Techmeme: Reddit CEO Steve Huffman says TikTok is “fundamentally parasitic”, “always listening,” and its fingerprinting technology is “truly terrifying” (Lucas Matney/TechCrunch)

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February 27, 2020, 4:35 PM

Top News

Queenie Wong / CNET:

Facebook cancels its F8 developer conference, which was scheduled to take place May 5-6 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, over coronavirus concerns — Facebook said Thursday it's cancelling its annual F8 developers conference, the social media giant's biggest event of the year …

Carli Velocci / Windows Central:

Microsoft says it will not attend Game Developers Conference due to coronavirus concerns and will make sessions and experiences available in a digital event — The move follows Sony, Facebook, and Unity. — What you need to know — Microsoft Game Stack announced it's pulling out of GDC due to coronavirus concerns.

Lucas Matney / TechCrunch:

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman says TikTok is “fundamentally parasitic”, “always listening,” and its fingerprinting technology is “truly terrifying” — TikTok is one of the hottest social media platforms but the CEO of Reddit had some harsh words for the popular app …

More: CNET, The Verge, Tubefilter, Input, TechSpot, Business Insider, Protocol, Silicon Republic, and Telegraph

Tweets: @lucasmtny, @swodinsky, @dtunkelang, @vboykis, @can, @leojtravis10, @themetalraven, @lucasmtny, @_djmoch, and @lucasmtny

Jason Del Rey / Vox:

Sources: Walmart plans to start publicly testing a membership program called Walmart+ as soon as next month to compete with Amazon Prime — Walmart has struggled to keep up with Amazon's online dominance for years. Javier Zarracina/Vox — Amazon Prime has devastated traditional retail.

More: CNET, CNBC, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Input, PYMNTS.com, SlashGear, and TechSpot

Tweets: @delrey, @mgsiegler, @thekenyeung, @mattgoldberg, @edbott, @laurenthomas, and @shiraovide

BuzzFeed News:

Docs show Best Buy and Walmart, alongside ICE, DOJ, and FBI, are among the 2,200+ companies and law enforcement agencies listed as clients of Clearview AI — The United States' main immigration enforcement agency, the Department of Justice, retailers including Best Buy and Macy's …

More: CNN, Engadget, Tech.co, All Systems Go, BBC, Security Boulevard, The Hill, HackRead, WeLiveSecurity, ComputerWeekly.com, infosecurity-magazine.com, Tom's Guide, and MediaNama

Tweets: @tomgara, @yoda, @josephfcox, @arielbogle, @angelsdiaz_, @ktbenner, @adrjeffries, @josephfcox, @buzzfeednews, @kashhill, @woodruffbets, @joshbutler, and @monscience

Dieter Bohn / The Verge:

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review: 120Hz screen is nice and battery life is good but the main camera often acts like a first-gen product with first-gen problems — A new-generation camera with first-generation problems — Samsung has something to prove. — That's the most obvious feeling …

More: PCMag, 9to5Google, Financial Times, Input, Android Authority, Android Authority, Droid Life, Android Police, Gotta Be Mobile, and Gizmodo

Tweets: @joshuatopolsky, @reckless, @joshuatopolsky, @reckless, @raywongy, @backlon, @saschasegan, @backlon, @richdemuro, and @raywongy

Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:

Researchers find an Android malware strain Cerberus that can extract and steal one-time passwords generated by Google's Authenticator mobile app — A new version of the “Cerberus” Android banking trojan will be able to steal one-time codes generated by the Google Authenticator app and bypass 2FA-protected accounts.

More: ThreatFabric, Tom's Guide, BleepingComputer, Daring Fireball, Gizchina, Android Central, Android Authority, and Security Affairs

Tweets: @appenz and @j_opdenakker

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:

Sources: Apple has lost a pair of veteran execs from manufacturing, supply chain, and operations groups who had key roles in the production of major devices — - Company's vice president of manufacturing design departs — Operations executive who worked on iPhone discussing exit

More: AppleInsider, TechSpot, MacDailyNews, 9to5Mac, MacRumors, iMore, and The Mac Observer

Tweets: @davezatz and @markgurman

Aaron Holmes / Business Insider:

Report: Rajeev Misra, head of the $100B Vision Fund, is accused of sabotaging other SoftBank execs for career advancement; Misra and SoftBank deny allegations — - Rajeev Misra, the head of SoftBank's $100 billion Vision Fund, is accused of overseeing a plan to lure SoftBank's then-president into a …

Tweets: @dseetharaman, @calebmelby, @joshk, @maheshmurthy, @moorehn, @richmchugh, @dickc, @modestproposal1, @katierosman, @newley, @robert_fenner, @birdyword, @annimaniac, @newley, @iamsamirarora, @thomasfarley, @punitsoni, @vcstarterkit, and @profgalloway

Martin Brinkmann / gHacks Technology News:

Google officially adds support for Google Earth on Firefox, Edge, and Opera browsers, and says it is working on adding support for Safari — When Google unveiled the new Google Earth back in 2017, it switched Google Earth from being a desktop application to a web application.

More: Google Earth and Earth Engine, The Verge, Thurrott, Engadget, Windows Central, 9to5Google, BGR, Neowin, OnMSFT.com, MacRumors, SlashGear, The Next Web, International Business Times, MSPoweruser, Mashable, CNET, Input, KnowTechie, and iDownloadBlog.com

Tweets: @googleearth, @googleoss, and @twone2

Wall Street Journal:

Sources: AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon face hefty fines after FCC probe found that the carriers didn't do enough to protect users' location data — AT&T, T-Mobile among companies facing hundreds of millions of dollars in fines, though they will likely fight decision

More: CNET, Gizmodo, VICE, Yahoo Finance, and Seeking Alpha

Tweets: @ramseymcgrory, @hshaban, @wsj, and @thekenyeung

Lauren Feiner / CNBC:

DoorDash announces it has confidentially filed documents for an IPO with the SEC — Food delivery service DoorDash announced Thursday it has taken a first step toward a public offering. — DoorDash said it has confidentially submitted a draft S-1 filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

More: TechCrunch, PR Newswire, Yahoo Finance, Crunchbase News, PYMNTS.com, and Silicon Valley Business …

Tweets: @rurikbradbury, @lamonicabuzz, @aaronwall, @rakeshlobster, @aaronwall, @jyarow, and @bplewis

Bloomberg:

Sources: Nokia is working with advisers to explore strategic options ranging from asset sales to mergers — - Company working with advisers to consider asset sales, mergers — Equipment maker has cut outlook amid fierce competition — Nokia Oyj is exploring strategic options …

More: Reuters, Light Reading, TechRadar.com, Telecoms.com, FierceWireless, IT Management, and TechSpot

Tweets: @baldingsworld, @bloombergasia, @mgsiegler, @benwood, @journeydan, and @anshelsag

Let's Encrypt:

Let's Encrypt says it has issued 1B free TLS certificates on around 192M unique domains in the four years since its launch — We issued our billionth certificate on February 27, 2020. We're going to use this big round number as an opportunity to reflect on what has changed for us, and for the Internet, leading up to this event.

More: Ars Technica and Neowin

Tweets: @patrickbeuth, @gcluley, @stshank, and @troyhunt

James Hale / Tubefilter:

YouTube says it is testing a way for creators to sell ads directly to brands “with whom they already have a relationship” — In the perhaps not-too-distant future, YouTube will let creators sell ad space on their own videos. — “We're experimenting with a new way for creators …

More: The Verge. Tweets: @taylorlorenz and @profcarroll

Ina Fried / Axios:

Facebook has hired the World Economic Forum's former head of tech policy Zvika Krieger as its new director of responsible innovation — Facebook has hired the World Economic Forum's former head of technology policy, Zvika Krieger, as its new director of responsible innovation, Axios has learned.

Tweets: @baxiabhishek, @inafried, @caseynewton, and @tomgara

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Online gaming platform Roblox raises $150M led by a16z's Late Stage Venture fund, reportedly at a $4B valuation; Roblox was valued at $2.5B+ as of last year — Online gaming platform Roblox, now home to 115 million largely Gen Z players per month, announced today it has raised $150 million …

Source: Wall Street Journal. More: Andreessen Horowitz, Axios, PC Games Insider, and Fortune

Tweets: @chrisfralic, @sjeneris, @jonrussell, @excellion, @jonrussell, @tocelot, @nongaap, @greylockvc, @cyberjournalist, @benfritz, and @saraheneedleman

Catherine Shu / TechCrunch:

Dahmakan, a Malaysia-based food delivery startup that creates its own meals based on customer data and market research, raises $18M Series B — Dahmakan, a full-stack food delivery startup based in Malaysia, announced today that it has closed a $18 million Series B. Investors include Rakuten Capital …

Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:

Tractable, which aims to speed up insurance company response times for events like car accidents by using AI to perform damage appraisal, raises $25M Series C — London-based insurtech AI startup Tractable, which is applying artificial intelligence to speed up accident and disaster recovery …

More: VentureBeat

Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:

Facebook sues data analytics firm OneAudience, claiming it paid app developers to install its SDK in their apps so it could harvest data on Facebook users — Data analytics firm OneAudience allegedly paid app developers to include its SDK in their code so it could harvest data from Facebook users.

More: Vox and About Facebook

Tweets: @campuscodi and @campuscodi. Thanks:@campuscodi

Josh Ye / Abacus:

Apple asks game developers with in-app purchases in China to submit game licenses by June 30, enforcing China's 2016 rule requiring state approval of games — Apple and TikTok maker ByteDance are asking for developers to show game licenses as China tightens its grip on video game publishing

More: CNBC, South China Morning Post, and iPhone Hacks

New York Times:

Pakistan to review new internet censorship rules after a group representing Facebook, Google, and Twitter writes a letter threatening to leave the country — The battle is the latest skirmish between internet companies and governments over who decides what content should be online.

Tweets: @zalmayzia, @vindugoel, and @salmanmasood

Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:

LinkSquares, which allows legal and finance teams to automate searches of legal documents and eases management of company contracts, raises $14.5M Series A — It takes between 20 days to 30 days for a company to create, negotiate, and finalize a contract, according to Aberdeen Research.

John Nosta / Fortune:

Apple Watch largely does not detect or categorize AFib at a heart rate greater than 120 beats per minute, which may give some users a false sense of security — The success of the Apple Watch is unprecedented: In five short years, the Apple Watch has outsold the entire Swiss watch industry …

More: Gizmodo, 9to5Mac, iPhone in Canada Blog, CNET, Macworld, iMore, and The Mac Observer

Tweets: @flargh and @rosenthalhealth

Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:

Qure.ai, which uses AI to spot abnormalities in chest and brain scans, raises $16M led by Sequoia India — More than 10.4 million people were infected with tuberculosis in 2016, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and 1.7 million of those people died …

More: Tech News, PR Newswire, FinSMEs, and Tech in Asia

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From Mediagazer

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:

Sources: Netflix users aren't opening the app on as many days per month as they did a couple of years ago, and the average user is spending less time watching

Natalie Korach / Status:

Vanity Fair faces a legal conundrum over Matthew Cole's book excerpt alleging Jared Kushner's foreign ties; Condé Nast is traditionally wary of risky reporting

Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:

Ex-60 Minutes EP Bill Owens, who left after clashing with CBS execs, will join YouTube journalism startup Newpress, which raised $12M led by Emerson Collective

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More News

Julia Alexander / The Verge:

YouTube appoints Matt Koval, a former YouTube creator who joined the company full time as a lead content strategist in 2012, as its first “head creator liaison”

Edward Ludlow / Bloomberg:

Ford's e-scooter rental startup Spin to expand internationally, starting with Cologne, Germany, as soon as the spring, with plans to apply for a permit in Paris

Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:

Facebook says it has paused use of the election reminder feature in the EU after the Irish DPC raised concerns about what data it collects and how it is used

More: Data Protection Commission

Yomi Kazeem / Quartz:

South Africa-based Jumo, which partners with financial service providers and telecoms to offer lending, savings, and insurance services, raises $55M

More: TechCrunch

Drew Costley / OneZero :

Profile of Visible Figures, a support network founded in 2016 for black women startup founders that now has more than 100 members as it plots expansion

Tweets: @drewcostley, @drewcostley, @ozm, @medium, @ozm, @dlberes, @drewcostley, @drewcostley, @drewcostley, @drewcostley, @ozm, and @drewcostley

Grant Stoner / Washington Post:

A look at the role of accessibility consultants in the video game industry, whose efforts are beginning to become standard practice within the industry

Tweets: @theesa, @launcherwp, @respect_ability, and @rangerstation

Khari Johnson / VentureBeat:

OpenAI's Jeff Clune shares a new ML algorithm, ANML, which can learn 600 sequential tasks with minimal catastrophic forgetting, a long-standing challenge of AI

Tweets: @jeffclune, @epro, and @usmansattarmd

Jonathan Shieber / TechCrunch:

Ribbon Health, which builds a data platform of doctors, insurance plans, and costs for healthcare companies, raises $10.25M Series A led by a16z

More: Andreessen Horowitz. Tweets: @ellenjdasilva

Earlier Picks

Charles McLellan / TechRepublic:

A look at the current state of IoT in monitoring biodiversity loss and climate change, with examples of how it is being used to monitor vulnerable ecosystems

Tweets: @vodafoneiot, @techrepublic, @techrepublic, @techrepublic, and @techrepublic. Thanks:@steveranger

Spencer Neale / Washington Examiner:

Ninth Circuit court affirms YouTube, as a private company, did not violate free speech rights when it tagged some of PragerU's videos as age-restricted in 2017

More: Wall Street Journal, 9to5Google, Silicon Valley Business …, Business Insider, Slate, Android Central, and TechSpot

Tweets: @ritholtz and @hshaban

New York Times:

Several high-profile Instagram accounts switch to private to avoid scrutiny when posting sponsored content for Bloomberg's campaign

More: Ars Technica. Tweets: @hshaban, @juliacarriew, @juliacarriew, @alexkotch, @taylorlorenz, @loisbeckett, @nytimes, @meganmorrone, @hshaban, @emilybell, and @mccarthyryanj