The National Institute for Standards and Technology explained blockchain technology and potential uses in a report released Wednesday. “We want to help people understand how blockchains work so that they can appropriately and usefully apply them to technology problems,” said Dylan Yaga, a NIST computer scientist and one of the report’s authors. It provides an overview of the technology seen as having potential for increasing currency and financial transaction security (see 1710100061) by letting users record transactions in a public ledger "such that no transaction can be changed once published."

Apple highlighted homegrown “audio innovations” and “advanced technologies” such as real-time acoustic modeling in its long-awaited (see 1711170065) HomePod announcement Tuesday. The speaker was originally slated for a December release. Apple positioned HomePod as a “powerful speaker that sounds amazing and adapts to wherever it’s playing.” At 7 inches high, HomePod’s form factor is shorter and wider than the Amazon Echo or smart speakers from Harman/Kardon and JBL. The speaker uses the company's proprietary tech and learns the preferences and tastes of users, which are “shared across devices,” and it works with Apple Music. The company pushed security and privacy, saying only after “Hey Siri” is recognized locally on the device will any information be sent to Apple servers. Information will be encrypted and sent using an anonymous Siri identifier, it said. Apple didn’t respond to questions.

The Entertainment Software Association backed core findings in an FCC draft report on the status of broadband-like deployment under Telecom Act Section 706. ESA supports the draft's plan to keep the fixed speed benchmark for advanced telecom capability (ATC) at 25/3 Mbps and not declare that mobile is a full substitute for fixed service. But the group believes the fixed benchmark will "need to be raised over time," said a filing Monday in docket 17-199 on a meeting with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai, who shared the draft last week with colleagues (see 1801180053). The report should clearly state "that low latency is an important element of ATC and that going forward it would explore the appropriate ATC benchmark for latency," ESA said, referring to data retrieval time. The "Commission should eventually set a latency benchmark of 75 milliseconds or less, since such latency is necessary for real-time interactive online applications, such as video games," it said. The report's effective due date is Feb. 2, an agency spokesman told us Tuesday.

Netflix had 8.3 million global net subscriber additions in Q4, significantly beating its October forecast of 6.3 million, the company reported Monday. “We had a beautiful Q4, completing a great year as internet TV expands globally,” said the company in its quarterly letter to shareholders. The net adds marked the highest quarter for that metric in the company’s history and was an 18 percent increase from 2016's record Q4 7.05 million net adds, said Netflix. It credited its strong “original content slate and the ongoing global adoption of internet entertainment.” Geographically, "outperformance vs. guidance was broad-based,” it said, including 2 million net adds in the U.S., compared with 1.25 million in October's forecast. Internationally, it added 6.36 million memberships, a new record for quarterly net adds for this segment and above guidance, it said. Netflix has been “talking about the transition from linear to streaming for the past 10 years,” said the shareholder letter. “As this trend becomes increasingly evident, more companies are entering the market for premium video content.” Since the market for entertainment time is “vast,” Netflix thinks it “can support many successful services,” it said. “Entertainment services are often complementary given their unique content offerings. We believe this is largely why both we and Hulu have been able to succeed and grow.” The stock rose 8.2 percent in after-hours trading to $246.25.

Tech companies have improved takedowns of online hate speech but need better communication with users about removal policies, said the European Commission Friday in its third code of conduct evaluation since the effort started in 2016 (see 1605310051). Google+ and Facebook’s Instagram told the EU they're joining the code of conduct, which includes Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft, plus nongovernmental organizations and privacy groups. Companies within 24 hours removed about 70 percent of illegal hate speech reported to them, but “challenges still remain, in particular the lack of systematic feedback to users,” EU said. The takedown rate was 59 percent in May and 28 percent in the first monitoring round. All companies participating in the code of conduct “fully meet the target” of reviewing notifications within 24 hours, EU said. The commission said it will continue to monitor code implementation and hopes to expand the number of participating online platforms. Google confirmed its commitment. Facebook didn't comment.

USTelecom welcomed the National Institute of Standards and Technology's second draft of its Cybersecurity Framework (see 1712060043), calling it a "substantial improvement" over the first draft. "While Draft 2 of Version 1.1 addresses for the first time other important cybersecurity challenges such as supply chain risk management and coordinated vulnerability disclosure, this submission places its primary focus on cybersecurity measurement," said USTelecom comments Friday. "Applying this maturing discipline to an organization’s self-assessment of cybersecurity risk and risk management is at the heart of individual organizations’ efforts to develop effective, customized methods to conduct cybersecurity risk management." The Internet Security Alliance said the new draft is a "significant step" toward becoming "cost-effective, prioritized and supported by appropriate incentives."

Parking reservation service SpotHero announced an integration with Google Assistant, enabling users to book parking with voice commands. Drivers with Android Auto will be able to use SpotHero and Google Assistant to find and pay for parking from a vehicle, hands-free, in 50 major North American markets, said the company. Android smartphone and iOS users can engage the service via app by saying, “Hey Google, book parking,” it said.

The FTC flagged the recent $650,000 settlement with connected toymaker VTech (see 1801080029) in its annual report highlighting 2017 privacy accomplishments, also noting complaints filed against revenge porn site MyEx.com (see 1801090067), and the upcoming PrivacyCon event Feb. 28. In a separate report, the commission lauded its work on competition, privacy and consumer protection laws during acting Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen’s one-year tenure. The commission filed 10 competition cases in federal or administration courts and took action in 25 other cases to protect consumers from anticompetitive mergers or business conduct, the report said.

Maersk and IBM will form a joint venture to "provide more efficient and secure methods for conducting global trade using blockchain technology," blogged the venture's CEO-designate Michael White Tuesday. The new company will work to develop a platform to "provide end-to-end supply chain visibility that enables all actors involved in a global shipping transaction to securely and seamlessly exchange shipment events in real time," it said of the technology also undergirding virtual currencies: The platform also will "digitize and automate paperwork filings for the import and export of goods by enabling end users to securely submit, stamp and approve documents across national and organizational boundaries." Customs and Border Protection, also working on blockchain (see 1708250025), and DuPont are among those that have piloted the platform, wrote White.

Online sales reached a record $108.2 billion for the Nov. 1-Dec. 31 holiday stretch, up 15 percent, Adobe reported Tuesday. Voice assistant sales doubled, with half of surveyed consumers using assistants daily. Mobile revenue was a third of Q4 online revenue at $35.9 billion, up 28 percent, with smartphone orders averaging $110, up 2 percent, though still less than desktop-made purchases. Cyber Monday was the first day that more than $2 billion posted from smartphones and tablets, said the company Friday. Search drove the most revenue during the holiday season at 45 percent, it said.