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February 19, 2021, 8:15 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 …
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The Independent, Bloomberg, The Guardian, New York Times, BuzzMachine, EURACTIV.com, SiliconANGLE, CNBC, WIRED UK, The Information, and TechCrunch
Tweets: @mmasnick, @sunriseon7, @bobbyallyn, @markscott82, @ohmdee, @daphnehk, @jayrosen_nyu, @slpng_giants_oz, @brantcooper, @djamesarmstrong, @grogsgamut, @lachlan, @clairlemon, @mmasnick, @djinni43142058, @andrewbartlett, @channel4news, @hkanji, @benthompson, @bradchacos, @chriskeall, @evan_greer, @randyebarnett, @wexler, @mathewi, @mmasnick, @julianknight15, @marietjeschaake, and @jayrosen_nyu
| Jason Scott / Bloomberg: |
Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says he will hold talks with Zuckerberg to “see if there's a pathway forward”, but says news legislation will go ahead — - ‘The world is watching us very closely,’ says Treasurer — News content law expected to pass through parliament next week| Damien Cave / New York Times: |
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VCCircle and Associated Press
| Benedict Evans: |
More:
Daring Fireball and The Overspill
Tweets: @carnage4life, @mrdenmore, @noam, @sub8u, @sarthakgh, @jackshafer, @daphnehk, @mcannonbrookes, and @benedictevans
| William Easton / About Facebook: |
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CNN, Bloomberg, The Guardian, Financial Times, HotHardware.com News, Nieman Lab, New Republic, The Australian, ABC, The Conversation, Beyond Search, 9News, CNBC, CNET, Firstpost Tech, Forbes, Pocket-lint, ZDNet, Fast Company, Associated Press, Washington Post, news.com.au, Reclaim The Net, New York Post, The Logic, and The Age
| Nicholas McElroy / ABC: |
More:
Gizmodo and Reuters
Tweets: @joshgnosis, @sarah_collard_, @zaidjilani, @albomp, @juliacarriew, @picardonhealth, @natsils_, @iancarterim, and @jeremyrlent
| 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 … | 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 … | 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, ZDNet, Forbes, Insider, The Economic Times, XDA Developers, Fossbytes, TechCrunch, iPhone Hacks, SlashGear, phonearena.com, and PCMag
Tweets: @wcathcart, @chartier, and @ylecun
| Ryan Browne / CNBC: |
UK Supreme Court rules that Uber drivers should be classified as workers not independent contractors, concluding an almost five-year legal battle — - The U.K.'s Supreme Court upheld a ruling that Uber's drivers should be classified as workers rather than independent contractors.
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The Guardian, Bloomberg, BBC, Wall Street Journal, The Verge, Silicon Republic, Gizmodo, adcu.org.uk, CNET, Engadget, Uber Blog, CNN, Protocol, TechCrunch, Insider, Associated Press, Forbes, Reuters, ComputerWeekly.com, Intelligent Transport, Mashable, and Tech Xplore
Tweets: @cstross, @garius, @shonaghosh, @peterkyle, @chukaumunna, @benedictevans, @martinsfp, and @bytebot
| 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, CRN, Reuters, BleepingComputer, SecurityWeek, infosecurity-magazine.com, SiliconANGLE, The Hacker News, Engadget, iTnews, and VentureBeat
Tweets: @josephmenn, @kimzetter, @gazthejourno, @vpkivimaki, and @campuscodi
| 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, Insider, Pocketnow, Bloomberg, Reuters, Reuters, Axios, and The Hill
Tweets: @shannonpareil, @starfire2258, @hypervisible, @tonyromm, and @housecommerce
| 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, @communitynets, @apantazi, @turnedinthefire, @turnip_tops, and @karlbode
| 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| 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 … | Mark Gurman / Bloomberg: |
Sources: Apple is working on a magnetically attached battery pack for iPhone 12 that would wirelessly charge the handset — - Accessory has faced development issues related to software — Wireless charging unit may be popular with frequent users — Apple Inc. is working …
More:
MacRumors, 9to5Mac, and AppleInsider
| 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:
Silicon Republic, PCMag, Philip Elmer‑DeWitt, Android Headlines, Reuters, ZDNet, BetaNews, and phonearena.com
Tweets: @madebygoogle, @teamoplive, and @richlightshed
| Ashley Carman / The Verge: |
Sweden-based podcast host and ad network Acast says it is acquiring RadioPublic; RadioPublic's podcast app will remain live and its team will stay in the US — It already claims to be the biggest everywhere else — Acast, a podcast host and ad network, is looking to improve its tech and broaden its reach.| 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
| 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, TheStreet, Zacks Investment Research, MarketWatch, CNBC, and Reuters
| 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: @wongmjane, @jangles, @lmatsakis, @restofworld, @anupkaphle, @quadrisultan3, and @restofworld
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