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Snapchat has become the perfect tool for understanding recent tragedies like the mass shooting in Las Vegas, the Mexico City earthquake and widespread destruction from major hurricanes. A recently added feature, Snap Maps, has proven to be an intimate way to view major news events in real time. The flip side: “Social media has become totally weaponized,” Recode executive editor Kara Swisher said at a conference yesterday, and tech companies like Google and Facebook must act soon to prevent misinformation experts from swarming news events. [Mike Murphy / Quartz]
Lawmakers fear that future U.S. elections are at risk from Russian interference, and Facebook and Twitter have agreed to answer tough questions in public testimony on Nov. 1, as part of a congressional probe; Google has also been invited to testify. Recode’s frequently updated storystream will help you stay current with this ongoing story. [Tony Romm / Recode]
Hardware is no longer a hobby for Google, which unveiled a lot of new devices yesterday, many of which are in direct competition with products by Apple and Amazon. The Verge liveblogged the launch event, and has early some impressions of the new Pixel 2 smartphone, an AI-enhanced Google Clips camera, two new smart speakers and Pixel Buds, Google’s answer to Apple’s AirPods. For some reason, this chart displaying U.S. market share of Google’s Pixel platform didn’t make it onto the big screen at the event. [Dieter Bohn / The Verge]
Sonos also wants to play — the company revealed an updated wireless speaker, the $199 Sonos One, outfitted with far-field microphones that allow it to work with digital assistants, including Amazon’s Alexa. [Chris Welch / The Verge]
Google is paying publishers working on “Stamp,” its version of Snapchat's Discover and Instagram’s Stories The new mobile format could debut this month for some users; participating publishers include Time Inc, Mashable, CNN and the Washington Post. [Peter Kafka / Recode]
Recode presents ...
Do you have questions about Google’s new Pixel phones, AI camera or other hardware? Kara Swisher and Lauren Goode will be talking to Google’s Rick Osterloh on an upcoming episode of our podcast Too Embarrassed to Ask, so tweet your questions with the hashtag #TooEmbarrassed or email them to TooEmbarrassed@recode.net.
Top stories from Recode
Most Americans expect cars to be driverless within 50 years — but still won’t ride in them.
Autonomous car companies have a lot of work to do on changing public perception.
Two black lawmakers say Twitter must address ‘racism and bigotry’ — or else face regulation.
Their letter highlights reports that Russian agents tried to stoke racial tensions ahead of the 2016 election.
The bill, called AV Start, still does not include regulations for autonomous trucks.
Why is Casper risking its reputation by getting cozy with two popular mattress review websites?
The mattress maker now has ties to Sleepopolis and Mattress Clarity.
Europe has ordered Amazon to pay nearly $300 million in back taxes.
The e-commerce giant is considering an appeal.
NFL players like Colin Kaepernick are the latest in a long legacy of outspoken athletes, Gay says on the latest episode of Recode Media with Peter Kafka.
This is cool
There are no human waiters at the world’s first Lego restaurant — meals are picked up at a counter staffed by two animatronic Lego robots, and the food arrives via conveyor belt from a hidden kitchen in giant blue Lego bento-style boxes.
[Ashley Winchester / The New York Times]
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
