Techmeme
May 8, 2019, 8:00 PM

Top News

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Unlike Facebook at F8, Google didn't just talk about its commitment to privacy at I/O, it showcased features that were either ready to ship or ready to demo  —  F8 and I/O, night and day  —  Mark Zuckerberg: “The future is private”.  Sundar Pichai: ~The present is private~.
New York Times:
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Johana Bhuiyan / Los Angeles Times:
Uber and Lyft drivers are planning a 24-hour strike in at least 10 cities in the US to protest against unfair pay ahead of Uber's much-anticipated IPO  —  It was a protest that dealt Uber its biggest blow.  When taxi drivers in New York City rallied against President Trump's travel ban in 2017 …
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook relaxes blockchain ad rules, letting users promote crypto-related news, education, and events without pre-approval, after imposing a ban in 2018  —  Facebook still won't let you advertise for cryptocurrencies, exchanges, binaries, or ICOs without prior approval.
Reuters:
Tencent pulls the test version of blockbuster game PUBG in China and shifts users to a similar “patriotic” game that has government approval to generate revenue  —  SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Tencent Holdings Ltd on Wednesday shut down its test version of global blockbuster …
Washington Post:
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley introduces a bill banning “loot boxes” and pay-to-win schemes in games aimed at those under 18  —  Video games popular among kids would be prohibited from offering “loot boxes” or randomized assortments of digital weapons, clothing and other items …
Theodore Schleifer / Vox:
Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg, popular with some of Silicon Valley's wealthiest donors, has five fundraising events in the Bay Area this week  —  Inside the tech network that is trying to turn a small-town mayor into a fundraising dynamo.  —  The two 30-somethings drove …
Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge:
Bird is selling Bird One, its new electric scooter, directly to consumers for $1,299, says it has a range of up to 30 miles on a single charge  —  Bird One will be rolled out in cities soon and available to purchase for $1,299  —  Bird unveiled its next-generation electric scooter on Wednesday …
Rita El Khoury / Android Police:
Amazon says Alexa is now compatible with 60,000 smart home devices from 7,400 brands, up from 20,000 devices in September 2018  —  Google I/O is kicking off in a few hours and we expect to hear a lot about Android, Assistant, and various other Google products and services during the conference.
More: iMore
Kaya Yurieff / CNN:
Two months after Facebook said it would curb vaccine misinformation, anti-vaccination posts and a #vaccineskill tag still appear prominently in Instagram search  —  New York (CNN Business)Two months after Facebook pledged to fight vaccine misinformation on its platforms …
Rani Molla / Vox:
Experts say apps like Nextdoor and Ring's Neighbors give people a false sense that the US crime rate is worsening even as violent crime reaches record lows  —  Why people are socializing more about crime even as it becomes rarer.  —  Violent crime in the US is at its lowest rate in decades.
Patricia Hernandez / Polygon:
Kids who play Fortnite as free “default” characters are often bullied, insulted, and sometimes ostracized by peers, causing pressure to purchase skins  —  The stigma of being a default  —  In a private school where tuition is high, students can bicker about clothes, shoe brands, cellphones, or video games.

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Nikhilesh De / CoinDesk: