Technology

The Hill reports: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai said Friday that supporters of net neutrality provisions that were repealed Thursday have been proven wrong, as internet users wake up still able to send emails and use Twitter after the regulations were struck down. Speaking on “Fox and Friends,” Pai said Friday that net neutrality supporters such as ABC …

USA Today reports: Twitter users pounced on Donald Trump Jr. Thursday for a tweet about the debate over net neutrality that featured a prominent typo and an apparent misconception about which president appointed the current chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. In addition to misspelling neutrality, Trump Jr. was mistaken in referring to Chairman Ajit Pai as “Obama’s FCC chairman.” …

The Daily Beast reports: “The Federal Communications Commission did something absolutely despicable today: They voted to put an end to net neutrality,” announced Jimmy Kimmel. The late-night host dedicated a portion of his Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue Thursday night to the net neutrality vote, which ruled 3-2 (three Republicans for, two Democrats very much against) in favor of dismantling the …

The New York Times reports: The Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to dismantle landmark rules regulating the businesses that connect consumers to the internet, granting broadband companies power to potentially reshape Americans’ online experiences. The agency scrapped so-called net neutrality regulations that prohibited broadband providers from blocking websites or charging for higher-quality service or certain content. The federal government …

The Guardian reports: Apple has bought Shazam, a London-based app that allows smartphone users to identify music, for a reported $400m (£300m). The US company, which revolutionised music with the introduction of the the iPod and iPhone, said Shazam was a natural fit for its Apple Music streaming service. “Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion …

Reuters reports: A rare public spat in the technology industry escalated on Tuesday when Google said it would block its video streaming application YouTube from two Amazon.com Inc devices and criticized the online retailer for not selling Google hardware. The feud is the latest in Silicon Valley to put customers in the crossfire of major competitors. Amazon and Google, which …

Ars Technica reports: Comcast spokesperson Sena Fitzmaurice has been claiming that we got the story wrong. But a further examination of how Comcast’s net neutrality promises have changed over time reveals another interesting tidbit—Comcast deleted a “no paid prioritization” pledge from its net neutrality webpage on the very same day that the Federal Communications Commission announced its initial plan to …

The New York Times reports: The Federal Communications Commission is preparing a full repeal of net neutrality rules that require broadband providers to give consumers equal access to all content on the internet, putting more power in the hands of those companies to dictate people’s online experiences. Ajit Pai, the chairman of the F.C.C., plans to reveal a sweeping proposal …

The Associated Press reports: U.S. regulators have approved the first drug with a sensor that can track whether patients have taken their medicine. The Abilify pill was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2002 to treat schizophrenia, and the sensor technology was approved for marketing in 2012. The FDA said in a statement Monday that the digitally-enhanced …

The Verge reports: After widespread criticism over its decision to verify the account of Jason Kessler, an organizer behind the far-right Unite the Right protest, Twitter said it has “paused” its verification process while it works on a new system. Twitter offers a blue checkmark to accounts that it has verified as authentic. Kessler, who describes himself on Twitter as …

USA Today reports: Our commander-in-chief is going to have a lot more room to tweet. Twitter announced Tuesday it will roll out a 280-character limit for single tweets after testing the option among a handful of users since September. The new character limit applies to languages where cramming is an issue, such as English. The change won’t apply to Chinese, …

CNET reports: If you just spent $1,000 or more on an iPhone X, put a case on it now! Apple’s tenth-anniversary iPhone has a slick new look with a nearly bezel-less screen, glass back and stainless steel frame. Just like the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, the glass back allows the X to have wireless charging– but it also means …

Reuters reports: Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook quashed concerns recently about muted demand for the iPhone X, saying pre-orders for the 10th anniversary smartphone were “off the charts,” but it might be the company’s market capitalization that needs a bigger graph. Positive reviews for the new device and expectations that many users are on the verge of upgrading from older …

The Hill reports: Facebook is testing a new update that would move non-promoted posts out of users’ newsfeeds, which could be a major hit to media publishers who use the platform to bring traffic to their websites. The changes are currently being tested in six countries including Slovakia, Serbia and Sri Lanka, according to Filip Struhárik, a journalist at Slovakian …

After decades of decline mostly attributed to safer vehicles and stiffer DUI penalties, traffic deaths in the US have spiked by 14.4% over the last two years. The government has yet to formally blame the rise on smartphone use, but others are convinced. Bloomberg reports: There are three big clues, and they don’t rest along the highway. One, as you …

Bloomberg reports: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether law enforcement officials conducting a criminal investigation can demand data held overseas by Microsoft Corp. and other technology companies in a high-stakes clash over digital privacy. The justices will review a federal appeals ruling that the Trump administration says has become a major obstacle in criminal probes. Already, Google Inc. …

Reuters reports: Paris authorities plan to banish all petrol and diesel-fueled cars from the world’s most visited city by 2030, Paris City Hall said on Thursday. The move marks an acceleration in plans to wean the country off gas-guzzlers and switch to electric vehicles in a city often obliged to impose temporary bans due to surges in particle pollution in …

Mashable reports: Bad news, friends: Facebook appears to be down for a large number of users. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, is reportedly struggling too. Users of the social media platform began reporting issues around 11:11 a.m. EST, and it appears the outage has spread. The problems appear to be affecting users on both desktop and mobile. Multiple services, …

Recode reports: Twitter’s iconic 140-character limit for tweets may be on the way out. In the hope that it will encourage more people to post, Twitter is doubling the number of characters that some users get for a tweet. The test means that a small group of Twitter users will now get 280 characters per tweet instead of the traditional …

Reuters reports: T-Mobile US Inc is close to agreeing tentative terms on a deal to merge with Sprint Corp, people familiar with the matter said on Friday, a major breakthrough in efforts to merge the third and fourth largest U.S. wireless carriers. The transaction would significantly consolidate the U.S. telecommunications market and represent the first transformative U.S. merger with significant …