What If Clubhouse, But With State Censorship, TikTok Owner ByteDance Ponders

China’s ByteDance, is planning on launching its own version of audio chat app Clubhouse for the Chinese market, Reuters reported on Thursday.Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Twitter, Science, China, Software, Computing, Freeware, Internet Culture, Operating Systems, Clubhouse, Tencent Holdings, Reuters, South China Morning Post, Mobile Applications, Bytedance, Tiktok

Parler Drops One Lawsuit Against Amazon, and Files Another

Alleged domestic terrorist haven/free speech network Parler has bowed out of its antitrust lawsuit against Amazon. For a blessed moment it seemed we might get a break from conservative bitching and moaning about unfairness. No such luck.Read more...
Tags: Amazon, Twitter, Science, Buzzfeed, Linkedin, Software, Computing, Amazon Web Services, Real Time Web, Elaine Chao, Tea Party Patriots, Mobile Applications, Mark Meckler, Rebekah Mercer, Stacey Abrams, Parler

How to Automatically Delete All Telegram Messages

ASetting your messages to “auto-delete” is great, because it kills two birds with one stone: your various apps and social networks won’t get clogged up with conversations that no longer matter, and you won’t have to worry about the privacy concerns that come with leaving your messages sitting around forever. I …Read more...
Tags: Social Media, Software, Messages, Lifehacks, Telegram, Operating Systems, Mobile Applications, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Cross Platform Software, Technology Internet, Ios Version History, Comparison Of User Features Of Messaging Platforms

Clubhouse: The Great, the Bad, and the Very Worrisome

Like many of you, I’ve been experimenting with the scorchingly-buzzy new social app Clubhouse. As I write this, Clubhouse is only available on the iPhone (Android is coming) and is currently invitation-only, however millions of people are on the platform. While Clubhouse has awesomeness, I’m worried about a number of aspects of the app.
Tags: Marketing, Social Media, Case studies, Thought Leadership, Viral Marketing, Personal Branding, Newsjacking, Mobile Applications, Fanocracy

What I Hear on Clubhouse: For Black People, Will Silicon Valley’s Hot New Thing Be More Terrordome Than Mecca?

What happens when everyone is an “expert?” How to navigate a world where everyone’s “insights,” no matter how dubious, are cloaked in corporate-speak, strenuously hyped by like-minded cohorts, then injected straight into your brain via a mechanism intentionally designed to push your emotional buttons? And how much do…Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Twitter, Science, Social Media, Software, Social Issues, Computing, Freeware, Operating Systems, Clubhouse, Mobile Applications, Playstation Home, Universal Windows Platform Apps, Social Networking Services, Black People Will Silicon Valley

Clubhouse Promises to Get Its Security Under Control (Again)

Clubhouse—the invitation-only audio app best known for courting everyone from Elon Musk to Mark Zuckerberg—has promised to implement new safeguards after suffering its second high-profile security snafu this month. Read more...
Tags: Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Science, Privacy, Articles, Social Media, Software, Computing, Freeware, Internet Culture, Clubhouse, Internet Privacy, Mobile Applications, Information Security, Social Networking Services, Technology Internet

Report: social audio app Clubhouse has topped 8 million global downloads

Social audio app Clubhouse has now topped 8 million global downloads, despite still being in a prelaunch, invite-only mode, according to new data released today by mobile data and analytics firm App Annie. Per its estimates, Clubhouse grew from over 3.5 million global downloads as of Feb. 1, 2021, to reach 8.1 million by Feb. 16, 2021. This sharp growth is attributed to several high-profile guest appearances, including those from Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerber...
Tags: Social, Facebook, Apps, Mark Zuckerberg, Spacex, Elon Musk, Audio, China, Social Media, Tech, Tesla, App Annie, Clubhouse, Egypt Saudi Arabia, Yalla, March Facebook

Jamaica’s immigration website exposed thousands of travelers’ data

A security lapse by a Jamaican government contractor has exposed immigration records and COVID-19 test results for hundreds of thousands of travelers who visited the island over the past year. The Jamaican government contracted Amber Group to build the JamCOVID19 website and app, which the government uses to publish daily coronavirus figures and allows residents to self-report their symptoms. The contractor also built the website to pre-approve travel applications to visit the island during the ...
Tags: Health, Security, Privacy, Government, Tech, Whatsapp, United States, Grenada, Web Services, Jamaica, Prevention, Caribbean, Signal, Amazon Web Services, Operating Systems, British Virgin Islands

TikTok Slammed in Europe Over 'Hidden Advertising' to Kids

The European consumer advocacy group BEUC filed a complaint against TikTok on Tuesday, including allegations the Chinese-based social media platform isn’t been transparent about why it needs to collect some data on users. The complaint also claims TikTok is deploying “hidden advertising” aimed at children, according…Read more...
Tags: Science, Social Media, Software, Internet Culture, Mobile Applications, Video Software, Music Software, Bytedance, BEUC, Tiktok, Companies Of China, Application Software, Social Networking Services, Tiktok V Trump, TikTok Slammed in Europe Over Hidden Advertising

Clubhouse Will Strengthen Security After Researchers Find That Data Could Be Accessed by the Chinese Government

A group of researchers at the Stanford Internet Observatory has determined that Clubhouse’s data protection practices allowed its users’ data, possibly including their raw audio, to potentially be accessed by the Chinese government.Read more...
Tags: Science, Technology, Social Media, Tor, Software, Computing, Microsoft Office, Clubhouse, Secure Communication, Internet Privacy, Mobile Applications, Stanford Internet Observatory, Cross Platform Software, Cryptographic Software, Technology Internet

Good Lord, It's Only February

It’s called bipartisanship: Both major political parties have some bad ideas for reforming Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the foundational internet law that shields websites from lawsuits over user-generated content or their moderation decisions.Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Science, Software, Computing, WeChat, Operating Systems, Mobile Applications, Video Software, Parler, Tiktok, Alt Tech, Universal Windows Platform Apps, Conservatism In The United States

QAnon Now Getting Banned On Platforms We've Never Even Heard Of

QAnon, the sprawling far-right internet conspiracy theory that asserts the entire Trump presidency was secretly dedicated to waging a shadow war against an omnipresent cabal of Satan-worshipping, pedophilic Democrats, celebrities, and bankers, hasn’t exactly been the belle of the ball lately.Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Science, Articles, Software, Real Time Web, Trump, Alt Right, Mobile Applications, Parler, QAnon, Tiktok, Alt Tech, Pseudohistory, Far Right Politics In The United States

How to Turn Yourself Into a Cat (In a Video Call)

By now you’ve probably seen that viral video of the lawyer who accidentally turned himself into a cat during an important Zoom hearing. If you’re looking to mimic his feline appearance, we have good news and bad news.Read more...
Tags: Technology, Snapchat, Instant Messaging, Software, Webcam, Lifehacks, Operating Systems, Snap, Vertical Video, Human Interest, Mobile Applications, Snap Inc, Video On Demand Services, Windows Camera, Technology Internet

Biden Administration Finally Puts the TikTok 'Sale' Out of Its Misery

Good morning my old nemesis, the ghost of the TikTok ban past. Read more...
Tags: Politics, Science, Software, Computing, Biden, Oracle Corporation, Mobile Applications, Video Software, Music Software, Bytedance, Tiktok, Presidency Of Donald Trump, Application Software, Social Networking Services

How to Ditch WhatsApp for Good

If you use WhatsApp, the incredibly popular messaging app owned by Facebook, chances are you’ve encountered the news surrounding their ever-changing privacy policy. While the service seems to continually shift from more to secure to less secure and back again, you may feel like it’s time to pack up your data and find…Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Social Media, Whatsapp, Software, Computing, Lifehacks, Operating Systems, Messaging Apps, Internet Privacy, Mobile Applications, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Cross Platform Software, Technology Internet

Rep. Matt Gaetz Staffer Cheered On Capitol Rioters Via Parler as They Overran Police

As police struggled futilely to fend off a wave of rioters outside the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, Joel Valdez, an aide to Congressman Matt Gaetz, made his way to the rooftop of his boss’s office building across the street on Independence Ave. Surveying the mob as it surrounded the complex, he captured a…Read more...
Tags: Twitter, Science, Software, Capitol, United States Capitol, Matt Gaetz, Mobile Applications, United States Capitol Police, Architecture of the United States, Parler, Joel Valdez, Alt Tech, Far Right Politics In The United States, Electoral Violence, Storming Of The United States Capitol

Telegram Adds Simple Tool to Bring In Your WhatsApp Data

Following the disastrous announcement of changes to its privacy policy, WhatsApp is losing the trust of millions of users who are now looking for a new encrypted messaging platform. Telegram claims it’s added 100 million new users this month alone, and it hopes its new ability to transfer WhatsApp chat histories will…Read more...
Tags: Science, Social Media, Whatsapp, Software, Telegram, Signal, Operating Systems, Messaging Apps, Mobile Applications, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Google Allo, Cross Platform Software, Technology_internet

Move Your Chats From WhatsApp to Telegram the Easy Way

If you’re thinking of ditching WhatsApp—for any reason—one of the sticking points might be the difficulty of moving your conversations from WhatsApp to another service. People have built some clever tools to help you accomplish this, but Telegram is now launching an official import tool to make the transition…Read more...
Tags: Social Media, Whatsapp, Software, Lifehacks, Telegram, Operating Systems, Easy Way, Mobile Applications, Communication Software, Instant Messaging Clients, Google Allo, Cross Platform Software

Opal raises $4.3 million for its ‘digital well-being’ assistant for iPhone

Many people want to develop better screen-time habits, but don’t have a good set of tools to do so. A new startup, Opal, aims to help. The company, now backed by $4.3 million in seed funding, has developed a digital well-being assistant for iOS that allows you to block distracting websites and apps, set schedules around app usage, lock down apps for stricter and more focused quiet periods, and more. The service works by way of a VPN system that limits your access to apps and sites. But unlike so...
Tags: Apple, Startups, Mobile, Apps, Instagram, France, Social Media, Tech, Ios Apps, Paris, Bird, Alps, Vpn, Internet Culture, Mobile App, Screen Time

This Week in Apps: TikTok viral hit breaks Spotify records, inauguration boosts news app installs, judge rules against Parler

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app industry is as hot as ever, with   218 billion downloads and $143 billion in global consumer spend in 2020. Consumers last year also   3.5 trillion minutes using apps on Android devices alone. And in the U.S., app usage surged ahead of the time spent watching live TV. Currently, the average American watches 3.7 hours of live TV per day...
Tags: Iphone, Apple, Google, Amazon, Android, Food, Mobile, Facebook, Apps, Asia, South Korea, Twitter, Spotify, Europe, Real Estate, London

Gay Culture Is gaysovercovid

The glee is palpable when you peruse gaysovercovid, as many have in the past few weeks; its follower count has ballooned in the wake of mass partying in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and an ensuing . The delight characterizing the Instagram account, which posts pictures of groups of gay (and mostly white)…Read more...
Tags: Science, Articles, Gay, Grindr, Puerto Vallarta Mexico, Personal Life, Mobile Applications, English Words, Slut Shaming, Geosocial Networking, Labeling Theory

TikTok update will change privacy settings and defaults for users under 18

TikTok announced today it’s making changes to its app to make the experience safer for younger users. The company will now set the accounts for users ages 13 to 15 to private by default, as well as tighten other controls for all users under 18, in terms of how they can interact with other users and TikTok content itself. TikTok is also announcing a partnership with nonprofit Common Sense Networks, an education and advocacy group that helps parents and educators navigate today’s media landscape, ...
Tags: Social, Apps, Friends, Tech, Ceo, Software, United States, Digital Media, Advocacy, Federal Trade Commission, Ftc, Video Hosting, Byte, Eric Berger, Federal Trade Commission FTC, Mobile Applications

App stores saw record 218 billion downloads in 2020, consumer spend of $143 billion

Mobile adoption continued to grow in 2020, in part due to the market forces of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to App Annie’s annual “State of Mobile” industry report, mobile app downloads grew by 7% year-over-year to a record 218 billion in 2020. Meanwhile, consumer spending grew by 20% to also hit a new milestone of $143 billion, led by markets that included China, the United States, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Consumers also spent 3.5 trillion minutes using apps on Android dev...
Tags: Google, Amazon, Android, Facebook, Apps, Messenger, South Korea, Spotify, Japan, The Weather Channel, Pinterest, Instagram, Indonesia, Youtube, France, China

Parler removed from Google Play store as Apple App Store suspension reportedly looms

Shortly after Twitter announced Friday afternoon that they were permanently suspending the account of President Trump, Google shared that they were removing Parler, a conservative social media app, from their Play Store immediately, saying in a statement that they were suspending the app until the developers committed to a moderation and enforcement policy that could handle objectionable content on the platform. Parler’s Play Store page is currently down. The conservative platform garne...
Tags: Apple, Google, TC, Twitter, Buzzfeed, Tech, Ceo, Software, Itunes, President, Play Store, App Store, Officer, Apple Inc, Apple News, Trump

This Week in Apps: Apple bans party app, China loses 39K iOS games, TikTok births a ‘Ratatousical’

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app industry is as hot as ever, with  204 billion total downloads and $120 billion in global consumer spend in 2019. Not including Chinese third-party app stores, iOS and Android users in 2020 130 billion apps and spent a record $112 billion. In 2019, people spent three hours and 40 minutes per day using apps, rivaling TV. Due to COVID-...
Tags: Apple, Google, Android, Google Play, Facebook, Apps, New York, Hollywood, Media, Instagram, China, Disney, Samsung, Tech, Ios Apps, Developers

Roblox buys digital avatar startup Loom.ai

Roblox announced today that it’s buying a digital avatar startup called Loom.ai. Purchasing a company that has focused singularly on creating more realistic human avatars is an interesting play for a gaming platform that has made such an impact by building experiences that tend to cast realism to the wayside. We covered the company’s $1.35 million seed round back in 2016. The company brought in additional seed funding since then, scoring $5.9 million in total capital raised. The startup’s inv...
Tags: TC, Y Combinator, Films, Tech, Snapchat, Avatar, Computing, Virtual Reality, Samsung Ventures, Online Games, Mobile Applications, Roblox, Bitstrips, Bitmoji, Snap Inc, Zach Coelius

California’s CA Notify app to offer statewide exposure notification using Apple and Google’s framework

The state of California has now expanded access of its CA Notify app to all in the state, after originally deploying the app in a pilot program at UC Berkeley in November, which later expanded to other UC campuses. The statewide launch of the app, announced by California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday, means that the tool based on Apple and Google’s exposure notification API will be available for download and opt-in use to anyone with a compatible iPhone or Android device as of this Thursday...
Tags: Iphone, Apple, Health, Google, Android, TC, Apps, Bluetooth, California, Tech, Software, Messages, Api, Biotech, Uc-berkeley, Operating Systems

Snapchat launches a TikTok-like feed called Spotlight, kick-started by paying creators

After taking on TikTok with music-powered features last month, Snapchat this morning is officially launching a dedicated place within its app where users can watch short, entertaining videos in a vertically scrollable, TikTok-like feed. This new feature, called Spotlight, will showcase the community’s creative efforts, including the videos now backed by music, as well as other Snaps users may find interesting. Snapchat says its algorithms will work to surface the most engaging Snaps to display t...
Tags: Social, TC, Mobile, Apps, Video, Instagram, France, Social Media, Tech, Spotlight, Snapchat, Instant Messaging, Snap, Vertical Video, AARP, Wall St Journal

The crowd goes wild for Yiming

There’s no shortage of TikTok coverage in the news today as the app’s fate in the U.S. hangs in the air. What the press doesn’t always address is how TikTok gets here — how did a Chinese startup seize the lucrative short-video market in the West before Google and Facebook? What did it do differently from its Chinese predecessors who tried global expansion to little avail? Matthew Brennan’s new book “Attention Factory” set out to answer these questions by tracing ByteDance’s trajectory from...
Tags: Google, Social, Mobile, Facebook, Apps, Asia, Video, Media, Entertainment, China, US, Tech, Silicon Valley, Baidu, Panama, Hangzhou

Netflix’s latest experiment is a TikTok-like feed of funny videos

Netflix already borrowed the concept of short-form video “Stories” from social apps like Snapchat and Instagram for its Previews feature back in 2018. Now, the company is looking to the full-screen vertical video feed, popularized by TikTok, for further inspiration. With its latest experiment, Fast Laughs, Netflix is offering a new feed of short-form comedy clips drawn from its full catalog. The feed includes clips from both originals and licensed programming, Netflix says. It also includes v...
Tags: Social, TC, Mobile, Apps, Video, Comedy, Media, Instagram, Social Media, Tech, Netflix, Kevin Hart, Streaming Service, Video Clips, YouTube Twitter Facebook, Mobile Applications