Techmeme
April 21, 2021, 1:10 PM

Top News

Wall Street Journal:
EU proposes strict AI rules, regulating “high-risk” uses such as loan applications, with non-compliant companies fined up to 6% of annual global revenues  —  EU is proposing one of the first laws globally to regulate the use of artificial intelligence for applications like hiring and policing
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Instagram is rolling out tools to filter out abusive DMs based on keywords and emojis, and to block users along with any new accounts they may create  —  Facebook and its family of apps have long grappled with the issue of how to better manage — and eradicate — bullying and other harassment …
Sean Hollister / The Verge:
How Kosta Eleftheriou became a one-man App Store fraud squad, by looking for top grossing apps with fake user reviews and ridiculously high subscription prices  —  A one-man Bunco Squad is poking holes in Apple's App Store image  —  Recently, I reached out to the most profitable company …
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
REvil ransomware gang claims to have breached Apple contractor Quanta Computer and is threatening to leak Apple product schematics unless a ransom is paid  —  The operators of the REvil ransomware are demanding that Apple pay a ransom demand to avoid having confidential information leaked on the dark web.
Matt Novak / Gizmodo:
Amazon brings its palm reader payment system to a Whole Foods location in Seattle and will roll it out to seven more stores in the coming months  —  Whole Foods will launch a palm reader payment system at its Madison Broadway location in Seattle today and has plans to roll out the biometric program …
Joseph Cox / VICE:
Facebook says a vulnerability that lets attackers find a Facebook profile given an email address is still active after being “erroneously closed out”  —  A video shared with researchers and Motherboard shows a tool linking email addresses to Facebook accounts.  —  Joseph Cox
Jason Snell / Macworld:
Apple's M1 iPad has killer hardware, especially mini-LED displays, but iPadOS lags behind, bereft of Apple's pro apps, proper second display support, and more  —  The hardware is top notch.  The software leaves a lot to be desired.  —  MORE COLOR  —  Nobody needed to convince me that Apple's …
Apple:
Haroon Siddique / The Guardian:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft introduces new settings in Outlook to allow breaks between back-to-back meetings after its own research showed that “digital overload is real”  —  Back-to-back meetings can now have a break in between  —  Microsoft is updating Outlook to give companies the option …
Filipe Espósito / 9to5Mac:
Apple Support article says lost AirTags will be readable by any NFC-enabled device, including Android devices, when in Lost Mode  —  After numerous rumors, Apple finally introduced AirTag during today's special event.  Apple's item tracker works based on the ultra-wideband U1 chip and relies …
Joseph Cox / VICE:
Bipartisan lawmakers introduce Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act to address police surveillance, including banning warrantless location data purchases  —  The sweeping bill has support from both Democrats and Republicans, and will address multiple forms of surveillance.  —  Joseph Cox
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
RapidAPI, an API marketplace that covers everything from file storage to COVID-19 statistics, raises $60M Series C led by Green Bay Ventures  —  Join Transform 2021 this July 12-16.  Register fo r the AI event of the year.  —  RapidAPI, a platform that helps developers find, manage …
Evelyn Douek / The Atlantic:
Facebook's recent steps to curb toxic content in Minneapolis following Derek Chauvin's trial raises the question of why the company doesn't do so all the time  —  On Monday, Facebook vowed that its staff was “working around the clock” to identify and restrict posts that could lead to unrest …
Tim Culpan / Bloomberg:
Charts show TSMC's challenges: unstable output, need for more debt, higher costs hurting margins, foreign currency swings, droughts, and more  —  Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has quietly grown to a place of global prominence by being the outright leader in chip manufacturing technology.
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Apple tells developers that on April 26 all iPhone, iPad, and Watch apps submitted to the App Store must adhere to Apple's App Tracking Transparency rules  —  Apple today released a series of updates aimed at app developers, letting them know about upcoming requirements related to iOS 14.5 …

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Earlier Picks

Jon Porter / The Verge:
Netflix - Investors:
Reuters:
Charlie Osborne / ZDNet: