Techmeme
May 15, 2018, 7:25 AM

Top News

Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Google revamps consumer storage plans, now called Google One, adds $3/mo. tier for 200 GB, drops 2 TB plan price to $10/mo., and adds free product tech support  —  Google is revamping its consumer storage plans today by adding a new $2.99/month tier for 200 GB of storage and dropping the price …
New Scientist:
Investigation: data collected by Facebook quiz myPersonality was shared with researchers over insecure site, leaving 3M+ users' details vulnerable for 4 years  —  Data from millions of Facebook users who used a popular personality app, including their answers to intimate questionnaires …
Monica Nickelsburg / GeekWire:
Amazon says it is disappointed after Seattle passes smaller “head tax” on large companies to build affordable housing, resumes work on Block 18 office building  —  Updated below with Amazon statement.  —  The Seattle City Council unanimously passed a smaller version of the controversial …
Kate Conger / Gizmodo:
Sources: about a dozen Google employees resign in protest over the firm's continued involvement in providing image classification AI to Pentagon's Project Maven  —  It's been nearly three months since many Google employees—and the public—learned about the company's decision …
Jonathan Shieber / TechCrunch:
As SCOTUS kills law that banned gambling on sports in most states, media firms with exposure to sports streaming events, including online betting firms, win big  —  Whoever had the over on DraftKings' boss Jason Robins and FanDuel chief executive Matt King being given a potential billion dollar windfall …
Lily Katz / Bloomberg:
At CoinDesk's Consensus crypto conference in NYC, with 100+ sponsors, Lamborghinis cruise the streets and gimmicks include staged protests by mock bankers  —  John Nouri makes a living renting out exotic cars for weddings, birthdays, bachelorette parties, and now ... Bitcoin conferences?
Jon Russell / TechCrunch:
Ripple announces the Xpring initiative, which aims to incentivize startups, through investments, grants, and incubation, into building an ecosystem around XRP  —  It's finally happening.  Ripple is making a push to expand the use of the XRP cryptocurrency it created into new verticals …
Hannah Kuchler / Financial Times:
How Eventbrite, a major ticketing and event management platform, grew its business through many acquisitions, including last year's $200M Ticketfly acquisition  —  Julia Hartz knows that when you buy companies, you buy people.  Founders must be kept, employees embraced and customers comforted.
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos says ~85% of new spending to go toward original content, plans to have about 1,000 originals total by the end of 2018  —  Netflix is sharply steering its new content spending toward original projects, with around 85% of new spending going toward original TV shows …
Tim Higgins / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Tesla engineers discussed adding eye tracking and better sensors to Autopilot to help alert drivers, were rejected over tech's ineffectiveness and cost  —  Executives rejected adding more tech warnings to inattentive drivers, due to concerns over effectiveness and costs
Kia Kokalitcheva / Axios:
Uber will no longer require mandatory arbitration for individual claims of sexual assault or harassment by riders, drivers, or employees  —  In a surprise move, Uber said on Tuesday it is changing its long-standing policy of mandatory arbitration to exempt employees, drivers, and riders in cases of sexual harassment and assault.
More: Bloomberg, Recode, and Reuters
Vindu Goel / New York Times:
How WhatsApp is being used to spread misinformation, share fake polls, and exacerbate religious divides ahead of national elections in India  —  MANGALORE, India — Waving a giant saffron flag, Pranav Bhat last week joined a political rally for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India's ruling party …

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Dan Goodin / Ars Technica: