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Communication and Technology news
Opinion: It’s time for Google to retire Chromecast for Android TV
2018-04-11

The Chromecast is one of the best products Google has ever made. It’s low price, small size, and reliability help make streaming video to your TV commonplace, rather than a party trick for the techies with money. But it’s also time for the Chromecast to be retired, at least in its current form. If Google wants me...

This May Be The Most Important Zuckerberg-Congress Exchange Yet
2018-04-11

In a heated back and forth, Congressman Ben Junán, a Democrat of New Mexico, got to the heart of Facebook’s data practice as it relates to non-users. For the last two days, Mark Zuckerberg has been facing questions by congressional lawmakers over Facebook’s data-collection practices and whether...

Google: Gmail will get a ‘major’ redesign soon
2018-04-11

Earlier today, Google emailed G Suite customers letting them know a new version of Gmail is on the way. The email was supposed to be ‘customer confidential,’ so naturally it’s already leaked all over the place. Since then, Google has confirmed to TNW a redesign is on the way. The G Suite email was light on...

What is Switter? What you need to know about the growing sex-workers network
2018-04-11

A few years ago, the social network Ello became a punchline. It billed itself as an ad-free alternative to Facebook–and though some took to it for a few weeks, the luster waned and people inevitably returned to their normal social media habits. Then came Peach; then came Vero; there are surely others I’m...

Why Cynthia Nixon’s pro-marijuana video matters for New York
2018-04-11

On Wednesday, Cynthia Nixon took to Twitter to pledge her support for legalizing recreational marijuana in New York. Nixon, who is running for governor, centered her argument on the fact that people of color are disproportionately arrested for marijuana-related crimes. “For me it comes down to this: We have to...

The Case For Paying To Use Google And Facebook
2018-04-11

“We can’t have a system where if people want to communicate, the only way that’s possible is financed by a third party who wants to manipulate them.” Back in the 1980s, Jaron Lanier, one of the original founders of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, gave his first talk on the...

Bitcoin ‘creator’ Craig Wright is facing accusations of plagiarism
2018-04-11

It’s like the controversies surrounding Craig Wright — the self-proclaimed ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ — are refusing to die out. Wright is currently facing allegations of plagiarism for referencing someone else’s work without proper citations. In his latest academic publication titled The fallacy of selfish...

Why that photo of Zuck’s notes is more revealing than the entire Senate hearing
2018-04-11

Just as Mark Zuckerberg was winding down his appearance before the Senate’s Commerce Committee yesterday, a photo started making the rounds on Twitter. At some point during the five-hour saga, AP photographer Andy Harnik took a shot that happened to capture a few pages of the Facebook CEO’s notes, which...

Craig Wright, the ‘Bitcoin Creator’, now accused of plagiarism
2018-04-11

It’s like the controversies surrounding Craig Wright — the self-proclaimed ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ — are refusing to die out. Wright is currently facing allegations of plagiarism for referencing someone else’s work without proper citations. In his latest academic publication titled The fallacy of selfish...

There’s no way this AI powered ‘smart garden’ will be used to grow weed
2018-04-11

At no point has technology ever been used for anything shady. Social media, smartphones and video game chat channels all show that humanity can, in fact, be trusted. This is why I’m absolutely certain there’s no chance whatsoever that people will use ‘smart gardens’ to grow weed. Recently launched on...

This never-ending caterpillar will make your Facebook friends hate you
2018-04-11

Have you seen this ridiculously long post blocking your entire Facebook feed? I thought it looked like a long spine, but other people argue it’s a caterpillar, either way, it goes on, and on, and on, and on… Two of my more annoying colleagues here at TNW posted it on their Facebook wall. One of them, Nino, managed...

Zuckerberg testimony live-stream: How to watch the Facebook CEO’s 2nd Congressional hearing
2018-04-11

Ever get déjà vu? Because we sure do. After testifying in front of the Senate for much of the day yesterday, Mark Zuckerberg will face off against Capitol Hill lawmakers for a second day in a row today. This time, the Facebook CEO will answer questions from ranking members the the House Energy and Commerce...

We forced 9 privacy experts to say “I told you so” about Facebook – hopefully we’ll listen next time
2018-04-11

We should have known that Facebook was abusing our data. Why? Because lots of privacy activists told us so. Since most of them are too good of a human to rub that in our nose, we went ahead and forced them to accept our spoonfed quote. Hopefully, next time we will listen. Rick Falkvinge, founder Pirate Party “I...

The Cult Brand Whisperer Behind Casper, Allbirds, and Birchbox
2018-04-11

In a competitive startup environment, Brooklyn-based creative agency Red Antler helps founders hone their brands at the earliest stages. In 2013, the patent for finasteride, the active ingredient in male-pattern-baldness medication Propecia, expired. This might seem an unlikely development to send ripples across the...

Google might be making a 4K Android TV dongle
2018-04-11

Ausdroid has spotted an application filed with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which details a 4K dongle to bring Google’s Android TV platform to your television set. The application comes from Shenzhen SEI Robotics, which already claims to offer an Android TV dongle on its site. The application shows...

Zuckerberg’s Senate hearing notes included a dig at Apple
2018-04-11

At Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s first-ever congressional hearing, in which he answered US senators’ questions about how the company handles its users’ data, Associated Press photographer Andy Harnik captured something no one expected to see up close: Zuckerberg’s notes for getting through the ordeal. They...

The (precious few) highlights from Zuckerberg’s sit-down with 44 Senators
2018-04-11

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified at a Congressional hearing today before 44 senators from the Senate’s Judiciary and Commerce committees. I hope his non-specific “team” is getting paid time-and-a-half, because from the sounds of Zuckerberg’s responses to Senator’s questions, they’re going to be doing...

Facebook: Cambridge Analytica may have accessed some users’ private messages
2018-04-11

While CEO Mark Zuckerberg donned a suit and parroted rehearsed lines in front of (mostly) old white men in Congress today, his company worked behind the scenes to notify users whose accounts may have been compromised in the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal. Me, for example. As is standard practice when it comes to...

These free fonts let you write like David Bowie, John Lennon, and other music legends
2018-04-11

Have you ever considered writing in a font that mimics your favorite artist’s handwriting? No? Well, now you can anyway. A website creatively named ‘Songwriters Fonts‘ hosts free typefaces modelled after legendary musicians. So far these include the scrawls of Kurt Cobain, David Bowie, John Lennon, Leonard...

For facial recognition, Zuckerberg calls for consent while Facebook fights it in court
2018-04-10

Mark Zuckerberg was grilled today by a joint meeting of the Senate Commerce and Judiciary committees. The Facebook chief executive has been asked a broad array of questions, ranging from regulation, to data privacy, to foreign intrusion. And, in true Facebook fashion, Zuckerberg is talking out of both sides of his...

Mark Zuckerberg just dodged a key question about Facebook’s ability to follow you around the internet
2018-04-10

Of all the many creepy concerns raised by Facebook’s enormous power and reach, one of the creepiest is the idea that the social network follows you around the internet even when you’re logged off—all so it can serve you better ads and make even more money off your data. Because Facebook is a black...

Here’s The Brain Trust Of Advisers Steering Mark Zuckerberg Through This Crisis
2018-04-10

A look at the Facebook insiders helping guide the embattled CEO as the company moves forward and tries to regain the trust of users. Today, Mark Zuckerberg testifies before Congress. It’s a long-awaited and much-anticipated move to make amends with both the government and millions of disillusioned users who...

TNW’s Big Spam: Meet the first VR porn star
2018-04-10

Welcome to our second ever newsletter takeover. Ela Darling, the queen of VR porn, feminist activist, and avid robot enthusiast, has pulled together her favorite stuff from around the internet. She’s also joining us on TNW Answers tomorrow. Have you asked her your question yet? Make it good, and maybe we’ll...

Facebook is now offering a $40,000 bounty for user-data abuse
2018-04-10

Facebook said today it will roll out a new program called the Data Abuse Bounty, which will reward people who report any misuse of data by app developers. Bounty hunters worked so well for Jabba the Hutt, after all. If you’re looking to collect a bounty, you’ll need “first-hand knowledge...

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