Daily Tech Headlines – July 3, 2018
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| Daily Tech Headlines – July 3, 2018 | |
| Number | 537 |
| Broadcast Date | JULY 3, 2018 |
| Episode Length | 4:10 |
| Hosts | Sarah Lane |
Samsung Messages app sends photos to random contacts, Yelp wins case that it can’t be held liable for defamatory posts, Sony raises Vue prices by $5/month.
Headlines
- Some Samsung phone users have reported the default Samsung Messages app is sending pictures stored on their devices to random contacts via SMS. One post on Reddit claims that Samsung Messages sent out an entire photo gallery to a contact in the middle of the night. The bug doesn't appear to alert the user that the pics are being sent. One theory is Samsung Messages and recent RCS (Rich Communication Services) profile updates on some carriers is causing the bugs. In a statement to Gizmodo, Samsung said “We are aware of the reports regarding this matter and our technical teams are looking into it. Concerned customers are encouraged to contact us directly at 1-800-SAMSUNG.”
- Facebook announced it's shutting down the apps Hello, Moves, and tbh. Hello was an Android app available in Brazil, Nigeria, and the US. Moves recorded fitness activity. And Facebook acquired tbh’s anonymous social network 8 months ago. Facebook noted low useage for the shutdowns and the need to prioritize more services to its core audience. Facebook says it will delete user data from its servers within 90 days of shutting down those apps in the next few weeks.
- The Supreme Court of California has ruled in the case of Hassell v Bird that Yelp can't be ordered to take down negative comments. The decision overturned two lower court rulings that ordered Yelp to remove "defamatory" reviews posted by attorney Dawn Hassell's former client, Ava Bird. Yelp challenged that ruling, arguing that Hassell failed to prove Bird's comments were actually defamatory, that it couldn't be held liable for speech posted on its platform. California's Supreme Court agreed. Hassell's attorney said in a statement that "Hassell is considering all legal options, including review by the U.S. Supreme Court."
- Sony is raising PlayStation Vue prices by $5 a month for all four tiers of customers, citing “rising business costs.” PlayStation Vue’s cheapest plan, called Access, will now cost $44.99, instead of $39.99, a month, and the most expensive Ultra package will now cost $84.99. Vue launched in 2015 as a cable tv package alternative and as of last year had 400,000 subscribers.
- Representatives for the FBI, the SEC and the Federal Trade Commission have joined the Department of Justice in its inquiries about how Facebook and Cambridge Analytica shared personal information of 71 million Americans, sources tell the Washington Post. At issue is what Facebook knew three years ago and why the company didn’t reveal it at the time to its users or investors, as well as any discrepancies in more recent accounts.
- Google Cloud chief operating officer Diane Bryant has left the company after less than a year, after more than 25 years at Intel, most recently leading its data center group. She took a temporary leave from Intel in May due to "family matters," but then joined Google under cloud CEO Diane Greene. Greene recently said at an event that she "wouldn't have minded" buying software developer platform GitHub, which Microsoft bought for $7.5 billion last month.
- Facebook is warning around 800,000 users that a bug caused the system to unblock some people that users had previously blocked on both Facebook and Facebook Messenger, meaning that supposedly blocked users could view the profiles of people who had blocked them, and send them messages. The bug was live between May 29 and June 5 and the company says it has since been fixed, and users who were affected will receive a message from the company warning them about it.
- Acxiom has sold the majority of its business to Interpublic Group (IPG), one of the largest global advertising holding companies, for $2.3 billion. Acxiom is the latest major ad tech company to offload its data-driven advertising market in response to data privacy issues.
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| Preceded by: "Daily Tech Headlines – July 2, 2018" |
Daily Tech Headlines – July 3, 2018 |
Followed by: "Daily Tech Headlines – July 4, 2018" |