Techmeme
October 29, 2019, 7:05 PM

Top News

Will Cathcart / Washington Post:
WhatsApp sues NSO Group after investigating an attack from last year that sent malware to 1,400 devices and targeted 100+ human rights defenders and journalists  —  Will Cathcart is head of WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook.  —  In May, WhatsApp announced that we had detected and blocked …
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Samsung says SmartThings has over 45M monthly active users and works with more than 5,000 devices, as it announces new developer and partner programs  —  Today at the 2019 Samsung Developer Conference in San Jose, Samsung announced that SmartThings, the Seoul company's internet of things …
Donie O'Sullivan / CNN:
Activist registers as a candidate in California's 2022 gubernatorial election merely to run false Facebook ads, in a challenge to its controversial policy  —  New York (CNN Business)A San Francisco man is going to extreme lengths to call out Facebook's controversial policy of allowing politicians to run false ads on its platform.
Jason Gurwin / The Streamable:
Sony says it will shut down its PlayStation Vue live TV subscription service on January 30  —  The Streamable is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission when you sign up with our links.  —  After much reports about trying to find a buyer, it seems that PlayStation Vue has decided to shut down the service instead.
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Amazon makes grocery delivery free in ~2,000 US cities for all Prime members by removing the $14.99 per month Amazon Fresh fee  —  Amazon is turning up the heat once again in the world of groceries, and specifically grocery delivery, to make its service more enticing in face of competition from Walmart …
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Amazon Echo Buds review: excellent sound quality, comfortable fit, and good Bose noise reduction, but no wireless charging and outdated micro-USB charging port  —  Amazon's first truly wireless earbuds exceed expectations  —  Amazon's new Echo Buds are the company's first wireless earbuds.
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Apple releases macOS Catalina 10.15.1 update with new emoji, Siri privacy settings, and support for AirPods Pro and more HomeKit devices  —  Apple today released macOS Catalina 10.15.1, the first update to the macOS Catalina operating system that was released in October.
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Apple pulls HomePod 13.2 software update because some users have reported bricked HomePod devices after the update  —  Apple today released new 13.2 software for the HomePod with long-awaited features like Handoff and voice detection for different family members, but unfortunately, some users are running into problems with the update.
Brendan Sinclair / GamesIndustry.biz:
EA partners with Valve to bring its EA Access subscription service to Steam next spring and launch games on Steam starting with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order  —  SVP Mike Blank talks about the need to reduce fragmentation as EA pledges to bring Jedi Fallen Order, EA Access to Valve's storefront
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
Surface Laptop 3 (13.5") review: outstanding keyboard and trackpad, familiar yet sturdy look, great for everyday tasks, but battery could have been better  —  Microsoft's latest Surface Laptop isn't without faults, but it is a very good computer  —  Microsoft has given us more choices than ever with its Surface products this year.
Josh Taylor / The Guardian:
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission sues Google for allegedly misleading customers over location data settings and collection on Android devices  —  Australian Competition and Consumer Commission alleges Google breached law when users set up Android accounts
Alfred Ng / CNET:
Uber refuses to provide LA with real-time location data on its scooters, sues the city, requests restraining order in case LA decides to suspend Uber's license  —  The ride-hailing company doesn't want to share everything with the city's government.  —  Los Angeles wants a peek …
Katie Williams / Sensor Tower Blog:
Analysis: Nintendo's new Mario Kart Tour game had 123.9M downloads in its launch month across iOS and Android, the second best ever behind Pokemon GO's 163M  —  Mario Kart Tour, powerhouse developer Nintendo's latest mobile game, has had the second-biggest launch month in history in terms of downloads.
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
Microsoft says hackers from Strontium, also known as Fancy Bear/APT28, are targeting 16 global sporting and anti-doping organizations ahead of 2020 Olympics  —  Microsoft said APT28 targeted “at least 16 national and international sporting and anti-doping organizations.”
Renee Dudley / ProPublica:
Profile of Michael Gillespie, who has cracked the encryption of 100+ types of ransomware and helped thousands of ransomware victims recover their files for free  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up for ProPublica's Big Story newsletter …
Mathew Ingram / CJR:
Q&A with Alex Stamos about Mark Zuckerberg's recent comments on free speech and where he went wrong, Facebook's News tab, fact-checking political ads, and more  —  Facebook relationship to speech is complicated: It takes down some forms of hate speech, provided it meets certain criteria …

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Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
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Tom Warren / The Verge:
Angus Crawford / BBC: