Reddit is seeking a valuation of up to $6.4 billion in its upcoming flotation on the New York Stock Exchange.

The social media platform’s IPO is inching closer. The launch, under the ticker RDDT, is expected by the end of this month, making it one of the most-anticipated listings in recent times.

Reddit is a San Francisco-based mega-website that combines elements of social media, message boards, and news aggregation. It was founded in June 2005 by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, who sold the platform to Condé Nast the following year. Huffman left the company in 2009 before returning as CEO in 2015.

The company wants to sell around 22 million shares, priced between $31 and $34 each, raising up to $748 million in the process, as detailed in a corporate filing posted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday.

Background to Reddit IPO

A March IPO launch was mooted back in January, and now that is coming to fruition. The offering has been in the making for two years and is considered a major test of the market for new listings.

Reddit plans to invite users and moderators to the party, with 1.76m shares set aside (8% of the IPO) for those who have built up the platform to this point, as well as board members and their family and friends.

The mega-site is said to have 100,000 active communities, with 500 million unique visitors hosted in December 2023 alone.

Its recent prospectus detailed OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s holding of 8.7% of the company’s share stock, making him the third-largest shareholder of Reddit. This puts him in a position to profit significantly from the IPO. Still, further to that, it questions the platform’s future direction with such a prominent link to one of the leading figures in artificial intelligence (AI).

The prospectus included Reddit’s plans to utilize opportunities presented by AI. Still, some have questioned at what cost with a general user expressing fears on the future direction of travel for the site, with concerns going public will irrevocably change the platform.

“When the most important customers shift from (users) to shareholders, the product always (suffers).

“It becomes ‘what can we do this quarter to squeak out an additional point of revenue,’ instead of ‘how can we make this product better’.”

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Microsoft Edge has reportedly pulled its latest update, as users experience significant issues with the web browser.

The most recent update to long-term Google Chrome competitor Microsoft Edge (122.0.2365.63) has seemingly broken the browser, with many users reporting that the browser is virtually unusable. Following the update, the bug appeared, meaning Edge couldn’t load websites, producing an error message that ‘this page is having a problem’ or that there is ‘not enough memory to open this page.’

It didn’t just affect webpages but also some “in-Edge” features, including the Settings panel, bookmarks, or even just a new tab. This left the browser almost entirely unusable. For those whose browsers update automatically, it’s left them without access to Edge’s services without any warning.

Some users find a fix for the browser issues

Luckily, some users think they’ve found a fix, as reported by Tech Radar. However, it only really helps those who haven’t experienced the glitch yet, as it involves accessing Settings that are currently inaccessible — thanks to the bug.

If you’re in that lucky group, open Edge’s Settings, go to ‘Privacy, search and services,’ then scroll down to the Security box (nearly at the bottom), find the ‘Enhance your security on the web’ option, then turn it off. This should mean you don’t experience the same issues.

However, some users have stated that this fix didn’t prevent the issue. What’s more, there’s a reason that Edge’s enhanced security is applied as standard – for security. Turning it off leaves browsers potentially vulnerable to malicious actors online.

Bleeping Computer also reports that Microsoft has rolled back the recent update, presumably to patch the bug. That means when the update is re-released, it will be bug-free and revert people’s browsers back to complete working condition. There’s no word from Microsoft when to expect this at the time of writing.

Featured image: Unsplash

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Twitch has confirmed an increase in the cost of channel subscriptions for the first time with the price hikes set to apply from next month.

The Amazon-owned streaming platform released a blog post on Tuesday 20 February detailing the reasons for the change, the first-ever time subs have been raised.

By the end of next month, Tier 1 subscriptions will increase in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, whilst Turkish customers will see higher costs across all three tiers.

There has also been an indication of a price rise to follow in the United States although nothing has been confirmed at present.

Mike Minton, Chief Monetization Officer stated: “Twitch streamers rely on our monetization tools to reach their goals and build their communities. Subscriptions are one of the most important ways that viewers support their favorite channels,” he said.

“We have not increased channel sub prices since their inception, and many markets saw reduced prices in 2021. This year we are updating prices in several countries to help streamer revenue keep pace with rising costs and reflect local currency fluctuations.”

Starting March 28, we’re updating sub and gift prices on web in Australia, Canada, the UK, and Turkey.

We’ll be live today, Feb 20 at 10am PT on Twitch to discuss the change and You can learn more about the decision and details in our blog post:https://t.co/ejkPzMXVgK

— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) February 20, 2024

The company advised existing subscriptions will automatically renew at the new rate, with users to be emailed about the upcoming change.

News of the modest rise does not come as a surprise, following Twitch CEO Dan Clancy’s remarks last month that the service was not profitable, just days after job cuts were confirmed, affecting around 500 people.

On losing 35% of the platform’s workforce, the CEO commented:

“In terms of making the decision, we need to ensure Twitch is the right size so we can be here for a long time.”

“We have a very important mission. It’s critical Twitch is not just here today, tomorrow, but 50 years, 100 years from now. Our job is to run Twitch in a manner to ensure its prosperity and that it can be here for the communities you’ve built.”

Sustainable business

The communication from Twitch intimated there would be no planned increases in the price of Tier 2 or Tier 3 subscriptions or gift subs in Australia, Canada, or the UK.

“Subscriptions are one of the most reliable ways viewers can support the streamers they love,” added Minton.

“We are increasing subscription prices to drive more revenue to our streamers and help make streaming a more sustainable business for them.”

There was a hint of further price changes for other countries later in 2024, including the US. In a recent Twitch stream, with Minton present, a question was put to him regarding increased costs for American subscribers.

“Let me say it this way: probably yes,” he replied. “Exactly what it will be is maybe still an open question.”

How much will a Twitch subscription increase?

Tier 1

United Kingdom

Current Price – £3.99

New Price – £4.99

Australia

Current Price – A$7.99

New Price – A$8.99

Canada

Current Price – C$6.99

New Price – C$7.99

Turkey

Tier 1: 

Current Price – TRY9.90

New Price – TRY43.90

Tier 2:

Current Price – TRY19.99

New Price – TRY87.90

Tier 3:

Current Price – TRY49.99

New Price – TRY215.90

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Safer Internet Day is an internationally-observed event designed to promote safer and more responsible internet use among young people. It’s observed every year on February 6 and has been around since 2004.

The theme for 2024’s Safer Internet Day is “inspiring change, making a difference, managing influence, and navigating change online.”

Why does it matter?

This year’s Safer Internet Day comes at a critical time for internet safety around the world.

The UK’s Online Safety Act, which puts the onus on tech companies to protect children from inappropriate legal content, became a law in October 2023 — but there are concerns that it doesn’t go far enough.

Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe were recently convicted of the murder of Brianna Ghey, a young transgender teen. Both 15 at the time, the killers were able to access torture content on the dark web. This led to Esther Ghey, Brianna’s mother, launching a petition to ban social media apps from minors’ phones, as well as making mobile companies more legally responsible for children’s online welfare.

Simultaneous to this, over in the US, the Senate held a hearing with a number of the Big Tech CEOs regarding children’s online safety.

During the emotionally charged hearing, the CEOs of platforms like TikTok, Snap, X, Discord, and we won’t soon forget the dressing-down of Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), who was told he has “blood on [his/their] hands” because of their purported inaction in the face of the exploitation, bullying, grooming, and other harmful content young people are exposed to online.

This hearing was part of ongoing conversations about the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and tougher laws around internet safety in general. In short, the proposed law purports to protect young people from ads and other content that promote eating disorders, self-harm, violence, and suicide.

Featured Image: Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash

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Remember cached links? They were underlined in green text reading “Cached” next to the main link when you searched for something on Google.

Granted, they weren’t an essential part of searching online but they were useful at providing a snapshot of a webpage’s content if the live site was unavailable or changed.

Well, they’re gone now.

Google has confirmed the removal of cache links from search results due to improved reliability of the internet.

In a previous era when you weren’t sure if your internet page would load, Google cache would have you covered, and it also enabled access to sites or info that could be blocked in a particular region.

Search Engine Land‘s Barry Schwartz reported initially on cache links not appearing in the search results last week, resulting in a question to Danny Sullivan, Google’s Public Liaison for Search.

Schwartz queried whether this was a permanent change, as below.

Hey, catching up. Yes, it's been removed. I know, it's sad. I'm sad too. It's one of our oldest features. But it was meant for helping people access pages when way back, you often couldn't depend on a page loading. These days, things have greatly improved. So, it was decided to…

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) February 1, 2024

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A new app called Arc Search aims to combine web browsing, search, and AI capabilities into one service.

Developed by The Browser Company, creators of the Arc web browser, Arc Search seeks to reinvent the search engine experience by automatically generating custom webpages with summarized information on any topic.

Rather than showing a list of blue links, Arc Search uses AI to scan multiple websites, extracting key details to build a unique mini site with bullets, stats, context, and links related to the search query. For example, asking “What happened in the Chiefs game?” prompts Arc to scan sports sites, Twitter, and news outlets, returning a custom page with the final score, key plays, player details and more on the AFC championship.

a little Sunday surprise for you…

meet @browsercompany's 2nd product:

Arc Search

it's a default browser for your iPhone
…that BROWSES FOR YOU

the origin story is a bit unusual so I wanted to give you the full backstory: pic.twitter.com/pkVQJYN0QQ

— Josh Miller (@joshm) January 28, 2024

“Arc Search browses the web for you and then builds you the webpage you wanted. That’s the idea, anyway,” explains The Verge.

This idea in itself isn’t new. Tech evangelicals have been prophesizing this would be the direction of travel for search since ChatGPT exploded into the public consciousness at the end of 2022.

The “Browse for me” feature that enables this AI-powered search is still in the early stages, but shows significant potential to change how people find information online.

Arc Search also represents a shift in strategy for The Browser Company, which up until now focused mostly on developing a cross-platform web browser called Arc. With a new mobile app and expanded AI capabilities, the company is now working to sync Arc across devices while bringing more automation and personalization to web exploration.

Where can I try Arc?

The app is currently only available on Apple’s iOS but there are rumors it will soon be coming to Android.

There are still open questions about how Arc Search will attribute content sources, respect publisher relationships, handle personalization and address other AI concerns. However, the app provides a compelling vision for the future of mobile search and browsing.

Arc Search is a free download, providing The Browser Company opportunities to court mobile users at scale to hone its AI models. As rival tech giants like Google race to imbue their products with more AI smarts, Arc Search presents a scrappy alternative reimagining one of computing’s most essential functions – the search bar.

Featured image: Arc

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Three and Vodafone’s proposed merger is being called into question as the competition watchdog, the Computer and Markets Authority (CMA), begins its investigation into the possible repercussions of the merger for consumers.

Vodafone and Three are the third and fourth largest mobile network operators in the UK, respectively. Vodafone has 18.2 million subscribers as of November 2023, while Three has 10.3 million as of May 2023.

The Vodafone and Three merger is being investigated

The union was first announced back in June, with the two companies agreeing to invest £11 billion ($13.9 billion) into 5G infrastructure in the UK over the next decade. The agreement between Vodafone Group and CK Hutchinson Group (Three owner) was split with Vodafone owning 51% of the merged company and Three owning 49% of it.

“The merger is great for customers, great for the country, and great for competition,” Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group Chief Executive, said in a statement at the time. “It’s transformative as it will create a best-in-class – indeed best in Europe – 5G network, offering customers a superior experience.”

By 2030, the merger, tentatively called MergeCo, is expected to bring £5 billion per year ($6.35 billion) in economic benefit, according to representatives for Vodafone Group and CK Hutchinson Group.

Phase 1 of the CMA investigation into the merger will take 40 days. During this 40-day period, the CMA will aim to ascertain whether the merger of these two phone giants will lead to a “substantial lessening of competition.” If watchdog officials do indeed find this, they may commence Phase 2 of the investigation process.

Sarah Cardell, CEO of the CMA, said the following in a statement: “This deal would bring together two of the major players in the UK telecommunications market, which is critical to millions of everyday customers, businesses and the wider economy. The CMA will assess how the tie-up between rival networks could impact competition before deciding next steps.”

Featured image: Photo by John Michael Wilyat on Unsplash.

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Brave Software has released a new version of Brave Browser, which includes strict improvements on fingerprinting protection and HTTPS everywhere, as reported by ghacks.net.

The Chromium-based web browser’s version 1.62 is available now and should be installed on most systems automatically, or users can install the update manually by going to Menu > Help > About Brave. Version 1.62.153 should be displayed on desktop devices after the update.

Brave Software had announced earlier this week that they were removing strict fingerprinting protection from their browser as it was causing regular web incompatibilities. This latest update continues to protect against fingerprinting, just not as aggressively as before, which should make for a more stable browser for users. ‘Fingerprinting’ is the process of gathering specific information about a system or network to create a unique profile of a piece of software, network protocols, operating systems or hardware devices.

Version 1.62 also ditched HTTPS Everywhere, which is a security measure for websites that ensures complete safety for users from online threats, but its removal is not believed to have consequences for Brave Browser users.

What other changes can be found in Brave Browser 1.62?

Other updates in this latest version include changes to the News feature, with articles now opening in new tabs by default as well as users being taken back to their scroll position in the news feed after opening and closing articles. You can access this feature right away by going to chrome://flags#brave-news-feed-update and then setting the experimental flag to ‘Enabled.’

Meanwhile, the implementation of Tor has seen some changes, most notably a brand new setting, enabled by default, to only resolve .onion addresses in Tor windows.

However, the main changes in 1.62 are to Web3 and AI. Brave Leo, which is the integrated AI introduced in version 1.60 has received several updates. The main change here is the ability to react to page content changes during conversations, new context indicators and the formatting of code responses.

What is Brave Browser?

Brave is a browser that is focused on keeping internet users safe at all times. It blocks trackers and ads on all websites visited, which ensures privacy for its users. It is essentially an ad-blocker, incognito window, private search and VPN rolled into one browser.

All of these perks, Brave says on its website, mean “faster page load, better battery life, even mobile data savings.”

Featured Image: Brave Software

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Google has released the newest update to its Chrome web browser and it boasts some new AI features and several important security patches, reports ghacks.net.

Chrome 121 is now available to users but the two main feature updates are only limited to a specific set of users at present, with no specific timeframe on when all users will have access to the new AI functionality.

The security fixes, though, are available to everyone who updates their Chrome browser to Chrome 121. This update includes patches for 17 different security issues, although Google hasn’t listed them all on the official Chrome Release Blog. There are no critical issues in this update but there are fixes to use after free in WebAudio and inappropriate implementations in Downloads and Accessibility.

The two new AI features are Tab Organizer and AI theme creations.

How can I get Google Chrome 121?

Most Chrome installations will automatically receive the update but for those who aren’t willing to wait, you can click Menu > Help > About Google Chrome or go to chrome://settings/help directly to run a manual update. This will allow Chrome to download and install updates automatically, but a restart of the browser is always required.

Once the update is installed, you should see one of the following versions listed on the About Chrome page:

• Chrome for Mac and Linux: 121.0.6167.85
• Chrome for Windows: 121.0.6167.85 or 121.0.6167.86

What are Google Chrome 121’s new AI features?

The two main new features included in Chrome 121 are the introduction of Tab Organizer and theme creations, both of which are AI-based tools. They are two of the three AI tools Google revealed in The Keyword blog. The third – a tool that helps users draft copy for things such as product reviews, RSVPs and web inquiries – appears to remain in the queue for now.

Google Chrome Tab Organizer

This tool suggests tab groups in the browser based on URLs and the titles of websites and is limited to small group of signed-in users in the US for the time being. If it is available, users can simply right-click on a tab and select ‘Organize similar tabs’ to let the AI do its thing by suggesting open tabs that it believes would make up a group. Users must still manually create the group, but that requires simply clicking ‘create group’ in the tab organizer.

Users can also configure the Tab Organizer settings to control the feature in future Chrome versions.

AI Theme Creation

This feature adds AI theme creations to the browser and is also currently available to limited signed-in users in the US.

To use, simply select the Customize Chrome link on the browser’s New Tab page. Once loaded, choose Change theme > Create with AI. From here you can select a subject, mood, style and color to generate a set of themes.

Users can also configure the Create Theme settings to control the feature in future Chrome versions.

What other changes are in Chrome 121?

There are some smaller changes for users to enjoy in Chrome 121.

• The Side Panel icon has been removed from the main toolbar.
• Google’s third-party cookie depreciation continues, with around 1% of Chrome users now having third-party cookies disabled already.
• Users are now able to view clicked links on supported web apps if they’re supported. Chrome displays a chip in the address bar to suggest switching to the installed app.
• Standard Safe Browsing may now prompt users for the password of an encrypted archive. Google says the password is used locally and is not shared with Google directly.

Featured Image: Photo by Growtika on Unsplash

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Apple is estimated to have sold around 180, 000 Vision Pro headsets on the first pre-order weekend, according to an analyst.

As reported by End Gadget, this early indication reflects a slow start for the mixed-reality entertainment device but it is still in its very early stages.

Based on pre-order inventory and shipping time information, Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted the trillion-dollar company has taken between 160,000 and 180,000 orders for its new launch.

The report suggests this figure dwarfed the initial production figures but overall it is still a drop in the ocean compared to Apple’s reported 1.2 billion active users.

Early Obstacles for Apple’s Vision Pro

Kuo pointed out shipping times have remained unchanged for those who have bought the new headset, which can be a sign of lesser demand if it is not pushed back.

“The inability to sustain a steady increase in pre-order demand is a major concern and also confirms earlier concerns about whether the intensity of demand can be sustained,” wrote Kuo, who works for investment research firm TF International Securities.

The Vision Pro is expected to have its full release around June, so Apple will be keen to build momentum and exposure for the product building up to that point.

It has to be said that the Vision Pro will not be for everyone, especially with its heavy price tag. At an entry point of $3,499, the new device could become a niche product that will present its challenges. Apple will need to ensure it is capable of selling enough units, but one option will be to release a cheaper model.

Vision Pro has also been beset with a snub from YouTube, Netflix, and Spotify with those platforms confirming they will not be launching a dedicated app for the new Apple headset. Instead, users will need to use a web browser to avail of their services.

Apple is rolling out a 25-minute demo service on the Vision Pro in its stores which will be accepted by its hardcore fans but will the wider consumer base have the appetite as well as the means to take a bite at this latest production?

An interesting few months lie ahead for the full launch of Apple Vision Pro.

Featured Image: Apple

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Rumble, the online video-hosting platform that claims to be a free speech YouTube alternative, is reportedly under investigation by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

According to WIRED, the SEC confirmed the investigation after a public records request by the news organization in November. It had denied the request on the grounds that an “active and ongoing” inquiry was taking place in relation to the company. The response follows claims made against the company including that it allegedly inflated certain metrics, which Rumble denies.

Following the announcement, founder Chris Pavlovski posted on X that the “report is bogus.” He said the company had proof in the form of Google Analytics to track monthly active users and criticized the move as a tactic “to get investors to sell the stock so that the short seller profits.”

The playbook to try and destroy $RUM (Rumble)

A short seller creates a bogus report and sends it to the SEC. The SEC investigates the bogus report. Then the short seller talks to the media to get a story about how the SEC is investigating the report that started with him. The…

— Chris Pavlovski (@chrispavlovski) January 8, 2024

“This is just the start, they’re coming for us in 2024. They can’t stand Rumble’s mission, but they are going to learn quickly how hard we punch back,” he added while stating he was exploring legal options to “hold short sellers accountable.”

The SEC, however, noted that the probe did not necessarily mean “any violations of law have occurred with respect to any person, entity, or security.” As a result, the exact nature of the investigation is unclear.

Melinda Hardy, the SEC’s assistant general counsel for litigation and administrative practice, confirmed the investigation in a letter sent on January 8th. Hardy further explained that releasing the documents could potentially harm the ongoing and active proceedings. She noted that this could happen because individuals and entities involved in the investigation might fabricate evidence, tamper with witness testimony, or destroy or modify relevant documents.

What has Rumble said?

Rumble spokesperson Rory Rumore responded to the allegations saying the company provided information to the SEC voluntarily and cautioned against anyone from jumping to false conclusions.

Rumble’s legal challenges

It is not the first time Rumble has become involved with legal matters. In November, the platform filed a lawsuit against two people connected to Media Matters. Rumble’s court filings state that two individuals who ran ‘Check My Ads’ created fake profiles, sought out objectionable user-uploaded videos, and refreshed the pages multiple times until they could capture screenshots showing ads from high-profile brands next to the offending content. This data was subsequently utilized by Media Matters in a campaign urging major brands to steer clear of Rumble.

Who are Rumble’s investors?

The video network is backed by billionaire Peter Thiel, which became a publicly traded company in 2022. “Hillbilly Elegy” author J.D. Vance is also an investor, along with Colt Ventures, the family office of Dallas investor and former Trump adviser Darren Blanton. Its valuation currently exceeds $1.2 billion.

The platform was founded in 2013 by the Canadian entrepreneur, and posits itself as an alternative to “cancel culture.” In a statement on the website, Pavlovski wrote: “We are a movement that does not stifle, censor, or punish creativity and freedom of expression. We believe everyone benefits when they have access to more ideas and diverse opinions.”

Featured Image: Canva / Rumble / U.S. Government

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Logan Paul announced in an X post that he has “personally committed” to a $2.3 million to buy back eggs associated with the failed non-fungible token (NFT) game CryptoZoo. However, anyone who gets a buy-back in this way is agreeing not to participate in any legal action against Paul, including the class action lawsuit he is currently subject to.

The time frame to claim buybacks lasts until Feb 8. Paul is providing claimants 0.1 Ethereum (ETH) for each eligible returned NFT, which some might see as better than nothing. It’s about the equivalent of $224. However, it’s a lot less than they might be eligible for if the class action lawsuit against Paul succeeds.

The ground-level buy-in for CryptoZoo consisted of ‘Base Animals’ or ‘Base Eggs’, NFTs that would eventually be used in-game for breeding and other activities. The game, which was announced on YouTube in August 2021, was meant to be a “really fun game that makes you money,” but was never completed.

Today, I am incredibly happy to announce that I am delivering on my promise to buy back Base Egg and Base Animal CryptoZoo NFTs for their original purchase price. This buy-back program is being carried out at https://t.co/XIQzLAGKiG. Claims can be submitted through this site… pic.twitter.com/VMPDHvdXkq

— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) January 4, 2024

Base Eggs and Base Animals frequently cost over 1 ETH each (over $2200). The buy-back amount being offered by Paul is a fraction of that. Paired with the terms and conditions of the refund stating that claimants “are waiving any actual or anticipated claims against Paul”, there is speculation that he is trying to minimize his losses.

Logan Paul faces class action lawsuit over CryptoZoo

Class action lawsuit damages can include full refunds of what the buyer initially lost, plus damages and fees. “Paul may be betting (or at least hoping) that enough people who would otherwise be potential class members will take him up on this offer and drastically reduce his potential exposure in the pending case by doing so,” said Rob Freund, a lawyer who spoke to TechCrunch about this issue. “That would let him angle for a much more favorable settlement.”

The social media influencer and professional wrestler has this week filed a counterclaim to the class action suit, alleging that two of the people who also worked on the game are “con artists” who “sabotaged” CryptoZoo. He has made the full counterclaim document public.

Paul claims that he never made any money off CryptoZoo; “In fact, the opposite is true, because I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to make it happen,” he said on X, going on to say that the game will never be released. “I personally spent $400,000 to have it developed and after its completion in early 2023 & some further diligence, unfortunately, there are too many regulatory hurdles that would need to be cleared that I did not originally understand and would ultimately delay this buy-back even further.”

Featured image credit: Erik Drost via Wikimedia Commons and @CryptoZooCo

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It’s been in the pipeline for years and it’s now it’s here – Google has begun killing off third-party cookies in Chrome.

The search giant has taken its time. They are four years behind Mozilla’s Firefox browser and Apple’s Safari browser but now, with their alternative user tracking system, ‘Privacy Sandbox,‘ in place, it’s time to end tracking cookies in Chrome once and for all.

When will third-party cookies be phased out in Chrome?

For approximately 30 million Chrome users, right now. Towards the end of last year, the search giant outlined the changes in an update posted on their blog.

On Dec.14, Anthony Chavez the VP of Privacy Sandbox wrote: “On January 4, we’ll begin testing Tracking Protection, a new feature that limits cross-site tracking by restricting website access to third-party cookies by default.

“We’ll roll this out to 1% of Chrome users globally, a key milestone in our Privacy Sandbox initiative to phase out third-party cookies for everyone in the second half of 2024, subject to addressing any remaining competition concerns from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).”

What are third-party cookies used for and why is this a big deal?

Third-party cookies are small pieces of data stored on your web browser by websites other than the one you’re currently visiting. These cookies are created by third-party companies or domains that are not the primary website you’re interacting with. They are used for personalized advertising and website analytics by tracking user behavior across different websites.

Stopping them matters to online businesses because cookies help sites make money by enabling targeted advertising. Targeted ads mean better ad engagement which in turn means more revenue for advertisers, publishers, and online platforms.

Google’s plan to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome – the world’s most popular web browser – will not go unchallenged.  Several antitrust investigations from both the EU Commission and the CMA are ongoing.

Thousands of advertisers rely on cookies for their revenue and their job will become harder in the short term. Publishers have also been concerned. It becomes harder to monetize websites and ad yields fall. It might lead to a decline in the quality of the content we see online or, what is more likely, we will see more publishers switching to subscription models and a heavier push towards first-party data capture – most commonly done through registration with a website.

But what about the little guy, the casual internet browser? Well, for them the end of third-party cookies has a lot of positives. Firstly we become harder to track( ‘harder’ but not impossible). Secondly, it meets the growing demands of consumers to have better data privacy.

What is Google Chrome’s new ‘Tracking Protection’?

It’s essentially the function which will stop websites from using third-party cookies to track you as you move around the web.

Google emphasized we won’t all get it all at once. Participants will be chosen at random and get a notification when they open Chrome on desktop or Android.

Gradually it will be rolled out to more and more users.

Picture: Created by DALL-E

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PornHub and other Aylo sites are now blocked in North Carolina and Montana as the state’s age verification laws have come into effect, reports Engadget. As well as PornHub, Aylo also owns pornographic websites Brazzers, Redtube, and YouPorn.

Louisiana introduced laws requiring adult platforms and websites to verify users’ age in 2023, and multiple other states have followed suit, including Utah, Arkansas, Mississippi, Virginia, and Texas. Many of the laws are very similar to Louisiana’s law, which includes claims about pornography addiction and the risk of harm to viewers.

Instead of making users in these states jump through hoops to verify their age, Aylo has decided to simply block their sites in those states. Users in those states attempting to access the site will find a message from the site, delivered by Cherie DeVille, a performer. In the message, DeVille explains why the sites are no longer accessible.

Why has PornHub been blocked in North Carolina and Montana?

Many other websites have chosen to implement third-party age verification to allow users in these states to continue to access their websites, but Aylo-owned sites are not taking this path.

In Louisiana, there is a state ID driving license app which PornHub is using to verify local users’ ages. However, many states do not have such an app, and the sites have concerns about privacy and safety.

“As you may know, your elected officials in your state are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website. While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users, and in fact, will put children and your privacy at risk.” States the message on Aylo’s sites.

It continues: “The safety of our users is one of our biggest concerns. We believe that the best and most effective solution for protecting children and adults alike is to identify users by their devices and allow access to age-restricted materials and websites based on that identification. Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in your state.”

The EU is also making moves to regulate PornHub under new rules governing very large online platforms, with over 45 million users per month.

Featured image: Unsplash and Pexels

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Telegram, the messaging platform, launched its most recent update on New Year’s Eve, boasting a brand-new calls interface and some colorful visual design, along with its biggest-ever bot update.

Latest Telegram update offers improved calls

Whilst best known for messaging, Telegram also features end-to-end encrypted voice and video calling. The recent update has redesigned the call interface, including dynamic backgrounds that change whether the call is ringing, active, or ended. Despite the new design having multiple animations, Telegram has stated the new interface uses fewer resources than the old one, draining less battery and improving performance on older devices.

Vaporize animation on message delete

A fun new addition to the app – whenever a user deletes a message they will experience what Telegram is calling a “Thanos Snap” animation – the message will pop and vaporize out of existence. This was introduced last month as a trial on iOS but has now rolled out across platforms.

Bot platform update

Telegram offers developers powerful tools to create integrated services from chatbots to mini-apps that can replace a website. Bot developers have been treated to the biggest bot tools update to date. It adds “dozens” of new features, including bot message reactions, managing reactions, quotes, and links, and sending replies to other chats.

A full list of new features and updates to Telegram’s bot platform can be found in the change log. The blog post announcing the update states that there are even more features included in this update but these won’t be announced until January.

There are thousands of bots available on the platform and they can do anything from gaming to ChatGPT integration. They are definitely worth looking into for some easy efficiencies, especially if you’re already a Telegram user.

The communication platform is used by over 800 million users monthly. It has raised over $1.2 billion in debt financing, including through bond sales, but is still not profitable.

Featured Image Credit: Graphic by Dima Solomin; Unsplash.

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Chrome extensions help users of the world’s most popular browser personalize their experience and Google has released a list of its favorites of the year – with one area conspicuously missing.

From improving the aesthetic of your browser to boosting productivity, there’s a Chrome extension for everything. One of the most popular uses is ad-blocking software, which automatically blocks pop-up and pre-roll ads.

Many sites will now require you to turn off your ad blocker to access their pages as it impacts their ad-based revenue and such extensions are also not popular with Google. It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that ad-blocking extensions do not appear anywhere on Google’s list of top extensions for 2023.

Google hasn’t been quiet about its plan to prevent ad-blocking software from working at all, as part of its long-term plan to improve its services. After all, ad block impacts its revenue made through YouTube videos and on-site ads, so it was inevitable that ad-blocking extensions aren’t top of Google’s list of favorites for 2023.

Google’s top 12 Chrome extensions of 2023

Despite skipping over what’s surely one of the most used Chrome extensions, there are still some handy examples included in their list, such as:

• Scribe, which uses AI to document workflows and create step-by-step guides to easily train colleagues
• DeepL Translate, which translates web pages without navigating away from the page
• QuillBot, which allows you to compose and respond to emails faster with its spell checker, summarizer tool, and AI writing assistant
• Sider, an in-browser sidebar that lets you use generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Bard without having to open another tab
• Teal, which bookmarks jobs from popular job boards and keeps job applications in one place
• Transkriptor, a tool for automatically transcribing meetings from audio to text to review later
• Bonjourr, to create a minimalist aesthetic on  your Chrome homepage
• Speechify, a text-to-speech extension that reads articles, emails and PDFs using natural voices and accents for those who prefer to listen than read
• Equalizer, offering more fine-tuned audio controls for online content
• Boxel 3D, a platformer game that allows you to create your own levels
• BTRoblox, to enhance the game’s platform with a variety of new features
• Coupert, an extension designed to find the best promo codes from across the web and automatically apply them at checkout

Featured image: DALL-E

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Update: 15th December

Yesterday we published a story regarding Twitch’s update to its sexual content guidelines, but after accusations of not being clear, and a host of streamers publishing questionable content to the platform, Twitch has now been forced to update its update stating the following:

“On Wednesday, we updated our Sexual Content Policy. Our primary goal in making these updates was to make our guidelines easier to understand and enforce.

