Techmeme
September 29, 2021, 4:15 PM

Top News

Gerrit De Vynck / Washington Post:
YouTube says it is banning prominent anti-vaccine activists, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr, and blocking all anti-vax content, not just about COVID-19 vaccines  —  The Google-owned video site previously only banned misinformation about coronavirus vaccines.  Facebook made the same change months ago.
Reuters:
Russia arrests Ilya Sachkov, the CEO of cybersecurity company Group-IB, on suspicion of treason and will hold him in custody for two months  —  Russia has arrested Ilya Sachkov, the chief executive of top Russian cybersecurity company Group IB, on suspicion of state treason and will hold …
Andrew Cunningham / Ars Technica:
Apple says the “jelly scroll” issue on the 6th-gen iPad mini is normal for LCD screens; the issue isn't noticeable on other latest iPad models with LCD screens  —  Apple says the issue is caused by normal LCD screen behavior.  —  Update, 9/28/2021: In response to our inquiry …
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Google says it is improving Search using the MUM AI model, with features like “Things to know”, which gives users additional context about searched topics  —  At its Search On event today, Google introduced several new features that, taken together, are its strongest attempts yet …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Facebook is rolling out Reels to all US mobile users, after launching a beta last month, and announces a Reels Play bonus program for creators  —  After launching into beta tests just last month, Facebook today is rolling out Reels to all Facebook users in the U.S. on both iOS and Android.
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: the FTC is considering strengthening online privacy protections, including for children, in an effort to bypass legislative logjams in Congress  —  Agency is looking at strengthening rules that govern how digital businesses collect user data  —  WASHINGTON—The Federal Trade Commission …
Natasha Mascarenhas / TechCrunch:
AngelList launches AngelList Stack, a set of tools to help founders start and run their companies, including end-to-end incorporation and banking services  —  AngelList Stack is a new suite of workflow products for founders  —  AngelList this week launched AngelList Stack …
Rachel Pannett / Washington Post:
Russia threatens to block YouTube unless it restores two German-language RT channels that were banned for COVID-19 misinformation  —  Russia has threatened to block YouTube unless the Google-owned video service restores two German-language channels managed by Russia's state media company RT …
Matthew Gault / VICE:
Internal docs detail Amazon's Astro, including its use of facial recognition and “Sentry” mode; sources who worked on Astro say it is a “privacy nightmare”  —  Leaked meetings show the robot will heavily rely on facial recognition and user behavior, but sources who worked on Astro say the robot is flawed.
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Netflix acquires its first game studio, Night School Studio, which was founded by Sean Krankel and Adam Hines in 2014 and is best known for the game Oxenfree  —  Netflix has acquired its first game studio with the acquisition of Oxenfree creator Night School Studio.  The purchase price wasn't disclosed.
Cheyenne Ligon / CoinDesk:
Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith pleads guilty to violating US sanctions law following a crypto and blockchain presentation at a 2019 North Korean conference  —  Griffith was charged with violating sanctions law by giving a cryptocurrency and blockchain presentation at a North Korean conference in 2019.
TechCrunch:
Andela, which trains African programmers to work remotely for US companies, raises $200M Series E led by Vision Fund 2 at a $1.5B valuation  —  Andela, a fully remote company that helps tech companies build remote engineering teams (initially from Africa but now a global market) …
Reuters:
Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal say a Facebook whistleblower will testify at an October 5 Senate hearing on child safety  —  Two U.S. senators said on Tuesday a Facebook Inc (FB.O) whistleblower will testify at a Senate hearing next week about what one of them called the social media company's “toxic effects” on young users.
Clive Cookson / Financial Times:
UK Met Office and DeepMind partner to improve short-term weather forecasts using AI, particularly predictions of storms and heavy rain  —  Better rainfall predictions could save lives when floods threaten, say researchers  —  Artificial intelligence improves the accuracy of short-term weather forecasts …
Christine Hall / TechCrunch:
Cocoon, which offers a service to help companies and employees manage leave, raises $20M Series A led by Index Ventures  —  Employee leave benefits are a complicated web of company and government policies, and Cocoon is out to bring clarity and simplicity to both the employer and employee experience.
Krebs on Security:
Researcher discloses AirTag Lost Mode vulnerability that enables a phishing attack, and says Apple spent three months investigating and refused basic questions  —  The new $30 Airtag tracking device from Apple has a feature that allows anyone who finds one of these tiny location beacons …
Eva Mathews / Reuters:
Akamai acquires Tel Aviv-based Guardicore, which protects cloud workloads from cyber threats, for $600M, to help combat ransomware attacks  —  Akamai Technologies Inc (AKAM.O) will acquire Israel-based Guardicore for about $600 million, it said on Wednesday, to beef up its cloud security offerings …
Joanna Ossinger / Bloomberg:
Ripple Labs says it is starting a $250M fund for NFT creators, exploring new use cases and providing financial, creative, and technical support  —  - Mintable, mintNFT, VSA Partners will have access to the fund  — Projects will be tokenized on the XRP Ledger blockchain
Dalya Alberge / The Guardian:
Analysis by Swiss AI company Art Recognition of 148 paintings suggests UK National Gallery's Samson and Delilah by Peter Paul Rubens, bought in 1980, is a fake  —  Long-held doubts about the authenticity of the National Gallery's masterpiece, bought for £2.5m in 1980, are backed by pioneering technology

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