Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from September, 2020

They Watched the Debate … on Twitch

The Amazon-owned platform, known for livestreams of video games, was a gathering spot for viewers seeking a different spin. https://nyti.ms/2GozzTG

How Facebook Entrenches Itself

The more Facebook knits together its apps, the harder it becomes for a government to break it up. https://nyti.ms/34aBt2k

How Voting by Mail Tops Election Misinformation

Misleading information about voting by mail is the biggest category of election falsehoods — and it includes many flavors. https://nyti.ms/3ilyKYW

Seattle Passes Minimum Pay Rate for Uber and Lyft Drivers

The city became the second in the nation to create a compensation standard for ride-hailing drivers, after New York. https://nyti.ms/3n2i3p1

Joe Biden and the History of ‘Hidden Earpiece’ Conspiracy Theories

Ahead of Tuesday’s debate, right-wing commentators (and President Trump’s campaign) speculated that Joe Biden might be equipped with a hidden earpiece. It’s a decades-old charge without much evidence. https://nyti.ms/2EJAPjE

Philippine leader Duterte Lashes Out at Facebook After Fake Accounts Removed

The Philippine leader, who harnessed the social network as he rose to power, is now making vague threats to shut it down. https://nyti.ms/3cEn7v4

Apple and Epic Games Spar Over Returning Fortnite to the App Store

The two companies argued in federal court over Apple’s power over apps, as their fight heads to trial next year. https://nyti.ms/3i6xlW4

Google Demands Its 30% Cut From App Developers in Play Store

Some companies like Netflix and Spotify had avoided making the payment when people paid for something inside their apps. https://nyti.ms/2S80QMI

Uber Can Continue Operating in London, Judge Rules

After a battle with transportation regulators, the ride-hailing firm was granted an 18-month license. https://nyti.ms/3kV75jm

Ransomware Attacks Take On New Urgency Ahead of Vote

Attacks against small towns, big cities and the contractors who run their voting systems have federal officials fearing that hackers will try to sow chaos around the election. https://nyti.ms/3n0VnFQ

U.S. Judge Hears Arguments on Trump’s TikTok Ban

The government said a ban would address its national security concerns. But lawyers for its owner said a ban would be “no different from the government locking the doors to a public forum.” https://nyti.ms/2S7zcPG

Strangers' Things

Earning money online by selling intimate objects that aren’t obviously sexual (including emotions). https://nyti.ms/30aniJv

U.S. Places Restrictions on China’s Leading Chip Maker

The export controls follow a review in which the United States concluded that Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation’s chips may be used by the Chinese military. https://nyti.ms/3cDl8XJ

In Isolating Times, Can Robo-Pets Provide Comfort?

As seniors find themselves cut off from loved ones during the pandemic, some are turning to automated animals for company. https://nyti.ms/2RYzd8P

What Went Viral This Week

Ruth Bader Ginsburg obituaries, reports of missing children and stories from a right-wing satire site made up the week’s most highly engaged stories on social media. https://nyti.ms/3kLb7L5

Facebook’s Power This Election

How much should Facebook be held responsible for what happens on its site? https://nyti.ms/30c8eLw

Facebook Takes Down Networks Linked to Russian Disinformation

The social network said it was moving proactively to dismantle infrastructure Russia could use against the American presidential election. https://nyti.ms/2Hxn0G8

Amazon Unveils Drone That Films Inside Your Home. What Could Go Wrong?

On social media, people had some concerns about the Ring Always Home Cam. To put it mildly. https://nyti.ms/2RVidAn

YouTube Tries Again to Amplify Accurate Voting Information

Tech platforms have struggled to keep false and misleading information about mail-in ballots off their services. https://nyti.ms/2RSDtXo

To Fight Apple and Google, Smaller App Rivals Organize a Coalition

Spotify, Match Group, Epic Games and others have created a nonprofit alliance that they hope will amplify a protest against the power of the giants. https://nyti.ms/2FZUpZf

TikTok Files for Injunction to Stop Ban of App

While President Trump has blessed a deal for TikTok, the video app filed to stop a ban of its service that is set to go into effect on Sunday. https://nyti.ms/2G7o2YQ

Hooray (Mostly) for the Government!

U.S. lawmakers are digging into questions about how to steer technology to make our lives better. https://nyti.ms/33XZhpY

Elon Musk Promises to Make a $25,000 Tesla (in 3 Years)

Tesla said it was working on advances that would lower the cost of batteries and increase their capacity to store energy. https://nyti.ms/3iVFuxT

TikTok and WeChat: What They Tell Us About the Global Internet

Banned apps, nefarious theories, trade wars, voiceless users. The case of TikTok isn’t news to most of the world. https://nyti.ms/3cmpgLG

A Capitalist Fix to the Digital Divide

What if big tech companies paid for lower income Americans to have fast internet access? https://nyti.ms/30h0SGH

Justice Dept. to Brief States on Google Antitrust Inquiry

The department is expected to outline a potential antitrust case against Google, which could be filed in the coming days. https://nyti.ms/2FUuPF9

Microsoft Acquires Video Game Company ZeniMax in $7.5 Billion Deal

The company’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media puts it in a strong position against Sony just weeks before the release of their next generation of gaming consoles. https://nyti.ms/2FND99S

How Facebook Can Slow QAnon for Real

Social media sites cracked down on terrorist recruitment. Imagine what they could do about QAnon. https://nyti.ms/2ROjKI9

‘There’s No There There’: What the TikTok Deal Achieved

The agreement for the social media app falls short of President Trump’s promises. https://nyti.ms/35RPRyS

U.S. Judge Temporarily Halts Trump’s WeChat Ban

The order is a setback in the president’s efforts to block a Chinese social media app that he has labeled a national security threat. The ban had been set to go into effect on Sunday night. https://nyti.ms/2ZRSQ6U

A New York Clock That Told Time Now Tells the Time Remaining

Metronome’s digital clock in Manhattan, has been reprogrammed to illustrate a critical window for action to prevent the effects of global warming from becoming irreversible. https://nyti.ms/32KxRVl

Trump Says Deal Between Oracle and TikTok Has His ‘Blessing’

The remarks suggested the Chinese-owned social media app may be allowed to continue to operate in the United States after receiving investment from American partners. https://nyti.ms/3iMCyTX

After Trump’s TikTok Ban, China Readies Blacklist of Foreign Companies

Beijing issued rules that could allow it to halt exports, imports and investments by businesses accused of endangering national security. https://nyti.ms/2RN8sUt

Facebook Tried to Limit QAnon. It Failed.

The social network tried cracking down on the spread of the conspiracy theory and other extremist material. But QAnon groups are still flourishing on the site. https://nyti.ms/33GfkZF

Don’t quit Facebook. Change laws.

What to do if you think Facebook worsens misinformation and hate speech. https://nyti.ms/2FKhRdh

Computing Pioneers Endorse Biden, Citing Immigration

They said the administration’s policies were driving away technology talent and could do long-term damage to their industry. https://nyti.ms/3iILjyl

TikTok Accepts Deal Revisions as Trump Prepares to Review Proposal

The video app is also looking for a new chief executive and has talked to candidates including a founder of Instagram. https://nyti.ms/3iJxxM1

The New Apple Watch Measures Your Blood Oxygen. Now What?

Blood oxygen readings can be a useful indicator of wellness, but context is important — and so is medical advice from a doctor. https://nyti.ms/2ZKRGdl

A New Ship’s Mission: Let the Deep Sea Be Seen

A giant new vessel, OceanXplorer, seeks to unveil the secrets of the abyss for a global audience. https://nyti.ms/35LYgEi

Backlash Grows to TikTok-Oracle Deal

Senate Republicans and others criticized the latest plan to allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States, citing national security concerns. https://nyti.ms/33A8UuV

A Chinese Billionaire Is Barred From Spending Over Unpaid Debts

A court-ordered ban on first-class flights and vacations is a humbling turn of events for Chen Feng, the head of the once high-flying conglomerate HNA Group. https://nyti.ms/2RwcL6z

Driver Charged in Uber’s Fatal 2018 Autonomous Car Crash

Investigators said the woman had been watching a video on her phone when the vehicle killed a pedestrian in Arizona. https://nyti.ms/2FH8iv4

Apple Watch Is a Private Road

With newer technologies, we risk losing the open highways that have defined our digital lives. https://nyti.ms/2H5g2Ib

Coming This Fall: Return of the Video Game Console Wars

Gamers are awaiting Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X, though supply might be limited because of the pandemic. https://nyti.ms/3mqXna6

TikTok’s Proposed Deal Under Review by Trump Administration

The Chinese-owned app designed a compromise to satisfy U.S. security concerns. The terms are now under review by the Trump administration. https://nyti.ms/2RrSWNQ

TikTok Was a Wasted Opportunity

The TikTok battle was a chance to debate big questions about technology and government. We missed it. https://nyti.ms/3mlhaHP

Oracle Chosen as TikTok’s Tech Partner, as Microsoft’s Bid Is Rejected

The moves came as the clock ticks down on President Trump’s executive order to block the Chinese-owned social media app. https://nyti.ms/3mlNM43

Nvidia Buys Arm From SoftBank for $40 Billion

The move gives Nvidia a way into mobile chips, but the acquisition is likely to face regulatory scrutiny. https://nyti.ms/2DW45Dl

SoftBank Said to Be Near Deal to Sell British Chip Designer Arm

A sale to Nvidia for more than $40 billion would net billions of dollars for the Japanese tech investor and create a powerhouse in the semiconductor industry. https://nyti.ms/3hti0OS

The Woman Taking Over TikTok at the Toughest Time

Vanessa Pappas is keeping a focus on the app’s community of creators and users as it deals with pressure from President Trump, Beijing and a possible sale. https://nyti.ms/35tZbcf