptual doors.
Tweets: @alex and @tweetermeyer
| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
App Annie: Clubhouse grew from over 3.5M global downloads on February 1, 2021, to reach 8.1M by February 16, 2021 — Social audio app Clubhouse has now topped 8 million global downloads, despite still being in a prelaunch, invite-only mode, according to new data released today by mobile data and analytics firm App Annie.| Rest of World: |
A look at how Clubhouse is being received in Japan, India, Nigeria, and Hong Kong, regions where Clubhouse usage has spiked — The buzzy audio app is most frequently associated with Silicon Valley, but it's taking off everywhere from Japan to Nigeria. — What happens when a buzzy app pegged …
Tweets: @jangles, @restofworld, @anupkaphle, @quadrisultan3, @restofworld, @wongmjane, and @lmatsakis
| Mara Hvistendahl / The Intercept: |
Docs: Oracle has been marketing its data analytics tools to Chinese police, touting its ability to mine DNA, vehicle records, and facial recognition databases — Police in China's Liaoning province were sitting on mounds of data collected through invasive means: financial records … | Hannah Murphy / Financial Times: |
Court filing says a Facebook manager warned that the company reported revenues it “should have never made” by overstating how many users advertisers could reach — Lawsuit cites product executive's qualms over figures provided to advertisers — A Facebook employee warned …
More:
The Verge. Tweets: @mshannahmurphy, @matthewstoller, @joshsternberg, @jeremarketer, @jason_kint, @jm_mcgrath, @mathewi, @id4ro, @jason_kint, @sivavaid, @samuelbrealey, @lauraolin, @blackamazon, @theclaudiablack, @vickerysec, @ethanbearman, @jason_kint, @thesuniljain, @slpng_giants, and @carolecadwalla
| Tony Romm / Washington Post: |
The Internet Association, whose members include Facebook and Google, joins a lawsuit from the US Chamber of Commerce challenging Maryland's digital services tax — The lawsuit from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and groups such as the Internet Association, whose members include Amazon …
More:
Washington Examiner, The Verge, CNN, Reuters, and The Hill
Tweets: @tiffkhsu, @tonyromm, @tonyromm, @thetweetofjohn, @drewharwell, @shiraovide, @profcarroll, and @mikemillerdc
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