Tech News Edition – March 15, 2024
TikTok Faces Potential Ban Under New U.S. Security Measures
The Biden administration and Congress are planning to ban TikTok , based in Los Angeles and Singapore, but is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance. TikTok has urged its users to contact Congress and prevent the ban. A new bill has been introduced in the US House of Representatives to pressure ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban in the United States. The bill is named the ‘Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act’. If this bill turns out to be a law, then, Apple’s Play Store and Google Play cannot legally distribute the app in the US.?
Google Wallet Adds Auto-Add Feature for Movie Tickets and Boarding Passes
谷歌 Wallet has released a new update that enables it to automatically add movie tickets and boarding passes, as soon as they arrive in a user’s Gmail inbox. Confirmation emails containing the necessary information, such as the full QR code or boarding pass, trigger this automatic addition. While the feature currently supports "some" movie chains and airlines globally, Google plans to expand its compatibility over time. Users can now manually archive most of their passes, moving them to a dedicated 'Archived Passes' section within the app. This feature is not limited to mobile devices; it is also available on Wear OS for convenient access to archived passes.
Pinterest's US Success Could Spark Body Type Filters Worldwide
On March 11, 2024, Pinterest officially introduced its "body type ranges" tool to users in the United States. This feature allows users to filter searches according to four different body types within the categories of women's fashion and wedding ideas. Users can access the tool by typing into the search bar and selecting the "Body Types" option to see the available body types at the top of the results page. If a user selects the same option twice, the body type selection can be saved to their device.? Pinterest started experimenting with the feature last year and is currently testing it in Canada. The company saw a 66% higher engagement rate per session from users who used the tool during testing.
Airbnb Bans Indoor Security Cameras in All Listings Worldwide
On March 11, 2024, Airbnb announced that it is banning the use of indoor security cameras in all of its listings worldwide, starting April 30. This decision aims to simplify the company's policy on security cameras and prioritize the privacy of users. Indoor cameras were previously allowed in common areas like hallways and living rooms, provided they were disclosed on the listing page and not placed in bathrooms or sleeping areas. The new policy eliminates these exceptions, banning indoor cameras regardless of their location, purpose, or prior disclosure.
From Tweets to Swipes: Ex-Twitter Safety Chief Joins Tinder's Parent Company
Twitter's former Head of Trust and Safety, Yoel Roth, has joined Match Group, the parent company of popular dating apps such as Tinder and Hinge, as their Vice President of Trust and Safety. Roth left Twitter after facing dangerous and homophobic harassment due to baseless attacks from Elon Musk and the release of the "Twitter Files," which revealed how executives handled content moderation. He aims to address issues like scams and financial fraud on Match Group's apps, as well as working towards better age verification measures.
Spotify Rocks the Playlist: Music Videos Now in Beta for Select Countries
Spotify has added music videos to its mobile and desktop apps in selected countries. These music videos are tightly integrated with the company's music library, allowing users to seamlessly switch between audio and music videos in the mobile and desktop apps. However, music videos are currently only available in beta in eleven countries, excluding the United States. These countries include Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Poland, Philippines, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.?
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Europe Takes Control: AI Act Regulates Tech for Safety and Ethics
The European Parliament has approved the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act), marking a significant milestone in the regulation of AI technologies in the region. The Act establishes a risk-based framework, imposing varying rules and requirements depending on the level of risk associated with specific AI applications. Provisions include banning certain high-risk uses, implementing governance rules for high-risk AI applications, and requiring transparency for certain AI-powered applications.
Bluesky's Ozone Lets Users Build Their Own Moderation Systems
Bluesky, the decentralized Twitter/X rival, recently launched Ozone, a tool that enables users to create and operate their own independent moderation services. This development signifies a shift towards a stackable ecosystem of moderation services, providing unprecedented control over the social media experience for users. With Ozone, individuals and teams can collaboratively review and label content on the network, enhancing the overall moderation process.
Stripe Crushes $1 Trillion Payment Barrier
Stripe has reported significant growth in its financial technology operations, surpassing the?1 trillion mark in total payment volume during 2023. According to the annual letter released by Stripe, payment volume rose by 25% in 2023, indicating substantial gains of?200 billion in transaction processing within a single year. Despite the overall growth in the payment space, Stripe continues to outperform its competitors. Stripe's fee structure starts at 2.9% plus an additional 30 cents for domestic card transactions. Even accounting for potential volume discounts, these increased payments volumes translate into significant new revenues for the private company.?
Le Monde and Prisa Media Join Forces with ChatGPT, Bringing European News to AI Users
On March 13, 2024, Microsoft-backed OpenAI announced that ChatGPT users would gain access to French and Spanish news content from Le Monde and PRISA Media. These partnerships aim to enhance user engagement with high-quality content on recent events and contribute to the training of OpenAI's models. Le Monde, France's leading news outlet, sees this collaboration as an opportunity to safeguard its journalistic integrity and revenue streams while adapting to the digital era. Similarly, Prisa Media, the largest Hispanic media house operating leading brands in Spain, Latin America, and the USA, highlights the potential of the partnership to present their in-depth, quality journalism in novel ways.
Security Analysts Get a Powerful Ally: Microsoft Opens Up AI-powered Security Copilot
Microsoft expanded the availability of its AI-powered cybersecurity assistant, Security Copilot. Designed to help security analysts identify breaches and better understand the massive amount of security signals and data collected by Microsoft each day, Security Copilot is built on the company's proprietary security-specific AI model and OpenAI's GPT-4 generative AI. By accepting natural language inputs, Security Copilot allows security professionals to perform various tasks, including incident investigations, file analysis, and generating incident and alert information from other security tools.
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