Techmeme: The US is shifting its cybersecurity strategy from relying on companies' voluntary cooperation toward stronger oversight, minimum security standards, and more (Patrick Howell O'Neill/MIT Technology Review)

Open Links In New Tab

Mobile Archives Advertise Site News

March 20, 2022, 8:25 PM

Top News

Mitchell Clark / The Verge:

CEO Pavel Durov says Telegram was unresponsive to Brazil's Supreme Court because the court used the wrong email address, apologizes, and asks for a ruling delay — Telegram's founder and CEO Pavel Durov has just put out a statement about why Brazil's Supreme Court is now suspending the app, and the reason is incredible.

New York Times:

Brazil's Supreme Court reverses its decision to ban Telegram, which it had ordered on Friday, after Telegram suddenly worked to comply with the court's orders — Brazil's Supreme Court blocked Telegram on Friday. The messaging app then responded with measures to fight misinformation, and the court quickly lifted its ban.

More: The Verge, Agence France-Presse, and Engadget

Tweets: @arturpericles, @afp, and @jacknicas

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:

Now that Apple is making monitors again, the company should develop a mesh network version of the AirPort Extreme to compete with Google and Amazon routers — Apple's new monitor isn't getting off to a particularly strong start, but I still think the company should do more to bolster its Mac lineup …

More: 9to5Mac, MacRumors, AppleInsider, Philip Elmer‑DeWitt, Gizchina, AppleTrack, and Appleosophy

Tweets: @pwthornton, @dmoren, @reneritchie, @dmoren, @mikeelgan, @parkerortolani, and @mgsiegler

CBS San Francisco:

A former Apple employee faces federal charges for allegedly defrauding the company out of $10M+, taking kickbacks, stealing parts, evading taxes, and more — CUPERTINO (CBS SF) - A former Apple employee is facing federal charges after he allegedly defrauded the tech giant out of millions …

More: Insider, Associated Press, Reuters, Philip Elmer‑DeWitt, SiliconValley.com, Washington Examiner, New York Post, iPhone in Canada Blog, The Daily Beast, Newser, AppleInsider, MacDailyNews, Patently Apple, and Mercury News

Jay Peters / The Verge:

Google begins rolling out a feature that lets users delete the last 15 minutes of their search history on Android, after rolling it out for iOS in July 2021 — The feature came to the iOS app in July — Google is finally bringing the ability to delete the last 15 minutes of your search history …

More: Softpedia News, Mashable, PhoneArena, iPhone in Canada Blog, BetaNews, TechSpot, PCMag, BGR India, Tech Times, Tribuneindia News Service, and Android Police

Tweets: @nh_india and @glenngabe

Alex Sherman / CNBC:

A look at the fallout between Bob Chapek and Bob Iger as Disney restructures for a world where streaming dominates and legacy distribution models fade away — Bob Iger, left, and Bob Chapek of Disney — April 12, 2020. That's the day former Disney CEO Bob Iger's relationship …

Miriam Gottfried / Wall Street Journal:

Sources: Thoma Bravo has agreed to buy Anaplan for $10.7B or $66/share, after the maker of cloud-based business planning software closed at $50.59 on Friday — Anaplan shareholders are to receive $66 a share in cash — Private-equity firm Thoma Bravo LP has struck a deal to buy Anaplan Inc …

Adi Robertson / The Verge:

Q&A with Margrethe Vestager on EU's cases against Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon, how the planned Digital Markets Act may help with antitrust enforcement, more — Margrethe Vestager is one of the driving forces behind tech regulation worldwide. Appointed as the European Commission's commissioner …

Tweets: @reckless, @thedextriarchy, @nicholashirst_, and @igorletina

Kevin Williams / Washington Post:

Limestone, Tennessee residents were promised economic benefits from a bitcoin mine, but now face constant noise pollution from its computers and cooling fans — LIMESTONE, Tenn. — It started as a low hum one day last spring. Then it got louder, and soon some residents said the noise was like a jet engine idling on a nearby tarmac.

More: Cryptocracy. Tweets: @sesmith, @mestizoleftist, @peterwsinger, @kamatlabnd, and @jimmcwilliams5

Patrick Howell O'Neill / MIT Technology Review:

The US is shifting its cybersecurity strategy from relying on companies' voluntary cooperation toward stronger oversight, minimum security standards, and more — The specter of Russian hackers and an overreliance on voluntary cooperation from the private sector means officials are finally prepared to get tough.

Tweets: @ericgeller, @taliaringer, @howelloneill, and @kimzetter

Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:

How researchers are using self-supervised learning, a branch of AI that has proven effective for handling human language, to better understand animal sounds — New kinds of artificial intelligence are enabling scientists to better understand the sounds of the animal world, from whale songs to mouse squeaks

Tweets: @julespolonetsky, @drescotet, @julespolonetsky, @2morrowknight, @etzioni, @mims, and @mims

Charlie Warzel / The Atlantic:

Q&A with Second Life journalist Wagner James Au, on crypto-based metaverses, companies such as Meta struggling to foster healthy metaverse communities, and more — Welcome to Galaxy Brain—a newsletter from Charlie Warzel about technology, media, culture, and big ideas. You can read what this is all about here.

More: Engadget and New World Notes

Tweets: @cwarzel, @_maargentino, @doctorow, @cwarzel, @arnicas, @rajit_h, @arainert, @annehelen, @cwarzel, @theatlantic, @scottnover, @mathewi, @adrianhon, @cwarzel, and @transmutablenew

Sponsor Posts

Google:

Try Gemini 3 Pro — Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life

Shopify:

Shopify's new AI commerce stack — Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.

Zoho:

Why eIDAS 2.0 might be the EU's boldest digital move yet — eIDAS: The first building block of digital trust More than a decade ago, the EU introduced the eIDAS regulation (Regulation [EU] No 910/2014) …

IDrive:

Protecting your Cloud Applications Data — Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Sponsor Techmeme

Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:

Sam Altman: How OpenAI Wins, AI Buildout Logic, IPO in 2026?

The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.

Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.

Access:

Betting on reality with Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour

A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.

Subscribe to Access.

Lenny's Podcast:

The new AI growth playbook for 2026: How Lovable hit $200M ARR in one year | Elena Verna (Head of Growth)

Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.

Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.

Channels with Peter Kafka:

"Neither Side Is Used to Losing." Lucas Shaw on What's Next for Netflix and Paramount in the Battle for Warner Bros.

Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.

Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.

Uncapped with Jack Altman:

Saam Motamedi from Greylock Partners

Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.

Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.

Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:

Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling

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.

Add your podcast here

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 8:25 PM ET, March 20, 2022.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

From Mediagazer

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) agree to buy WildBrain's 41% stake in Peanuts Holdings for ~$457M, raising Sony's slice to 80%

Shane O'Neill / Washington Post:

Q&A with Christopher Anderson, who photographed Trump's inner circle for VF: “My job is to ... draw on my experience as a journalist and photograph what I see”

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

CBS News and The Free Press announce Things That Matter, a series of town halls and debates, starting in early 2026, with Sam Altman, J.D. Vance, and others

Upcoming Tech Events

Jan 4

Samsung "The First Look" media event

Game Developers Conference

More News

Katie Palmer / STAT:

Doctors often use Google Translate to talk with non-English speaking patients, but researchers say inaccurate results are common and can lead to serious errors

Tweets: @karimccneo, @epro, @berkeleydatasci, and @rickberke

Washington Post:

Mykhailo Fedorov says Starlink's quality is excellent, as Ukrainians use the terminals to stay online; a source says there are 5,000+ terminals in the country

More: Slashdot and The Guardian

Tweets: @richgel999, @timothymeade, @mayemusk, @davidshipley, @edithhonan, @westcoastbill, @kimzetter, @stanphylcap, @josephmenn, @chris_maag, @gbrumfiel, @pstasiatech, and @kbandersen

S.I. Rosenbaum / Input:

A look at TropeTrainer, beloved Torah learning software that helped rabbis prepare kids for bar and bat mitzvahs, which became obsolete after its creator died

More: Wishful Linking. Tweets: @stevemann, @fakebaldur, @hels, @jesseltaylor, @yacobg42, @carseatheadrest, @ftrain, @anirvan, @communalsauce, @sesmith, @waxpancake, @rinewithoutacat, @mabfan, and @asafshaloo

David McCabe / New York Times:

US judge dismisses a DC AG lawsuit against Amazon, which claimed that the company maintained a monopoly by locking wholesalers into anti-competitive agreements

More: Wall Street Journal, Engadget, Reuters, The Verge, and Bloomberg

Tweets: @nytnational and @carnage4life

Adnan Bhat / Rest of World:

Doctors say the rise of fantasy sports apps has led to a spike in gambling addiction in India, where gambling is illegal but fantasy gaming has no clear laws

Tweets: @adnanmbhat, @anirvan, @restofworld, @anupkaphle, and @restofworld

Edward Ongweso Jr / VICE:

SXSW shows crypto and the metaverse are underwhelming, mundane, and pathetic; the biggest boosters are rich enough to generate interest but not social utility

Earlier Picks

Mitchell Clark / The Verge:

After some creators speak out, Vimeo caps the monthly bandwidth usage at 2TB instead of charging the top 1% of users; creators have at least 30 days to appeal

More: Vimeo Blog, PCMag, and Pixel Envy

Tweets: @vimeo, @jake_k, and @waxpancake

New York Times:

A look at China-made hit fantasy RPG Genshin Impact, as China takes on the video game market by buying up Japanese talent and imitating Japan's industry leaders

Tweets: @andreasharsono

Barbara Krasnoff / The Verge:

Meta locks out some users, whether they had enabled Facebook Protect or not, after asking them to activate the security feature in a spam-like message in March

Joseph Cox / VICE:

The developer of the popular open-source networking tool node-ipc allegedly sabotaged its code to wipe data on computers that use the tool in Russia and Belarus

More: Ars Technica, Daring Fireball, CSO, Wired, Protocol, and Slashdot

Tweets: @williamturton, @bsletten, @f_bartoloni, @electriccowboyr, @ax_sharma, @film_girl, @film_girl, @emilygorcenski, @gilanghamidy, @cpm5280, @mjgault, @josephfcox, @kimzetter, @josephfcox, @clintehrlich, @briankrebs, and @campuscodi

Andrew R. Chow / TIME:

A profile of Vitalik Buterin, who says he decided “to try to be more risk-taking and less neutral” to shape Ethereum with “lots of good crazy and bad crazy”