Techmeme
January 20, 2020, 6:20 AM

Top News

Kashmir Hill / New York Times:
A look at Clearview AI, a facial recognition app claiming it scraped 3B+ images from sites like Facebook, YouTube, and that 600+ law enforcement agencies use it  —  A little-known start-up helps law enforcement match photos of unknown people to their online images — and “might lead to a dystopian future or something,” a backer says.
Sundar Pichai / Financial Times:
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says AI is too important not to be regulated and there are real concerns about the potential negative consequences of AI  —  The writer is chief executive of Alphabet and Google  —  Growing up in India, I was fascinated by technology.  Each new invention changed my family's life in meaningful ways.
Scott Stein / CNET:
AR startup Mojo Vision shows off the first prototype of Mojo Lens, its contact lenses that display text, have an eye-controlled interface, and work in the dark  —  Mojo Vision's smart contacts put text in my eye and let me see in the dark.  They're aiming for even more than that.
Bart Meijer / Reuters:
TomTom says it has reached a deal with Huawei “some time ago” for the use of its maps, traffic information, and navigation software in Huawei phones  —  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch navigation and digital mapping company TomTom on Friday said it has closed a deal …
Hindenburg Research:
Research: Opera, known for its web browser, allegedly issues predatory loans in Kenya, Nigeria, and India via Android apps, likely violating Play Store policies  —  GET OUR LATEST REPORTS DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX  —  Summary (NASDAQ: OPRA)  — Opera went public in mid-2018 based largely on prospects for its core browser business.
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Instagram removes the IGTV button from its home page; Sensor Tower: IGTV's standalone app was downloaded 1.1M times in the US since its launch in June 2018  —  TikTok saw 80X more installs  —  At most, 7 million of Instagram's 1 billion-plus users have downloaded its standalone IGTV app in the 18 months since launch.
Nathaniel Popper / New York Times:
An analysis of 40 studies finds that the link between social media use and both depression and anxiety among adolescents is small and inconsistent  —  A growing number of academics are challenging assumptions about the negative effects of social media and smartphones on children.
The Verge:
Profile of Armslist, the “Craigslist of guns” that offers nearly any kind of gun imaginable and where all transactions are done peer to peer  —  Inside Armslist, the online ‘gun show that never ends’  —  Thomas Caldwell was a veteran in his 60s with a soft physique, oval glasses …
Dave Gershgorn / OneZero:
US Army contracted two firms for $4.5M to create a facial recognition system that analyzes infrared images to identify people at a distance of 10 to 500 meters  —  Infrared cameras recognize the heat emitted from your face  —  he U.S. military is spending more than $4.5 million …

Sponsor Posts

Soxton:
Fast, affordable law for startups  —  Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better.  We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts.  Join the waitlist for early access!
F5:
Accelerate AI Adoption at F5's AI Virtual Summit  —  Learn how to architect, secure, and scale AI for production with real-world insights from industry leaders on June 23.  Register now to save your spot.
Zoho:
How to Build Your Agentic Data Foundation with Zoho Analytics and Zoho DataPrep  —  Parts 1 and 2 covered why agents need a data foundation and what the right architecture looks like.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Salesforce data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Invest Like the Best:
Vlad Barbalat - Investing $120 Billion in Permanent Capital
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
Big Technology Podcast:
The Fable Ban's Unintended Consequences + AI's New Economics — With Aaron Levie
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Acquired:
The Walt Disney Company
Learn the playbooks that built the world's greatest companies - and how you can apply them as a founder, operator, or investor.
Subscribe to Acquired.
Lenny's Podcast:
What happens after coding is solved? | Fiona Fung (Manager of the Claude Code and Cowork Teams)
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
The Upstarts Podcast:
Mutiny's Jaleh Rezaei: Walking Away From Millions In Software To Grow Even Faster With Sales AI
Veteran tech reporter Alex Konrad sits down with breakout entrepreneurs taking on the status quo to shake up their fields in AI, design, nuclear energy, space, and more.
Subscribe to The Upstarts Podcast.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
AI's Mythos Moment: Rishi Sunak on preparing governments for AI
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 6:20 AM ET, January 20, 2020.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

The Intercept:

Earlier Picks

Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch:
AnnaMaria Andriotis / Wall Street Journal:
Sean Gallagher / Ars Technica:
Asif Iqbal Shaik / MySmartPrice: