Opera became the first browser-maker to bundle a VPN with its service, and now that effort is expanding to mobile. The company announced today that its Android browser app will begin offering a free VPN. The feature will be rolled out to beta users on a gradual basis. The VPN is free and unlimited, and it […]
View More Opera adds a free VPN to its Android browser appCategory: Software
Apple tells app developers to disclose or remove screen recording code
Apple is telling app developers to remove or properly disclose their use of analytics code that allows them to record how a user interacts with their iPhone apps — or face removal from the app store, TechCrunch can confirm. In an email, an Apple spokesperson said: “Protecting user privacy is paramount in the Apple ecosystem. Our […]
View More Apple tells app developers to disclose or remove screen recording codeSkype can now blur the background during video calls
Thanks to the rise of WhatsApp and other free calling and messaging apps, Skype is no longer the go-to service it once was for many people. But the company just added a new feature which might raise its appeal among users. The Microsoft-owned service’s latest addition is a screen-blurring feature designed to obscure your messy room […]
View More Skype can now blur the background during video callsSpotify buys Gimlet and Anchor in podcast push, earmarks $500M for more deals
Spotify is going after podcasts in a major way in 2019. The music streaming service today confirmed that it has snapped up two podcast networks — Gimlet and Anchor — in undisclosed deals. But that’s not all, the firm said it has plans to spend a further $400-$500 million “on multiple acquisitions in 2019” to get […]
View More Spotify buys Gimlet and Anchor in podcast push, earmarks $500M for more dealsChat app Line injects $182M into its mobile payment business
Japanese messaging app company Line is pumping 20 billion JPY ($182 million) into its mobile payment business as it tries to turn things around following a challenging year in 2018. The company announced the infusion into Line Pay, a subsidiary that it fully owns, in a filing which stated that the new capital is “necessary […]
View More Chat app Line injects $182M into its mobile payment businessFacebook removes hundreds of accounts linked to fake news group in Indonesia
Facebook said today it has removed hundreds of Facebook and Instagram counts with links to an organization that peddled fake news. The world’s fourth largest country with a population of over 260 million, Indonesia is in election year alongside Southeast Asia neighbors Thailand and the Philippines. Facebook said this week it has set up an ‘election […]
View More Facebook removes hundreds of accounts linked to fake news group in IndonesiaGrab raises $200M from Thailand-based retail conglomerate Central Group
Grab’s fundraising push continues unabated after the Southeast Asian ride-hailing firm announced that it has raised $200 million from Central Group, a retail conglomerate based in Thailand. Central’s business covers restaurants, hotels and more than 30 malls in Thailand, while it has operations in markets that include Vietnam and Indonesia. Its public-listed holding companies alone are worth more […]
View More Grab raises $200M from Thailand-based retail conglomerate Central GroupWith its Greenlots acquisition, Shell is moving from gas stations to charging stations
In a bid to show that it’s getting ready for the electrification of American roads, Royal Dutch Shell is buying Greenlots, a Los Angeles-based developer of electric vehicle charging and energy management technologies. Shell, which is making the acquisition through its Shell New Energies US subsidiary, snatched the company from Energy Impact Partners, a cleantech-focused […]
View More With its Greenlots acquisition, Shell is moving from gas stations to charging stationsFacebook, Google and Twitter told to do more to fight fake news ahead of European elections
A first batch of monthly progress reports from tech giants and advertising companies on what they’re doing to help fight online disinformation have been published by the European Commission. Platforms including Facebook, Google and Twitter signed up to a voluntary EU code of practice on the issue last year. The first reports cover measures taken […]
View More Facebook, Google and Twitter told to do more to fight fake news ahead of European electionsFacebook is reportedly testing solar-powered internet drones again — this time with Airbus
Facebook last year grounded its ambitious plan to develop a solar-powered drone to beam internet across the world, but the company isn’t done with the concept, it seems. The social media giant is working with aeronautics giant Airbus to test drones in Australia, according to a new report from Germany’s NetzPolitik. Using a request under […]
View More Facebook is reportedly testing solar-powered internet drones again — this time with AirbusHany Farid and Peter Barrett will be speaking at TC Sessions: Robotics + AI April 18 at UC Berkeley
We’re very excited to announce our first guests for this year’s TC Sessions: Robotics. TechCrunch is returning to the U.C. Berkeley campus again this April for another full-day session delving into all aspects of robotics. As we mark our third year, we’ve decided to add programming devoted to artificial intelligence, because you can’t really do […]
View More Hany Farid and Peter Barrett will be speaking at TC Sessions: Robotics + AI April 18 at UC BerkeleyDecrypted Telegram bot chatter revealed as new Windows malware
Sometimes it take a small bug in one thing to find something massive elsewhere. During an investigation recent, security firm Forcepoint Labs said it found a new kind of malware that was found taking instructions from a hacker sending commands over the encrypted messaging app Telegram . The researchers described their newly discovered malware, dubbed […]
View More Decrypted Telegram bot chatter revealed as new Windows malware