Techmeme
July 17, 2021, 4:25 AM

Top News

Gigi Sukin / Axios:
Facebook says it won't be “distracted by accusations which aren't supported by the facts” in response to Biden's comment that social media is “killing people”  —  Facebook fired back on Friday evening after President Biden earlier said that social media platforms are …
Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC:
Biden says platforms like Facebook are “killing people” with the way they are handling COVID-19 vaccine misinfo, as White House calls on Facebook to do more  —  - President Joe Biden on Friday said platforms like Facebook are killing people by allowing Covid-19 vaccine misinformation on their services.
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Sean Hollister / The Verge:
Apple removed Fakespot, which claims to detect bad sellers and fake reviews, from the App Store after Amazon complained that the app provided misleading info  —  Did Fakespot need permission to call out fake reviews as you shop?  —  Fakespot, known for its web browser extensions that try …
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Automattic, owner of Tumblr, buys podcast app Pocket Casts from a public radio collective that includes NPR, which reportedly lost $800K on it last year  —  A new home for the popular podcast app  —  Pocket Casts has a new owner.  Automattic, which runs WordPress.com and recently purchased Tumblr …
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Report: Apple tapped VP of technology Kevin Lynch to help lead its car project; Lynch had a major role in development of Watch and associated health features  —  As Apple continues its work on self-driving car technology, it is shifting one of its most well-known executives to the Project Titan team.
Kait Sanchez / The Verge:
Unicode releases a draft list of new emoji to be finalized in September; contenders include multiracial handshake, melting smiley face, a pregnant man, and more  —  Looking forward to beans and more  —  The draft list for the next round of new emoji was announced today, two days ahead of World Emoji Day on July 17th.
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:
Microsoft warns customers to disable Windows Print Spooler service after identifying the third Windows print flaw in five weeks and despite a patch issued Tues.  —  The third serious Windows print flaw in 5 weeks prompts new Microsoft warning.  —  Microsoft hit yet another snag in its efforts …
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Interview with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi about Prop 22, capitalism, Travis Kalanick, getting nearly killed while delivering for Uber Eats on a bike in SF, more  —  The Uber CEO dreams of “pushing a button and getting a piano delivered to your home in an hour and a half.”  Uh ... let's start with dinner?
Nilesh Christopher / Rest of World:
Some restaurants in India are moving from Zomato and Swiggy to direct order services like DotPe due to their lower commissions and more access to customer data  —  Ahead of the company's $1.3 billion IPO, restaurants are moving to other platforms with lower commissions that provide more access to customer data.
Yana Pashaeva / Slate:
Sales of counterfeit COVID vaccine cards are thriving on Telegram, where scammers even promise to get a buyer's info registered into an official database  —  First, people cheated to receive a COVID vaccine shot.  Now, they cheat to not get one.  —  As some venues, businesses, workplaces …
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
OpenAI disbands its robotics team that researched machines that learn tasks like solving a Rubik's Cube, to focus on domains that are more data-rich  —  OpenAI has disbanded its robotics team after years of research into machines that can learn to perform tasks like solving a Rubik's Cube.
Canalys:
Global smartphone shipments grew 12% YoY in Q2, with Xiaomi up 83% to take a 17% share and pushing past Apple to reach the second place for the first time ever  —  In Q2 2021, global smartphone shipments increased 12%, as vaccines rolled out around the world, and the new normal for economies and citizens started to take shape.
Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Dorsey says Square is creating a new business line with the aim of helping devs build decentralized financial services products, primarily focused on Bitcoin  —  Square Inc. is creating a new business line to help developers build financial services products focused on Bitcoin …
Wendy Lee / Los Angeles Times:
How movie studios are using Cameo, Twitter Spaces, and TikTok to create personalized ads and experiences to attract audiences  —  Enrique García wasn't planning to see Universal Pictures' “F9: The Fast Saga” at a theater.  After the COVID-19 pandemic put the kibosh on large gatherings …

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More News

Jennifer Elias / CNBC:

Earlier Picks

Stephanie Yang / Wall Street Journal:
Jay Peters / The Verge:
Liam J. Kelly / Decrypt:
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Dave Gershgorn / The Verge:
Jay Peters / The Verge:
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / VICE: