Here Are Some Links to the Stories Behind the Headlines

In culling through hundreds of news stories every week, Techwire comes across some interesting reads that don't quite fit our template for a full story, but which might be of interest to our readers. Here are a few recent links that we thought were worth a click:  

— In cities across the nation, civic leaders are having second thoughts about promising large tax incentives for companies to locate there. "They’re usually buying into a dream of well-paying jobs, transformative economic investment, and at least one high-profile ribbon-cutting ceremony. The reality is often quite different," says an article in Wired. 

— Nobody, it seems, is neutral on net neutrality. Ars Technica takes a deep dive into the latest regulatory developments. 

— A glitch in Apple's FaceTime app allowed hackers to remotely access a victim's iPhone and peer into their world with the camera. Who discovered the glitch? This kid.

— Online privacy is one thing, but ... public privacy? San Francisco is considering a ban on the government use of facial recognition software in public places. "Despite documented issues of error and bias, federal regulation of the technology has been elusive," says this report in Verge. "Microsoft has called for a law to guide its use, and various experts have suggested what that regulation could look like." 

— Did the partial government shutdown open up avenues for hackers to get into government networks and databases? According to state and local govtech leaders, the problem wasn't as bad as it might have been, says this report in Techwire's sister publication, Government Technology.  

— Gov. Gavin Newsom has wasted little time focusing on housing as one of California's top problems to fix. In the state that leads the tech industry, why hasn't technology addressed the problem more effectively? The answer may lie in what some call "proptech."