10 things in tech you need to know today

Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Wednesday.

1. Google revealed its newest smartphone, the Pixel 4, and a fresh line of products that will rival Amazon and Apple. Google announced the Pixel 4, at its "Made by Google" event on Tuesday alongside several other products, including a new Nest Mini smart speaker, a refreshed Pixelbook Chromebook, and second-generation Pixel Buds.
2. Twitter has published its rules for world leaders, including what types of tweets won't be allowed. While Twitter didn't touch on the actions of any specific world leader, the company said it wanted to better explain why it makes moderation decisions when reviewing controversial posts from political figures.
3. Elizabeth Warren said she won't accept major donations from tech executives after vowing to break up big tech companies such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon. Warren has campaigned on the argument that Facebook, Google, and Amazon are monopolies that should be more heavily regulated.
4. Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency plan just got formalized, but a quarter of its backers have now dropped out. Facebook formally established which companies and individuals will govern the currency and its infrastructure as part of the non-profit Libra Association early this week.
5. London fintech unicorn Revolut has initiated talks to raise $1.5 billion from JPMorgan as its funding plans grow. Revolut is exploring the possibility of selling an equity stake alongside a convertible loan as it looks to fuel its expansion plans.
6. Congress has launched an investigation into whether e-cigarette manufacturers paid for bots to spam social media with pro-vaping posts. Researchers found out earlier this year that hundreds of thousands of social media posts promoting vaping most likely came from bot accounts, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
7. Democrats have started to lobby social media companies to stop fake stories about 2020 candidates before they can go viral. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is waging a behind-the-scenes battle to stop the spread of disinformation about its 2020 presidential candidates, according to a Politico report.
8. Amazon said that it has shut down its last Oracle database for its consumer business, reducing its costs by 60%. Amazon is now using Amazon Web Services databases to power its consumer businesses such as Amazon Prime, Alexa, and Kindle.
9. Epic Games announced Fortnite Chapter 2, a major update for the wildly popular multiplayer shooter game after its extravagant black hole stunt. The update includes a new map, new functionality, and the ability to upgrade weapons.
10. Walmart has launched an in-home delivery service where customers can have items delivered directly to their fridge when they're not at home. Walmart workers gain access to customers' homes using smart-lock technology controlled from a mobile phone. 

Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear 10 Things in Tech each morning. Just search for "Business Insider" in your Alexa's flash briefing settings.

You can also subscribe to this newsletter here — just tick "10 Things in Tech You Need to Know. 

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: All the ways Amazon is taking over your house

Contributer : Tech Insider https://ift.tt/35GPPY7

Something that you might miss to see?