Techmeme
March 19, 2021, 5:00 AM

Top News

BuzzFeed News:
Instagram is working on a version of the service suitable for kids under 13; source: the work will be led by Pavni Diwanji, a VP who joined Facebook in December  —  Executives at Instagram are planning to build a version of the popular photo-sharing app that can be used by children under the age of 13 …
Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC:
Mark Zuckerberg on Clubhouse says Facebook may be in a “stronger position” after Apple's IDFA changes and that Facebook Shops has 1M+ monthly active businesses  —  - Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday said he is confident the social media company “will be able to manage through” Apple's upcoming privacy changes.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Twitter says it is testing a way for its iOS users to watch YouTube videos in their timelines, in the US, Japan, Canada, and Saudi Arabia  —  Shortly after Twitter announced it would begin testing a better way to display images on its app, it's now doing the same for YouTube videos.
Kashmir Hill / New York Times:
A look at the origins of Clearview AI, which far-right activist Charles Johnson says he co-founded, as it is besieged by lawsuits and investigations  —  In May 2019, an agent at the Department of Homeland Security received a trove of unsettling images.  Found by Yahoo in a Syrian user's account …
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:
Researchers detail XcodeSpy, a custom version of open source backdoor EggShell that aims to spy on the Macs of iOS and other Apple OS developers  —  XcodeSpy uses malicious Xcode project to install the EggShell backdoor.  —  Researchers said they've found a trojanized code library in the wild …
Katie Notopoulos / BuzzFeed News:
Facebook is working on a neural wristband that reads signals from brain to hands, to go along with its AR glasses; Bosworth insists it can't “read your brain”  —  Facebook is working on a new neural wristband that can read the electrical signals sent to your hands and send them to an augmented reality interface.
Natalie Gagliordi / ZDNet:
Facebook, which supported security keys on desktop since 2017, expands support to iOS and Android users  —  Facebook has supported security keys on desktop since 2017 and will now enable iOS and Android users to log in to their account via the physical key.
Financial Times:
Sources: Apple sends cease and desist emails to Chinese apps testing CAID, which is designed to track users in spite of Apple's upcoming IDFA privacy changes  —  Chinese apps test multiple workarounds to keep tracking iPhones without prompting for consent  —  A cat-and-mouse game …
CNBC:
NFL finalizes an 11-year media rights deal, with Amazon Prime Video as exclusive partner for Thursday Night Football; sources: Amazon is paying about $1B/year  —  - The new agreement runs through 2033 and will feature two Super Bowls returning to Disney's ABC network channel.
Robert Hackett / Fortune:
OpenSea, a marketplace for NFTs, raises $23M Series A led by a16z Crypto, says $95M in digital merchandise was sold on the service in Feb., up from $8M in Jan.  —  When CryptoKitties roared onto the scene in 2017, most people regarded the collectible digital cats, which were tied to and encapsulated …
Reed Albergotti / Washington Post:
Developer of Watch app FlickType, who previously called out Apple for allowing scam and copycat apps, sues Apple claiming fraud and unfair competition  —  The developer behind FlickType, an Apple Watch keyboard, alleges the company used its power over the App Store to stymie its progress
Eddie Makuch / GameSpot:
Sony unveils PS5 VR controllers with haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and finger touch detection  —  Sony has begun to share more details on its vision for next-gen virtual reality, today announcing and showing off the new controllers that will come with PSVR 2.0 for PS5.
Filipe Espósito / 9to5Mac:
Kuo: MiniLED displays will be used in the MacBook Air by 2022 and the 2022 iPad Air will feature an OLED display  —  Rumors have been suggesting that Apple will soon release a new iPad Pro with a Mini-LED display, but the company also plans to bring this technology to other devices in the future.
Lily Hay Newman / Wired:
Apple's concession to Russia to prompt users to install state-approved apps sets a precedent that other authoritarian countries may seek to follow  —  Russian iPhone buyers will soon be prompted to install software developed in that country, setting a precedent that other authoritarian governments may follow.

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Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Annalee Newitz / The Hypothesis:
Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:
Sundar Pichai / The Keyword:
Kishan Vyas / XDA Developers: