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Communication and Technology news
Did you #DeleteFacebook? Shady players can still exploit your data
2019-01-02

Caring about our online privacy might be popular right now, but on a wider level, it’s not as easy as we think to escape the hole we’ve dug ourselves into.

The last resort of failing tech companies is UX design – it won’t save them
2019-01-01

Facebook is using billboards to demonstrate their commitment to fighting fake news. Uber is running TV spots to illustrate the company’s commitment to doing good. Once considered disruptors, digital companies are now using the same strategies oil and tobacco companies used back in the ’90s to project the...

How a group of students discovered the sounds of solar storms
2018-12-30

We are now truly living in the era of big data. And it’s not just companies like Facebook and YouTube that are reaping the benefits, big data is transforming science too. In the space sciences, we have an unprecedented number of satellites and ground-based instruments that monitor Earth’s space environment –...

Why designers shouldn’t bother learning to code
2018-12-30

Every couple of weeks we see a new article come up that tries to answer the good old question: should designers learn to code? Our industry is finally reaching a point where we are able to step back and reframe that question altogether. There are two fundamental arguments used by those who defend the fact that...

Tech stocks are overvalued and it’s killing innovation
2018-12-29

We’re entering an unprecedented era of advanced technology and behemoth tech companies driving its development. Earlier this year, Apple became the first company to reach a one-trillion-dollar valuation, and Amazon followed suit, reaching a one-trillion-dollar market cap in September. Alphabet (Google’s parent...

3 surprising ways social ‘neighborhood’ apps could boost your business
2018-12-29

Have you ever logged onto Facebook, only to be inundated with mundane status updates from your ex-high school classmate or photos of your great-aunt’s cat? The impersonal, irrelevant news that seems to clog up most our newsfeeds is turning people away from traditional social networks and toward a new breed of local...

The fascinating evolution of the Bitcoin giveaway scam on Twitter
2018-12-29

2018 saw a new scam epidemic that gradually took over Twitter – and eventually the entire cryptocurrency and blockchain space: the Bitcoin giveaway scheme. It all started in January, at the height of the cryptocurrency mania. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin took to Twitter to warn users that cunning individuals...

Facebook pays $238k to settle lawsuit and will halt political ads in Washington State
2018-12-28

Facebook and Google paid up after being accused of breaking state campaign finance violations, in what may be the first such challenge to either platform. Facebook will stop displaying political campaign ads in Washington State in order to comply with campaign finance laws, and will pay more than $238,500...

The 15 coolest interfaces of the year
2018-12-28

Prepare your “mind blown” emojis. It was the year when self-driving cars got boring. When iPhones became confusing. When the army spent $480 million on Microsoft Hololens headsets. When we finally got to see the long-awaited Magic Leap…and it was a dud. When virtual reality headsets like...

No, Instagram is not switching to a horizontal feed
2018-12-27

The photo-sharing giant was testing a tap-to-advance replacement for the scrolling feed, but it was mistakenly rolled out widely, creating a bit of a holiday week panic. This morning, Instagram appeared to be rolling out–or at least testing–a new feed that could have you tapping and swiping rather than...

LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman addresses disinformation scandal in Alabama race
2018-12-26

“I categorically disavow the use of misinformation to sway an election,” writes Hoffman in a Medium post. Internet billionaire Reid Hoffman wants to set the record straight. On Wednesday, the cofounder of LinkedIn issued an apology related to reports of his involvement in widespread disinformation during...

Checkbot does SEO differently than other tools. Right now, it’s $30.
2018-12-26

Checkbot has an average score of 4.9 out of 5 among more than 15,000 active users in the Chrome Web Store — and you can find out why all those Chrome users are happy with Checkbot at 70 percent off right now from TNW Deals. A pro-level 1-year subscription is only $29.99 for a limited time.

