Techmeme
October 4, 2021, 3:20 PM

Top News

Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Facebook's internal tools have been suffering an outage for over three hours  —  It's not just you: Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are all currently down for users around the world.  We're seeing error messages on all three services across iOS applications as well as on the web.
More: The Verge, New York Times, BleepingComputer, The Independent, CNN, Reuters, The Verge, Gizmodo, Daily Mail, The Register, WTRF-TV, Toronto Star, GeekWire, AppleInsider, PCMag, Bloomberg, CRN, ZDNet, Washington Post, Windows Central, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, MobileSyrup, TechCrunch, Insider, TechCabal, TNW, XDA Developers, Axios, UploadVR, CNET, AndroidPolice, Livemint, Cointelegraph, Newser, TechRadar, IGN, BGR India, Tom's Guide, SamMobile, Input, phonearena.com, HackRead, Huawei Central, iPhone Hacks, MUO, iPhone in Canada Blog, MSPoweruser, Android Central, Variety, Times of India, WTRF-TV, KnowTechie, and The Irish Sun
Scott Pelley / CBS News:
In a 60 Minutes interview, WSJ's Facebook Files whistleblower says Facebook is misleading the public on progress against hate speech, misinformation, and more  —  Frances Haugen says in her time with Facebook she saw, “conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook.”
Kevin Roose / New York Times:
As WSJ's Facebook Files suggest, Facebook seems to be in a slow, steady decline, evidenced by frenetic pivots, executive paranoia, and talent attrition  —  A trove of leaked documents, published by The Wall Street Journal, hints at a company whose best days are behind it.
Jeff Horwitz / Wall Street Journal:
Ex-Facebook PM Frances Haugen comes forward as the key source behind WSJ's Facebook Files, saying she became alarmed by how profits came before public safety  —  The former Facebook employee says her goal is to help prompt change at the social-media giant  —  The former Facebook Inc. employee …
Mike Isaac / New York Times:
Cameron Faulkner / The Verge:
Android 12 review: big design improvements led by Material You, but the new widgets will need dev support to shine; Pixel phones get the update in a few weeks  —  There are a just a few noteworthy features in this design-focused update  —  The most exciting thing about a big Android update …
Sean Hollister / The Verge:
Apple starts letting users report scammy apps from their App Store listings through its Report a Problem button  —  The ‘Report a Problem’ button is back  —  One month ago, we laid out a list of eight obvious things Apple could do to prove it puts App Store users ahead of profits.
Kim Lyons / The Verge:
Amazon says Prime members can send gifts with a phone number or email address, no physical address required, rolling out to mobile users in the continental US  —  There's currently no way to opt out of the new feature  —  Amazon is launching a new gifting feature today that will allow subscribers …
James Vincent / The Verge:
How Siri, launched a decade ago today, fell behind Google Assistant, Alexa, and others, likely due to management dysfunction, Apple's walled garden, and more  —  Ten years ago today, Apple's digital assistant Siri was revealed with the promise that the iPhone maker had finally figured it all out.
Will Knight / Wired:
Clearview CEO says it has collected over 10B images from across the web and is building ways for police to find people, including deblurring and mask removal  —  In an interview with WIRED, CEO Hoan Ton-That said the company has scraped 10 billion photos from the web—and developed new ways to aid police surveillance.
Chris Welch / The Verge:
YouTube says YouTube Music users in Canada can access background streaming for free starting November 3, the first time non-Premium users can access the feature  —  YouTube Music is lifting one of its most annoying limitations — but only in Canada.  Today, YouTube announced that beginning November 3rd …
Harrison Weber / dot.LA:
In a blow to online streaming services, over 50,000 backstage movie and TV workers vote to authorize a strike after their union's demands were not met  —  Ratcheting up the stakes in an already tense labor battle, members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) …
Sami Fathi / MacRumors:
Apple says Watch Series 7 preorders start on October 8, shipping October 15, after announcing the device at the iPhone 13 event  —  Some Users Having External Display Connection Issues With macOS Big Sur 11.1 and 11.2  —  Some macOS Big Sur users who are running the 11.1 and recently released 11.2 update …

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