Thursday, December 27, 2018

Facebook & Google fed ad dollars to child porn discovery apps

THE DAILY CRUNCH
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27 2018 By Anthony Ha

Google and Facebook monetized child porn discovery apps, the company behind Fortnite made a lot of money this year and a new solar technology promises greater efficiency. Here's your Daily Crunch for December 27, 2018.

1. Google & Facebook fed ad dollars to child porn discovery apps

New research provided exclusively to TechCrunch by anti-harassment algorithm startup AntiToxin shows that now-removed apps that hosted links to child porn sharing rings on WhatsApp were supported with ads run by Google and Facebook's ad networks.

In other words, tech giants aren't just failing to spot offensive content in their own apps, but also in third-party apps that host their ads and earn them money.

cp ads - facebook and google money

2. Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, banked a $3 billion profit in 2018

Fortnite became the world's most popular game, growing Epic's valuation to $15 billion, but it has helped the company pile up cash, too. According to a source with knowledge of the business, the company grossed a $3 billion profit for this year.

3. A new solar technology could be the next big boost for renewable energy

Called a perovskite cell, the new photovoltaic tech uses hybrid organic-inorganic lead or tin halide-based material as the light-harvesting active layer. It's the first new technology to come along in years to offer the promise of better efficiency in the conversion of light to electric power at a lower cost than existing technologies.

4. New e-commerce restrictions in India just ruined Christmas for Amazon and Walmart

The three main takeaways from the new policy, which will go live on February 1, are a ban on exclusive sales, the outlawing of retailers selling products on platforms they count as investors and restrictions on discounts and cash back.

5. Instagram accidentally rolled out tap-to-advance feed, removes it

Many users woke up to a shock this morning when their familiar vertical swipe stopped advancing the main feed. The company says, "This was caused by a bug and we quickly rolled it back."

6. Netflix releases a trailer for 'Bandersnatch,' the mysterious new episode of 'Black Mirror'

The trailer doesn't quite come out and say that this will be an interactive episode, but the subject matter and the tagline ("change your mind — change your life — change your past — your present — your future") seem to be awfully suggestive.

Get more stories at techcrunch.com 

Newest Jobs From CrunchBoard:

SEE MORE JOBS ON CRUNCHBOARD
Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month
Facebook   Twitter   Youtube   Instagram   Flipboard
View this email online in your browser
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Unsubscribe
© 2018 Oath Tech Network. All rights reserved.
410 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
                                                           

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Silicon Valley's year of reckoning

THE DAILY CRUNCH
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26 2018 By Anthony Ha

Silicon Valley's year of backlash, Amazon's record-breaking holiday and history lessons for Mark Zuckerberg. Here's your Daily Crunch for December 26, 2018.

1. Silicon Valley's year of reckoning

A look back at some of the most impactful stories of the year in tech news, with one big theme: In 2018,  the long-held belief that Silicon Valley is on the right side of progress was called into question, over and over again.

As startups grow bigger and richer, amassing more power and influence outside of the Valley, a reckoning has played out in government and business, as we see with stories like the Google employee protests, the first self-driving car fatality and scrutiny over the links between Silicon Valley and Saudi Arabia.

2. Amazon announces a record-breaking holiday, 'tens of millions' of new Prime subscribers

Amazon said its top devices sold over the holidays were the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick 4K and the Echo. Millions of Fire TV devices, Fire tablets and Kindle devices were also sold.

3. What history could tell Mark Zuckerberg

Natasha Lomas argues that Zuckerberg might be obsessing over the wrong bit of history. Or perhaps he didn't study his preferred slice of classical antiquity carefully enough.

4. Two years later, I still miss the headphone port

Bluetooth headphones? Whoops, forgot to charge them. Or whoops, they're trying to pair with my laptop even though my laptop is turned off and in my backpack.

5. We finally started taking screen time seriously in 2018

Please peruse this piece, if only the perfect skeleton-and-smartphone stock photography.

6. Why you need to use a password manager

Nobody likes passwords, but they're a fact of life. And while some have tried to kill them off by replacing them with fingerprints and face-scanning technology, neither are perfect and many still resort back to the trusty (but frustrating) password.

7. Remembering the startups we lost in 2018

Sadly, not all startups that burn bright ultimately make it. In fact, most don't. As we wrap up this year and look forward to the next, let's take a moment to remember some of those startups we lost in 2018.

Get more stories at techcrunch.com 

Newest Jobs From CrunchBoard:

SEE MORE JOBS ON CRUNCHBOARD
Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month
Facebook   Twitter   Youtube   Instagram   Flipboard
View this email online in your browser
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Unsubscribe
© 2018 Oath Tech Network. All rights reserved.
410 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
                                                           

Poppy debuts a proactive AI assistant to help organize your digital life

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories to start your morning ...