Techmeme
April 21, 2021, 3:45 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
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / VICE:
Signal's CEO says he analyzed a Cellebrite device, used to extract data from phones, that fell off a truck, and it is full of easily exploitable security flaws  —  One of the biggest encrypted chat apps in the world just showed how a device used to decrypt messages can be hacked and tampered with.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Google announces updates to Meet, rolling out next month on desktop, including a new UI, improved presentation features, and background replacement  —  Background video, automatic light adjustment, and much more  —  Google is refreshing its Meet user interface next month for desktop and laptop users.
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 …
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee:
Livestream of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing to examine competition in app stores, with testimony from Apple, Google, Spotify, Tile, and others  —  Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights.  Mr. Kyle Andeer Chief Compliance Officer Apple Cupertino …
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
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
REvil ransomware gang says it has hacked Apple contractor Quanta Computer; source says it's demanding $50M ransom or it will leak more Apple product schematics  —  The operators of the REvil ransomware are demanding that Apple pay a ransom demand to avoid having confidential information leaked on the dark web.
Bloomberg:
Sources: Google's Ethical AI group was in turmoil long before the ouster of Gebru and Mitchell, after friction over handling of harassment and bias allegations  —  The ouster of lead researchers Gebru, Mitchell followed years of friction over how Google handled allegations of harassment and bias
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 …
Jason Snell / Macworld:
The new iPads have great hardware, led by M1 and mini-LED, but iPadOS lacks proper second display support and pro apps like Final Cut Pro, Xcode, and Logic Pro  —  The hardware is top notch.  The software leaves a lot to be desired.  —  MORE COLOR  —  Nobody needed to convince me that Apple's …
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 …
Jordan Crook / TechCrunch:
Collaborative design service Figma launches whiteboarding tool FigJam and adds voice chat to all of its products  —  Figma spent years in stealth before launching its web-based collaborative design tool.  Since coming into the light, the company has been iterating quickly.
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
Haroon Siddique / The Guardian:
Dustin Volz / Wall Street Journal:
Internal memo: DOJ has formed a taskforce to combat the proliferation of ransomware attacks, targeting the entire ecosystem with prosecutions and more  —  After ‘worst year ever’ for the cyberattacks, department seeks to disrupt digital ecosystem that supports them
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 …
Sami Fathi / MacRumors:
Tim Cook says Apple is now selling more M1 Macs than Intel-based models, despite them only being released in November  —  Despite only being released in November, sales of the M1-powered MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini now represent the majority of Mac sales, outperforming Mac computers powered …
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 …

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Earlier Picks

Charlie Osborne / ZDNet: