Techmeme
February 26, 2021, 11:55 PM

Top News

Jason Schreier / Bloomberg:
Inside Google Stadia's failure as sources say it missed targets for controller sales and MAUs by hundreds of thousands after spending tens of millions on games  —  The tech giant likes to test and tweak.  Stadia promised to change the industry and failed to deliver.
Cecilia D'Anastasio / Wired:
Sources detail Google's troubles with game development as the company couldn't stomach the complicated creative process amid Stadia's poor streaming numbers  —  The tech giant hired 150 game developers for Stadia Games and Entertainment, only to lay them all off.  Sources say it never gave the studios a chance.
Marlow Stern / The Daily Beast:
Advanced deepfakes of Tom Cruise are going viral on TikTok, with the account deeptomcruise amassing 200K+ followers in a few days  —  FOR THE LOVE OF XENU  —  Be afraid.  Be very afraid.  —  Three days ago, a TikTok account going by @deeptomcruise began posting video clips …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Facebook's NPE division launches BARS, a TikTok-like app for rappers to create and share their raps using professionally created beats, in closed beta  —  Facebook's internal R&D group, NPE Team, is today launching its next experimental app, called BARS.  The app makes it possible for rappers …
Casey Newton / Platformer:
Twitter's Super Follows represent a surge of interest in tools that let individuals create real economic value for themselves on social networks  —  Will Super Follows shake up the media industry?  —  16 hr ago  —  Today let's talk about Twitter's move into subscriptions …
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
Jason Del Rey / Vox:
More than a dozen current and ex-Amazon corporate employees say its Black staff often face direct and insidious bias that harms their careers and personal lives  —  Interviews with diversity managers and internal data obtained by Recode indicate that Black Amazon employees are promoted less frequently …
Tiffany Hsu / New York Times:
The use of “+” to name on-demand services was fine when streaming was new but has become a cliché and a minus  —  An idea that seemed like a real plus when streaming was newer has fallen into cliché.  —  First there was e.  —  Then came i.  —  Now it's +.
Drew Harwell / Washington Post:
Public docs show that ICE used private database run by Thomson Reuters with 400M+ names, addresses, and utility service records to pursue immigration violations  —  Government agencies increasingly are accessing private information they are not authorized to compile on their own
Tim Anderson / The Register:
Security researcher finds seven embedded trackers in the Android app for LastPass password manager; LastPass says users can opt out if they want  —  Third-party code in security-critical apps is obviously suboptimal, but company says you can opt out  —  A security researcher has recommended …
Financial Times:
Treasury secretary Janet Yellen told G20 ministers that the US will drop its “safe harbor” provision for tech companies, allowing a global deal on digital tax  —  Biden administration drops insistence on ‘safe harbour’ for companies, opening door to agreement
Cecilia Kang / New York Times:
FCC approves a $50/month high-speed internet subsidy for low-income households and a one-time discount of up to $100 on a computer or tablet for eligible homes  —  The money, aimed at low-income households, is part of an effort to bridge the access gap to broadband connectivity amid the pandemic.
Justine Calma / The Verge:
Google is sharing data about distortions in light waves passing through its undersea cables with seismologists to help them detect earthquakes  —  That data could one day warn people about tsunamis  —  The web of undersea cables that transmit data around the world could one day be used …
Vignesh Ramachandran / Stanford News:
Researchers identify causes for Zoom fatigue: intense close-up eye contact, constantly seeing own reflection, reduced mobility, and increased cognitive load  —  It's not just Zoom.  Popular video chat platforms have design flaws that exhaust the human mind and body.  But there are easy ways to mitigate their effects.

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Filipe Espósito / 9to5Mac:

Earlier Picks

Katie Deighton / Wall Street Journal:
Cameron Faulkner / The Verge:
Ryan Mac / BuzzFeed News:
Reuters:
Megan Graham / CNBC: