Italy’s competition and consumer authority, the AGCM, has fined TikTok €10 million (almost $11M) following a probe into algorithmic safety concerns.
Moreover, this content is systematically re-proposed to users as a result of their algorithmic profiling, stimulating an ever-increasing use of the social network,” the AGCM wrote.
The authority said its investigation confirmed TikTok’s responsibility in disseminating content “likely to threaten the psycho-physical safety of users, especially if minor and vulnerable”, such as videos related to the “French scar” challenge.
One notable change as a result of the DSA is TikTok offering users non-profiling based feeds.
TikTok also faces the possibility of increasing regulation by Member State level agencies applying the bloc’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive.
Reddit is introducing a new ad format that looks similar to posts made by users on the platform, the company announced on Thursday.
The new ad format, called free-form ads, is designed to feel similar to the content that users share with each other in order to help advertisers get maximum engagement.
Although the new format may be enticing to advertisers, ads that look like regular posts may not be a welcome addition for users.
The company says the new ad format would be a good way to do things like launch a product or introduce a brand to a new audience.
Similar to other ads on Reddit, users will be able to differentiate between free-form ads and regular posts through a “Promoted” label displayed next to the company’s name on a post.
Instagram is working on a feature that would allow you to let others put a ‘Spin’ on your ReelInstagram is working on a “Spins” feature for Reels, its short-form video TikTok clone, the company confirmed to TechCrunch.
The feature, which was first spotted by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, would allow other users to swap out the text or audio in your Reels.
The feature could be used as a way for users to start trends by creating templates that other people can then put their own creative spin on.
#Instagram keeps working on “Spins” for #Reels 👀 ℹ️ Allow people to swap out text or audio in your Reel.
If released, the new feature would give Reels users and viewers access to a functionality that isn’t available on TikTok.
Former web3 gaming founders raise $2.5M for their NFT marketplace to retain users even when there ‘isn’t money to be made’Even though NFT sales volume is still down 88% from 2022 all time-highs (and down 38% year-to-date), Pallet Exchange is building a new type of NFT marketplace focused on user retention.
“It’s cool if there’s a lot of financial innovations happening, but at the same time we saw there’s pain points from a user experience,” Li said.
It’s using social media tactics like in-app messaging that lets people interested in the same NFT collections engage with each other on its marketplace.
That’s when Seiyans, an Sei-based NFT collection fueled by meme culture, capitulated the new blockchain and marketplace into the talk of the crypto world.
Down the line, Pallet plans to look into working with big partners in the art marketplace and create a separate marketplace for those creators.
Proton Mail, the end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) email service from Swiss company Proton, is now officially available via a dedicated desktop app some three months after debuting in beta.
However, despite previous claims that the client would be available to all Proton Mail users in early 2024, the company has decided to restrict it to paying users.
In related news, Proton is also making its email service available via a standalone Linux desktop app, launching today in beta.
It’s worth noting that while Proton Mail has been available to desktop users from the company’s inception, initially through the browser and more recently a “bridge” which opened up access to Proton Mail through third-party desktop clients such as Apple Mail and Outlook, today’s news brings a dedicated Windows and MacOS app to the fray.
This means that emails can be cached and accessed when offline, while users can funnel into Proton Mail directly from the MacOS dock or Windows Start menu.
Creators are frustrated but energized as TikTok ban gains momentum TikTok creators and their followers want their concerns taken seriously — and plan to push backThe bill that could ban TikTok took one step closer to becoming a law on Wednesday.
Some lawmakers’ offices reported that they were being overloaded with calls from angry TikTok users, a situation that was parodied by late night host Stephen Colbert.
“This time around is just so going much faster within the legislative process,” Jules Terpak, a gen Z tech commentator on TikTok, told TechCrunch.
Though there is no evidence of the CCP spying on TikTok, there has been evidence of ByteDance accessing TikTok data without authorization.
My understanding of the push to ban TikTok pic.twitter.com/KMXtWuFbS5 — Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) March 13, 2024Phillips has been frustrated by condescending attitudes toward TikTokers.
OpenAI’s legal battle with The New York Times over data to train its AI models might still be brewing.
But OpenAI’s forging ahead on deals with other publishers, including some of France’s and Spain’s largest news publishers.
OpenAI on Wednesday announced that it signed contracts with Le Monde and Prisa Media to bring French and Spanish news content to OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot.
So, OpenAI’s revealed licensing deals with a handful of content providers at this point.
The Information reported in January that OpenAI was offering publishers between $1 million and $5 million a year to access archives to train its GenAI models.
Withings started previewing its cycle tracking feature in some markets in September 2023 when the ScanWatch 2 launched.
“The menstrual cycle tracking feature was one of the top feature requests of our community.
(Incidentally, it is possible to use temperature tracking as a proxy for cycle tracking, but you have to be very accurate with the measurement).
By integrating menstrual cycle tracking, Withings acknowledges the complex and nuanced nature of health — and adds more features to help track, measure and predict.
The market Withings is going after with its cycle tracking feature is absolutely mind-bogglingly large.
Maybe it’s no surprise that IO River was launched by two industry veterans.
Co-founders Edward Tsinovoi (CEO) and Michael Hakimi (CTO) worked together for over a decade, including at Akamai’s Tel Aviv office, before founding IO River in late 2022 and participating in the Intel Ignite accelerator program.
All of this is relatively straightforward and for the basic functionality all CDNs have in common (think redirecting URLs, for example), IO River can tap into their native APIs.
CDN services aren’t exactly meant to work together, after all, so there is not a lot of common ground.
What IO River does is provide its own application services like a web application firewall, rate limiting and origin load balancing.
TechCrunch Minute: The TikTok ban, or at least the effort to force its sale, is gaining steamAnd some folks are pretty mad about it!
After a House subcommittee passed a bill that would force a sale of TikTok or ban the app from American app stores, debate reignited around the internet regrading whether or not the social service should face such harsh choices.
On the pro-TikTok side former President Donald Trump flipped his views, and Elon Musk has spoken against the possibility.
On the other hand, there’s a surprisingly united Congress, concerns about data safety, and fears that TikTok could be used to influence the American electorate.
This raises the question: Why not just divest the asset so that we can put the issue to bed?
