Techmeme
November 17, 2016, 5:55 PM

Top News

Craig Silverman / BuzzFeed:
Katrina Brooker / Vanity Fair:
Airbnb launches 500+ guide-led experiences called Trips, available in-app to guests; initial set includes samurai lessons in Japan, running in Kenya, more  —  Airbnb shook up the hotel business by giving anyone with a spare bed and a mobile phone a way to start a business.
Jessica Guynn / USA Today:
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey apologizes for neo-Nazi ad, blaming automated system for error  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey apologized for running an ad sponsored by a white supremacist group in violation of its own policies.  —  Dorsey blamed Twitter's automated system …
Kim Zetter / The Intercept:
Report: iPhones send call history with phone numbers, dates, times, and duration to Apple's servers if iCloud is enabled; log is retained for up to four months  —  Apple emerged as a guardian of user privacy this year after fighting FBI demands to help crack into San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook's iPhone.
Nick Nguyen / The Mozilla Blog:
Firefox launches Focus, a free browser for iOS which focuses on privacy by blocking many trackers by default  —  Today, we're pleased to announce the launch of Firefox Focus - a free, fast and easy to use private browser for iOS.  —  We live in an age where too many users have lost trust …
Bloomberg:
Sources: only one 2017 iPhone model may have OLED screen due to supply constraints; OLED model may have all-glass design and bezel-less screen larger than 5"  —  Display makers seen struggling to meet iPhone output in 2017  —  OLED displays are more energy efficient, provide deeper colors
Matt Burgess / WIRED UK:
UK's Investigatory Powers bill set to become law after being approved by parliament; bill allows bulk surveillance, hacking of mobile devices and networks, more  —  The Investigatory Powers Bill has been passed by both Houses of Parliament.  Once it receives Royal Assent it will become law
Garrett M. Graff / Wired:
James Clapper on having broader access to data and providers due to post-Snowden legislative changes, on need to adapt classification to the digital age, more  —  Public appearances don't come easily to James Clapper, the United States director of national intelligence.
Spencer Ackerman / The Guardian:
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
LinkedIn is now officially blocked in Russia after failing to transfer Russian user data to servers located in the country as required by law  —  Amid a tense stand-off and attempt at negotiations, Russia's communications regulator Roskomnadzor has started to enforce a proposed block of LinkedIn …
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:
Hacker Samy Kamkar debuts PoisonTap, a Raspberry Pi Zero mod that can plug into password-locked computers via USB and intercept web traffic, install backdoors  —  The perils of leaving computers unattended is about to get worse.  —  The perils of leaving computers unattended just got worse …
Kara Swisher / Recode:
AOL to lay off 500 employees, or 5% of its staff, mostly in its corporate units; CEO says resources will be shifted to mobile, video, and data offerings  —  There will be more changes next year if the deal to buy Yahoo is completed.  —  AOL will announce layoffs of 5 percent of its staff today …
Mike Murphy / Quartz:
Domino's begins delivering pizza by drone to customers within a 1.5 km radius of one store in New Zealand, in partnership with drone company Flirtey  —  It's a brave new world—for pizza.  —  For residents of the town of Whangaparaoa in New Zealand, Domino's pizza is now just a short drone delivery away.

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More News

Megan Rose Dickey / TechCrunch:

Earlier Picks

Steve Dent / Engadget:
Bloomberg: