European governments have been bringing the hammer down on tech in recent months, slapping record fines and stiff regulations on the largest imports out of Silicon Valley. Despite pleas from the world’s leading companies and Europe’s eroding trust in government, European citizens’ staunch support for regulation of new technologies points to an operating environment that […]
View More Tech regulation in Europe will only get tougherCategory: Italy
EU gov’t and public health sites lousy with adtech, study finds
A study of tracking cookies running on government and public sector health websites in the European Union has found commercial adtech to be operating pervasively even in what should be core not-for-profit corners of the Internet. The researchers used searches including queries related to HIV, mental health, pregnancy, alcoholism and cancer to examine how frequently […]
View More EU gov’t and public health sites lousy with adtech, study findsGoogle has quietly added DuckDuckGo as a search engine option for Chrome users in ~60 markets
In an update to the chromium engine, which underpins Google’s popular Chrome browser, the search giant has quietly updated the lists of default search engines it offers per market — expanding the choice of search product users can pick from in markets around the world. Most notably it’s expanded search engine lists to include pro-privacy […]
View More Google has quietly added DuckDuckGo as a search engine option for Chrome users in ~60 marketsAirbnb, Automattic and Pinterest top rank of most acquisitive unicorns
It takes a lot more than a good idea and the right timing to build a billion-dollar company. Talent, focus, operational effectiveness and a healthy dose of luck all play a part.
View More Airbnb, Automattic and Pinterest top rank of most acquisitive unicornsCoinbase buys blockchain intelligence startup to boost security and new asset discovery
Coinbase, the world’s most valuable crypto company, is gearing up to add more cryptocurrencies to its exchange thanks to its latest acquisition. We already know the firm wants to a glut of new crypto assets, but today it announced it has snapped up blockchain intelligence startup Neutrino in an undisclosed deal that seemed destined to […]
View More Coinbase buys blockchain intelligence startup to boost security and new asset discoveryBiotech AI startup Sight Diagnostics gets $27.8M to speed up blood tests
Sight Diagnostics, an Israeli medical devices startup that’s using AI technology to speed up blood testing, has closed a $27.8 million Series C funding round. The company has built a desktop machine, called OLO, that analyzes cartridges manually loaded with drops of the patient’s blood — performing blood counts in situ. The new funding is […]
View More Biotech AI startup Sight Diagnostics gets $27.8M to speed up blood testsLeaked TikTok ad deck suggests it has 17M+ MAUs in Europe
An advertising pitch deck used by fast-growing short form video sharing app TikTok has leaked, providing a snapshot of usage in its biggest markets in Europe. The pitch deck was obtained by Digiday which says it was sent to a large (unnamed) European ad agency. Metrics and gender breakdowns for the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy are […]
View More Leaked TikTok ad deck suggests it has 17M+ MAUs in EuropeWaze expands its Bluetooth beacons to New York City to end GPS signal blackouts
Drivers in New York City will soon be able to use Waze — and other navigation apps — in places like tunnels or bridges where it’s common to lose a GPS signal. The new capability is courtesy of small open source puck-like devices called Waze Beacons that were invented in-house by Gil Disatnik, an engineer […]
View More Waze expands its Bluetooth beacons to New York City to end GPS signal blackoutsShodan Safari, where hackers heckle the worst devices put on the internet
If you leave something on the internet long enough, someone will hack it. The reality is that many device manufacturers make it far too easy by using default passwords that are widely documented, allowing anyone to log in as “admin” and snoop around. Often, there’s no password at all. Enter “Shodan Safari,” a popular part-game, […]
View More Shodan Safari, where hackers heckle the worst devices put on the internetStartups Weekly: Squad’s screen-shares and Slack’s swastika
We’re three weeks into January. We’ve recovered from our CES hangover and, hopefully, from the CES flu. We’ve started writing the correct year, 2019, not 2018. Venture capitalists have gone full steam ahead with fundraising efforts, several startups have closed multi-hundred million dollar rounds, a virtual influencer raised equity funding and yet, all anyone wants to talk […]
View More Startups Weekly: Squad’s screen-shares and Slack’s swastikaBadi gets $30M for AI-aided room rentals
Should you let AI help you pick your roommates? Barcelona-based urban room rental startup Badi thinks so, and it’s just closed a $30M Series B funding round less than a year after a $10M Series A — suggesting algorithm-aided matchmaking is resonating with its target Millennial(ish) ‘Generation Rent’ demographic, as they hunt for their next flatmate. […]
View More Badi gets $30M for AI-aided room rentalsAmazon warehouse workers in Europe stage ‘we are not robots’ protests
Amazon warehouse workers in several countries in Europe are protesting over what they claim are inhuman working conditions which treat people like robots. It’s the latest in a series of worker actions this year. They’ve timed the latest protest for Black Friday, one of the busiest annual shopping days online as retailers slash prices and heavily […]
View More Amazon warehouse workers in Europe stage ‘we are not robots’ protests