Part of this update included changes to how we treat fictionalized nudity. For years, through UserVoice and in conversations, we heard from artists that our content policies were limiting. In making this update, we were trying to be responsive to these requests and allow the thriving artist community on Twitch to utilize the human form in their art.

First, we want to make clear that some streamers, in response to this update, created content that was in violation of our new policy. We’ve worked quickly to remove that content and issue channel enforcements.”

Twitch goes on to say, “So, effective today, we are rolling back the artistic nudity changes. Moving forward, depictions of real or fictional nudity won’t be allowed on Twitch, regardless of the medium. This restriction does not apply to Mature-rated games.

While I wish we would have predicted this outcome, part of our job is to make adjustments that serve the community. I apologize for the confusion that this update has caused.”

The update comes after streamers took advantage of the wording of the new conditions to stream the drawing of X-Rated material so such a point some users were accusing the service of being “like a porn site for 25 hours.” in the comments to the below which appeared on X.

We’re making some additional updates to our Sexual Content Policy. We realize that our earlier update caused confusion and appreciate all the feedback we’ve received. Thanks for always coming together with us to help build the best version of Twitch.

Check out the changes here:… https://t.co/Qj9IJLntff

— Twitch (@Twitch) December 15, 2023

13th December

Twitch has updated and clarified its policy on explicit and sexual content after a streamer was banned over the weekend for appearing to be topless in a stream.

The streamer, Morgpie, was live on the Amazon-owned streaming platform with her shoulders and collarbone visible. She received a ban from the online stream platform as a result. Speaking to Dexerto, the streamer stated that she is fully clothed, wearing a very low-cut top which is not visible on camera.

In their announcement, Twitch acknowledged their previous guidelines were confusing because there were two sections which dealt with sexually explicit content, along with further guidelines on when streamers need to label their content as including sexual themes.

The guidelines now clarify that female presenting streamers must not show their nipples on stream and that they do not permit exposed under-bust. They do allow cleavage and as a result Morgpie argues that she did not break the terms of service.

Twitch acknowledged that the previous wording of their policy resulted in female presenting users of the platform being unfairly and disproportionately penalized. As a result, some previously banned content will now be allowed with a label.

We’ve gotten feedback that our policies around sexual content are unclear so we’ve drawn clearer boundaries between what is & isn’t permitted on Twitch.

We also recognize that not everyone wants to see certain content, so we’re updating our criteria for homepage recommendations. pic.twitter.com/rvZ4kFADR6

— Twitch (@Twitch) December 13, 2023

Twitch makes updates to the front page policy

In the updated policy, the live-streaming platform has also clarified how content is promoted to the front page. Previously, users arriving to the Twitch homepage had a chance to see thumbnails from streams that included content that was labeled as mature.

However, the website has changed its homepage recommendation algorithm so that any stream labeled Drugs, Intoxication, or Excessive Tobacco Use; Violent and Graphic Depictions; Gambling; and/or Sexual Themes will no longer be eligible for promotion on the homepage. However, streams labeled as containing profanity or mature games will not be affected and will still be included on the homepage.

The statement released says: “Making this change helps ensure that viewers will not see content they haven’t consented to see.”

Twitch launched in 2011 as a live streaming service focused on gamings. It hit 3.2 million users per month within its first year.

Three years later, Amazon parted with $970 million in cash to acquire Twitch. Today, Twitch has 140 million monthly active users (MAUs).

Featured image credit: Twitch

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Jimmy Doladson, also known as MrBeast, the most-subscribed YouTuber in America, has launched a new YouTube analytics platform alongside creator Chucky Appleby. ViewStats is currently available in beta.

In the world of content creation, MrBeast is known for his attention to detail, even going so far as to A/B test whether mouth-open or mouth-closed thumbnails work best. One of the goals Donaldson and Appleby have for ViewStats is to enable other creators to approach their content in a more analytical, data-driven way, according to an interview in TubeFilter. They want it to be so useful that creators check it daily.

What information does ViewStats have?

ViewStats uses the YouTube public API to serve data to users on a clean, simple interface. Search for a channel and you will see a range of information, from simple metrics such as the number of subscribers and views a channel has, to estimated revenue for the time period.

You can also drill down into the data and view per-video statistics such as views per hour and video revenue. The site also shows projections for future performance and growth. Each channel page has a section where users can find other similar channels, ranked by “similarity score”, which could be a very useful tool for viewers and channel discoverability.

As well as a website, users can install a Chrome extension to use the tool.

What features will be added in the future?

Speaking to TubeFilter, Appleby said, “We realized that we should create a data site to help people understand their analytics, to make it easier to make better video ideas,” adding, “[Jimmy and I] are obsessed with content. And our approach was to say, ‘We are only going to add features that we know actually affect the performance of a YouTube video.’”

So far, they plan on adding “tools that help with ideation and thumbnail design” to ViewStats. These are expected to come in the next few months. Appleby said that the tools will resemble some of the tools that the MrBeast team uses to ensure his videos are performing as expected. “There’s so much more that we’re going to be building,” Appleby told Tubefilter.

It is currently unclear how ViewStats plans on monetizing its platform. Other similar tools offer a free tier and a premium tier which includes additional information. They have also not ruled out on-site advertising. It is also not known at this time how the tool will handle data generated by tools like YouTube’s Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated summaries.

Featured Image: NickRewind, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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American viewers can now watch movies and shows from the ad-free tier of Max on YouTube Primetime.

For a while now, the world’s most popular video-sharing platform has used its Primetime Channels to host third-party entertainment from several networks. Now, Warner Bros.’ Max (formerly HBO Max) has teamed up with YouTube to provide the ad-free tier of Max via Primetime.

That means American viewers will be able to watch a variety of scripted and unscripted programming from Warner Bros. brands like HBO, TLC, Food Network, HGTV, Cartoon Network, and OWN from December 15 onwards.

This integration is the latest effort from Warner Bros. to encourage Max subscriptions. Max’s With-Ads tier is currently priced at $9.99 a month, and its Standard Ad-Free tier is $15.99 a month, as well as its highest-priced Ultimate Ad-Free tier at $19.99 a month.

Using YouTube Primetime, users can browse, sign up for and watch their favourite shows, movies, sports and more. With so many streaming options today, Primetime Channels are designed to make it easier for viewers to watch content from multiple streaming services in one place, as well as subscribe directly to YouTube.

How to watch Max content on YouTube Primetime

You can find Primetime Channels by visiting the Explore tab on the left of YouTube, then navigating to ‘Movies and TV’. You can subscribe and watch more than 40 on-demand streaming services, with many offering a seven-day trial before requiring a paid subscription.

YouTube primetime channels are similar to Amazon Prime Channels, allowing you to stream across various networks via the YouTube app. You can also manage your different subscription services in one place.

Other features within the YouTube app or website include the recent addition of the Multiview feature, offering sports fans the option to watch four different games at once. The progression of the platform demonstrates that Google is working on having YouTube function as more than the video site it once was, but as a multi-functional entertainment platform and, in its ideal world, as a go-to streaming service for Google customers.

Featured image: Unsplash

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Online video platform Rumble is cracking down on Media Matters with a new lawsuit targeting people connected to the left-leaning website.

The suit from the video-sharing platform, popular with free speech advocates, alleges the non-profit media watchdog group engaged in misleading and unethical practices to damage its business.

The lawsuit filed on Nov 29, centers around Media Matters’ alleged strategy of repeatedly refreshing controversial videos on sites it aims to take down to capture major brand advertisements running adjacent to the content.

According to Rumble’s recent court filings, two individuals who run ‘Check my ads’ created fake profiles, sought out objectionable user-uploaded videos, and refreshed the pages multiple times until they could capture screenshots showing ads from high-profile brands next to the offending content. The data they collected was then used by Media Matters to call on big brands to avoid Rumble.

THREAD: Rumble is suing two individual Plaintiffs who run "Check my Ads" in connection with Media Matters. They are seeking punitive damages and an injunction to stop their conduct, among other things.

This will be my ongoing thread analyzing this lawsuit. Please bookmark it,… pic.twitter.com/QrKnx5w6JQ

— Tracy Beanz (@tracybeanz) December 12, 2023

Rumble said this strategy caused some brands, including Netflix, to pull their advertising spending on its platform after Media Matters showed them the controversially placed ads. The video platform called the tactics “unethical” and said the two defendants Nandini Jammi and Claire Atkin deliberately tried to damage sites it deemed controversial by orchestrating the ad placements.

Rumble’s legal action comes on the heels of the group’s parent company, X Corp, filing what owner CEO Elon Musk called a “thermonuclear” lawsuit against Media Matters last month. X Corp alleged Media Matters executed a similar “refresh” tactic on its platform to capture brand ads next to antisemitic content.

The split second court opens on Monday, X Corp will be filing a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters and ALL those who colluded in this fraudulent attack on our company pic.twitter.com/55vl7PspaQ

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 18, 2023

The lawsuit claims Media Matters then showed the screenshots to companies like Apple and IBM to prompt them to suspend their advertising partnerships with X Corp.

X Corp said Media Matters’ actions suppressed its free speech rights. Legal experts project X Corp may seek billions of dollars in damages from the media group.

Between the high-profile lawsuits from internet media giants Rumble and X Corp, Media Matters faces growing scrutiny and liability over its controversial editorial tactics. The non-profit will need to answer for its allegedly unethical practices in court in the months ahead.

Media Matters fights back

That’s not the end of the lawsuits. Media Matters is suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton after he opened an investigation into their reporting of  X.

In the lawsuit, the non-profit alleges that Mr Paxton’s “retaliatory” investigation is unlawful and violates its First Amendment rights.

Lawyers for Media Matters said: “The chill imposed by his retaliatory scheme injures Plaintiffs’ ability to investigate and publish news stories and further chills their ability to participate in a robust public discussion around political extremism on the X platform”.

In an interview with Reuters after Musk filed his lawsuit, Angelo Carusone, the Media Matters president, said the non-profit’s findings flew in the face of X’s statements that it had introduced safety protections to prevent ads from appearing next to harmful content.

“If you search for white nationalist content, there are ads flourishing. The system they say exists is not operating as such,” he said.

Featured Image: Pexels

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