Techmeme
December 15, 2023, 12:30 PM

Top News

Forbes:
Google confirms that it will no longer respond to geofence warrants after making changes to the way Maps stores users' location data  —  “Geofence warrants,” which allow law enforcement to get location data across a wide area, have become commonplace in recent years.
Joseph Cox / 404 Media:
Cox Media Group claims it can listen to conversations of consumers through microphones in smartphones, smart TVs, and other devices and use it to target ads  —  A marketing team within media giant Cox Media Group (CMG) claims it has the capability to listen to ambient conversations …
Lily Hay Newman / Wired:
How Microsoft's 10-year-old Digital Crime Unit uses unique legal tactics and the company's technical reach to disrupt global cybercrime and state-backed actors  —  Ten years in, Microsoft's DCU has honed its strategy of using both unique legal tactics and the company's technical reach …
David Gilbert / Wired:
Researchers: Microsoft Copilot is responding to some political queries in the US and other countries with conspiracies, information, and out-of-date information  —  Research shared exclusively with WIRED shows that Copilot, Microsoft's AI chatbot, often responds to questions about elections with lies and conspiracy theories.
Stacy Elliott / Decrypt:
Crypto wallet maker Ledger updates Connect Kit, saying a former employee “fell victim to a phishing attack” that let a hacker insert malicious code  —  Crypto wallet manufacturer Ledger has confirmed an exploit that led it to warn users to “stop using dapps” started because a former employee fell for a phishing scam.
Nikkei Asia:
Sources: Apple plans to deploy advanced OLED screens in high-end iPads in 2024 and in a MacBook model in H2 2025, and is also considering making foldable iPads  —  Display industry in for disruption as investment pours into newer technology  —  Apple is the leader in the global tablet computer market thanks …
Glenn Fleishman / Retool:
A look back at Yahoo Pipes, launched in 2007 to let users make custom data feeds by dragging elements in a web browser, influencing a generation of UI designers  —  Want to know whether the latest logged earthquakes were near you?  Aggregate 100 top news sites, but only see items that mention cats?
Ben Horowitz / Andreessen Horowitz:
Andreessen Horowitz says “we will, for the first time, get involved with politics by supporting candidates who align with our vision and values” for technology  —  As software has eaten the world, it has become integral to every industry and nearly every endeavor in our society.
Financial Times:
Paul Alcorn / Tom's Hardware:
Intel 5th-Gen Xeon Platinum 8592+ review: the $11,600 64-core chip outperforms AMD's 64-core EPYC Genoa in several benchmarks, particularly in AI workloads  —  The sun shines brighter for Intel. … Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products …
Andrew E. Freedman / Tom's Hardware:
Wall Street Journal:
Some publishers estimate that Google's Search Generative Experience could cut referral traffic by 20% to 40% if the final version resembles recent iterations  —  Tech giant's AI-powered search product is being tested on roughly 10 million users; publishers rely on Google for traffic and see a gathering storm
Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central:
Microsoft launches the basic Office suite on the Meta Quest store for free; all three apps run in a MR environment and all Quest headsets are supported  —  Now you can tweak spreadsheets while playing Xbox, all in VR.  —  What you need to know  — Meta Quest users can now use Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in VR.
Taylor Lorenz / Washington Post:
Toy startup Curio launches three AI-powered plush toys, including a $99 one called Grok, that use OpenAI's tech to converse with kids and are voiced by Grimes  —  Grok is the first in a line of toys from start-up Curio intended to allow kids to converse with an AI chatbot

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Earlier Picks

Will Knight / Wired:
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Aria Alamalhodaei / TechCrunch:
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