Instagram is reshaping the $10B business of interior design
2018-12-20

The platform has changed the way we discover design–but it’s also raised questions about originality, authenticity, and what makes a “real” designer. When interior designer Christina Higham found her first client via Instagram, she knew she was onto something. Higham, the owner San...

Dog influencers are so popular, they need their own talent agency
2018-12-20

The Dog Agency helps canines–and their owners–navigate the lucrative world of paid posts and sponsored content on Instagram. It’s almost noon, and Loni Edwards’s client is drooling on the carpet in the lobby.Read Full Story

When Fortnite pwnd Google: the most overlooked story of the year
2018-12-20

Contrary to appearances, it’s still possible to stare down the tech giants. And in 2018, Fortnite proved it. In 2018, the platforms have the power. Which means if you aren’t Apple, Google, or Facebook, you answer to them. That’s true for advertisers, for publishers, and even for our democracy. And...

Why so many brands on Instagram look the same
2018-12-19

A single design studio is responsible for branding a slew of mega-successful startups like Casper and Allbirds. Here’s how it took over the world–or at least your feed. The Casper mattress. The Allbirds sneaker. Brandless mouthwash or pasta sauce. Birchbox, Prose, Snowe, and Keeps.Read Full Story

Italian regulators launch crackdown on silly cryptocurrency scams
2018-12-17

Italian authorities have moved to protect local investors by temporarily banning the sale of two particularly dodgy cryptocurrency investments within the country for 90 days. In a special bulletin, the Commissione Nazionale per la Società e la Borsa (CONSOB) revealed a string of websites and Facebook pages it has...

Hong Kong: Bitcoin ‘millionaire’ throws money from rooftop, gets arrested
2018-12-17

A supposed Chinese cryptocurrency millionaire has been arrested after throwing stacks of HK $100 ($12) bills from the rooftop of a building in one of Hong Kong’s poorest districts. Self-styled Bitcoin millionaire Wong Ching-Kit announced the bizarre stunt via Facebook. In the post, he declared money would soon be...

The 2-year-old Instagram influencers who make more than you
2018-12-17

The platform’s young stars can rake in five-figure sums for a photo. It’s about “building brand awareness and affinity through generations,” says one expert. In 2016, Madison and Kyler Fisher hit rock bottom. After a business venture gone bust, the Los Angeles-based couple was left...

Report: Fact-checkers say Facebook has used them for “crisis PR”
2018-12-13

Journalists who partnered with Facebook say they’ve lost faith that the social network really cares about ridding itself of false news. Facebook quickly responded. A new report from the Guardian claims Facebook’s partnership with independent journalists to combat disinformation on its social...

Survey: More support for Sheryl Sandberg at Facebook than in the broader tech industry
2018-12-13

Anonymous survey app Blind polled tech workers and found that they think that Sandberg shouldn’t continue in her role as COO. A recent poll from Blind, an anonymous social network for more than 45,000 employees of tech companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and others, revealed how they perceive Facebook COO...

Inmates in Texas could soon get 3D-printed dentures
2018-12-13

After an investigation found that toothless inmates in Texas were rarely offered adequate care, the prison system has pledged to change its ways with some cutting-edge technology. In September, the Houston Chronicle issued some damning findings about the way the Texas prison system treats inmates who lack teeth....

Google Maps wants you to use Lime for your last-mile trip
2018-12-13

Lime vehicles are now listed alongside ride hailing and walking in Google Maps. When you pull up Google Maps to get directions, under the transit option, you generally see a handful of choices: taking the bus or the subway, or hailing an Uber.Read Full Story

Microsoft launches its Clarity web analytics tool for A/B testing and visualizing user sessions
2018-12-13

To help webmasters understand how visitors interact with their sites, Microsoft has launched its new Clarity analytics tool in beta today. Set to rival the likes of Optimizely, Google Optimize and Visual Web Optimizer, Clarity lets you run A/B tests, and play back visualizations of users’ experiences and behavior...

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