Rude Baguette
Facebook and Google may limit micro-targeting for political ads
Facebook and Google are considering plans to limit micro-targeting for political advertisements, according to The Guardian, following widespread criticism over ad policies and their effect on the democratic process. Micro-targeting allows advertisers to precisely target small segments of users, tailoring ads for each one. In political advertising, critics are concerned that politicians can use micro-targeting to promote […]
Airbnb will now verify all of its listings, in sweeping policy shift
Airbnb will verify every one of its rental listings by the end of 2020, in a reversal of long-standing company policy, according to The Verge. For over a decade, the home-sharing platform has relied on agreements between guests and their hosts. The move follows a fatal mass shooting at one of its rentals this month, as […]
UK startup Medopad raises $25 million in Series B funding, led by Bayer
The UK-based startup Medopad has raised $25 million in a Series B funding round led by the pharmaceutical giant Bayer, to predict and track the development of chronic diseases using big data analysis, according to TechCrunch and VentureBeat. With AI analysis of vast sets of data from wearable and mobile devices, Medopad’s app tracks “biomarkers” in patients that […]
Google is set to acquire FitBit for $2.1 billion
Google is planning to purchase the wearable fitness tracker company FitBit for $2.1 billion, according to BBC News. With the acquisition, Google will now compete directly with Apple and other wearable technology companies, and will gain access to detailed health data from millions of FitBit users. “With Google’s resources and global platform, Fitbit will be able […]
UK agtech startup WeFarm raises $13m in Series A funding round
London based startup WeFarm has raised $13 million in a Series A funding round, to build its network of smallholder farmers, agricultural suppliers, services, and informational resources, according to TechCrunch and EU-startups.com. Globally, there are more than one billion people involved in smallholder farming, making it the world’s largest industry. Together, these farmers grow roughly 70 percent […]
Facebook agrees to pay a £500k fine to the UK over the Cambridge Analytica data scandal
Facebook has agreed to pay a £500,000 fine to the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which nearly 90 million users had their personal data shared with the political consulting firm without their knowledge or consent. The social media company has now withdrawn its appeal after a year of litigation, agreeing […]
European Commission says tech companies must do more to fight disinformation
The European Commission has warned that tech platforms’ voluntary, self-regulatory efforts to minimize disinformation need to go much further, in their latest progress report on an agreement several of the largest companies signed a year ago, according to TechCrunch. Facebook, Google, Twitter, Mozilla, and Microsoft signed on to the EU’s Code of Practice on Disinformation in […]
Volkswagen aims to surpass Tesla with expanded production of electric cars
Volkswagen is stepping up electric car production to compete with Tesla, aiming to produce roughly 1 million electric vehicles by 2022, according to Reuters. Production will be concentrated at two factories in China, with a combined production capacity of 600,000 vehicles. Tesla is building its own new plant in Shanghai, as part of an effort to […]
British chipmaker ARM says it will continue to supply Huawei
UK-based chip manufacturer ARM says it will continue to provide its chip designs to Huawei, after their legal team found that the technology is “of UK origin” and not subject to a US trade ban against the Chinese tech company, according to Reuters. It’s a reversal from earlier this year when ARM told staff to suspend their […]
Macron nominates Atos CEO Thierry Breton for EU commissioner
French President Emmanuel Macron has nominated Thierry Breton, former finance minister and current chief of technology company Atos, as the nation’s EU commissioner, according to The Independent. Macron’s initial pick for commissioner, Sylvie Goulard, was rejected by the European Parliament, which must approve the nominations. Breton could be well-positioned to gain the approval of the conservative European […]