Techmeme
May 8, 2019, 11:35 AM

Top News

Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
To curb tracking, Google says anti-fingerprinting tech is coming in Chrome and devs must explicitly opt-in for cookies that are meant to be used across sites  —  Google today announced a major new initiative around its Chrome browser that will, in the long run, introduce significant changes …
New York Times:
At Google I/O, Sundar Pichai pitched privacy for everyone, going against the company's history of data collection, one week after a similar push from Facebook  —  MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Google, the company that may know the most about our digital lives, is now preaching the gospel of privacy.
Nikhilesh De / CoinDesk:
Binance says it discovered a “large scale security breach”, with hackers withdrawing ~$41M in bitcoin and taking user API keys, 2FA codes, and potentially more  —  Hackers stole more than 7,000 bitcoin from crypto exchange Binance, the world's largest by volume, the startup reported Tuesday.
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Google unveils the Google Nest Hub Max, a 10-inch smart display with a built-in camera that can act as an indoor security camera, coming this summer for $229  —  It can detect your face, too  —  The Google Nest Hub Max is a big Google Assistant smart display with a camera on top that you can use …
Janko Roettgers / Variety:
Google to replace its “Works with Nest” program this summer with “Works with Google Assistant”, which would give vetted partners access to customer data  —  As Google is further integrating the Nest brand, it is also introducing some significant changes to the way Nest products will work.
Reuters:
Tencent pulls the test version of blockbuster game PUBG in China and shifts users to a similar “patriotic” game that has government approval to generate revenue  —  SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Tencent Holdings Ltd on Wednesday shut down its test version of global blockbuster …
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Google Pixel 3a review: great price with an excellent camera and a 3.5mm headphone jack but a slower processor, no wireless charging, and isn't water resistant  —  At $399 and $479, respectively, the Pixel 3A and 3A XL are great deals  —  I am going to break an unwritten rule of tech reviews …
Jeffrey Van Camp / Wired:
Johana Bhuiyan / Los Angeles Times:
Uber and Lyft drivers are planning a 24-hour strike in at least 10 cities in the US to protest against unfair pay ahead of Uber's much-anticipated IPO  —  It was a protest that dealt Uber its biggest blow.  When taxi drivers in New York City rallied against President Trump's travel ban in 2017 …
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
First look at Android Q: dark mode, better gestures, Live Caption, improvements to OS security updates via Project Mainline, Focus Mode, and more  —  It isn't about what's new, it's about what's better  —  A full release is expected this fall, but Google is announcing new major features …
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Theodore Schleifer / Vox:
Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg, popular with some of Silicon Valley's wealthiest donors, has five fundraising events in the Bay Area this week  —  Inside the tech network that is trying to turn a small-town mayor into a fundraising dynamo.  —  The two 30-somethings drove …
Rani Molla / Vox:
Experts say apps like Nextdoor and Ring's Neighbors give people a false sense that the US crime rate is worsening even as violent crime reaches record lows  —  Why people are socializing more about crime even as it becomes rarer.  —  Violent crime in the US is at its lowest rate in decades.
Patricia Hernandez / Polygon:
Kids who play Fortnite as free “default” characters are often bullied, insulted, and sometimes ostracized by peers, causing pressure to purchase skins  —  The stigma of being a default  —  In a private school where tuition is high, students can bicker about clothes, shoe brands, cellphones, or video games.
Matthieu Faou / WeLiveSecurity:
Researchers detail how LightNeuron, a backdoor used by espionage group Turla, has been specifically targeting Microsoft Exchange mail servers since 2014  —  ESET research uncovers Microsoft Exchange malware remotely controlled via steganographic PDF and JPG email attachments
Wolfie Zhao / CoinDesk:
Bitmain's internal bitcoin mining operations are generating 88% less computing power than a month ago, suggesting it has drastically cut its own mining capacity  —  Bitmain's internal bitcoin mining operations are generating 88 percent less computing power than a month ago, suggesting that the industry giant has cut back on capacity.
Kyle Bradshaw / 9to5Google:
Google demonstrates Project Euphonia, its effort to improve Google Assistant's voice recognition for those with speech impairments  —  As in year's past, the Google I/O 2019 keynote has taken time to focus on Google's latest accessibility tech.  One of this year's demos, Project Euphonia …
Richard Nieva / CNET:
Google announces Duplex on the Web, less focused on mimicking speech, can now handle car rentals and fill online forms with your info, coming to Android in 2019  —  Last year, Google stoked intense controversy when it announced Duplex, a technology that uses eerily human-sounding artificial …
Abner Li / 9to5Google:

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