Techmeme
August 8, 2020, 12:05 PM

Top News

Russell Brandom / The Verge:
Trump signs an executive order to block all transactions with ByteDance and WeChat starting Sept. 20, just 5 days after Microsoft's deadline to acquire TikTok  —  Microsoft is currently in talks to acquire the company  —  President Trump has signed a new executive order …
More: The Verge, New York Times, CNN, TikTok, I, Cringely, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, The Guardian, CNET, NBC News, The Guardian, The White House, New York Times, The Verge, Ars Technica, Access Now, Reuters, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, CNBC, The Irish Times, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, BIG by Matt Stoller, Washington Post, Ubergizmo, PYMNTS.com, Los Angeles Times, Nikkei Asian Review, ExtremeTech, Financial Times, Bloomberg, CCN.com, Axios, Social Media Today, Wired, Music Technology Policy, International Business Times, Android Central, TheStreet, Techdirt, Pocketnow, Nikkei Asian Review, Adweek, Washington Post, Polygon, BBC, Tom's Guide, The Diplomat, Fortune, CNBC, iMore, PCWorld, Morning Brew, The Daily Dot, KnowTechie, Silicon Valley Business …, Politico, Gizmodo, Business Insider, equalocean.com, OnMSFT.com, The Startup, iPhone in Canada Blog, Android Headlines, CoinGeek, Ledger Insights, 9to5Mac, Variety, Financial Times, Coinspeaker, Wccftech, Telecoms.com, AppleInsider, and Micky
New York Times:
Intelligence agencies don't see TikTok as a major security issue, see the claimed risks as largely theoretical, and view companies like Huawei as larger threats  —  Even as the White House moves against the Chinese social media app, the intelligence agencies do not see it as a major issue along the lines of Huawei.
Sheila Dang / Reuters:
In a memo to advertisers, TikTok says it will refund ad campaigns it can't fulfill due to a US ban and will work with influencers to migrate to other platforms  —  (Reuters) - TikTok is preparing advertisers for a possible ban of its app in the United States, ad buyers said, offering refunds for ad campaigns that are unable to run.
Financial Times:
Olivia Solon / NBC News:
Internal docs: Facebook removed “strikes” so that at least 2 conservative pages, from PragerU and Diamond & Silk, dodged penalties under misinformation policies  —  Facebook has allowed conservative news outlets and personalities to repeatedly spread false information without facing …
Steven Levy / Wired:
Interview with Bill Gates on COVID-19, Trump, last week's antitrust meeting, Mark Zuckerberg, misinformation, and the “poison chalice” of the TikTok deal  —  The techie-turned-philanthropist on vaccines, Trump, and why social media is “a poisoned chalice.”
Elamin Abdelmahmoud / BuzzFeed News:
Companies like Facebook and Twitter, which have positioned themselves as the new public square, should absolutely be questioned on their role in cancel culture  —  Last week, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan asked a question at a Congressional hearing that seemed to come out of nowhere.
Steven Levy / Wired:
Interview with Color of Change leader Rashad Robinson on the Facebook ad boycott, meeting with Zuckerberg, working with the company, and more  —  Rashad Robinson, an organizer behind the Stop Hate for Profit boycott, says civil rights groups can't be left to police the company by themselves.
Jackie Snow / Wall Street Journal:
How online sellers, including Amazon and GOAT, are using AI to spot counterfeit goods, with the help of authentication startups like Entrupy  —  When Olivia Matthaei, a consignment store sales clerk, needs to check whether a designer handbag is authentic, she knows the drill.

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify's new AI commerce stack  —  Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Zoho:
Get your favorite apps talking to Zoho Sign with Zapier  —  Your business didn't come together overnight.  It's something you've built, refined, and fine-tuned over time.  Every tool you use has a purpose …
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Grit:
How Brands Stay Visible When AI Decides | Profound CEO James Cadwallader
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
The coming AI security crisis (and what to do about it) | Sander Schulhoff
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.
Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's Potential, Google's Speedy Model, Copilot Hits Turbulence
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.
Hard Fork:
Why Roomba Died + Tech Predictions for 2026 + A Hard Forkin' Xmas Song
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
Access:
Betting on reality with Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
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 12:05 PM ET, August 8, 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

Andy Greenberg / Wired:

Earlier Picks

New York Times:
Byron Tau / Wall Street Journal:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet: