Techmeme
March 16, 2020, 5:20 PM

Top News

Nat Friedman / The GitHub Blog:
GitHub announces it has signed an agreement to acquire npm, which is home to 1.3M+ JavaScript packages with 75B downloads per month, says it will remain free  —  I'm excited to announce that GitHub has signed an agreement to acquire npm.  —  npm is a critical part of the JavaScript world.
Richard Leadbetter / Eurogamer.net:
Microsoft details Xbox Series X specs: custom 8-core 3.8GHz AMD Zen 2 CPU, custom 1.825GHz AMD RNDA 2 GPU, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD with expansion card support  —  This is it.  After months of teaser trailers, blog posts and even the occasional leak, we can finally reveal firm …
The Intercept:
Leaked docs: TikTok told moderators to suppress posts from those deemed “ugly”, poor, or disabled, and censor political speech in livestreams, to attract users  —  The makers of TikTok, the Chinese video-sharing app with hundreds of millions of users around the world …
Annie Palmer / CNBC:
Alphabet's Verily launches a coronavirus screening website limited to the San Francisco Bay area, requires users to log in with their Google account  —  - Alphabet's Verily on Sunday night launched a pilot of a COVID-19 screening and testing website in the San Francisco Bay Area, a day earlier than it said it would.
Diane Bartz / Reuters:
Russell Brandom / The Verge:
Bloomberg:
Sources: US Department of Health and Human Services suffered a cyberattack on its computer system Sunday night, apparently aimed at slowing coronavirus response  —  The U.S. Health and Human Services Department suffered a cyber-attack on its computer system Sunday night during the nation's response …
Filipe Espósito / 9to5Mac:
iOS 14 code shows Apple is planning an iPhone 9 and iPhone 9 Plus with the A13 Bionic chip, the same processor used in the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro  —  9to5Mac has learned several new details about the upcoming iPhone 9 based on iOS 14 code.  Now we've discovered evidence that Apple …
CNBC:
Apple fined €1.1B by French antitrust authorities for anticompetitive behavior within its distribution networks; Apple says it will appeal  —  Apple was fined 1.1 billion euros ($1.23 billion) for anti-competitive behavior Monday by the French antitrust authorities.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft says 1B devices are now running Windows 10, which includes PCs, laptops, Xbox One consoles, and HoloLens  —  Microsoft's original milestone has been reached  —  Microsoft is revealing today that 1 billion active machines are now running Windows 10.
Dave Clark / The Amazon Blog:
Amazon plans to hire 100K more warehouse and delivery workers in the US and raise their pay by ~$2/hour in some countries, as more turn to online deliveries  —  Company will invest over $350 million globally to increase pay by $2/hour in the U.S., £2/hr in the UK …
Michael McSweeney / The Block:
Intercontinental Exchange's Bakkt raises $300M Series B with M12 among the investors, says an app to help consumers manage digital assets is coming in summer  —  Bakkt has raised a $300 million Series B round of financing, according to a Monday morning announcement.
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
FCC grants T-Mobile 60-day emergency access to 600MHz spectrum controlled by Dish and Comcast, a band suitable for covering large, sparsely-populated areas  —  FCC grants 60-day access to 600MHz spectrum controlled by Dish and Comcast.  —  T-Mobile will borrow spectrum in the 600MHz band from Dish …
The Keyword:
YouTube says it will be relying more on automated systems as content moderators stay home, and creators may see fewer strikes against videos but more removals  —  During the unprecedented COVID-19 situation, many companies are closing their offices and directing their employees to work from home …
New York Times:
Sources: Israel's Netanyahu has authorized the use of a previously undisclosed trove of cellphone data to fight coronavirus; the move still requires approval  —  The information, intended for use in counterterrorism, would help identify people who have crossed paths with known patients.
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Beats announces $149 Powerbeats with 15 hours of battery life, Apple's H1 chip for quick pairing, and IPX4 rating for water resistance, available March 18  —  They've already leaked plenty and Walmart even put them on shelves before an official announcement, but now Apple's Beats brand is launching the new Powerbeats 4 earbuds.

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Kalhan Rosenblatt / NBC News:
Noam Cohen / Wired: