Techmeme
March 16, 2022, 11:10 PM

Top News

Todd Spangler / Variety:
Netflix will test an “add an extra member” feature in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru, letting primary account holders pay a fee for users not in their household  —  Netflix will soon launch a test letting primary account holders pay an additional fee for users outside their households …
Jay Peters / The Verge:
Google schedules a virtual I/O 2022 for May 11 to May 12 with a limited live audience of Google employees and some partners; free registration opens this month  —  Registration opens this month  —  Google's big annual developer conference, Google I/O, will take place May 11th and 12th, the company announced Wednesday.
The Information:
Tech execs may face criminal prosecution or jail time for not complying with Ofcom within two months after the UK's Online Safety Bill passes and takes effect  —  Executives from Facebook parent Meta Platforms, TikTok and other big tech companies would face the prospect of jail time under sweeping …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft unveils the Surface Hub 2 Smart Camera, which uses AI for automatic reframing, image correction, lighting, and more, available for $799 on May 31  —  Microsoft's latest camera has a lot of smarts  —  Microsoft is launching its first AI-powered camera for the Surface Hub 2.
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Meta adds basic parental controls for Quest VR, almost three years after launching the headset, starting with an unlock pattern for specific apps in April  —  Despite releasing its first virtual reality headsets in May 2019, Meta is only now adding parental supervision tools to its Meta Quest VR headset.
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Meta launches Family Center, a suite of parental supervision tools for its apps, starting with Instagram in the US and rolling out globally in the coming months  —  Allowing parents and guardian to keep a watchful eye  —  Instagram's new parental controls, announced in December, are launching today in the US.
Makena Kelly / The Verge:
Meta says it removed a deepfake video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asking Ukrainians to surrender, citing its misleading manipulated media policy  —  In the fake video, Zelenskyy surrenders to Russian invasion  —  On Wednesday, Facebook's parent company, Meta …
Eliza Gkritsi / CoinDesk:
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs a law legalizing cryptocurrency in the country, after the bill passed through parliament in February  —  Ukraine has received $100 million in crypto donations during its war with Russia.  —  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy legalized crypto …
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
iPad Air (2022) review: fast with the M1 chip and great display but Touch ID is not as convenient as Face ID and the front camera is awkward in landscape mode  —  The new iPad Air is a blend of familiar features with predictable results  —  Much of the new iPad Air from Apple is a known quantity.
Sam Byford / The Verge:
Lucas Matney / TechCrunch:
Bored Ape Yacht Club launches ApeCoin, or the $APE token, with 1B in total supply, and forms the ApeCoin DAO, whose founding members include Alexis Ohanian  —  Even among the fastest-growing crypto startups, Yuga Labs has had a particularly explosive year.  —  The startup is behind …
The Information:
Sources: Google has struck a deal to acquire Raxium, a five-year-old startup that makes microLED components for AR and VR displays  —  Google has struck a deal to buy Raxium, a five-year-old startup that develops tiny light-emitting diodes for displays used in augmented and mixed reality devices …
Kyle Orland / Ars Technica:
The website of Wordle Archive, which let users play previous Wordle puzzles, says it has been taken down at the request of The New York Times  —  Move could signal a more aggressive stance on certain Wordle clones.  —  Wordle Archive—a website that let users play through hundreds …
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Linktree, which makes “link in bio” landing pages for people and companies, raises a $110M Series B extension led by Index and Coatue at a $1.3B valuation  —  Who would've thought that an entire swath of startups would spring up all because Instagram, TikTok and Twitter only let you link to one website in your bio?
Eva Mathews / Reuters:
Qualcomm says it has stopped selling its products to Russian companies in compliance with US-imposed sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine  —  Chipmaker Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) said on Wednesday it has stopped selling its products to Russian companies in compliance with U.S.-imposed sanctions after Moscow invaded Ukraine.
Bloomberg:
Foxconn resumes partial operations at two Shenzhen campuses closed on Monday, one of which makes iPhones, after authorities approved its “closed loop” process  —  Apple Inc. supplier Foxconn Technology Group has resumed partial operations in the Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen …

Sponsor Posts

Meta:
Open Source AI: Available to all, not just the few  —  Meta's open source AI enables small businesses, start-ups, students, researchers and more to download and build with our models at no cost.
Zoho:
The crossroads of AI and SaaS  —  Enabling businesses of all sizes to build products in-house and disqualifying SaaS tools that are not AI-powered.  In a span of just two years, AI has made a name for itself as the key driver for innovation.
Genesys:
Executive Insights: The Era of Contact Center AI Copilots  —  How AI copilots are transforming customer experience and agent performance.
Tribe AI:
Build AI products that matter  —  Tribe AI helps organizations rapidly deploy AI solutions that have real business impact.  We bring together world class AI talent and tooling to drive differentiated results.
Techmeme Ride Home:
Fri. 12/20 - Gemini Flash Thinking
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 11:10 PM ET, March 16, 2022.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Tage Kene-Okafor / TechCrunch:

Earlier Picks

Thomas Brewster / Forbes:
Rest of World: