Author: TechBrunch

The U.S. government announced sanctions on Friday against 12 executives and senior managers at Russia-based cybersecurity giant Kaspersky. In a press release, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it has appointed 12 executives to help protect internet users from malicious cyber threats. “Today's actions against Kaspersky Lab officials underscore our commitment to ensuring the integrity of the cyber domain and protecting our citizens from malicious cyber threats,” Brian E. Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Counterterrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a press release. “The United States will take action as necessary to hold…

Style DNA, an AI-powered fashion stylist app, creates a personalized style profile from a single selfie. The app is especially useful for people interested in seasonal color analysis, the process of determining the best colors to match an individual's skin tone. This service can be pricey, with professionals charging over $300, but using AI could significantly reduce the cost. By analyzing your skin tone and facial features, Style DNA determines your seasonal color type (such as Light Summer or Dark Autumn) and recommends appropriate clothing styles. Additionally, the app offers features like personalized shopping recommendations and wardrobe management. It suggests…

Rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts are skyrocketing among American teens. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control found that nearly one in three girls have seriously considered suicide, and a significant number, 13 percent, have actually attempted suicide. Psychologists have different theories about the causes of adolescent mental health crises. Some blame the increased use of smartphones and social media, while others believe isolation during the pandemic has played a big role. The primary causes of teen mental health problems are not fully understood, but with a nationwide shortage of mental health professionals, the bigger challenge…

In 2013, 26 school shootings were reported in the United States. That number rose to 82 a decade later. America has a problem with school shootings, we can all agree. Meanwhile, the causes and solutions to the problem are where things start to fall apart. This has become one of the most polarizing topics in a highly polarized country. Solutions range from significantly tougher gun control and stronger investments in mental health to locking doors and arming teachers. The surge in cases has spawned a small swath of tech startups trying to address the problem, including ZeroEyes, which uses AI…

Spotify is introducing a new “Basic” streaming plan in the U.S., the company announced on Friday. The new plan will cost $10.99 per month and include all the perks of the Premium plan but won't include any monthly audiobook minutes. The launch of the new streaming plans comes just weeks after Spotify increased the price of its premium plan from $10.99 to $11.99. Bloomberg reported at the time that the increase would help the streaming service cover the cost of audiobooks. The new basic plan will set users back the $10.99 price, but only gives access to music and podcasts.…

In early February, Meta announced that it would begin labeling photos on its social network that were created with its AI tools. Since May, Meta has routinely labeled some photos as “Made with AI” on Facebook, Instagram, and its Threads app. But the company's photo labeling techniques, which label photos as “created with AI” when they weren't created using AI tools, have sparked outrage from users and photographers. There are many examples of Meta automatically labeling photos that weren't created by AI, like this photo of Kolkata Knight Riders winning the Indian Premier League cricket tournament: Notably, the labels only…

Tune in to a jam-packed episode of Equity, TechCrunch's flagship podcast about the business of startups! This week, co-hosts Mary Ann Azevedo and Haje Kamps are joined by the insightful Kirsten Korosec to dive into the latest happenings in the startup world. If you're looking for sharp analysis, witty commentary, and startup quip, this episode has it all. First, the host outlined the three biggest deals of the week. First up, there's Waabi, a self-driving truck startup that just raised $200 million in a Series B round. Kirsten spoke at length about how Waabi's AI-first approach sets it apart in…

Change Healthcare confirmed that its systems were hit by a ransomware attack in February, causing widespread disruption to the US healthcare system for several weeks and resulting in the theft of the medical records of a “significant proportion of Americans.” Change Healthcare said in a statement Thursday that it has begun the process of notifying affected individuals whose information was stolen during the cyberattack. The medical technology giant, owned by US insurance conglomerate UnitedHealth Group, processes insurance and billing for patients across the US healthcare sector for thousands of hospitals, pharmacies and clinics, giving it access to vast amounts of…

Google today said it has globally paused an experiment aimed at allowing new types of real-money games on its Play Store, citing challenges in some regions caused by the lack of a central authority to approve such apps. The company said in January that it would begin broadly allowing real-money apps in India, Brazil and Mexico in June. Notably, pilot programs for fantasy sports and rummy apps are running in India from 2022 and Mexico from November 2023. The company said that apps that were part of the pilot program will continue to be allowed to continue operating on the…

According to PitchBook data, venture firms raised $9.3 billion in the first quarter, meaning this year is unlikely to match or surpass the $81.8 billion total for 2023. Emerging managers are feeling the cooling in the fundraising market the most, but some emerging VCs, such as A*, are well-known and well-established enough to still thrive. A*, led by former Eventbrite founder Kevin Hertz, former Coatue partner Bennett Siegel and former Opendoor and Uber operator Gautam Gupta, has raised $315 million in its oversubscribed Fund II. The firm will continue to focus on leading seed rounds and doubling down on its…