Your Hub for Tech News and Handy Online Tools.

Social Media Updates

TikTok Enhances Parental Controls and Creator Tools

TikTok has introduced several new features aimed at improving user experience and safety:

  • Enhanced Parental Controls: Parents can now block specific accounts from interacting with their teen's account and receive notifications when their teen posts public content. They also have increased visibility into their teen's privacy settings.
  • Creator Care Mode: Automatically filters offensive, inappropriate, or profane comments using AI to learn the creator's preferences.
  • Comment Management: Creators can block specific words from comments and mute users who use those words.
  • Creator Inbox: A new professional inbox experience with "Unread" and "Starred" folders, custom responses, and quick replies.
  • Creator Chat Room: Similar to Instagram's broadcast channels, allows creators with at least 5,000 followers to share updates and get feedback with up to 300 participants.
  • Content Check: A feature to check if content is eligible for the For You feed and adheres to Community Guidelines before posting.
  • Well-being Missions: Interactive quizzes and flashcards to promote balanced digital habits, along with a new in-app digital wellbeing experience featuring breathing exercises and screen time insights.

Artificial Intelligence

AI Video Startups Target Robotics and Self-Driving Car Industries

Luma and Runway, AI video-generating startups, are exploring new revenue streams beyond movie studios. They are in discussions with robotics and self-driving car companies to apply their AI models. Luma aims to build 3D AI world models for robots to interact with their environment. Runway is also considering video games as a potential market.

N/A

INVALID

Anthropic, an AI company, is reportedly close to securing a $5 billion funding round, potentially valuing the company at $170 billion. This suggests strong investor confidence and significant growth potential for Anthropic in the AI market.

Artificial Intelligence

NotebookLM Enhances Learning with New Video Overview Feature

Google's NotebookLM now features Video Overviews, transforming dense multimedia into visual presentations, complementing the existing Audio Overviews. This new feature allows users to create custom visuals using images, diagrams, and quotes from uploaded documents to explain complex content.

Users can customize Video Overviews by specifying topics, learning goals, and target audiences. The Studio panel is also updated, enabling users to create and store multiple studio outputs and multitask, such as listening to Audio Overviews while exploring Mind Maps.

Video Overviews are currently available in English, with more languages to be supported soon.

Technology Policy

UK Surveillance Demands on Tech Giants: Google's Silence

The U.K. government is reportedly softening its stance on requiring Apple to create a secret backdoor for accessing customer data, following pressure from the U.S. government. Senator Ron Wyden is now questioning whether other tech companies, like Google, have faced similar demands from the U.K.

Earlier reports indicated the U.K. Home Office sought a secret court order for Apple to provide access to encrypted cloud data, a move criticized as a threat to user privacy. Apple has appealed the order's legality.

Meta has stated they have not received any order to backdoor encrypted services. Google, however, has declined to comment on whether it received a U.K. government order for accessing encrypted data, citing potential restrictions on disclosing such information. Google maintains they have not built any mechanism to circumvent end-to-end encryption.

Wyden has requested U.S. intelligence to assess the national security risks posed by the U.K.'s surveillance laws and secret demands on U.S. companies.

Financial Technology

Cash App Introduces 'Pools' for Easy Group Payments, Expanding Access to Non-Users

Cash App has launched 'Pools,' a new feature enabling users to collect money with friends and family for shared expenses. Users set a target amount and invite contributors via $cashtag or a link for non-users to pay via Apple Pay or Google Pay. The organizer can close the pool and transfer the funds. This initiative aims to boost growth amid reports of lower-than-expected app usage and competes with similar features from Venmo and PayPal.

Education Technology

ChatGPT's New Study Mode: Enhancing Learning Through AI

OpenAI has introduced Study Mode in ChatGPT to foster critical thinking skills among students. This feature challenges users with questions and withholds direct answers to encourage engagement with the material. It's available for Free, Plus, Pro, and Team plan users, with plans to extend it to Edu subscribers.
Study Mode is a response to the widespread use of ChatGPT in schools, aiming to be a learning tool rather than just an answer engine. OpenAI's VP of Education, Leah Belsky, acknowledges that students can switch back to the regular mode, and the company may consider administrative controls in the future.
The goal is to improve learning within ChatGPT, with OpenAI planning to share more insights on how students utilize generative AI in their education.

Defense Tech

From Silicon Valley to Athens: Delian Alliance's Challenge to Defense Industry

In 2021, Dimitrios Kottas left Apple to found Delian Alliance Industries in Athens, focusing on defense technology. Delian develops solar-powered surveillance towers and concealed sea drones. Kottas aims to penetrate Europe’s fragmented defense market, emphasizing that autonomy is central to future weapon systems.
Geopolitical events motivated Kottas to address the shortcomings of European militaries. Delian's surveillance towers and 'Interceptigon' series of autonomous drones are designed for rapid deployment and low-cost manufacturing. A recent funding round secured $14 million, bringing total funding to $22 million.
Despite technological achievements, challenges remain in the European market due to preferences for homegrown defense companies and pressure from the U.S. to buy American weapons. Kottas believes EU initiatives like Safe and ReARM Europe signal changing dynamics and points to the success of companies like Tekever and Quantum Systems.
Delian focuses on building resilient, efficient, and affordable technology, distinguishing itself from U.S. giants like Lockheed Martin by emphasizing the personal connection to defense. Kottas is betting that superior technology and competitive pricing can overcome European fragmentation.

Data Security

Tea Dating App Faces Second Breach Exposing Private User Messages

The Tea dating safety app experienced a second data breach, exposing over 1.1 million private messages between users. This follows an initial breach last week that exposed 72,000 sensitive images. The recent issue revealed messages including phone numbers, discussions about abortions, and infidelity. Independent security researcher Kasra Rahjerdi discovered the vulnerability. Tea, which launched in 2023, released a statement about the initial breach, but Rahjerdi's findings revealed messages from early 2023 up to last week.

Cybersecurity

Orange Faces Disruptions Following Cyberattack on Its Systems

Orange, a major telecommunications provider, reported a cyberattack on July 25 that affected some of its information systems.

The company isolated affected services, leading to disruptions for business clients and public services, primarily in France.

Orange is working to restore services and stated that there is no evidence of data exfiltration. The company has filed a complaint with authorities and is informing affected customers.

The company serves 291 million customers worldwide.