Techmeme
December 14, 2023, 12:00 PM

Top News

Jon Porter / The Verge:
Meta launches Threads in the European Union, following the US, the UK, and 100+ other countries, and adds a way for EU users to browse Threads without a profile  —  Meta's Twitter competitor, Threads, is now available in the European Union, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced.
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Gavin Bonshor / AnandTech:
Intel unveils the Core Ultra H and the Core Ultra U series, its first mobile processors based on the Meteor Lake platform, designed for ultra-portable notebooks  —  Intel has released their first mobile processors based on their highly anticipated Meteor Lake platform, the Core Ultra H and the Core Ultra U series.
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Twitch now allows some previously prohibited sexual content, including “deliberately highlighted breasts, buttocks or pelvic region”, with a sexual themes label  —  Twitch is updating the way it responds to sexual content.  As part of the change, the streaming platform will now allow …
AJ Vicens / CyberScoop:
Microsoft seizes US-based infrastructure and websites used by cybercrime group Storm-1152 that created ~750M fraudulent Microsoft accounts, after a court order  —  Relying on a court order, the tech giant seized websites belonging to a top purveyor of fraudulent Microsoft accounts.
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
Three Polish hackers say they fixed trains allegedly bricked by manufacturer Newag because an independent repair shop worked on them; Newag denies bricking them  —  Join the newsletter to get the latest updates.  —  Success  —  Great!  Check your inbox and click the link.  —  Error
Umar Shakir / The Verge:
Google plans to start testing Tracking Protection on January 4 on ~1% of global Chrome users to block third-party cookies, ahead of a phased rollout in H2 2024  —  Google is about to launch its grand plan to block third-party cookies in Chrome that many websites use to track your activity across the web for profit.
Benj Edwards / Ars Technica:
After an on-by-default AI toggle caused confusion, Dropbox says user data is only shared with OpenAI if the AI-powered search feature is actively being used  —  AI feature turned on by default worries users; Dropbox responds to concerns.  —  On Wednesday, news quickly spread on social media …
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Q&A with ESA CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis on why the ESA couldn't save E3, his favorite E3 memory, competition, working with the media, the ESA's future, and more  —  The Entertainment Software Association finally pulled the plug on the Electronic Entertainment Expo yesterday after years of trying to hold the center of gaming events.
More: The Verge and TechRadar
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Apple begins selling a $99 USB-C charging case for its second-generation AirPods Pro as a standalone purchase; delivery estimates are for after Christmas  —  Apple has begun selling the USB-C charging case for its second-generation AirPods Pro as a standalone purchase.  But it doesn't come cheap.
Subrat Patnaik / Bloomberg:
Apple's stock rose 1.7% to close at $197.96 on December 13, surpassing its previous record close in July 2023 and up 52% for the year, for a $3.08T market cap  —  - Shares surpass July high, putting market cap at $3.08 trillion  — Revenue seen growing again in 2024 after falling this year
Guthrie Scrimgeour / Wired:
A look at Koolau Ranch, Mark Zuckerberg's 1,400-acre, $270M+ compound in Kauai, Hawaii, with a 5,000 sq. ft. underground shelter, a project shrouded in secrecy  —  Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is building a sprawling, $100 million compound in Hawaii—complete with plans for a huge underground bunker.
Bloomberg:
Sources: the UK is considering a crackdown on social media access for kids under 16, including potential bans, and is planning a consultation as soon as January  —  - Government plans consultation as soon as January, person says  — Comes as National Crime Agency warns parents about Facebook
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Google launches a Pixel Diagnostic App and English-language repair manuals in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and European countries where Pixels are sold  —  Besides the new Repair Mode introduced with Android 14 QPR1 and the December Feature Drop, Google is widely launching a new Pixel Diagnostic App and repair manuals in English.
More: The Keyword

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Earlier Picks

Natasha Singer / New York Times:
Brody Ford / Bloomberg:
Jonathan Greig / The Record:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal: