Author: TechBrunch
In 2016, Facebook launched a secret project aimed at intercepting and decrypting network traffic between people using the Snapchat app and its servers. The purpose, according to newly released court documents, was to understand user behavior and help Facebook compete with Snapchat. Facebook called it “Project Ghostbusters,” an obvious reference to Snapchat's ghostly logo. A federal court in California on Tuesday released new documents discovered as part of a class action lawsuit between consumers and Facebook's parent company Meta. Newly published documents show how Meta can determine which competitors, including Snapchat and later Amazon and YouTube, by analyzing network traffic…
As the Earth warms due to human-induced climate change, the damage caused by wildfires is also increasing. According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, the area of forest burned by wildfires increased by 320% from 1996 to 2021. While it would be ideal to build technology to slow the progression and effects of climate change, this is a large-scale and costly problem that affects every industry and requires adaptive solutions in the shorter term. . Vibrant Planet is one such solution. The startup digitizes land maps and uses AI to help users (fire departments and government agencies) better manage…
Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) startup Synctera has undergone an organizational restructuring that resulted in job cuts, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. Synctera did not disclose the number of employees affected, but a report in Fintech Business Weekly estimates the number to be around 17, or about 15% of the company. Doing the math, the company had about 113 employees before the layoffs and about 96 today. Synctera has built a platform designed to connect fintech companies with sponsoring banks. The company recently announced an $18.6 million extension round to its $15 million Series A announced in March 2023. At the time, the…
Apple SVP Greg “Joz” Joswiak confirmed via the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that the company’s annual World Wide Developer Conference will be held June 10-14. . It's definitely a nod to the company's artificial intelligence ambitions, with executives promising the event will be “absolutely incredible.” As the name “D” in WWDC suggests, this event focuses on developers of Apple's various operating systems. The event, recently held at the Steve Jobs Theater on the company's Cupertino campus, features several days of panels and workshops focused on various ecosystems. This event also serves as the starting point for the…
The European Union on Tuesday published draft election security guidelines for around 24 (large) platforms with more than 45 million monthly active users in the region, which are subject to the Digital Services Act (DSA). regulated and therefore have a legal obligation to reduce systemic risk. Enable political deepfakes and more while protecting fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and privacy. Targeted platforms include Facebook, Google Search, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, X, and more. The commission has identified elections as one of a handful of priority areas for DSA enforcement against so-called Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very…
Adobe today announced Firefly Services, a set of more than 20 new generative and creative APIs, tools, and services. Firefly Services brings some of the AI-powered capabilities of Creative Cloud tools like Photoshop to enterprise developers, allowing them to accelerate content creation in custom workflows or create entirely new solutions. can. Additionally, the company today also launched a custom model that allows businesses to tweak the Firefly model based on their assets. Custom models are already built into Adobe's new GenStudio. Adobe describes the Firefly service as a “comprehensive set of generative AI and creative APIs that automate workflows.” This…
On the side of a highway in the woods of New Hampshire, a small group of engineers is quietly working on an advanced heat pump inspired by rockets, satellites, and more. Evari emerged from stealth on Tuesday with core technology related to rocket turbomachinery. The goal is to extend the range of electric vehicles by tens of miles while also pushing natural gas out of the home heating business. Heat pumps use electricity to move heat energy from one place to another and tend to be much more efficient than traditional space heating. Home heating involves extracting heat from the…
Artifact, the popular AI-powered news app from Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, may not shut down as planned. In January, the company announced that its award-winning app would be winding down because the market opportunity was “not large enough to justify continued investment.” However, the app continued to work for weeks afterwards, despite his February 2024 end of support date. As it turns out, it wasn't a mistake. Systrom said he and Krieger are keeping Artifact alive for now and have not yet given up on plans to maintain the app in the future. This news may offer…
Brands want to use generative AI to personalize their marketing efforts, but are also deathly afraid that AI will send a message that will undermine their brand. Adobe today announced GenStudio, a new application that helps brands create content and measure its performance, with a focus on generative AI and the promise of brand safety, at its annual Summit conference in Las Vegas. did. Currently, the tool is primarily focused on helping social, paid media, and lifecycle marketers who want to create social media posts, email campaigns, display ads, and will soon support the creation of entire websites. It is…
What do you call an AI company that is undergoing major public upheaval regarding its business health, market position, and leadership structure? Well, you might call it Stability AI. No, it's not some elaborate wordplay. We are literal. Stability AI's latest management shakeup is no joke, with CEO Emad Mostaq stepping down Work on less centralized AI products — meaning it's owned and built by a single company, like Stability AI. The startup's fundraising process is well known to technology insiders, but its most famous product, Stable Diffusion, is even more widely known. what happened? What's next? Today's TechCrunch Minute…