Techmeme
August 17, 2021, 9:30 AM

Top News

Joseph Cox / VICE:
T-Mobile confirms hackers gained access to its systems, following reports that sensitive data, including SSNs, for over 100M people was for sale on the dark web  —  “We have determined that unauthorized access to some T-Mobile data occurred.”  —  Joseph Cox
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / VICE:
As the Taliban uses WhatsApp to coordinate and spread messages, the service's end-to-end encryption makes banning the group difficult  —  The Taliban are using the Facebook-owned chat app to spread messages to Afghan citizens as they take over the country.  —  Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
Bloomberg:
Kim Lyons / The Verge:
Tinder says it will bring its optional ID Verification feature, which has been available in Japan since 2019, to all members globally “in the coming quarters”  —  The feature has been active in Japan since 2019  —  Tinder said on Monday that it will make its ID Verification feature available …
Ryan Browne / CNBC:
Vienna-based crypto trading platform Bitpanda raises $263M led by Valar Ventures at a $4.1B valuation, up from $1.2B five months ago  —  - Cryptocurrency trading platform Bitpanda raised $263 million in a fresh round of funding valuing the company at $4.1 billion.
South China Morning Post:
Michael McSweeney / The Block:
Bluesky, the decentralized social media initiative unveiled by Twitter in 2019, will be led by Jay Graber, a former startup founder and cryptocurrency dev  —  Bluesky, the decentralized social media initiative unveiled by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey at the end of 2019, has a project lead, according to a Monday announcement.
Samantha Hissong / Rolling Stone:
TikTok partners with Audius, a music streaming service built on Ethereum, to let users upload their music as TikTok Sounds  —  It's the blockchain-powered Audius, rather than Spotify or Apple Music, that will let artists share their sounds into TikTok in one click
Brad Stone / Bloomberg:
A look at US lawmakers' efforts to rein in Google and Apple's app stores, after a bipartisan companion bill to Senate's Open App Markets Act debuts in the House  —  Legislating your apps  —  The U.S. Congress wants to change the way your smartphone works.  And the effort may actually succeed.
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Roblox reports Q2 bookings of $665.5M, up 35% YoY, vs. $689.2M est., revenue of $454.1M, up 127% YoY, net loss of $140.1M, and average DAUs of 43.2M, up 29% YoY  —  Roblox, the platform for Lego-like user-generated games, reported its bookings for the second quarter ended June 30 were $665.5 million …
Tim Marcin / Mashable:
Yik Yak, the app that creates anonymous message boards for users within a five mile radius, returns to the US iOS App Store after its 2017 shutdown  —  Yes, it's really back.  —  Buckle up, millennials.  Remember Yik Yak, the anonymous app that, in effect, allowed gossip and shit-talking …
Vlad Savov / Bloomberg:

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Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
Is AI Killing Software? — With Bret Taylor
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
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Channels with Peter Kafka:
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Acquired:
The NFL (2026 Update)
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The Talk Show With John Gruber:
'A Mitigated Disaster', With Daniel Jalkut
The director's commentary track for Daring Fireball. Long digressions on Apple, technology, design, movies, and more.
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Grit:
The Safest Dollar on the Internet | Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
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Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Special Edition: Key findings from the Microsoft AI Diffusion Report
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
 

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More News

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Earlier Picks

Alex Konrad / Forbes:
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Mishaal Rahman / XDA Developers:
David Gilbert / VICE:
Tom Krisher / Associated Press:
Joanna Ossinger / Bloomberg: