Techmeme
February 21, 2020, 7:40 PM

Top News

Joseph Cox / VICE:
WhatsApp lets some private group chat invite links get indexed by search engines like Google, allowing anyone to join  —  Google is indexing invite links to WhatsApp group chats whose administrators may want to be private.  This means with a simple search, random people can discover and join a wide range of WhatsApp group chats.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Shopify says it will join the Libra Association, contributing financially and operating a node that processes transactions of Facebook's stablecoin  —  After eBay, Visa, Stripe, and other high-profile departures, the Libra Association scored a win today with the addition of Shopify.
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Google says that from August 3 all new Google Play apps that access background location will need to pass review, expanding to all existing apps on November 3  —  Apps will face a new review process to enable the feature  —  Google is placing new restrictions on which Android apps can track …
John D. McKinnon / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Google is resisting efforts to surrender emails, texts, and other documents sought by state investigators probing anticompetitive digital ad practices  —  Company is reluctant to surrender some documents in investigation of possible anticompetitive practices
CNBC:
Sources: Google has reached a settlement with state AGs over outside consultants hired to work on the states' antitrust investigation  —  Google has reached a settlement with state attorneys general over outside consultants hired to work on the states' antitrust investigation, CNBC has learned.
More: Seeking AlphaThanks:@mattrosoff
Madhumita Murgia / Financial Times:
MIT researchers say they used AI to discover new potent antibiotics that treat drug-resistant diseases  —  Machine learning uncovers potent new drug able to kill 35 powerful bacteria  —  Artificial intelligence has been used to discover new antibiotics effective against untreatable diseases …
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip review: the best hinge on a folding phone so far but the screen's plastic covering scratches easily and the cameras are disappointing  —  Even with a glass screen, it's just a curiosity  —  Samsung's brand-new Galaxy Z Flip is the third folding screen phone that I've reviewed.
Julia Boorstin / CNBC:
Source: Facebook considers transparency measures around posts from political campaign staffers, due to concerns around Bloomberg campaign's use of its platform  —  - Facebook is considering ways to show when a paid campaign staffer shares a political post on the site.
Tim Hardwick / MacRumors:
A history of EU's efforts to create a standard for device chargers, and how Apple used a loophole to keep using Lightning, but may have to move to USB-C soon  —  Despite pushback from Apple, the European Parliament in January voted overwhelmingly for new rules to establish a common charging standard …
FinSMEs:
Feather, an NY-based furniture subscription service, raises $30M Series B led by Cobalt Capital with Kleiner Perkins, YC, SV Angel, and others participating  —  Feather, a New York, NY - based next-generation furniture rental service, closed a $30M Series B funding.
The Intercept:
An EU report, circulated among EU and national officials in November 2019, calls for the creation of a network of national police facial recognition databases  —  A police investigator in Spain is trying to solve a crime, but she only has an image of a suspect's face, caught by a nearby security camera.
Steve O'Hear / TechCrunch:
Tier Mobility, an e-scooter rental service operating in 55 cities across 11 countries, extends its Series B to $100M+, up from $60M disclosed in October  —  Tier, the European e-scooter rentals startup that operates in 55 cities across 11 countries, has topped up its funding for the second time in four months.

Sponsor Posts

Tribe AI:
Is AI just hype?  —  Find out how top enterprises use Tribe to get real business results.
Techmeme Leaderboards:
Discover the top reporters on AI, VR, policy, and much more  —  We've analyzed Techmeme's news crawl to identify the most influential and prolific writers on 48 news topics.  Download reports immediately for just $100.
Zoho:
All new Zoho Workerly 2024  —  Staffing businesses around the world face a unique set of challenges when it comes to managing their temporary workforce.  With a constantly shifting job market and changing staffing needs …
Comprehensive.io:
Browse salary data from 3,000 startups for free  —  Click for FREE, immediate access to real-time compensation benchmarking data.  Paid version helps HR automate comp reviews and communicate total compensation to employees.
The Kevin Rose Show:
Henry Shukman, Lessons from an Authentic Zen Master
Gain unconventional wisdom and insights through conversations with top expert in AI, investing, wellness, technology, and culture.
Techmeme Ride Home:
Thu. 03/28 - Claude 3 Opus Surpasses GPT-4 For The First Time
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 7:40 PM ET, February 21, 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

Jay Peters / The Verge:
Nico Grant / Bloomberg:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Nick Statt / The Verge:
Alex Sherman / CNBC:

Earlier Picks

Christopher Dring / GamesIndustry.biz:
Craig Silverman / BuzzFeed News:
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
New York Times:
Jezebel: