Techmeme
May 21, 2019, 9:05 AM

Top News

Reuters:
Commerce Dept. creates a general license, which expires Aug. 19, to restore Huawei's ability to maintain existing networks and push software updates to handsets  —  (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday created a temporary general license restoring Huawei's ability …
Financial Times:
Sources: US intelligence chiefs have been briefing US tech companies since Oct. to warn them on the risks of trade with China, showing classified info to execs  —  US intelligence chiefs have held a series of classified briefings with American companies and other groups to warn them of the dangers …
Angela Moon / Reuters:
Jeremy Horwitz / VentureBeat:
Google unveils Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 with a Snapdragon XR1 chip, an improved 8MP camera, and ~8 hours of battery life; orders open today for $999  —  Six years after Google Glass was unveiled, it goes without saying that the first major augmented reality headset wasn't the massive success …
Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch:
Researcher finds database, belonging to Mumbai-based Chtrbox, with contact info, including phone numbers, of millions of Instagram users exposed online  —  A massive database containing contact information of millions of Instagram influencers, celebrities and brand accounts has been found online.
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: ByteDance, owner of TikTok, is developing a paid music service via a new app it expects to debut as early as this fall, mostly in emerging markets  —  - ByteDance plans to target listeners in emerging markets  — Company has already secured rights from Indian record labels
Julia Alexander / The Verge:
Professional gamer Tfue sues esports org FaZe Clan over allegedly “oppressive” contract, says FaZe violates CA law by acting as an unlicensed talent agency  —  The lawsuit could be a turning point for e-sports organizations  —  A new lawsuit filed against Faze Clan …
Bloomberg:
Source: DOJ is leaning against approving T-Mobile's takeover of Sprint because the companies' proposals don't go far enough to resolve anti-trust concerns  —  The Justice Department is leaning against approving T-Mobile US Inc.'s proposed takeover of Sprint Corp. because the remedies proposed …
Alfred Ng / CNET:
On the first anniversary of GDPR, Microsoft calls for a similar privacy law in the US that puts the burden on the companies that collect and use sensitive data  —  Microsoft's idea of a US privacy law would make it easier for people to protect their data.  —  The company's corporate vice president …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft says its Edge for Mac browser is now available in preview, starting with daily canary builds for macOS 10.12 and above  —  Daily Canary builds available at first  —  Microsoft teased its Edge browser for macOS earlier this month, and now the company is officially allowing Mac users to download a preview version.
Bloomberg:
Sony says talks with Microsoft on their cloud gaming partnership began last year; source: talks began after discussions with Amazon fell through  —  - Talks on cloud gaming pact have been underway since last year  —  When Sony Corp. unveiled a cloud gaming pact with archrival Microsoft Corp., it surprised the industry.
Nick Statt / The Verge:
Xbox chief outlines plans to fight toxicity in gaming through new moderation tools for Xbox Live communities and a new industry-wide initiative to share tech  —  Spencer says Microsoft is treating safety as a paramount issue for the industry  —  Microsoft's Xbox chief Phil Spencer …
Oculus:
Facebook announces that Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S are now shipping globally  —  Today marks an important moment for the VR community, as both Oculus Quest and Rift S begin shipping now!  With all-in-one, fully immersive 6DOF VR, we're bringing the magic of presence to more people than ever before …
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Instagram quietly overhauls the design of IGTV to have just one central feed, much like TikTok, as it tries to ramp up the app's growth a year after launch  —  Instagram conquered Stories, but it's losing the battle for the next video formats.  TikTok is blowing up with an algorithmically suggested vertical …
Sam Biddle / The Intercept:
Facebook document shows it courts carriers and phone makers, ~100 companies, with “aggregated and anonymized” personal data about its users and their histories  —  Among the mega-corporations that surveil you, your cellphone carrier has always been one of the keenest monitors …
Johana Bhuiyan / Los Angeles Times:
Documents show that Lyft pays less per mile to drivers who rent a car via Lyft's Express Drive than those with their own car; Lyft blames the cost of insurance  —  It was an advertisement for Lyft that convinced Chris Berry to leave his small town and head to Nashville.
Connie Loizos / TechCrunch:
Y Combinator says it has promoted longtime partner Geoff Ralston to president; Sam Altman says he will no longer be the chairman and will instead be an advisor  —  Two months ago, when Sam Altman surprised the industry by stepping away from his post as the president of Y Combinator to become …

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Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: