Amazon says it will let users opt out of human review of the voice recordings picked up by Alexa, following similar moves by Apple and Google
- Alexa reviewers transcribe, annotate some voice recordings — Apple, Google suspended human voice review programs this week
Facebook to rebrand Instagram and WhatsApp to “Instagram from Facebook” and “WhatsApp from Facebook”, sources say causing surprise and confusion internally
In a big shift, Facebook plans to signal its control of Instagram and WhatsApp by adding its name to both apps …
Apple suspends Siri response grading, where contractors reviewed Siri queries without explicit user consent, promises update where users can choose to take part
Apple retains the right to basically keep recordings forever, and today's rushed-out announcement is only about humans grading recordings — not *not saving recordings of you in the first place* https:...
Goldman Sachs posts Apple Card's customer agreement on its site, says jailbreaking and cryptocurrency, casino chip, and lottery ticket purchases are forbidden
Apple has revealed more details about its upcoming credit card, and the Apple Card will come with one unique restriction and one not-so-unique restriction.
Google will let Android users in Europe choose their default search engine starting in 2020; inclusion on the choice screen will be determined via auction
Only the top-three bidders will appear alongside Google on the choice screen — Starting in early 2020, Google will present …
FCC filing: Pentagon tests high-altitude balloons in Midwest for a “surveillance system to locate and deter narcotic trafficking and homeland security threats”
Exclusive: the high-altitude balloons promise a cheap monitoring platform that could follow multiple cars and boats for extended periods
UK data science company DataSparQ has developed “AI Bar”, an AI-powered facial recognition system to help bartenders check IDs, fill orders faster and fairer
Facial recognition systems have, to date, proven to be biased, unjust, flawed, and deeply powerful.
DoorDash agrees to acquire Caviar, Square's food delivery business, for $410M in cash and preferred DoorDash stock
> in unproven food and ride-hailing it would seem that the acquirer has an incentive to pay up because it creates a high implied valuation for the category of which they're a member — even though obvi...
German regulator says Google has agreed to stop listening in and transcribing Google Assistant recordings for three months in Europe
Colin Lecher / The Verge :
Hong Kong startup Tink Labs, which has raised $160M to provide free-to-use smartphones in hotel rooms, is shutting down in many markets, undergoing mass layoffs
Handy is a smartphone service operated by Tink Labs that equipped hotels globally with in-room handsets for guests Tink Labs informed employees …
Amazon's Ring says that it receives some real-time 911 call data, including addresses, from police, which helps it curate crime news posts for its Neighbors app
here's what it's like Louise Matsakis / Wired : Cops Are Offering Ring Doorbell Cameras in Exchange for Info Cory Doctorow / Boing Boing : Amazon's secret deals with local cops give them access to rea...
Vimeo launches Vimeo Enterprise for companies to host, share, and manage video content internally, as it pivots from being a video and content company to SaaS
Vimeo, the 14-year-old video service that started as a platform for indie filmmakers, is launching Vimeo Enterprise …
Google Fit to start rolling out detailed sleep logging and dark theme; iOS app gains support for route maps for workouts
With the revamped Fit last year, Google focused on physical activity through Heart Points and Move Minutes. The service is adding detailed sleep logging to capture your entire day …
Turkey's TV and radio watchdog granted oversight of online content, including streaming services; online content providers must now get broadcasting licenses
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey on Thursday granted its radio and television watchdog sweeping oversight over all online content … Tweets: @diegocupolo , @humeyra_pamuk , @asliaydintasbas , @nervana_1 , and...
Following its move to stop selling new Dash buttons in February, Amazon says it will turn off the capabilities of all its Dash buttons worldwide on August 31
you have a month to hack yours Kris Holt / Engadget : Amazon will disconnect Dash Buttons on August 31st Tom Warren / The Verge : I will miss Amazon's Dash buttons Mike Murphy / MarketWatch : Amazon w...
Inside “Instabeach”, Instagram's annual invite-only party in Malibu for 500 of its top creators, which has become a who's who of young Hollywood
At 3:30 p.m. on a recent Tuesday, hundreds of Instagram influencers descended on Gladstones Malibu, an old-timey seafood restaurant … Tweets: @jayshams , @jeremysliew , @taylorlorenz , @ahmed , and @s...
Berlin-based Bitwala, which offers a crypto banking service with a built-in bitcoin wallet, debit card, and trading options, raises €13M Series A
Daniel Palmer / CoinDesk :
Interview with Snap CTO Bobby Murphy on augmented reality, visual communications, Lenses, Spectacles, and a future world in which the camera dominates
When Snapchat first became a phenomenon among teens in 2012, the focus understandably was on such distinguishing features as its promise … Tweets: @gavinsbaker , @_danielsinclair , @tomemrich , @ctrlz...
Researchers developed AI that learned chess not by playing but by analyzing reactions of expert commentators in text form to evaluate the quality of the moves
and do other things—more efficiently. https://www.technologyreview.com/ ... Bob E. Hayes / @bobehayes : Instead of practicing, this #AI mastered chess by reading about it https://www.technologyreview....
Google's Project Zero says 95.8% of the 1,585 security flaws it reported since July 2014 were fixed before its 90-day deadline for a public disclosure
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet :
UK-based digital identity app Yoti raises £8M at a valuation of £82M; sources: Yoti has raised £65M in total since its 2014 launch, mostly from its co-founders
Steve O'Hear / TechCrunch :
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Zoho CRM Plus in 2025: A year of thoughtful CX improvements
2025 marked 11 years of building a customer experience platform designed to support organizations as customer expectations, channels …
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Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.