Techmeme
May 11, 2023, 11:00 AM

Top News

Karissa Bell / Engadget:
Twitter rolls out encrypted DMs, but both sender and recipient must be verified users, no support for group messages, and message metadata is not encrypted  —  There are still some major limitations to the feature.  —  Twitter is beginning to roll out its long-promised encrypted direct messaging feature.
Sam Rutherford / Engadget:
Google unveils the $1,799 Pixel Fold with a 120Hz 7.6" main screen, a 5.8" exterior screen, a Tensor G2, and 12GB of RAM, for preorder now and arriving in June  —  Google's first foldable phone feels like what I always wanted from the Surface Duo to be.  —  I've been using some version …
Kyle Bradshaw / 9to5Google:
Google announces the Pixel 7a with a 6.1-inch 90Hz screen, a fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock, wireless charging, and a 64MP camera, available on May 11 for $499  —  Over the years, Google's Pixel phones have gained a reputation for having an exceptional camera, a clean Android experience, and smarts you won't find on any other phone.
Scott Stein / CNET:
Brady Snyder / XDA Developers:
Google launches a dedicated Labs page, where users can sign up to test Google's early ideas for features and products, including Search and Workspace AI tools  —  Google is using artificial intelligence to improve its existing products, and you can sign up to try them in Labs now.  Here's how to get started.
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer:
Industrial cybersecurity firm Dragos says a known cybercrime group gained access to its SharePoint cloud service on May 8 but didn't breach its internal network  —  Industrial cybersecurity company Dragos today disclosed what it describes as a “cybersecurity event” after a known cybercrime gang attempted …
David Pierce / The Verge:
Google shows AI features coming to Search, including an AI-powered “snapshot” that summarizes search results with links to sites “corroborating” the information  —  Google is moving slowly and carefully to make AI happen.  Maybe too slowly and too carefully for some people.
James Vincent / The Verge:
Reuters:
EU lawmakers agree to ban facial recognition in public, limit predictive policing, and impose transparency on generative AI; EU Commission will finalize details  —  European lawmakers came a step closer to passing new rules regulating artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT …
Bloomberg:
SoftBank reports Vision Fund lost ~$2B in Q4, down from ~$16B in Q4 2022, leading to a ~$32B full-year loss; investments for the year to March fell to ~$3B  —  SoftBank Group Corp. lost money in its Vision Fund investment unit again despite a rebound in tech stocks, as the Japanese conglomerate …
Lillian Rizzo / CNBC:
Ted Chiang / New Yorker:
Similar to McKinsey and other consultancy firms, AI advancements may help concentrate wealth, disempower workers, and “sharpen the knife blade of capitalism”  —  As it's currently imagined, the technology promises to concentrate wealth and disempower workers.  Is an alternative possible?
Tracy Wang / CoinDesk:
Filings: the US Internal Revenue Service filed claims worth nearly $44B against FTX companies, including a $20.4B claim against Alameda in partnership taxes  —  The largest of the claims includes a $20.4 billion claim against Alameda Research LLC, which details nearly $20 billion in unpaid partnership taxes.
Mike Rogoway / Oregonian:
Amazon secures an estimated $1B in tax breaks for five data centers in Morrow County, Oregon, which local officials hope will generate $12B in Amazon spending  —  Port of Morrow commissioners signed off Wednesday on a contentious package of tax incentives for five more Amazon data centers in eastern Oregon …
Sean Hollister / The Verge:
Google unveils generative AI wallpapers, coming exclusively to Pixels in June, and Magic Compose, a feature in Messages for Android that auto-suggests responses  —  Generative AI is all the rage — and Google has found two new ways to put the tech in the palm of your hand.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Abner Li / 9to5Google:

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