Despite a sense that something should be done about Facebook, there was little consensus from lawmakers about what and few expect swift actions from Congress
Two days of sharp questioning of Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg underscored how the risks posed by social media …
From two days of hearings, a list of all the 43 things Mark Zuckerberg said he or his team will follow up on for Congress
MARK ZUCKERBERG VISITED Capitol Hill this week, spending hours answering questions from Congress about privacy, Russia, algorithms, and more. Also: not answering those questions.
Highlights from second hearing: Zuckerberg is asked how Facebook tracks people around the web and whether minors should have additional privacy protections
Casey Newton / The Verge :
The concept of “owning your data” is meaningless if it doesn't include both data users upload, and the data Facebook attaches to users from tools like the Pixel
In his second day of congressional hearings, Mark Zuckerberg began the proceedings in the House of Representatives …
Zuckerberg won't give a straight answer on data downloads, refers to the Download Your Information tool that only provides a bit of what Facebook knows on you
but not what Facebook itself collects Russell Brandom / The Verge : Shadow profiles are the biggest flaw in Facebook's privacy defense Sara Fischer / Axios : Conservatives push censorship narrative du...
Zuckerberg dodged questions from lawmakers on activity tracking outside the Facebook app, who Facebook's biggest competitor is, its confusing ToS, and more
Transcript of Mark Zuckerberg's second day of congressional hearings
Washington Post :
A current moving against Facebook swept Zuckerberg before Congress, which has shown rare bipartisan support that something should be done about the company
Ben Thompson / Stratechery :
Reporter discovers Facebook keeps a permanent record of friends that users delete, and many advertisers he had not interacted with had his contact information
When I downloaded a copy of my Facebook data last week, I didn't expect to see much. My profile is sparse, I rarely post anything on the site, and I seldom click on ads.
Source: Apple cuts HomePod orders as inventory piles up; analysts say weekly HomePod sales slipped to ~4% in smart speaker category three weeks after launch
Inventory is piling up, according to some Apple store workers — Low sales push company to cut orders with manufacturer
Answering lawmakers, Zuckerberg repeatedly relied on the promise of AI to weed out undesirable content, a defense that lets Facebook avoid responsibility
Davey Alba / BuzzFeed :
Apple promotes Oliver Schusser to vice president of Apple Music & International Content, as Music surpasses 40M paid subscribers worldwide
Oliver Schusser is promoted to head of Apple Music Worldwide, reporting to Eddy Cue. — Fleetwood Mac to Tour With Neil Finn …
IDC reports global PC shipments in Q1 2018 remain unchanged YoY; Gartner found a 1.4% decline due to weaker sales in Asia; HP holds on to top PC vendor spot
Commercial upgrades of desktops and laptops buttressed demand — Dell saw the greatest shipment boost of all major vendors
Facebook says it will no longer fund opposition campaign to California Consumer Privacy Act, a November state ballot proposal strengthening data privacy rights
Janko Roettgers / Variety :
First look at ESPN+, the $4.99 per month direct-to-consumer streaming service, launching today within a redesigned ESPN app on iOS and Android
Today is the debut of ESPN+, a $4.99 direct-to-consumer subscription video service that offers a little bit of MLB and NHL action with a lot …
After testing 1.2K Android phones from 2017, researchers find OEMs often don't install the security patches they claim to install; ZTE and TCL each omitted 4+
GOOGLE HAS LONG struggled with how best to get dozens of Android smartphone manufacturers—and hundreds of carriers—to regularly push out security-focused software updates.
Source shares screenshots of Gmail's new redesign that shows aspects of Google's Material Design, a persistent sidebar for plugins, revamped Google Tasks, more
Earlier today, we reported that Google was about to give Gmail a major facelift. — This update is said to include …
GCHQ director says UK carried out its first major cyber-attack in 2017, targeting Islamic State communications and propaganda infrastructure
Spy chief reveals his agency hit terror group's communications — GCHQ boss also warns about levels of Russian online activity
Rising tide of hostility toward Big Tech and its leaders is a reflection of users realizing the deal they have struck: their data for a free service
Stephen Marche / New Yorker :
Uber says it will start doing annual criminal background checks on US drivers and introduces new in-app features, like button to call 911, to protect riders
DETROIT (AP) — Uber will start doing annual criminal background checks on U.S. drivers and hire a company that constantly monitors criminal arrests …
Sources: Snap is testing a feature with some publishers that lets them sell products in the Snap Store Discover channel, alongside Snap's own products
Snap has been stepping up efforts to curry favor with publishers, especially as publishers continue to feel the impact of Facebook's news feed changes.
Czech cybersecurity and antivirus firm Avast plans London IPO, seeking around $200M at a ~$4B valuation
LONDON (Reuters) - Avast, the world's largest consumer antivirus supplier by customers, said on Thursday it will apply to list its shares on the London Stock Exchange …
China orders Bytedance to shut down app for sharing jokes, silly videos citing vulgar content, a day after its flagship app Toutiao was pulled from app stores
Again Josh Chin / Wall Street Journal : New Target for China's Censors: Content Driven by Artificial Intelligence South China Morning Post : China's king of titillating content Jinri Toutiao issues ap...
Spotify and Hulu launch a combined subscription bundle for $12.99 per month for Spotify Premium users, available to all users later this summer
A $5 savings Bryan M. Wolfe / AppAdvice.com : A New Money-Saving Spotify-Hulu Bundle Announced Gabriel Stephens / MSPoweruser : Spotify and Hulu announce a new premium bundle for US users Victoria Mes...
Checkr, which runs background checks for companies that use on-demand employees, raises $100M Series C led T. Rowe Price and says it has 10K+ customers
Connie Loizos / TechCrunch :
Female VCs from All Raise team up with ~120 successful female entrepreneurs across the US to mentor the next generation of female founders
Biz Carson / Forbes :
Swedish startup Mapillary raises $15M Series B led by BMW i Ventures for its independent mapping data system for autonomous vehicles
Chris O'Brien / VentureBeat :
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman says open racism, including use of slurs, isn't against Reddit's rules and that communities can set their own standards around language
Nick Statt / The Verge :
Instagram says it's building a tool for downloading “a copy of what you've shared on Instagram”, following criticism; Facebook's tool launched in 2010
Josh Constine / TechCrunch :
Sources: Julian Wheatland, chairman of Cambridge Analytica's British affiliate, named company CEO; acting CEO Alex Tayler returns to role as chief data officer
Wall Street Journal :
Uber says it plans to integrate new forms of transportation into its app, including bikes and public transport, and debuts Uber Rent car-sharing in SF
Uber wants to take over all of city travel Alison Griswold / Quartz : Uber CEO: Getting people to share rides is a “battle” against “societal norms” ABC News : Uber expanding transportation offerings ...
Sony says Xperia XZ2 will cost $799.99 and XZ2 Compact will cost $649.99, available to buy on Best Buy on April 20 and then more broadly on May 20
Ashley Carman / The Verge :
FDA approves first AI diagnostic device that doesn't need a doctor to interpret the results, detecting diabetic retinopathy by looking at photos of a retina
Angela Chen / The Verge :
Sources: Chinese e-commerce site Pinduoduo has raised $1B+ from Sequoia Capital, Tencent, and others at a valuation of ~$15B, roughly 10x the level a year ago
> In the year ending December 2017, the number of people using its mobile app at least once a month grew by 724 percent to hit 156.5 million users http://www.bloomberg.com/... Thanks: @pelstrom
Zuora, an enterprise subscription billing and analytics provider, prices its IPO on NYSE at $14/share, raising $154M and giving company a valuation of $1.44B
Jordan Novet / CNBC :
India's Aadhaar program is unparalleled both in the mass collection of biometric data and how it's linked to everything, from food, tickets to phones, finances
likening it Orwell's Big Brother brought to life. http://www.nytimes.com/...
A look at the challenges faced by developers while humanizing the voices of their virtual private assistants
Kevin Wong / Engadget :
Federal judge sides with Snap in a lawsuit brought by a former employee that alleged Snap misled investors ahead of IPO by forcing his suit into arbitration
Gene Maddaus / Variety :
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