Techmeme: 2024 predictions: AI will help make Web3 usable in mainstream applications and Web3 will help us trust AI, Web3 regulatory clarity, flat VC investing, and more (Fred Wilson/AVC)

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January 3, 2024, 2:35 PM

Top News

Thomas Germain / Gizmodo:

Facebook rolls out Link History, an opt-out setting that tracks all the links a user clicked in the mobile app, and plans to use the data for targeted ads — Facebook introduces a confusing new setting as the walls close in on Zuckerberg's data machine. — Facebook recently rolled out a new …

More: Facebook Help Center, BGR, 9to5Mac, Search Engine Land, HotHardware, Security Boulevard, Reclaim The Net, iPhone in Canada Blog, iMore, The Verge, MobileSyrup, Social Media Today, PhoneArena, Android Headlines, iThinkDifferent, and ChannelX

Mastodon: @richi@vmst.io, @RonaldTooTall …, @AAKL@noc.social, and @reichenstein@mastodon.social. Bluesky: @tylerking.bsky.social

X: @jason_kint, @thomasgermain, @brendaneich, @jason_kint, @awinston, @lmholliday, @jason_kint, and @jason_kint. Forums: Slashdot

Justine Calma / The Verge:

Researchers developed three AI models to analyze 2,000TB of maritime data and create the first global map of vessel traffic and offshore infrastructure — Using satellite imagery and AI, researchers have mapped human activity at sea with more precision than ever before.

More: Nature, The Messenger, Financial Times, Phys.org, New Scientist, Earth.com, and The Conversation

Mastodon: @allochthonous@scicomm.xyz. X: @sdbernard, @jenniferraynor_, and @globalfishwatch

Fred Wilson / AVC:

2024 predictions: AI will help make Web3 usable in mainstream applications and Web3 will help us trust AI, Web3 regulatory clarity, flat VC investing, and more — As we enter 2024, the capital markets have found their footing and are moving higher. The Fed has taken interest rates as far …

More: GeekWire and Silicon Florist

Mastodon: @dbreunig@note.computer. Bluesky: @epro.social. X: @matthewjmandel, @scottastevenson, @davidclinchnews, @abemurray, @natbullard, @sarthakgh, @alichehrehsaz, @robhennefer, @jigarshahdc, @jarroddicker, @0xsmac, @rjcc, @valaafshar, @zoescaman, @rachaelrad, @pitdesi, @antoniogm, @yuris, @c00v, and @scottbelsky

Todd Shields / Bloomberg:

SpaceX launches its first six Starlink satellites capable of offering mobile phone service, as part of its Direct to Cell service with T-Mobile US — - Starlink satellites capable of connecting to normal phones — Companies racing toward service via cell towers in space

Ashley Capoot / CNBC:

Xerox aims to cut 15% of its workforce as part of a restructuring plan; the company had ~20,500 employees as of Dec. 31, 2022, per an SEC filing; XRX drops 8%+ — - Xerox announced plans to cut 15% of its workforce as part of a plan to implement a new organizational structure and operating model.

More: CBS News, Wall Street Journal, Xerox Newsroom, Seeking Alpha, Times of India, Barron's Online, MarketWatch, New York Post, Proactiveinvestors NA, RochesterFirst, Wall Street Journal, and NBC 7 San Diego

X: @xerox. Forums: Hacker News and Slashdot

Jay Peters / The Verge:

Twitch changes its sexual content policies again and says it won't allow streamers to “imply or suggest that they are fully or partially nude” — Twitch is changing its sexual content policies again, this time to prohibit implied nudity on the platform.

More: Twitch Safety Center, Dot Esports, The Messenger, and Dexerto. Bluesky: @self.agency

Stephen Nellis / Reuters:

Intel forms Articul8 AI, an AI company with backing from DigitalBridge and others; executives did not give the deal's value or say if Intel had a majority stake — Intel (INTC.O) on Wednesday said it was forming a new independent company around its artificial intelligence software efforts …

More: FinSMEs, SiliconANGLE, Intel, PYMNTS.com, CRN, Metaverse Post, The Decoder, TechStartups, and Phoronix

Rasmus Nielsen / Financial Times:

Despite the focus on generative AI misinformation, policy discourse ignores that politicians pose the gravest misinformation threat, ahead of big 2024 elections — As we head into a big election year, beware the risks of misleading statements from those at very top

X: @fascinatorfun, @jpeterburger, @prateekwaghre, @katray, @rasmus_kleis, @risj_oxford, @acerbialberto, @nivincent, @mr_james_c, @jburnmurdoch, @1br0wn, @jason_kint, and @whotargetsme. LinkedIn: Lars Boering

Wall Street Journal:

A look at Shein's and Temu's Chinese supply chain: a lifeline to suppliers, but the margins are razor-thin, prices must stay low, and some drown in unsold stock — Shopping apps throw a lifeline to Chinese exporters, but it is a trade-off — SHENZHEN, China—E-commerce sellers Shein …

LinkedIn: Ross Cully

Krisztian Sandor / CoinDesk:

SEC filing: MicroStrategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor begins selling $216M worth of shares; Saylor remains “optimistic about MicroStrategy's prospects” — Saylor said earlier that he would use the proceedings from the sales to address personal obligations and buy more bitcoin to his personal account.

