News

Waymo expanding autonomous ride service to San Francisco

Waymo, the Google self-driving vehicle spinoff, is expanding its autonomous ride-hailing service to San Francisco. Selected “trusted tester” customers in the city by the bay will be able to hail a ride in self-driving Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles, the company said. For now the vehicles will have human backup drivers on board. But at some […]

With sales still surging, Best Buy raises prospects for 2021

Best Buy raised its sales outlook for the year Tuesday after breezing past Wall Street expectations in the second quarter. The nation’s largest consumer electronics chain joined other major retailers including Walmart, Target and Macy’s in putting up banner numbers, suggesting that Americans have continued to be spend even as the delta variant spreads. Department […]

Instagram replaces swipe-up feature with link stickers

Users on Instagram who boast more than 10,000 followers enjoy a multitude of features that aren’t available for the average user. The most prominent feature is the swipe up link, famous for redirecting users to external webpages. However, things have shifted, as the social media giant is saying adieu to the feature as it introduces […]

Judge: California ride-hailing law is unconstitutional

A judge Friday struck down a California ballot measure that exempted Uber and other app-based ride-hailing and delivery services from a state law requiring drivers to be classified as employees eligible for benefits and job protections. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ruled that Proposition 22 was unconstitutional. Voters approved the measure in November […]

OnlyFans to ban sexually explicit content starting October

U.K.-based subscription service OnlyFans announced on Thursday its plans to ban sexually explicit content starting October. The platform enables creators to post different range of content and charge subscribers a monthly fee, however, it is best known for pornographic content.  While the company will still allow their adult-content creators to post nude photographs and videos […]

Clubhouse enforces safety measures to protect Afghan users

U.S.- based audio chat app Clubhouse announced earlier this week safety measures to protect Afghan users living in the Taliban-ruled country. As the Taliban regained control in Afghanistan earlier this month, many residents tried to delete photos from their social media accounts and phones showing any connection to the West, or the former Afghan government. […]

Facebook shuts down yet another research project into its algorithms

AlgorithmWatch, a Berlin-based non-profit organization exploring Instagram’s algorithm and data sets, got “bullied” by Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, into seizing the project and erasing the data it collected. In a blog post published on Friday, AlgorithmWatch researchers explained that they’re “committed to evaluating and shedding light on algorithmic decision-making processes that have social relevance.” The […]

Facebook announces new security measures to protect Afghani users

Facebook announced on Thursday new security measures for users in Afghanistan, as the Taliban regained control over the country after its government collapsed this week. “We’ve launched a one-click tool for people in Afghanistan to quickly lock down their account. When their profile is locked, people who aren’t their friends can’t download or share their […]

New China law tightens control over companies' data on users

China is tightening control over data gathered by companies about the public under a law approved Friday by its ceremonial legislature, expanding the ruling Communist Party’s crackdown on internet industries. The data protection law follows anti-monopoly and other enforcement actions against companies including e-commerce giant Alibaba and games and social media operator Tencent that caused […]

Moscow court fines Google for controversial material

A Moscow court penalized on Tuesday Alphabet Inc’s Google with a sum of $142,877 for violating the state’s rules on prohibited content, amidst the latest clash between Big Tech companies and the Russian state. The Tagansky District Court fined search engine titan Google with five independent fines of approximately $190,000 for not deleting content banned […]