Techmeme
December 14, 2018, 5:25 PM

Top News

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook says that between Sept. 13 and Sept. 25 a photo API bug gave user-approved apps access to photos that were uploaded but never shared by ~6.8M users  —  Reset the “days since the last Facebook privacy scandal” counter, as a Facebook has just revealed a Photo API bug gave app developers …
Jeff Grubb / VentureBeat:
Discord says its PC game store will offer a 90/10 revenue split when it opens for all game developers in 2019  —  The video game industry is witnessing the death of the standard revenue split for distribution platforms.  For years, stores like Steam have taken 30 percent of every sale.
Julie Verhage / Bloomberg:
SIPC, which insures money in brokerage accounts, disputes Robinhood's claims that funds in newly launched checking and savings accounts is protected by the SIPC  —  The Securities Investor Protection Corp. said a new checking account from Robinhood Financial LLC raises red flags …
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Reuters:
Sources: T-Mobile and Sprint expect prompt merger approval from CFIUS after SoftBank, Deutsche Telekom agree to consider curbing the use of Huawei's equipment  —  WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - T-Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp expect their merger to be approved by a U.S. national security panel …
Bernadette Tansey / Xconomy:
Udacity, which has 10M+ registered users from 160+ countries, says 50,000 students have graduated from its nanodegree programs that cost between $1K and $2.4K  —  Bernadette Tansey  —  Udacity, a pioneer in the online teaching of IT skills, is celebrating a milestone today …
Eduard Kovacs / SecurityWeek:
Italian energy company Saipem was hit by a new variant of the notorious Shamoon disk-wiping malware, which attacked Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco in 2012  —  Italian oil and gas services company Saipem has confirmed that its systems were hit recently by a new variant of the notorious Shamoon malware.
Bloomberg:
In a court filing, Apple argues that China's ban on the sale of some iPhones, which it is appealing, would force it to settle its licensing battle with Qualcomm  —  Apple Inc. said a Chinese ban on the sale of some models of the iPhone will force it to settle a long and bitter licensing battle …
Romain Dillet / TechCrunch:
Revolut gets a European banking license via the Bank of Lithuania, which allows it to offer services like current accounts and non-prepaid debit cards across EU  —  Fintech startup Revolut is now officially a bank.  While the startup initially expected to get its European banking license during …
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Sources: private equity firm Thoma Bravo is in early talks to acquire McAfee from TPG and Intel for a “significant premium” on McAfee's 2016 valuation of $4.2B  —  - Private equity firm Thoma Bravo is in early talks to acquire all of McAfee from TPG and Intel, sources say.
Adi Robertson / The Verge:
Spammers are emailing businesses, schools, and other locations in the US, Canada, and New Zealand, demanding bitcoin as ransom to not detonate a supposed bomb  —  Spammers are sending a wave of threats to businesses, schools, and other locations in English-speaking countries across the world …
Nick Statt / The Verge:
Facebook adds a custom-built browser and support for its Instant Games platform to its Portal devices  —  Making its dedicated video chat screen more interactive  —  A new update out today for Facebook's Portal devices adds some much-needed features to the dedicated video chat screens.
Scott Scrivens / Android Police:
Xiaomi Mi 8 and Mi 8 Pro review: great camera, performance, and value for money but MIUI has many quirks and the in-display fingerprint scanner is inconsistent  —  Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi is a jack of all trades.  It makes a variety of connected gadgets, including TVs, toothbrushes, scooters, and even kettles.

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Earlier Picks

Zac Hall / 9to5Mac:
Kent Walker / Google:
Sam Levin / The Guardian:
Amy Gesenhues / Marketing Land:
Arielle Pardes / Wired:
Ina Fried / Axios: