Techmeme
February 16, 2021, 10:15 PM

Top News

Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
LastPass Free users must choose between mobile or computers for unlimited device access starting March 16; email support limited to paid plans starting May 17  —  One of the most attractive features of the popular password manager LastPass is that, if you choose to, you can use it pretty effectively without paying a dime.
Kif Leswing / CNBC:
North Dakota state Senate blocks bill that would have required app stores to allow devs to use their own payment systems; Epic lobbied in favor of the bill  —  - The North Dakota state senate voted 36-11 on Tuesday not to pass a bill that would have required app stores to enable software developers …
Sean Endicott / Windows Central:
Microsoft begins testing a Kids Mode for Edge, with Bing SafeSearch on and tracking prevention set to strict by default, plus other safety features  —  Kids Mode helps parents provide a more child-friendly browsing experience on Edge.  —  What you need to know
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget:
Microsoft has created a game accessibility testing program, letting studios send in their games for in-person validation based on Microsoft's updated guidelines  —  Xbox Adaptive Controller in 2018, Microsoft has placed a greater emphasis on making its games more accessible to those with disabilities and impairments.
David Meyer / Fortune:
TikTok has been hit with a volley of complaints from Europe's consumer protection watchdogs over “misleading” privacy practices and “ambiguous” terms  —  TikTok has been hit with a volley of complaints from Europe's consumer-protection watchdogs, over practices they say are unfair on users—particularly kids.
Nick Statt / The Verge:
Atlassian updates Trello with a visual overhaul, new card customization, and new board views; Trello says it has 50M+ users  —  The app is getting a visual overhaul and new features  —  Productivity app Trello, a virtual whiteboard-style platform for organizing and managing projects …
Wall Street Journal:
A hacker claims to have stolen and posted files from global law firm Jones Day on the dark web; Jones Day says a file-sharing company it used was compromised  —  Firm disputes network breach, says its file-transfer company was compromised  —  A hacker claims to have stolen files belonging …
Kotaku:
Sources: Google's Stadia VP Phil Harrison sent an email to Stadia's game studios lauding their “great progress”, despite knowledge of its impending shutdown  —  Developers at Google's recently formed game studios were shocked February 1 when they were notified that the studios would be shut down …
Olivia Raimonde / Bloomberg:
Bitcoin briefly crossed the $50K mark today, up ~73% YTD, while Ethereum hit a record $1,785, up ~140% YTD  —  - Rival cryptocurrency Ether hit a record of its own on Friday  — Morgan Stanley is considering Bitcoin for investment fund  —  Bitcoin blew through another milestone …
BBC:
Investigation finds ten websites offering fake Amazon reviews from £5 each; five of the websites claimed to have 702K+ “product reviewers” on their books  —  Fake reviews for products sold on Amazon's Marketplace are being sold online “in bulk”, according to Which?
Micah Singleton / Billboard:
Triller didn't deny the claim from a source that it inflates MAUs to the public and says there's “no legal definition of MAU/DAU”, ahead of expected SPAC merger  —  “There is no legal definition of MAU/DAU,” says Mike Lu, Triller CEO.  “We are an open ecosystem ... Triller's value is in monetizing users, not MAU or DAU.”
The Economic Times:
Amazon partners with Foxconn to establish its first device manufacturing line in India, operational later this year, to make Fire TV sticks locally  —  Bengaluru: Amazon.com Inc. is setting up its first device manufacturing line in India to make Fire TV sticks locally.  The facility will become operational later this year.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft's unified Office mobile app, which combines Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into a single application, is now available on iPad  —  A tablet-friendly version is finally here  —  Microsoft has updated its unified Office mobile app to work on Apple's iPad devices.
Taylor Soper / GeekWire:
Amazon confirms it has acquired Australian e-commerce startup Selz, a Shopify competitor that employs less than 50 people and has raised $11M  —  Amazon has acquired Selz, a 7-year-old startup that helps entrepreneurs sell products online.  The deal signals Amazon's continued focus …

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