Facebook was caught red-handed eleven years ago after it engaged a prominent public relations firm to try to plant stories in major news publications harshly criticising Google’s privacy practises. In 2018, it engaged Definers, a public relations firm, to conduct opposition research on the company’s opponents, including George Soros, a wealthy philanthropist. Elliot Schrage, Facebook’s longstanding head of communications, accepted responsibility for the employment of Definers and comparable firms and resigned. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is employing similar strategies to combat another rival,…
Read MoreAuthor: FutureTech
MIT launches cross-disciplinary program to boost AI hardware innovation
The AI Hardware Program, announced by MIT, is a new academic-industry alliance aimed at boosting research and development. “A sharp focus on AI hardware manufacturing, research, and design is critical to meet the demands of the world’s evolving devices, architectures, and systems,” says Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of the MIT School of Engineering, and Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “Knowledge-sharing between industry and academia is imperative to the future of high-performance computing.” As the diversity of the inaugural members shows, the program is intended to be a…
Read MoreMore than 10 lakh Indian WhatsApp accounts were banned in February
Every month, WhatsApp bans lakhs of accounts in India, and the picture remains the same in February. According to the IT Rules 2021, the Meta-owned instant messaging platform released its ninth monthly report for the month of February 2022, stating that more than 10 lakh WhatsApp accounts (1.4 million to be exact) were banned between February 1 and 28. These accounts may have been banned for engaging in detrimental behaviour on the network, such as harassing other users, spreading false information, and so on. “Over the years, we have consistently…
Read MoreIndian startups racked up $10 billion in Q1 2022 led by late-stage funding deals
Even as the global startup ecosystem begins to talk about a slowdown in dealmaking due to macroeconomic challenges, Indian companies raised more than $10 billion in the first quarter of 2022, up from $5.7 billion in the same time of 2021, according to Venture Intelligence statistics. Because official deal announcements often take a few months after closing, the record-breaking first quarter funding data does not account for the present downturn. A rise in US interest rates, rising geopolitical tensions as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, record-high fuel prices,…
Read MoreSpacetech startup Pixxel launches ‘Shakuntala’ satellite with Elon Musk’s SpaceX
Pixxel, a spacetech startup, has successfully launched its first full-fledged commercial satellite, dubbed ‘Shakuntala,’ using SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket, which is run by Elon Musk. ‘Shakuntala,’ Pixxel’s first fully-fledged satellite, hosts one of the highest resolution hyperspectral commercial cameras ever flown to orbit, putting the company one step closer to developing a 24×7 health monitor for the globe, according to the company. This launch, which took place on Friday on SpaceX’s Transporter-4 mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida, gets the business closer to completing its ambitious aim of assembling one of the…
Read MoreHackers duped Apple, Meta and other tech firms with forged data requests for user information
Apple and Meta were deceived into revealing the data of some of its users with hackers according to esports. The companies supplied the information in response to fictitious emergency data demands from hackers posing as law enforcement officers. It has recently been discovered that fake emergency demands for data extraction from businesses have been going on for quite some time. According to Bloomberg, Apple and Meta, Facebook’s parent corporation, provided hackers with information such as a user’s address, phone number, and IP address. As a result of the faked requests,…
Read MoreTech-enabled GarageWorks raises $1M in a pre-Series A round
GarageWorks, a Pune-based technology-enabled B2C startup that provides two-wheeler servicing to customers through a convenient at-home process, announced that it has raised $1 million (Rs 7.5 crore) in a pre-Series A funding round led by Hiten Shah, Gowri Narayanan, Ram Trichur, Fred Towfigh, Abhijeet Kumar, and Munendra Singh (ex-founders of BB Daily). Following an initial angel round, this is the company’s second round of funding. Dr. Aniruddha Malpani, Pawan Sharma (ex-CEO of KPIT Technologies), Gautham Radhakrishnan, and Gaurav Malhotra were among the existing investors who took part in this round….
Read MoreVedantu on track to be ‘IPO-ready’ in 18-24 months
Vedantu, an edtech startup, announced on Thursday that it is on pace to be “IPO-ready” in 18-24 months and is optimistic about India’s market prospects, which give plenty of room for expansion. The scorching pace of growth in online learning has slowed a little as COVID-19 cases fade and offline learning modalities emerge, but the business is still producing impressive growth numbers, according to the report. According to the business, 90-95 percent of the industry is still untapped, giving edtech companies plenty of room to grow. Vedantu stated that it…
Read MoreStanza Living acquires Singularity Automation to strengthen its tech ecosystem
Stanza Living, a coliving operator, has acquired Singularity Automation, an enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) platform, in an all-cash purchase to strengthen its technological ecosystem. The sale value was not disclosed by Gurugram-based Stanza Living, which provides managed lodgings to students and working people. Stanza Living stated in a statement that the acquisition will improve its in-house technology ecosystem, which acts as the company’s backbone. It will also help the company focus more intensely on building highly customised IoT-based solutions for the managed accommodation sector. Singularity Automation, backed by IvyCap…
Read MoreOneCode has raised $13 million in fresh funding led by General Catalyst
OneCode, a platform that connects financial businesses with on-the-ground resellers, has raised $13 million (about Rs 100 crore) in a new round of funding headed by General Catalyst, according to a prepared statement released on Thursday. Existing investors in the round included Sequoia Capital India’s Surge, Nexus Venture Partners, and Waterbridge Ventures. Angel investors included Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal, cofounders of Meesho; Madhusudanan R, inventor of M2P; Vikas Choudhary, president of Reliance Jio, DSP Family Office, and Reddy Futures Fund, among others. The funds will be used to hire…
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