Techmeme
September 1, 2021, 2:50 PM

Top News

Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch:
Apple says Arizona and Georgia will be first to support adding IDs to Wallet in iOS 15, with six states, including Utah, Maryland, and Iowa, expected to follow  —  Apple's plan to digitize your wallet is slowly taking shape.  What started with boarding passes and venue tickets later became credit cards …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft announces an online-only Surface hardware event for September 22, where an updated Surface Duo and Laptop are expected  —  New Surface hardware is on the way  —  Microsoft is holding a special Surface hardware event on September 22nd.  The software maker has started sending media invites …
Cheng Ting-Fang / Nikkei Asia:
Sources: Google is developing Arm-based chips for laptops and tablets that run on Chrome OS, set to launch around 2023  —  US software giant ramps up hiring blitz for semiconductor and hardware ambitions  —  TAIPEI — Google is developing its own central processors for its notebook and tablet computers …
Jarrod Doherty / Twitter:
Twitter introduces Safety Mode, which blocks harassing accounts for seven days, in beta for some English-language accounts  —  Feeling safe on Twitter looks different for everyone.  We've rolled out features and settings that may help you to feel more comfortable and in control of your experience …
Jeffrey Dastin / Reuters:
Andy Jassy says Amazon plans to hire over 55,000 corporate employees globally, including over 40,000 in the US, a 20% increase in tech and corporate staff  —  Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) is planning to hire 55,000 people for corporate and technology roles globally in the coming months, Chief Executive Andy Jassy told Reuters.
Rolfe Winkler / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Apple is planning to add health features, including a blood pressure monitor and thermometer to track fertility, to Watch as soon as 2022  —  Tech giant seeks to push past obstacles in adding health features on your wrist  —  Apple Inc. is working on new health-related features for its smartwatch …
Bloomberg:
Source: Apple's upcoming Watch is suffering production snags as manufacturers adjust to a new design, likely leading to supply constraints or shipment delays  —  - Revamped device has a larger screen and other new features  — Wearables category has been one of fastest-growing for Apple
James Vincent / The Verge:
Analysis: governments intentionally blocked internet access nearly 850 times in the past decade, including 213 shutdowns in 2019, 155 in 2020, and 50 in 2021  —  A favorite tactic for stifling dissent in the 21st century  —  The number of government-led internet shutdowns has exploded …
Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:
Profile of Li Jin, an aggressively pro-worker VC who founded Atelier Ventures, which manages $13M, to invest in influencer-related startups  —  Li Jin, 31, began backing creators years ago.  She has raised her own fund to invest in influencer-related start-ups.
Financial Times:
John Gruber / Daring Fireball:
A look at the implications of South Korea's alternative app store payment law: confusion for non-technical users, difficulty managing subscriptions, and more  —  Apple, in a statement to MacRumors (and other media outlets), regarding South Korea's just-passed “Google power-abuse-prevention law” …
Kait Sanchez / The Verge:
Twitter launches Super Follows for iOS users, allowing a select group of US test users to charge either $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99 per month for their tweets  —  Select users in the US can now charge for tweets  —  Twitter is starting to roll out Super Follows, its new feature that lets users charge for subscriber-only content.
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Telegram releases an update that removes the cap on live stream viewers, from 1,000 to unlimited, introduces more options for forwarding messages, and more  —  Along with more forwarding options  —  Telegram, the messaging app that's becoming more and more like a fully-fledged social media network …
Zinnia Lee / Forbes:
Malaysian used car marketplace Carsome Group raises $170M from MediaTek and others at a $1.3B valuation, making it Malaysia's largest tech startup  —  Carsome Group, an online platform for buying and selling used cars, said on Wednesday that it had become Malaysia's largest tech unicorn …
Vildana Hajric / Bloomberg:
How Ethereum's increase in value, up 350% this year, and the rise of NFTs and DeFi have dampened enthusiasm for Bitcoin as the most essential crypto  —  - Ether has gained 350% this year versus Bitcoin's 60% advance  — August marked Ether's second monthly rise and best since April
The Tutanota Blog:
Australia passes bill that lets police hack user devices to modify, collect, or delete data and take over social media accounts without a judge's warrant  —  The Microsoft database hack shows that data stored in the cloud must always be encrypted end-to-end.
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
More than 135 subreddits have gone private in protest of Reddit's refusal to ban communities that spread misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines  —  PokemonGo, Futurology among big subreddits going private until Reddit takes action.  —  Over 135 subreddits have gone dark …
Matthew Monks / Bloomberg:
Samsara, a cloud-based fleet vehicle management service, says it has confidentially filed for an IPO; Samsara raised $400M at a $5.4B valuation last year  —  Samsara Inc., a software company valued at $5.4 billion last year, has filed confidentially for an initial public offering.
More: Reuters
Mark Scott / Politico:
Facebook says it accidentally removed thousands of posts around the Jan. 6 riots from CrowdTangle, blaming a now-fixed error that has existed since at least May  —  The social media company said it was a technical error, and has been fixed, but tens of thousands of posts are still missing.

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Garett Sloane / Ad Age: