Techmeme
July 6, 2023, 1:00 PM

Top News

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Meta's Supplemental Privacy Policy for Threads says “your Threads profile can only be deleted by deleting your Instagram account”, surprising some users  —  Threads, Meta's Twitter rival, is drawing users at an astounding pace, amassing 10 million signups in just seven hours …
Casey Newton / Platformer:
Hands-on with Threads: fairly basic text-based messaging app, log in via Instagram, no hashtags, can't search for anything other than user handles, and more  —  Programming note: I really was trying to take a vacation, but this felt like it was worth the one-day interruption.
More: The Verge, New York Times, Insider, TechCrunch, AppAdvice, Slate, Bloomberg, The Verge, BreakingNews.ie, BizTech News, Reuters, Thurrott, Dexerto, Gizmodo, Android Authority, The Guardian, USA Today, TheGamer, Cult of Mac, 500ish, New York Post, Social Media Today, WinBuzzer, SlashGear, Cryptopolitan, France 24, Tom's Guide, The Apple Post, TechRadar, and Barron's Online
Jonathan Vanian / CNBC:
Meta launches Instagram's Threads, available on the App Store and Google Play in 100+ countries; users log in via Instagram and can follow the same accounts  —  - Threads is a text-based messaging app that looks very similar to Twitter.  — People will be able to use their Instagram usernames …
More: Instagram, Reuters, PCMag, TechCrunch, Silicon Valley Business …, CNN, The Verge, UploadVR, Deadline, The Guardian, MacRumors, Watcher Guru, Washington Post, New York Post, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, Engadget, Associated Press, NBC 7 San Diego, Techpoint Africa, Supercharged, Daring Fireball, Slate, Vox, Bloomberg, The Hollywood Reporter, The Verge, CNET, Fortune, PetaPixel, The Verge, Engadget, and Variety
Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch:
Mark Zuckerberg says Threads now has over 30M signups, up from 10M within seven hours of launch, 5M in four hours, and 2M in two hours  —  Update July 6, 11:45 AM IST: Zuckerberg noted that Threads crossed the milestone of 10 million signups within seven hours of launch.
Eugen Rochko / Mastodon Blog:
Mastodon CEO says the launch of Instagram's Threads, which intends to adopt ActivityPub, “is a clear victory for our cause, hopefully one of many to come”  —  Today, Meta is launching its new microblogging platform called Threads.  What is noteworthy about this launch …
Alex Heath / The Verge:
Tim Bradshaw / Financial Times:
New York Times:
How Tom Brady's crypto ambitions, including a bet on FTX, collided with reality, an example of the humiliating reckoning facing celebrities who embraced crypto  —  The superstar quarterback is among the celebrities dealing with the fallout from the crypto crash.  Others, like Taylor Swift, escaped.
Emily M. Bender:
Framing AI debates as a schism between people worried about AI going rogue and those illuminating actual harms is ahistorical and obscures important research  —  In two recent conversations with very thoughtful journalists, I was asked about the apparent ‘schism’ between those making a lot …
Nitasha Tiku / Washington Post:
Bloomberg:
Sources: CFTC investigators concluded that bankrupt crypto lender Celsius Network misled investors and that its former CEO Alex Mashinsky also broke US rules  —  Investigators at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have concluded that bankrupt crypto lender Celsius Network …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Bluesky raised an $8M seed led by Neo and partners with Namecheap to offer easy custom domain purchasing and management, Bluesky's first paid service  —  Hours before Meta launches its anticipated Instagram competitor, Threads, another Twitter rival — Bluesky — is announcing additional funding and its first paid service.
Allison Johnson / The Verge:
Samsung announces its next Galaxy Unpacked event for July 26 in Seoul at 7am ET, where the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, Watch 6, and new tablets are expected  —  Samsung has announced it's hosting its next Unpacked on July 26th at 7AM ET — bright and early for the east coast …
Wayne Ma / The Information:
Sources: Google delays releasing its first fully custom Pixel chip by at least a year; instead of codename Redondo's 2024 debut, codename Laguna is set for 2025  —  Google has big ambitions to develop its own chips for its Pixel phones.  So far, however, things haven't gone according to plan.
Sarah McBride / Bloomberg:
PitchBook: US VCs invested $39.8B in Q2 2023, down nearly 50% YoY, across 3,011 deals, down ~33% YoY, with the number of angel or seed deals falling ~50% YoY  —  Venture capitalists are funding fewer startups, especially at the earliest stages of a company's life, according to new data from research firm PitchBook.
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Spotify no longer lets subscribers still paying via the App Store use IAP as a payment method; new subscribers were barred from using Apple's IAP in May 2016  —  Spotify hasn't let new Premium subscribers pay for service using in-app purchases via Apple's App Store since May 2016 …
Washington Post:
Source: the US State Department cancels meetings with Meta about the 2024 election, one day after a judge limited Biden officials' contact with tech companies  —  A Louisiana federal court's order limiting the Biden administration's communications with tech firms already is disrupting efforts to fight misinformation.
Dell Cameron / Wired:
A look at a “must-pass” National Defense Authorization Act amendment, which would forbid US government agencies from buying citizens' search histories and more  —  An amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act would forbid government entities from buying Americans' search histories, location data, and more.

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Earlier Picks

Lauren Weber / Wall Street Journal:
More: Computerworld, CBS News, NBC News, Quartz, Bloomberg Law, and New Scientist
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Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch: