Author: TechBrunch

The Supreme Court announced Wednesday that ByteDance and TikTok will hear a challenge to a law that bans social networks in the United States unless they separate from Chinese ownership by January 19. On January 10, Supreme Court justices are scheduled to hear arguments on whether the anti-sale law violates the First Amendment. It is unclear how quickly the court will issue a decision. The companies asked the Supreme Court on Monday to block the law. ByteDance and TikTok filed an emergency motion last week asking the Court of Appeals to temporarily block the law to give the Supreme Court…

A ransomware attack earlier this year on UnitedHealth-owned health tech company Change Healthcare likely stands as one of the largest data breaches of U.S. health and medical data in history. Months after the February data breach, a “substantial proportion of people living in America” are receiving notice by mail that their personal and health information was stolen by cybercriminals during the cyberattack on Change Healthcare. At least 100 million people are now known to be affected by the breach. Change Healthcare processes billing and insurance for hundreds of thousands of hospitals, pharmacies and medical practices across the U.S. healthcare sector.…

Social magazine app maker Flipboard is reinventing itself for a new era of the open social web. The company's original app, which allowed users to curate content from blogs, news websites, and traditional social media services like Facebook and Twitter to create a curated magazine, is today launching an invite-only beta. Launching Edition A new app called Surf lets users browse and explore the open social web instead. This includes services like Mastodon and Bluesky, as well as other public web content such as blogs, podcasts, and YouTube videos. Surf uses open protocols like RSS, which provides a feed of…

The US state of Nebraska has sued health tech giant Change Healthcare over a series of alleged security flaws that led to a historic data breach that exposed sensitive health information of at least 100 million Americans. Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said in a complaint filed this week that Change Healthcare, a unit of UnitedHealth, failed to take adequate security measures and that its influence and size meant that he had access to “historic” data. It alleges that this led to what it calls an infringement. This comes after it was revealed in October that more than 100 million…

OpenAI is well on its way to becoming a for-profit company governed by a nonprofit board of directors, which could be compensated with royalties. This is according to the New York Times, which reports that OpenAI is in talks to pay billions of dollars to a nonprofit group to transfer control. There is pressure to close the deal. OpenAI will reportedly have to change its corporate structure within two years or the company's recently raised $6.6 billion will be converted into debt. “Non-profit and for-profit exist within a single corporate structure, and how do we reconfigure that?” OpenAI board chairman…

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) on Wednesday outlined how AI developers can use personal data to develop and deploy AI models, such as large-scale language models (LLMs), without violating the bloc's privacy laws. A written opinion was published for consideration. Its views are important because the Board plays a key steering role in the application of these laws and issues guidance to support regulatory enforcement. Areas covered by the EDPB opinion include whether AI models can be considered anonymous (which means privacy laws do not apply); Whether the legal basis of “legitimate interest” can be used to lawfully process…

Nuclear power startup Oklo has signed a major deal with data center operator Switch, but there are plenty of caveats. The new contract will see Oklo build enough small modular reactors (SMRs) to generate 12 gigawatts of power for Switch's data center by 2044. The data center currently serves a wide range of companies including Google, Nvidia, Tesla, PayPal, and JP Morgan Chase. others. Oklo will build and operate power plants and sell power to data center customers through Switch. The nuclear power startup backed by Sam Altman has yet to receive approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after its…

Not so long ago, you didn't have to make a late-night dash to Resy to book a table at the hottest new restaurant. To be honest, we didn't realize how good we were at the time. Hour-long lines out the door are now the norm, not the exception, in major cities from New York to Los Angeles. One reason is that restaurants are increasingly relying on reservations for more predictable revenue post-pandemic. The rise of TikTok and Instagram has elevated dining to a cultural event. Walking into a trendy spot gives you the same social clout as getting tickets to…

YouTube has partnered with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to help celebrities, athletes, and creators identify content on the platform that uses AI-generated likenesses. The tool, which YouTube will begin testing early next year, will allow these professionals to submit requests to remove AI-generated likenesses. YouTube will initially make the tool available to “top, high-profile talent, including award-winning actors and top athletes from the NBA and NFL.” It will then be made available to “top YouTube creators, creative professionals, and other key partners representing talent.” The announcement comes in the same week that YouTube began allowing creators and rights holders to…

Just weeks after 20VC announced its third investment vehicle, TechCrunch has learned from multiple sources that the relatively new London-based VC firm is acquiring a new general partner. Julian Codorniu will leave Felix Capital, where he has served as founding advisor since 2015 and partner since 2021, and join 20VC to focus on early-stage investments. Harry Stebbings launched 20VC in 2020 as an extension of his eponymous podcast series Venture Capital. The podcast was built as 20-minute episodes with interviews with founders, investors, and executives. And 20VC, which has a founding capital of $8.3 million, was originally conceived as a…