Techmeme
February 19, 2021, 8:15 AM

Top News

Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
Facebook's refusal to pay a misguided media tax, pushed by Rupert Murdoch, is a defense of the open web and criticizing it for rejecting a link tax is bizarre  —  None of this should have been a surprise.  Back in September we wrote about Facebook publicly saying that if Australia went forward …
Damien Cave / New York Times:
Benedict Evans:
William Easton / About Facebook:
Nicholas McElroy / ABC:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft announces new standalone versions of Office: Office 2021, available for Windows and macOS later this year, and Office LTSC for commercial customers  —  Microsoft Office LTSC is also arriving for businesses  —  Microsoft is announcing two new versions of Office today …
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Google releases Android 12 developer preview, available for Pixel devices, with under-the-hood changes adding security, support for more media formats, and more  —  The big, consumer-facing changes will come later this year  —  Google is releasing a developer preview for the next version of Android …
Ian Carlos Campbell / The Verge:
WhatsApp says it will offer users the ability to review its new privacy policy through a banner inside its app, ahead of the update's May 15 launch  —  The company is trying to set the record straight on private messages and what's changing  —  WhatsApp has a new plan to explain …
Ryan Browne / CNBC:
UK Supreme Court rules that Uber drivers should be classified as workers not independent contractors, concluding an almost five-year legal battle  —  - The U.K.'s Supreme Court upheld a ruling that Uber's drivers should be classified as workers rather than independent contractors.
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
Microsoft completes its probe into its SolarWinds-related breach, finds hackers stole some source code but no evidence that they abused its internal systems  —  Microsoft says it has completed its investigation into its SolarWinds-related breach.  —  Microsoft's security team said today …
Tony Romm / Washington Post:
Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, and Jack Dorsey are scheduled to testify at the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on platform misinformation March 25  —  The hostility toward Big Tech that had taken hold in Washington has intensified after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
House Republicans introduce the CONNECT Act, which aims to expand broadband connectivity and competition, but would limit government-run municipal networks  —  GOP claims ban would “promote competition by limiting government-run networks.”  —  House Republicans have unveiled their plan for …
Makena Kelly / The Verge:
Thursday's House Committee hearing focused very little on social media's role in the GameStop squeeze and instead focused on Robinhood's influence  —  A Redditor, a FinTech bro, and two hedge fund managers walk into a hearing room  —  This story is part of a group of stories called
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Google adds the Apple TV app to its newest Chromecast device with Google TV and has made it available on Sony and TCL smart TVs that have Google TV  —  Plugging a notable gap in its streaming lineup, Google has added the Apple TV app — the only way to get the Apple TV Plus service — to its newest Chromecast device.
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Sweden-based podcast host and ad network Acast says it is acquiring RadioPublic; RadioPublic's podcast app will remain live and its team will stay in the US  —  It already claims to be the biggest everywhere else  —  Acast, a podcast host and ad network, is looking to improve its tech and broaden its reach.
Rest of World:
A look at how Clubhouse is being received in Japan, India, Nigeria, and Hong Kong, regions where Clubhouse usage has spiked  —  The buzzy audio app is most frequently associated with Silicon Valley, but it's taking off everywhere from Japan to Nigeria.  —  What happens when a buzzy app pegged …

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More News

Tony Romm / Washington Post:

Earlier Picks

Mara Hvistendahl / The Intercept:
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Hannah Murphy / Financial Times:
Bloomberg: