Techmeme
December 3, 2021, 6:20 PM

Top News

Reuters:
Sources: the iPhones of at least nine US State Department employees were hacked using NSO's spyware in the past several months  —  Apple Inc iPhones of at least nine U.S. State Department employees were hacked by an unknown assailant using sophisticated spyware developed by the Israel-based NSO Group …
Wall Street Journal:
The US plans to work with friendly nations to limit the export of surveillance tools and other tech used by authoritarian governments to suppress human rights  —  Administration official cites China's use of monitoring technologies, which Beijing has defended, in calling for tighter export rules
Jason Schreier / Bloomberg:
Sources: Sony plans to launch a subscription service, codenamed Spartacus, next spring that merges PlayStation Plus and PS Now, to compete with Xbox Game Pass  —  - Subscription offering would blend PlayStation Now and PS Plus  — Code-named Spartacus, launch is targeted for next spring
Drew Harwell / Washington Post:
An anti-fascist researcher says Twitter suspended her account after someone reported a 2019 tweet of hers following Twitter's updated Private Information Policy  —  Researchers fear the new ban on posts sharing people's private information will be ‘emboldening to the fascists’ eager to keep their identities concealed.
Mathew Ingram / Columbia Journalism Review:
Journalists and activists worry Twitter's new privacy policy will be weaponized and make their jobs harder, due to vague terms like “the public interest”  —  On Tuesday, Twitter said it is expanding its privacy policy to include what the company calls “private media.”
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft backtracks on Windows 11's controversial default browser changes, adds a “Set default” button for browsers in a preview build  —  Windows 11 will now make it easier to change default browsers  —  Microsoft is backtracking on changes it made to Windows 11 that made it more difficult to switch default browsers.
Washington Post:
Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal announces a major reorganization, in which head of engineering Michael Montano and design lead Dantley Davis will step down  —  Engineering, design leads out as Parag Agrawal announces big changes.  —  Twitter's new CEO, Parag Agrawal, announced a major reorganization …
Jennifer Elias / CNBC:
Google says it will not require US employees to return to the office on January 10 as expected but encourages them to come in to build “muscle memory”  —  - Google's security VP, Chris Rackow, sent a companywide email Thursday that said Google will not require employees to return to offices on Jan. 10 as expected.
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Meta says it is testing a Split Payments feature for Messenger in the US that lets users share the cost of bills and expenses  —  Facebook Messenger announced today that it's starting to test out a new “Split Payments” feature that introduces a way for users to share the cost of bills and expenses through the app.
Dalvin Brown / Wall Street Journal:
Instagram has quietly rolled out a pop-up over the past year encouraging users to “try a new account” so they can “keep up with a smaller group of friends”  —  An in-app notice calls on users to ‘try a new account.’ Can a fresh start keep people from losing their enthusiasm for the platform?
Wall Street Journal:
The FTC sues to block Nvidia's acquisition of Arm, arguing the chip deal is anticompetitive; the $40B deal has risen to ~$75B due to Nvidia's share price  —  The agency alleges the semiconductor deal is anticompetitive  —  WASHINGTON—The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday sued …

Sponsor Posts

Clay:
Turn any GTM idea into reality  —  Clay helps GTM teams combine AI agents, enrichment, and intent data to move faster and turn insights into action.
Soxton:
AI-powered law for startups  —  Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better.  We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts.  Join the waitlist for early access!
Zoho:
Your website, your brand: A website building guide for tech partners  —  In a competitive market, trust is what makes businesses choose you and stay with you.  As a tech partner, you can take steps to build …
IDrive:
Geometric Grand Unification — Solving the Hubble Tension & Proton Mass  —  Physics solved?  AI verifies model unifying gravity & particles by deriving constants from vacuum geometry.  Identifies void-driven topology.

Featured Podcasts

Lenny's Podcast:
Getting paid to vibe code: Inside the new AI-era job | Lazar Jovanovic (Professional Vibe Coder)
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:
Software In Shambles, OpenAI vs. Anthropic Super Brawl, Amazon's Struggles
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:
Elon Musk's Mega-Merger + We Test Google's Project Genie + What's Next for Moltbook Creator
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.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Jeff Bezos Used To Be In Love with The Washington Post. What Happened?
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
Cheeky Pint:
Elon Musk on Space GPUs, AI, Optimus, and his manufacturing method
Stripe cofounder John Collison interviews founders, builders, and leaders over a pint.
Subscribe to Cheeky Pint.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Special Edition: Key findings from the Microsoft AI Diffusion Report
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 6:20 PM ET, December 3, 2021.

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

Earlier Picks

Reuters:
The Verge:
Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:
Tim Copeland / The Block:
Carly Page / TechCrunch: