Note: Techmeme is hiring part-time editors. Apply here or tell a friend!
Techmeme
December 29, 2019, 7:25 PM

Top News

Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
IoT device vendor Wyze says a server leak exposed data, including email addresses, camera user IDs, and WiFi SSIDs, of ~2.4M customers from Dec. 4 to Dec. 26  —  Details for 2.4 million users were exposed online for 22 days.  —  Wyze, a company that sells smart devices like security cameras …
Sarah J. Jackson / New York Times:
In 2010s, Twitter enabled young and marginalized people to be heard, held news organizations accountable, and pushed largely ignored issues into the mainstream  —  It's impossible to avoid news about how harmful social media can be.  The Cambridge Analytica scandal.  The ubiquitous Russian bots.
Yahoo News:
Internal Pentagon memo warns service members against using consumer DNA testing kits from 23andMe and others, citing security risks  —  WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is advising members of the military not to use consumer DNA kits, saying the information collected by private companies could pose …
Nicholas Vinocur / Politico:
Since GDPR became law in May 2018, the only substantial privacy-related action against a major tech company happened in the US, where Facebook was fined $5B  —  The world's toughest privacy law proves toothless in the eyes of many critics.  —  More than 18 months after the European Union began implementing …
David Porter / 8tracks blog:
As 8tracks prepares to shut down on December 31, its co-founder shares a post-mortem of what went wrong with the once-promising music streaming startup  —  8tracks has had a long run and its day in the sun.  We're sad to announce, however, that the company and its streaming service will wind …

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Generate videos with Veo 3 in Google Gemini  —  Create high-quality, 8-second videos with Veo 3, our state-of-the-art AI video generator.  Try it with a Google AI Pro plan or get the highest access with the Ultra plan.
Warp:
The #1 Coding Agent  —  #1 on Terminal-Bench.  71% on SWE-bench Verified.  Trusted by 600K+ devs.  Try the top agentic dev tool for $1 for 1st month with code TECHMEME.
Zoho:
How appreciation solves real workplace challenges  —  Recognition isn't just a feel-good gesture; it's a powerful way to fix some of the most common workplace problems.  Whether it's low morale, high turnover …
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.
F5:
F5's 2025 AI Strategy Report  —  Only 2% of Enterprises Are Fully AI-Ready.  Most face security gaps like weak data governance and lack of AI firewalls, stalling adoption and innovation.  What is your readiness to scale AI?

Featured Podcasts

Techmeme Ride Home:
The US AI Action Plan
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe to Techmeme Ride Home.
Decoder with Nilay Patel:
We are not ready for better deepfakes
A show from the Verge about big ideas - and other problems.
Subscribe to Decoder with Nilay Patel.
Great Chat:
The tech origin story: No straight lines
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Why Trump is defunding NPR and PBS - and suing Rupert Murdoch
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
Big Technology Podcast:
Are AI's Economics Unsustainable? -- With Ed Zitron
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Uncapped with Jack Altman:
Peter Fenton from Benchmark
Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.
Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 7:25 PM ET, December 29, 2019.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Jay Mazoomdaar / The Indian Express:
Mark Ledwich:

Earlier Picks

Constance Grady / Vox: