Bill Gates Prefers ‘More Open Nature’ of Android, Regrets Microsoft’s Missing Phone Market

Bill Gates “prefers the more open nature of the Android ecosystem, as it’s more ‘flexible’ about how software interfaces with the OS,” reports PC Magazine, citing remarks Gates made on Clubhouse to CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin: “I actually use an Android phone,” Gates told Sorkin. “Because I want to keep track of everything, I’ll often play around with iPhones, but the…

Clubhouse Chats Are Breached, Raising Concerns Over Security

A week after popular audio chatroom app Clubhouse said it was taking steps to ensure user data couldn’t be stolen by malicious hackers or spies, at least one attacker has proven the platform’s live audio can be siphoned. From a report: An unidentified user was able to stream Clubhouse audio feeds this weekend from “multiple rooms” into their own third-party website,…

After Researchers Raise Spying Concerns, Clubhouse Promises Blocks on Transmitting to Chinese Servers

“The developers of audio chat room app Clubhouse plan to add additional encryption to prevent it from transmitting pings to servers in China,” reports The Verge, “after Stanford researchers said they found vulnerabilities in its infrastructure.” In a new report, the Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO) said it confirmed that Shanghai-based company Agora Inc., which makes real-time engagement software, “supplies back-end infrastructure…

Clubhouse Criticized Over User Privacy Policies

How does the trendy new audio-chatroom app Clubhouse handle user privacy? Recode reports:
What if you didn’t give Clubhouse access to your contacts, specifically because you didn’t want all or any of them to know you were there? I regret to inform you that Clubhouse has made it possible for them to know anyway, encourages them to follow you, and there isn’t…

Facebook Is Said to Be Building a Product to Compete With Clubhouse

Facebook is building an audio chat product that is similar to the popular young app Clubhouse, The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing two people with knowledge of the matter, as the social network aims to expand into new forms of communication. From the report: Clubhouse, a social networking app, has gained buzz for letting people gather in audio chat rooms…

Mark Zuckerberg Wants Commuting Replaced with VR/AR

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wants commuting to work replaced with VR/AR telecommuting. Zuckerberg made the suggestion on a talkshow on Clubhouse, reports The International Business Times: “One of the things that [VR] will unlock is the ability to live anywhere you want and be present in another place and really feel like you are there,” the Facebook CEO said.”It is going…

Evading Censors, Chinese Users Flock To U.S. Chat App Clubhouse

“The U.S. app Clubhouse erupted among Chinese social-media users over the weekend,” reports Bloomberg, “with thousands joining discussions on contentious subjects…undisturbed by Beijing’s censors.” On the invite-only, audio-based social app where users host informal conversations, Chinese-speaking communities from around the world gathered to discuss China-Taiwan relations and the prospects of unification, and to share their knowledge and experience of Beijing’s crackdown…

Elon Musk Says His Start-Up Neuralink Has Wired Up a Monkey To Play Video Games Using Its Mind

Tesla boss Elon Musk said in an interview late Sunday that a monkey has been wired up to play video games with its mind by a company he founded called Neuralink. CNBC reports: Neuralink put a computer chip into the monkey’s skull and used “tiny wires” to connect it to its brain, Musk said. “It’s not an unhappy monkey,” he said…

Elon Musk Grills Robinhood CEO Over GameStop Trading Freeze: ‘The People Demand Answers’

Elon Musk had just wrapped up a wide-ranging 90-minute interview on the audio chat app Clubhouse early on Monday, when he threw the hosts a curveball. “Do you want to hear the real story from Vlad [from] Robinhood about what happened on the Street with GameStop?” Musk asked. He advised the moderators to click on Robinhood CEO Vladimir Tenev so he…

Twitter Launches Disappearing ‘Fleets’ Worldwide

Twitter said on Tuesday it was globally launching tweets that disappear after 24 hours, similar to the stories feature that is popular on Snapchat and Facebook’s photo-sharing app Instagram. Reuters reports: Twitter has previously announced its plan for these ephemeral tweets, dubbed “fleets,” and tested the feature in Brazil, Italy, India, and South Korea. “Some of you tell us that Tweeting…