More: MicroStrategy, Blockworks, ZyCrypto, CoinGape, Bitcoin Insider, Coinspeaker, crypto.news, Decrypt, Coinpedia Fintech News, Cryptonews, CryptoSlate, Bloomberg, Cryptopolitan, Cointelegraph, and The Block

X: @saylor and @e_liminat_e

Hannah Devlin / The Guardian:

A UK study of 7,000 people aged 16 to 18: 48% agreed with the statement “I think I am addicted to social media”; 57% of girls agreed, compared to 37% of boys — Exclusive: Millennium Cohort's finding raises questions about why a large proportion has a difficult relationship with social media

X: @soundmigration. Forums: Hacker News and Slashdot

Leo Schwartz / Fortune:

Fidelity and other spot bitcoin ETF issuers jockey for an early advantage to attract investors, ahead of reported SEC approvals to launch as soon as January 10 — As the Securities and Exchange Commission appears on the precipice of approving the first wave of Bitcoin ETFs …

Ava Benny-Morrison / Bloomberg:

US federal prosecutors charge Tingo Group founder Mmobuosi Odogwu Banye with securities fraud in New York for allegedly inflating Tingo's financial statements — - Criminal charges follow SEC lawsuit against Dozy Mmobuosi — Mmobuosi is still ‘at large,’ federal prosecutors in NY said

More: US Department of Justice, Techpoint Africa, and TechCabal

X: @hindenburgres, @sdnynews, and @uglygame

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:

Roku plans to launch its first high-end TVs in spring 2024, including the 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch Pro Series for up to $1,500 — Roku Inc., the maker of TV streaming boxes and software, is debuting its first high-end televisions in a bid to continue sales momentum for the company's devices.

More: CNET, ZDNet, PCMag, PYMNTS.com, Roku, TechHive, San Francisco Business Times, Engadget, 9to5Google, Android Authority, Thurrott, The Verge, Tom's Guide, TechRadar, Neowin, BGR, Lifewire, The Streamable, Cord Cutters News, and Digital Trends. Forums: Slashdot

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From Mediagazer

Filip Timotija / The Hill:

Source says “most” journalists at Voice of America were put on administrative leave, a day after Trump signed an EO aimed at eliminating the USAGM

Martin Fackler / New York Times:

A look at Japan's first media nonprofit dedicated to investigative journalism, Tokyo Investigative Newsroom Tansa, started eight years ago by Makoto Watanabe

The Times:

An investigation into the unsolved 1977 murder of The Sunday Times foreign correspondent David Holden in Egypt suggests he doubled as a KGB spy and had CIA ties

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Camilla Hodgson / Financial Times:

A look at the cottage industry of lawyers helping Amazon marketplace sellers reactivate their accounts after suspensions, as Amazon cracks down on millions

Peggy Hollinger / Financial Times:

A look at the battle brewing between LEO satellite operators over spectrum use, as SpaceX's Starlink, Amazon's Project Kuiper, and others push for looser rules

More: Light Reading

Parmy Olson / Bloomberg:

A profile of Midjourney founder David Holz, who co-founded Leap Motion in 2008 before a $30M sale in 2019, as the AI art tool prepares for the 2024 US elections

X: @bobonmarkets

Financial Times:

Former employees at IRL, which is being sued by SoftBank for fraud, detail problems that were apparent from the start, such as outages and inflated user metrics

X: @gmomurder

Bloomberg:

Airbus is in talks to acquire Atos' cybersecurity and data unit for up to €1.8B; Atos says another company also made an offer; Thales reportedly showed interest

More: Atos, The Register, CIO.com, Wall Street Journal, BankInfoSecurity.com, Reuters, Tech Monitor, Financial Times, and Dow Jones Newswires

Sun Yu / Financial Times:

Sources: the Cybersecurity Administration of China has approved only ~25% of data export applications since a data security law took effect in September 2022

X: @nickm4rro and @alecolarizi

Laurie Clarke / Politico:

Critics and tech companies worry that the UK's Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill, a surveillance law whisking through parliament, undermines user privacy

More: 9to5Mac and The UK's technology …

X: @llaurieclarke, @llaurieclarke, @paulfscott, and @webdevlaw. Forums: Hacker News

James Shotter / Financial Times:

Israel, which has so far set aside $100M to shield its tech startups from the fallout from its war with Hamas, calls upon private investors to help the sector

Earlier Picks

Paul Gillin / SiliconANGLE:

London-based Robin AI, which develops a free Microsoft Word add-in for creating and reviewing legal contracts using Anthropic's Claude, raised a $26M Series B

More: PYMNTS.com, The Decoder, Silicon Canals, FinSMEs, Tech.eu, Tech Funding News, PR Newswire, Metaverse Post, LAW.com, Cryptopolitan, Neowin, EU-Startups, UKTN, and Pulse 2.0

Jay Peters / The Verge:

X launches a Verified Organizations Basic tier for $200/month or $2,000/year, in addition to Full Access for $1,000/month and $50/month for each US affiliate

More: WinBuzzer, iPhone in Canada Blog, TechRadar, and X

X: @verified, @x, and @adrianpcarbone

Sarah Krouse / Wall Street Journal:

Antenna: 6.3% of US customers cancelled major streaming services in November 2023, up from 5.1% YoY; 24% canceled three or more services over the past two years

More: ZDNet, Deadline, Lifewire, The Hill, Digiday, On my Om, PYMNTS.com, The Streamable, Engadget, and The Messenger

Threads: @gergelyorosz_. X: @trengriffin, @c_garthwaite, @bysarahkrouse, @antennadata, @albertfong98, and @sportstvratings