Author: TechBrunch
There is a shady industry for those who want to monitor and spy on their families. Several app makers sell software (sometimes called stalkerware) to jealous partners who can use these apps to remotely access victims' phones. But despite how sensitive this data is, the number of these companies is on the rise in massive decline. According to TechCrunch's Tally, counting the latest data exposures for Cocospy and Spyic has revealed that since 2017 it has been known to have been hacked or leaked data from customers and victims online. There were at least 23 Stalkerware companies. That's not a…
Security researchers who discovered the flaws say the security vulnerability of a pair of mobile phone surveillance apps exposes the personal data of millions of people who unconsciously install apps on their devices. This bug allows anyone to access personal data, such as messages, photos, and call logs. Any phone or tablet compromised by Cocospy and Spyic, can be accessed from two different brands of mobile stalkerware apps, where two different brands of mobile stalkerware apps share almost the same source code. The bug is also intended to publish the email addresses of people who signed up for Cocospy and…
In a blog post Thursday, Meta announced it is accepting sign-ups for the Community Notes program on Facebook, Instagram and threads. The announcement follows Meta News last month, ending its third-party fact-checking program and instead moved to a community note model similar to X. In a blog post, Meta explains that community notes will be a way for users across the platform to determine when a post is misleading and allow them to add context to their posts. Starting today, people can sign up to become one of the first contributors to the program. To sign up, users must be…
Amazon Chime, Tech Giant's overwhelming Zoom and Google Meet alternative, is shutting down forever. The company confirmed on Wednesday that it would end support for chimes, including business call features, on February 20, 2026. As part of this transition, Amazon has stopped accepting new chime accounts as of February 19, 2025. From now until the end of the Chime, existing customers can schedule and host meetings, add and manage users, and take advantage of the capabilities of the Amazon Chime Administration Console, explains in a company blog post. . However, the Amazon Chime SDK is not affected. Customers are encouraged…
Afore Capital, a company that claims to be the largest dedicated seed investor, says the initial check on new startups should be greater than what most accelerators and early stage investors were offering. It is based on the idea that there is. When it raised the aforementioned third $150 million fund in 2022, the company wrote checks ranging from $1 million to $2 million. The company's strategy worked. Today, its portfolio of 200 companies has a collective valuation of over $13.5 billion, claiming it has returned $47 million (one times the first fund) to limited partners over the last year.…
Founded by former Taskrabbit CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot, Cherryrock Capital, $172 million on Wednesday on an All-Star Limited Partner List, including JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, MassMutual and Reid Hoffman, a key venture from Melinda French Gates. announced that it has closed its fund. , Melody Hobson and Cheryl Sandberg. Brown Philpot told Bloomberg that the fund actually closed in January. The company was launched in 2023 during a difficult time for fundraising in the venture industry. As a result, Brown Philpot said it took about two years for the company to close me down, she told the outlet. Fund I'm trying to…
Instagram shows new ways creators can work with brands to make money by recommending products. On Thursday, Meta was added to a partnership ad called Testimonials. This allows creators to receive payments via written support shared as comments about brand social media posts and advertisements. This includes both feed posts and reels. The new ad format is a move to monetize practices already taking place across social media. Many brands today use paid commenters and encourage customers who leave positive reviews. For those studying new products, it's difficult to know who is a truly happy customer and who is astroturfing…
On Thursday, Spotify announced it would accept audiobooks narrated using ElevenLabs' AI Voice Technology. Given that ElevenLabs is currently one of the most recognized AI audio providers, this new partnership is expected to increase the amount of AI narrating audiobooks on the platform. To upload an AI-narrated audiobook, authors must download the file package from ElevenLabs and then access FindAway Voices on Spotify's Audiobook Distribution Service. After that, recordings should be performed before the review process is published. The title of the Spotify label narrated by AI. In 11 languages, audiobooks can be narrated in 11 languages. The free version…
California's privacy regulators are asking courts to fine data brokers who lost hundreds of millions of Social Security in one of the biggest data breaches of last year. The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA), which enforces state regulations regarding California's data protection and privacy rights, known as the CCPA, has fined $46,000 for national public data because it cannot register as a state data broker. He said he wanted it. . Following the April 2024 data breaches, public national data has resulted in hackers stealing the company's database containing social security numbers and other personal information, and involving around 300…
As Tiktok's future in the US remains uncertain, Subgel tries to lure creators to the platform by doubling the video. The company announced Wednesday that creators can now monetize videos on the platform, allowing video posts to be published directly through the Substack app. Previously, authors could share videos on memos, a Twitter-like feed from Subscack, but the memos feature does not support Paywalls. Additionally, subscribers will not be notified if the author posts a note. By publishing video submissions, creators can reach their audiences directly and monetize their work. Subrack says video creators worried about their future on Tiktok…