Author: TechBrunch

AI is for some reason forced on us in almost every aspect of life, from phones and apps to search engines and even drive-thru. The fact that you currently have a web browser with an AI assistant burning chatbots indicates that the way some people use the internet to search and consume information today is very different from a few years ago. However, AI tools are increasingly seeking total level of access to personal data, pretending they need to work. This type of access is not normal and does not need to be normalized. Until recently, it would be right…

Security researchers say they caught surveillance companies in the Middle East. They say they can take advantage of a new attack that allows phone operators to disclose the location of cell subscribers. This attack relies on the security protections that intruders have been implemented to protect intruders from accessing SS7 or signaling system 7. This is a private set of protocols used by global telephone personnel to route calls and text messages for subscribers around the world. SS7 also allows carriers to request information about the cell tower to which the subscriber's phone is connected. It is usually used to…

Christine Hunsicker, founder of fashion startup Castle, surrendered to the authorities on Friday to face fraud charges, authorities confirmed with Bloomberg. A US lawyer for the Southern District of New York has sealed off the charges against her and accused her of wire fraud, securities fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft and lying to financial institutions. She has been accused of scamming investors from over $300 million. Hunsicker resigned as CEO of Caastle after her board alleged that her board misunderstood investors about the company's financial performance. The company raised more than $500 million in funding and filed for bankruptcy…

The privacy-centric browser DuckDuckgo has rolled out a new setting that allows users to filter AI images by search results. The company says it is launching the feature in response to feedback from users who say the AI image can find what it's looking for. Users perform a search on Duckduckgo[画像]You can access the new settings by heading to the tab. From there you will see a new dropdown menu titled “AI Images”. Users can then select “show” or “hide” to choose whether to display AI content or not. Users can also turn on filters in their search settings by…

Arirrha N'diaye-Mbaye, one of the few black women who raised over $1 million at Benture Capital, announced the closure of award-winning beauty startup AmiColé on Thursday. AmiColé creates makeup for people with dark skin tones. This is because these consumers often have a hard time finding makeup that matches their skin tone. It was released in 2021 and sold through Sephora and has become a celebrity favorite among singer Kelly Roland and actress Mindy Kaling. However, the 4-year-old company now officially closes its shutters in September. N'Diaye-Mbaye wrote about her decision to close the company with “The Cut.” “After seeing…

Amazon-owned LiveStreaming Service Twitch announced earlier this year that it will be moving to the vertical video space at its annual TwitchCon event. According to the findings from market intelligence provider Appsensa, these first Alpha tests went live alongside several streamers. In a recent build, the company found references to vertical video tests and information about what features these new streams offer. This feature, when fully deployed, will make Twitch more competitive with other popular vertical video services such as Tiktok, Instagram reels and YouTube shorts. Twitch testing is not widely available at this time. Appsensa's research found only a…

Meta appointed Connor Hayes, vice president of product for Meta, Generator AI, to become the head of threads on each axios. Up until now, Instagram head Adam Mosseri has been in charge of threads. However, the platform has grown to more than just a side product on Instagram and requires additional leadership. According to market intelligence provider SigralWeb, the thread only launched in 2023, but the number of mobile daily active users (DAUs) is rapidly approaching the X number. Currently, threads average around 115 million DAUs on mobile, with X's DAUs reaching around 132 million. TechCrunch contacted Meta for comment.…

Subscack announced Thursday it raised $100 million in Series C funding led by Bond and Chernin Group (TCG) investors. The round included participation from Andreessen Horowitz of Rich Paul, CEO and Founder of Klutch Sports Group, and Jens Grede, co-founder of Skims. The New York Times reports that the funding has brought Subscack's valuation to $1.1 billion, nearly 70% higher than its valuation of $650 million in 2021. Founded in 2017, Subscack is a popular platform for creators and publishers to monetize content. The company said in March it outpaced the 5 million payment subscriptions on the platform, which rose…

According to security researchers and US government agencies, hackers are targeting previously reported bugs in the signal clone app telemesh to steal user private data. Telemessage, which was revealed to be in use by senior Trump administration officials earlier this year, had already experienced at least one data breaches in May. The company sells modified versions of signal, WhatsApp and telegrams for businesses and government agencies that need to archive chats for legal and compliance reasons. On Thursday, Greynoise, a cybersecurity company with visibility into what hackers are doing on the internet thanks to a network of sensors, published a…

Mark Zuckerberg and other current and former meta executives have settled the lawsuit filed by a group of shareholders. They were seeking $8 billion for the damages executives caused to the company by allowing repeated violations of Facebook users' privacy in connection with the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The parties did not disclose details of the settlement, according to Reuters. Facebook shareholders have filed lawsuits against Mark Zuckerberg, former COO Sheryl Sandberg and other executives, alleging that they intentionally violated the Federal Trade Commission agreement by sharing user data with third-party apps without the user's consent. The FTC fined Facebook in…