Techmeme
May 28, 2021, 10:15 AM

Top News

New York Times:
Microsoft says SolarWinds hackers seized an email system used by State Department's international aid agency to breach NGOs and organizations critical of Putin  —  Microsoft reported that it had detected the intrusion and that the same hackers behind the earlier SolarWinds attack were responsible.
Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is planning redesigned AirPods for 2021 and 2nd-gen AirPods Pro for 2022, which will include updated motion sensors for fitness tracking  —  - Company preparing to overhaul its entry-level wireless earbuds  — Apple also discussing new colors for AirPods Max headphones
Liam Tung / ZDNet:
Google says Chrome 91 has 23% faster performance thanks to Sparkplug, a new JavaScript compiler for its V8 JavaScript engine  —  Google says its new JavaScript compiler saves 17 years of Chrome users' CPU time each day.  It should also benefit all Chromium browsers that use it.
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Twitter Blue, Twitter's anticipated $2.99 monthly subscription tier, is now listed as an option in the iOS App Store, despite the feature not being live in-app  —  Twitter appears to have mistakenly confirmed its plans to launch a new subscription tier called “Twitter Blue,” with the new purchase option now listed in the iOS App Store.
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols / ZDNet:
Have I Been Pwned goes open source, starting with the Pwned Password code; FBI to begin sharing compromised passwords discovered in investigations with the site  —  Want to find out if someone's stolen your user IDs and passwords?  Then you can use “Have I Been Pwned,” and now the code behind it is being open sourced.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes / ZDNet:
Joseph Cox / VICE:
Sources detail Citizen's efforts to cash in on vigilantism, including flooding users with notifications to make them anxious enough to buy its premium service  —  Internal documents, messages, and roadmaps show how crime app Citizen is pushing the boundary of what a private, app-enabled vigilante force may be capable of.
Michael Luciano / Mediaite:
Rep. Matt Gaetz told the crowd at an America First rally that they have “an obligation” to use the Second Amendment against Big Tech companies  —  At an “America First” rally with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) in Georgia, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) ratcheted up the rhetoric …
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Google is nearing a settlement of an antitrust case in France alleging it abused its power in online ads, and is likely pay a fine and make changes  —  French investigation alleged Google's ad server favored its own ad exchange  —  Alphabet Inc.'s Google is nearing a settlement …
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
FBI says a foreign nation-state hacking group breached a US municipal government via an unpatched Fortinet VPN appliance  —  The Federal Bureau of Investigation said today that foreign hackers had breached the network of a local US municipal government after exploiting vulnerabilities in an unpatched Fortinet networking appliance.
Matthew Gault / VICE:
Amazon introduces AmaZen meditation booths in which warehouse employees can watch company videos about mindfulness to deal with stress  —  The AmaZen meditation booth is a small room where employees can watch company videos about mindfulness while a small fan moves the air around.  —  Matthew Gault
Adi Robertson / The Verge:
Industry groups representing Google, Facebook, and others sue Florida over its new social media law, calling it a “frontal assault on the First Amendment”  —  Yes, the one with the theme park exception  —  Two tech industry organizations have sued Florida over its newly passed rules for social networks.

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More News

Jordan Novet / CNBC:
Mark Bergen / Bloomberg:

Earlier Picks

Casey Newton / Platformer:
Sujeong Lim / Counterpoint Research:
Karan Deep Singh / New York Times:
Cristiano Lima / Politico:
Jay Peters / The Verge: