Techmeme
January 25, 2019, 12:45 PM

Top News

Mike Isaac / New York Times:
Sources: Zuckerberg plans to add end-to-end encryption to Instagram and Messenger and integrate their messaging infrastructure and WhatsApp's by end of the year  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, plans to integrate the social network's messaging services …
Nathan Halverson / Reveal:
Unsealed documents show Facebook orchestrated a multi-year effort that duped children who played video games into spending their parents' money  —  Facebook orchestrated a multi-year effort that duped children and their parents out of money, in some cases hundreds or even thousands of dollars …
Daisuke Wakabayashi / New York Times:
YouTube says it will no longer suggest videos with “borderline content” or those that “misinform users in a harmful way” even if they don't violate guidelines  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Whether it is a video claiming the earth is flat or the moon landing was faked …
Tom Krazit / GeekWire:
Microsoft acquires Citus Data, which develops an open-source extension for PostgreSQL that turns it into a distributed database  —  Databases continue to be one of the most competitive areas of cloud computing, and Microsoft strengthened its database story Thursday with the acquisition of Citus Data.
Ryan Whitwam / ExtremeTech:
DeepMind introduces AlphaStar AI, which won 10-1 in a series of StarCraft II matches against professional players  —  Humans tend to think we're adept at the games we create, but computers have proven time and time again that we're just not fast enough to stay on top.
Natasha Singer / New York Times:
Amazon's Rekognition mistakes women as men 19% of the time, and darker-skinned women as men 31% of the time, more than similar services from IBM and Microsoft  —  In new tests, Amazon's system had more difficulty identifying the gender of female and darker-skinned faces than similar services from IBM and Microsoft.
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
HP Spectre Folio review: the unique hinge design and the leather finish are nice but the 16:9 screen feels cramped and the trackpad is horrible  —  The Folio is one of the most unique laptops in years, but it isn't perfect  —  There's nothing really quite like HP's new Spectre Folio.
Michelle Castillo / Cheddar:
Source: T-Mobile to launch a free, ad-supported mobile video streaming service through the Layer3 division it acquired last year and using licensed Xumo tech  —  T-Mobile will join the streaming wars in the next few weeks with a free, ad-supported mobile video service, according to a source familiar with the matter.
More: 9to5Mac and iPhone HacksThanks:@alexeheath
Nikhilesh De / CoinDesk:
Robinhood says it will roll out its cryptocurrency trading product in New York in the coming months after NY regulators grant the firm a BitLicense  —  Stock trading startup Robinhood and bitcoin ATM provider LibertyX have become the latest companies to be granted New York's BitLicense.
Sean O'Neill / Skift:
Airbnb has acquired Denmark-based startup Gaest that helps businesses book off-site spaces for meetings and events  —  Airbnb's move to offer more meetings spaces represents an example of one of Skift's 2019 Megatrends, as many giant online booking companies are looking for their next phases of growth by expanding into new areas.
More: TechCrunch

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Earlier Picks

Bloomberg:
Richard Nieva / CNET:
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Casey Newton / The Verge:
Nate Lanxon / Bloomberg: