Techmeme
January 8, 2020, 10:05 PM

Top News

Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Twitter says a “conversation participants” compose screen tool is coming in 2020, letting users limit who can reply, and conversation threading will improve  —  Several features inspired by Twitter's beta app are coming  —  Speaking today at a CES event in Las Vegas …
New York Times:
TikTok says it has fixed major security vulnerabilities that could have let hackers manipulate content, gain access to private videos, and extract personal data  —  The vulnerabilities, which the app says it has fixed, could have let attackers manipulate content and extract personal data.
Washington Post:
TikTok outlines more concrete global content moderation rules following criticism, including banning election misinformation and videos glorifying terrorism  —  TikTok on Wednesday released a set of new, more detailed rules about the videos it permits and prohibits, seeking to respond …
Devindra Hardawar / Engadget:
Upcoming short-form video streaming service Quibi details new features including Turnstyle, which lets videos play well in both portrait and landscape modes  —  What the heck is Quibi?  That's the question I've been asking myself over the past year, as the Jeffrey Katzenberg-founded streaming …
Wendy Lee / Los Angeles Times:
Quibi, which had already raised $1B, says it has raised another $400M from undisclosed investors ahead of its April launch  —  In a place known for high-stakes gambling, tech veteran Meg Whitman says she's feeling even more confident these days about betting on the success of her streaming video start-up Quibi, which launches in April.
Apple:
Apple says App Store customers spent $1.42B during holidays, up 16% YoY, and $386M on New Year's Day, up 20% YoY, touts 2019 as the biggest year for Services  —  Apple has marked the close of a historic 2019 for its Services offerings, a year that introduced Apple Arcade, Apple TV+ …
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Spotify announces new tools to target podcast ads in real time using user data for its exclusive podcasts  —  One step closer to becoming a podcast ad network  —  Spotify is going to start using its copious amounts of user data to run targeted ads inside its exclusive podcasts.
Will Oremus / OneZero:
Facebook's deepfakes policy is a good move but remains deeply flawed, covering only certain videos created by AI and creating loopholes for misleading “satire”  —  It's better than nothing — but just barely  —  Monday, Facebook announced a new policy against “deepfake” videos.
New York Times:
Drew Harwell / Washington Post:
AI startups are selling images of realistic computer-generated faces, letting clients like dating apps “increase diversity” in their ads without needing people  —  Artificial intelligence start-ups are selling images of computer-generated faces that look like the real thing …
Joseph Cox / VICE:
In letter to senators, Ring says it has fired four employees over the last four years after it was notified about the employees' improper access to user videos  —  Amazon-owned home security camera company Ring has fired employees for improperly accessing Ring users' video data …

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Gemini 2.5 Pro: Our most intelligent AI model  —  Gemini 2.5 Pro (experimental) is now available, with thinking capabilities, enhanced performance, and improved accuracy.  Try it at no cost in the Gemini app.
UiPath:
Introducing the UiPath Platform™ for agentic automation  —  UiPath's new platform empowers enterprises to experience the full power of AI to transform industries
Zoho:
Mastering bot filtering and Apple MPP compliance  —  Why is bot filtering important for your business?  As marketers, we live and breathe data.  Open rates, click-through rates, conversions—these metrics serve as the compass that guides our campaigns.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Techmeme Ride Home:
OpenAI Backtracks
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe to Techmeme Ride Home.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
How to fight Apple and (maybe) win, with Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney
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.
Invest Like the Best:
David Senra - The Focused Few
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
Grit:
HubSpot CEO on the Future of SaaS, AI, & Leading Through Change
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
Inside Devin: The world's first autonomous AI engineer that's set to write 50% of its company's code by end of year | Scott Wu (CEO and co-founder of Cognition)
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.
Hard Fork:
The Dangers of A.I. Flattery + Kevin Meets the Orb + Group Chat Chat
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.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 10:05 PM ET, January 8, 2020.

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

BuzzFeed News:

Earlier Picks

Khari Johnson / VentureBeat:
James Vincent / The Verge: