Techmeme: Scribd launches Scribd Originals, a new long-form program with original content featuring notable authors such as Roxane Gay and Garrett Graff (Andrew Liptak/The Verge)

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Ted Johnson / Variety:

DOJ warns the group behind the Oscars that potential rule changes limiting the eligibility of Netflix and other streaming services could raise antitrust issues — WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has warned the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that its potential rule changes limiting …

More: AppleInsider, Recode, Fortune, The Verge, Investor's Business Daily, BGR, TechSpot, The Hill, Engadget, Financial Times, IndieWire, Gizmodo, CNET, CNBC, NBC News, and TechCrunch

Tweets: @gramatik, @gingermcqueen, and @zeitchikwapo

See also Mediagazer

Ina Fried / Axios:

Facebook says it will stop asking for email passwords to verify new accounts; previously, it used them to verify accounts whose email addresses didn't use OAuth — Responding to criticism, Facebook says it will stop asking users for their email passwords as a means of verifying some new accounts.

More: The Daily Beast, Business Insider, ZDNet, CNET, Security Boulevard, Gizmodo, Silicon Republic, Inquirer, The Hacker News, Telegraph, Boing Boing, and VOIP IP Telephony

Tweets: @noahshachtman, @inafried, and @inafried

Ivan Mehta / The Next Web:

WhatsApp now allows users to control who can add them to group chats — WhatsApp's group conversations can be awfully annoying when you're dragged into them without your consent. It's finally rolled out a fix for that, in the form of a new setting that lets you choose who can add you to group chats …

More: TechCrunch, VentureBeat, 9to5Mac, The Verge, Neowin, and Engadget

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Andrew Liszewski / Gizmodo:

Adobe's After Effects adds Content-Aware Fill for videos, which can intelligently remove and replace objects in a scene — Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF — In 2010, Adobe introduced one of Photoshop's first true ‘smart’ features …

More: TechCrunch, The Verge, Digital Trends, 9to5Mac, and MacRumors

Damien Wilde / 9to5Google:

Google rolling out Duplex AI restaurant booking assistant to non-Pixel devices and iOS in the US — Get ready, the ability to get your Google Assistant to call your local eateries to make reservations is now rolling out to non-Pixel devices and iOS in the United States.

More: Ars Technica, XDA Developers, Android Authority, Engadget, Android Police, The Verge, iPhone Hacks, SlashGear, and SamMobile

Edmund Lee / New York Times:

Sources: more than 200,000 people subscribed to Apple News+ in its first 48 hours, more than Texture had at its peak — Executives have been burned by their previous dealings with big tech companies. But Apple's promise of a billion devices worldwide was too good to pass up. Even for Rupert Murdoch.

More: CNBC, iLounge, Philip ElmerDeWitt, The Mac Observer, AppleInsider, Cult of Mac, BGR, iPhone Hacks, MacRumors, MacDailyNews, 9to5Mac, and CNET

Tweets: @markgurman, @kifleswing, @benbajarin, @mims, @dlberes, @alistairmbarr, @markgurman, @mims, @mims, @stevekovach, @arctictony, @neilcybart, @edmundlee, and @joepompeo

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Emily Birnbaum / The Hill:

Google will require contracting firms to give US workers health care benefits, parental leave, $15/hr min. wage, more, by 2022, following activism from Googlers — Google said on Tuesday it will require its contracted and temporary workforce to receive full benefits, including comprehensive health care …

Issie Lapowsky / Wired:

Inside the DNC's plan to replace its aging data repository Vertica with the Data Warehouse, a more powerful BigQuery-based system, before the 2020 election — IN JULY OF 2017, as Raffi Krikorian settled into his new office at the Democratic National Committee, Hillary Clinton's words were still ringing in his ears.

Tweets: @issielapowsky, @wired, @saikatc, @issielapowsky, @issielapowsky, @lizjaff, @jesslivmo, @issielapowsky, @wired, and @raffi

New York Times:

Singapore introduces draft bill that requires sites to take down fake news raising concerns among human rights advocates over repression — HONG KONG — Singapore introduced draft legislation on Monday that it said would combat false or misleading information on the internet …

Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:

Run.AI, which is building a virtualization and acceleration platform for deep learning, comes out of stealth with a total of $13M raised — Tel Aviv's Run.AI, a startup that is building a new virtualization and acceleration platform for deep learning, is coming out of stealth today.

More: FinSMEs, ZDNet, and VentureBeat

Dan Primack / Axios:

Sources: Affirm, the online lending startup led by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin, has raised ~$300M Series F at a post-money valuation of $2.9B — Affirm, the consumer credit startup led by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin, has raised around $300 million in Series F funding, Axios has learned.

More: Crunchbase News. Tweets: @erickschonfeld and @danprimack

Chris Welch / The Verge:

Google has officially started the process of shutting down and deleting all consumer accounts on its failed social network platform Google+ — The deletion of personal accounts starts today — Google has officially started the process of shutting down and deleting all consumer accounts …

More: Ars Technica, Android Authority, 9to5Google, Android Police, Android Authority, Observer, BetaNews, Mashable, Appleosophy, XDA Developers, and 9to5Google

Tweets: @ow, @dbfig, @marktraphagen, @dcseifert, @dcseifert, and @hunterwalk

Ron Miller / TechCrunch:

Aqua Security, which helps customers launch containers securely, raises $62M Series C led by Insight Partners — Aqua Security, a startup that helps customers launch containers securely, announced a $62 million Series C investment today led by Insight Partners.

More: Reuters, FinSMEs, VentureBeat, Tech.eu, SiliconANGLE, Security Boulevard, and SecurityWeek

Andrew Liptak / The Verge:

Scribd launches Scribd Originals, a new long-form program with original content featuring notable authors such as Roxane Gay and Garrett Graff — Pieces will range between a magazine feature and a book — Reading platform Scribd is launching a new original content program called Scribd Originals today …

More: TechCrunch. Thanks:@yurieeka

See also Mediagazer

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:

Onfido, which verifies digital identities using AI, raises $50M co-led by SoftBank Investment (SBI) and Salesforce Ventures — Security breaches, where malicious hackers obtain snippets of information that then get used to impersonate individuals in order to gain access to individuals …

More: VentureBeat, FinSMEs, and Crowdfund Insider. Thanks:@ingridlunden

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:

HR software startup Rippling, led by ex-Zenefits CEO Parker Conrad, raises $45M Series A led by Kleiner Perkins, source says at a valuation of $270M — Parker Conrad's last startup Zenefits drowned in busy work. Now with Rippling, he wants to boil that ocean.

Tweets: @joshconstine

Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:

Red Points, which provides a SaaS to help brands protect their products from online fakes and piracy, raises $38M Series C led by Summit Partners — Barcelona-based Red Points has closed a $38 million Series C led by Summit Partners. Existing investors Northzone, Mangrove …

More: Tech.eu and VentureBeat

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:

Snapchat is testing Status, a Bitmoji on the Snap Map depicting what a user is doing, and Passport, a private compilation of Statuses, in Australia — Today's teens missed the Foursquare era, so Snapchat is giving them another shot with a new feature to aid in-person meetups.

More: The Verge, Engadget, Neowin, Social Media Today, Mashable, and 9to5Mac. Tweets: @joshconstine

Ernesto / TorrentFreak:

District court in Florida orders 27 pirate sites to pay $1M in damages each to Philippine media giant ABS-CBN, which has won many legal fights in US this year — ABS-CBN, the largest media and entertainment company in the Philippines, has scored yet another legal victory in the United States.

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