Sunday, July 18, 2021

Interviews with digital artists and game makers who are pushing the boundaries in Roblox by creating interactive art projects and MMO games (Lewis Gordon/The Verge)

Lewis Gordon / The Verge:
Interviews with digital artists and game makers who are pushing the boundaries in Roblox by creating interactive art projects and MMO games  —  Like so many Roblox players, digital artist Everest Pipkin has their own abandoned birthday world.  —  Last year, when the pandemic …



Experts say consent and disclosure are key to the ethical use of synthetic media, amid controversy surrounding Bourdain's deepfake voice in a new documentary (Helen Rosner/New Yorker)

Helen Rosner / New Yorker:
Experts say consent and disclosure are key to the ethical use of synthetic media, amid controversy surrounding Bourdain's deepfake voice in a new documentary  —  The new documentary “Roadrunner” uses A.I.-generated audio without disclosing it to viewers.  How should we feel about that?



Specright, whose software helps companies manage and share supply chain data across suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers, raises $30M Series B (FinSMEs)

FinSMEs:
Specright, whose software helps companies manage and share supply chain data across suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers, raises $30M Series B  —  Specright, a Tustin CA-based provider of Specification Management software, raised $30M in Series B funding.



What Is Pegasus Spyware That Reports Say Targeted Indians on WhatsApp?

Israeli spyware maker NSO Group was sued by WhatsApp, which said that the company's flagship Pegasus spyware was used to snoop on journalists, activists, lawyers and senior government officials in... https://ift.tt/3rgjCSV

Foundry, which aims to acquire and optimize online brands for marketplaces like Amazon, launches with $100M from LightBay Capital and Monogram Capital Partners (Tatiana Walk-Morris/Retail Dive)

Tatiana Walk-Morris / Retail Dive:
Foundry, which aims to acquire and optimize online brands for marketplaces like Amazon, launches with $100M from LightBay Capital and Monogram Capital Partners  —  Dive Brief:  — As investors fund platforms that support digital brands, Foundry, a platform that supports and acquires online brands …



How to give Windows 10 a ‘makeover’ to look like Windows 11

If you are eager to experience Windows 11 without enrolling on the Insider Build, then you have landed the right article. In this guide, we will give Windows 10 a complete makeover with Windows 11 theme, icons and UI. Read on. https://ift.tt/3xN2sic

WhatsApp bans 20 lakh accounts; New phones from Oppo, Vivo, Realme; Fake Amazon call centre scam and more tech news

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Saturday, July 17, 2021

WhatsApp is testing encrypted cloud backups on Android (Richard Lawler/The Verge)

Richard Lawler / The Verge:
WhatsApp is testing encrypted cloud backups on Android  —  Read the fine print before you switch it on  —  When you're using WhatsApp your messages are encrypted end-to-end, which means prying eyes can't easily see what's in them as they travel back and forth.



TurboTax creator Intuit will leave the IRS Free File Program, which drew scrutiny in recent years after an investigation found Intuit hid free-filing options (Bloomberg Law)

Bloomberg Law:
TurboTax creator Intuit will leave the IRS Free File Program, which drew scrutiny in recent years after an investigation found Intuit hid free-filing options  —  Intuit Inc., the maker of TurboTax, is leaving an IRS program that offers millions of Americans the ability to file their taxes for free.



ByteDance's Toutiao ordered by China to halt new registrations since September

The halt on new registrations had not been previously reported. Some content creators have said on social media that they couldn't register for new accounts on Toutiao. https://ift.tt/2Uga3r4

How decision-making by Masayoshi Son, who estimated WeWork would be worth $10T by 2028 and wanted Adam Neumann to be "crazier", led to WeWork's implosion (Wall Street Journal)

Wall Street Journal:
How decision-making by Masayoshi Son, who estimated WeWork would be worth $10T by 2028 and wanted Adam Neumann to be “crazier”, led to WeWork's implosion  —  Adam Neumann and Masayoshi Son pushed WeWork to new heights as they challenged each other to think big and bet billions.



US startups led by Black women raised ~$494M so far in 2021, surpassing the $484M raised in all of 2020 but just 0.34% of the total US venture funding in 2021 (Sophia Kunthara/Crunchbase News)

Sophia Kunthara / Crunchbase News:
US startups led by Black women raised ~$494M so far in 2021, surpassing the $484M raised in all of 2020 but just 0.34% of the total US venture funding in 2021  —  Editor's note: This article is part of Something Ventured, an ongoing series by Crunchbase News examining diversity and access …



Waystar, which makes healthcare revenue cycle management software, buys Patientco, which provides patient billing and payments software, sources say for $450M+ (Michelle F Davis/Bloomberg)

Michelle F Davis / Bloomberg:
Waystar, which makes healthcare revenue cycle management software, buys Patientco, which provides patient billing and payments software, sources say for $450M+  —  - Patientco is said to be valued at more than $450 million  — Waystar CEO aims to provide more ‘consumer-like experience’



Sources: ByteDance's news aggregator Jinri Toutiao has been blocking new user and content creator registrations since Sept. at the behest of Chinese regulators (Reuters)

Reuters:
Sources: ByteDance's news aggregator Jinri Toutiao has been blocking new user and content creator registrations since Sept. at the behest of Chinese regulators  —  BEIJING (Reuters) - TikTok owner ByteDance has been blocking new user and content creator registrations for its Chinese news …



Current and former insiders shed light on IBM's missteps with Watson, as IBM takes a less ambitious approach to commercializing Watson in the corporate market (Steve Lohr/New York Times)

Steve Lohr / New York Times:
Current and former insiders shed light on IBM's missteps with Watson, as IBM takes a less ambitious approach to commercializing Watson in the corporate market  —  IBM's artificial intelligence was supposed to transform industries and generate riches for the company.  Neither has panned out.



Russian cryptocurrency payment network A7 expands to Africa, as Moscow builds an alternative payments system amid western sanctions after its Ukraine invasion (Financial Times)

Financial Times : Russian cryptocurrency payment network A7 expands to Africa, as Moscow builds an alternative payments system amid weste...