Techmeme
March 30, 2020, 9:05 AM

Top News

Jon Fingas / Engadget:
Report: CDC, state, and local authorities in the US have started using anonymized location data from mobile ads to help plan their response to the pandemic  —  The use of phone location tracking to keep tabs on COVID-19 is becoming increasingly common, and the US appears to be no exception.
New York Times:
Sources: Facebook's security team had disinfo concerns about The Daily Wire's sites in 2019, clashing with the policy team, which prevented action being taken  —  After spending billions to avoid a repeat of 2016, the tech giants are careening from crisis to crisis as their foes change tactics.
Mark Wyciślik-Wilson / BetaNews:
Microsoft says it has seen a 775% increase in use of its cloud services worldwide in regions that have enforced social distancing or shelter in place orders  —  This weekend, Microsoft has given an insight into the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on its services.
Stephanie Kirchgaessner / The Guardian:
Data from a whistleblower appears to show Saudi Arabia tracking the location of its citizens in the US by exploiting flaws in the SS7 phone network protocol  —  Exclusive: Whistleblower's data suggests millions of tracking requests sent over four-month period
Zara Stone / OneZero :
A look at video chat service Houseparty, which has topped the Australian, Canadian, and UK iOS App Stores and is like Zoom but with built-in games  —  ast Saturday night, Jason Shaverin, a 36-year-old project manager in London, spent three hours talking to friends on Houseparty …
Dan Primack / Axios:
HQ Trivia, which laid off its entire staff and shut down in February, has been acquired by an undisclosed investor and has already returned, airing another show  —  HQ Trivia, the live game-show app that shut down in February and laid off its entire staff, is unexpectedly returning tonight with a new show.
Jon Evans / TechCrunch:
Apple and Google should add contact tracing functionality, similar to Singapore's TraceTogether app, in a privacy-respecting way to iOS and Android  —  After the shutdown, the testing and tracing.  “Trace, test and treat is the mantra ... no lockdowns, no roadblocks and no restriction on movement” in South Korea.
Timothy B. Lee / Ars Technica:
As the Authors Guild voices its opposition to Internet Archive's National Emergency Library, a look at the legal issues related to digital book lending  —  Massive online library project is venturing into uncharted legal waters.  —  One of the casualties of coronavirus-related social distancing measures …

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:
App Spotlight: Savoir for Zoho Books  —  App Spotlight brings you hand-picked solutions that enhance your Zoho apps and tools.  Visit Zoho Marketplace to explore all of our apps, integrations …
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:
Apple's Coming For The Meta Ray-Bans
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe to Techmeme Ride Home.
Hard Fork:
Bad Apple + The Rise of the AI Empire + Italian Brain Rot
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.
The Logan Bartlett Show:
Yotam Segev (CEO, Cyera) on Growing One of the Fastest Security Startups on the Planet
A podcast hosted by Logan Bartlett, an investor at Redpoint Ventures, covering tech with industry insiders.
Subscribe to The Logan Bartlett Show.
Great Chat:
Great managers, and what makes them great
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Decoder with Nilay Patel:
Reuters is ready to stand up for the press -- and embrace AI
A show from the Verge about big ideas - and other problems.
Subscribe to Decoder with Nilay Patel.
Lenny's Podcast:
How have I been complicit in creating the conditions I say I don't want? | Jerry Colonna (CEO of Reboot, executive coach, former VC)
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.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 9:05 AM ET, March 30, 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

Casey Newton / The Verge:

Earlier Picks

Bloomberg:
Financial Times:
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Leo Kelion / BBC: