Archive for February 2020
Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook should accept some state regulation on content
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the platform should accept some form of state regulation, speaking at the Munich Security Conference this week, according to The Guardian. He said that as a content provider, Facebook’s role falls somewhere between that of a newspaper and a telephone company, and noted that online content should subject to the kind of […]
Belgian healthtech firm OncoDNA raises €19m for precision cancer treatments and analysis
The Belgian healthtech startup OncoDNA has closed a €19 million Series B funding round to support international growth, software development, and new hiring initiatives, according to EU-startups.com. Since it launched in 2012, the company has become a leader in precision molecular analysis, helping doctors provide personalized treatments tailored to each patient’s individual cancer profile. The company offers […]
US competition authority demands details on acquisitions by Google, Facebook, and other tech giants
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered five major tech companies to provide details on acquisitions of smaller companies over the past ten years, according to The Guardian. Information on the purpose and scope of the acquisitions will help inform antitrust investigations into the five companies, which include Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. While the […]
Facebook has acquired the UK startup Scape Technologies, with precision ‘AI vision’ location tools
Facebook has acquired the UK company Scape Technologies, a startup offering tools to identify locations more accurately than GPS using AI computer vision, according to Tech Crunch. Few details on the deal have been released, but regulatory filings obtained by Tech Crunch indicate that Facebook has gained majority control of Scape Technologies, in what they estimate […]
After losing billions last year, Uber now says it could become profitable in 2020
Uber says it could become profitable by the end of the year, even as it reported another quarter of heavy losses in 2019, according to The Verge. The ride-hailing firm posted losses throughout 2019. Last week, they reported $1.1 billion in fourth-quarter losses, down from second-quarter losses that reached $5.2 billion. The company says it lost […]
France fines Apple €25m, for slowing performance on older iPhones
French regulators have issued a €25 million fine against Apple, for slowing the performance of older iPhone without notifying users—the result of a probe that began in 2018, according to Tech Crunch. Apple will also be required to display a notice on its website for a month, informing users that regulators had found it had carried […]
Europe’s parliament says it won’t use facial recognition, in response to leaked memo
The European Parliament has clarified that it won’t use facial recognition technology, responding to the leak of an internal memo suggesting it could be used for “biometric-based security and services to members,” according to The Guardian. The page has been removed from the parliament’s “digital transformation programme,” and a spokesperson said there “is no project of facial […]
Danish startup JumpStory raises €900k to build Netflix-style subscription service for stock images
The Danish startup JumpStory has raised €900 thousand for its Netflix-style subscription platform providing stock images for marketers, according to EU-startups.com. JumpStory was founded to make it quicker and easier for marketers to find high quality, relevant images. In addition to subscription-based access to 15 million photos, videos, and other images, JumpStory uses AI to match […]
Skymind Global Ventures launches London office and an $800 million fund to back AI startups and research
Skymind Global Ventures is opening a London office, and launching a new $800 million fund to back AI startups and research, according to TechCrunch. As an extension to its current Hong Kong office, the London office will help support research, development, and business ventures across Europe and Asia. According to a statement from founder and CEO […]