Techmeme
April 27, 2022, 5:45 PM

Top News

Lily Hay Newman / Wired:
Experts speculate as to what Elon Musk's takeover means for Twitter users' privacy; some worry that there is nothing stopping him from accessing users' DMs  —  The social network's user data and more will soon be at the whims of the world's richest man.  Who's worried?
Ellery Biddle / Coda Story:
A look at the impact outside the US if Twitter threw out its content rules and embraced an absolute commitment to free speech, including in India and Ethiopia  —  Musk's free speech absolutism could stoke conflict in countries like India and Ethiopia  —  While protest movements have risen and fallen …
Billy Perrigo / TIME:
Some Twitter employees fear the acquisition by Elon Musk, who has followers who carry out targeted harassment, could undercut years trying to make Twitter safer  —  There's an old joke among Twitter employees that being on the platform is like playing a huge online multiplayer game where every …
Elizabeth Dwoskin / Washington Post:
Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Filing: Elon Musk agreed not to post tweets about his Twitter deal that “disparage the company or any of its representatives”; the costs of a breach are unclear  —  Elon Musk isn't allowed to post tweets about his deal to buy Twitter Inc. if they “disparage the company …
Politico:
Ian Sherr / CNET:
Apple debuts Self Service Repair in the US for iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and new iPhone SE models, and plans to expand to Europe and add M1 Macs by the end of 2022  —  The tech giant says it's offering repair manuals online, along with giving everyday people the chance to buy parts and tools to repair devices themselves.
Meta:
Meta reports Q1 revenue of $27.9B, up 7% YoY, net income of $7.5B, down 21% YoY, Family of Apps daily active people of 2.87B, up 6% YoY; stock jumps 14%+  —  MENLO PARK, Calif., April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Meta Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: FB) today reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2022.
Max Read / Read Max:
Elon Musk won't fix or make significant changes to Twitter because his experience of the service is whatever he tweets, whatever the context, he becomes richer  —  You're reading Read Max, a newsletter about the future.  This edition is free for all.  Read Max is an independent newsletter supported by reader subscriptions.
Tom Burt / Microsoft On the Issues:
Microsoft says at least six Russia-aligned actors launched 237+ attacks against Ukraine from February 23 to April 8, including ~40 threatening civilian welfare  —  Tom Burt - Corporate Vice President, Customer Security & Trust  —  Today, we released a report detailing the relentless …
William Turton / Bloomberg:
Sources: data obtained from Meta, Apple, Google, Snap, Discord, and others through fake legal requests have been used to harass women and sexually extort minors  —  Major technology companies have been duped into providing sensitive personal information about their customers in response …
Cecilia D'Anastasio / Bloomberg:
Sources: Twitch is weighing reducing the subscription revenue cut for creators in its partner program from 70% to 50%, among other changes to boost its revenue  —  Twitch, the Amazon.com Inc.-owned live-streaming website, is weighing potential changes to how it pays top talent …
Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch:
Sources: PayPal is closing its San Francisco office, which houses its Xoom unit, as it evaluates its global footprint; staff from the office will work virtually  —  PayPal is shuttering its San Francisco office as it evaluates its global office footprint.  —  Multiple sources say the payments giant …
More: StateScoop
Mark Bergen / Bloomberg:
YouTube starts testing ads on Shorts, including app-install ads and other promotions; Google says that Shorts now has 30B daily views  —  YouTube is testing advertisements on Shorts, its short-form video feature that competes with TikTok and Instagram, Google's chief business officer told investors on Tuesday.
Peter Guest / Rest of World:
An in-depth look at how governments in 60+ countries have enacted 935+ internet blackouts since 2016 to control populations and silence dissent  —  Seven years, 60 countries, 935 internet shutdowns: How authoritarian regimes found an off switch for dissent.  —  PROLOGUE  —  Special operation and peace
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Spotify Q1: revenue rose 24% YoY to €2.66B, including €282M from ads, up 31% YoY; paid subs rose 15% YoY to 182M, despite losing 1.5M in Russia; stock down 12%+  —  Spotify Technology SA has spent more than a billion dollars in an effort to become the No. 1 name in podcasting …
Noah Bressner / Axios:
A US federal judge denies Elon Musk's request to scrap a 2018 SEC settlement that requires pre-approval for some of his tweets about Tesla or its shareholders  —  A federal judge on Wednesday denied Elon Musk's request to scrap a 2018 settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Enveil, a B2B startup aiming to build data products that use homomorphic encryption, raises a $25M Series B led by USAA, bringing its total funding to $40M  —  Collectively, as we mature as a digital society, many of us are getting more aware, and more wary, of how our profiles and information exist and are used (and misused) online.
Reuters:
Pinterest reports Q1 revenue of $575M, up 18% YoY, vs. $572.5M est., 433M MAUs, down 9% YoY, global ARPU of $1.33, up 28% YoY; stock jumps 5%+ after hours  —  Pinterest Inc (PINS.N) topped market estimates for first-quarter revenue and profit on Wednesday as the image-sharing platform benefited …
More: Pinterest
David Kirton / Reuters:
Chinese drone maker DJI plans to suspend business in Russia and Ukraine to ensure its products are not used in combat, after Ukraine accused DJI of leaking data  —  Chinese drone giant DJI Technology Co Ltd said it will temporarily suspend all business activities in Russia and Ukraine pending a review, it said.
Dell Cameron / Gizmodo:
Twitter confirms banning the promotion of HBO documentary Q: Into the Storm in 2021 via its ad platform, alongside QAnon account removal and content limiting  —  Twitter told the director of “Q: Into the Storm” it had “made the decision not to allow promotion of this documentary” when he tried to advertise the film.

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Earlier Picks

Samuel Stolton / Politico:
Ben Collins / NBC News:
Filipe Espósito / 9to5Mac:
Jay Peters / The Verge: