Techmeme
November 3, 2021, 8:05 AM

Top News

New York Times:
Meta plans to shut down Facebook's decade-old facial recognition system this month, deleting the face scan data of 1B+ users following legal and regulatory woes  —  Saying it wants “to find the right balance” with the technology, the social network will delete the face scan data of more than one billion users.
Taylor Soper / GeekWire:
Zillow says it is shutting down its home buying business, laying off ~2,000 employees, and taking a write down of $500M+; stock drops 10%+  —  Zillow Group's ambitious tech-fueled bid to shake up how people buy and sell homes is coming to a surprising end.  —  The Seattle online real estate giant …
Mike Minotti / VentureBeat:
Activision Blizzard says Blizzard co-leader Jen Oneal is stepping down, leaving Mike Ybarra as sole leader; Oneal says she'll focus on diversity in the industry  —  Activision Blizzard announced today that Jen Oneal is stepping down from her role as Blizzard co-leader, which she started in August along with Mike Ybarra.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft will bring its mixed reality platform Mesh with 3D avatars and VR support to Teams in the first half of 2022  —  Microsoft and Meta are on a collision course for metaverse competition  —  Microsoft is entering the race to build a metaverse inside Teams, just days after Facebook rebranded …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Netflix rolls out its exclusive mobile games globally to the Play Store and plans to feature them in its Android app starting this week  —  After early tests in select markets, Netflix announced today its debut lineup of exclusive mobile games will begin rolling out to all members globally on Android devices, starting this week.
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Microsoft announces Loop, an app that combines a “flexible canvas” with collaborative components that sync across Microsoft 365 services  —  At its Ignite 2021 conference today, Microsoft announced Loop, a new app that combines a “flexible canvas” with components …
Paulina Duran / Reuters:
Australia's largest bank Commonwealth Bank to become the country's first bank to offer customers crypto services, including cryptocurrency trading via its app  —  Commonwealth Bank of Australia will become the country's first to offer retail clients crypto services, Australia's largest bank …
Cameron Faulkner / The Verge:
Oculus rolls out v34, adding a Space Sense safety feature notifying users when objects, people, or animals intrude on a safe VR space, alongside other features  —  Version 34 is starting to roll out today  —  Fresh off of Meta's Connect 2021 keynote, where Grand Theft Auto …
Billy Perrigo / TIME:
Sources: Facebook has done little to act on the Islamophobic “Love Jihad” conspiracy theory on its platform in India due to “political sensitivities”  —  In a video posted to Facebook in November 2020, an extremist priest called for Hindus to rise up and begin killing Muslims in India.
PYMNTS.com:
Laika, which helps companies implement compliance guidelines by automating infosec workflows, raises a $35M Series B led by JP Morgan Growth Equity Partners  —  Compliance-as-a-service platform Laika has raised $35 million in a Series B funding round led by J.P. Morgan Growth Equity Partners …
David Uberti / Wall Street Journal:
A look at the hurdles the FTC faces in strengthening online privacy, including budgetary constraints, personnel changes, and potential legal pushback  —  Agency wants to tackle data privacy after years of legislative inaction, but Congress is likely to control whether FTC has budget to do so
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
The criminal group behind BlackMatter ransomware announces plans to shut down the operation, citing “pressure from the authorities”  —  The criminal group behind the BlackMatter ransomware have announced plans today to shut down their operation, citing pressure from local authorities.
Eleanor Olcott / Financial Times:
Company salaries of data protection officers are soaring across China after laws were introduced that hold the officers personally responsible for any failures  —  Sweeping legislation has created huge demand but job risks have risen alongside salaries  —  Chinese data protection officers …
Anuchit Nguyen / Bloomberg:
Siam Commercial, Thailand's largest bank in which its king is the largest shareholder, acquires 51% of crypto exchange Bitkub for $535M, at a $1B+ valuation  —  - Siam Commercial Bank buys majority stake in Bitkub Online  — Bitkub coin surges 200% to record $2.85 following Siam deal

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Earlier Picks

Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Liza Lin / Wall Street Journal:
Brian Krebs / Krebs on Security: