YouTube expanded its medical misinformation policies today to include new guidelines that ban vaccine misinformation. The Google-owned video platform had previously banned over 1 million videos spreading dangerous COVID-19 misinformation. Now, YouTube says it will also remove content that spreads misinformation about vaccine safety, the efficacy of vaccines and ingredients in vaccines. The platform previously […]
Toothfairy’s virtual dentist app raises £3M Seed round led by ADA Ventures and Slingshot
Platforms for dentists are booming right now as many governments gradually make it harder to access dentistry via social care, especially in the UK. But the most lucrative market is cosmetic dentistry and this is where startups are often playing, such as aggregating private clinics under a simple booking platform. Toothfairy is a UK startup […]
Russian authorities arrest cybersecurity giant Group-IB’s CEO on treason charges
Russian authorities have arrested and detained Ilya Sachkov, the co-founder and chief executive of Group-IB — one of the biggest cybersecurity companies in the country — on charges of treason. Details about Sachkov’s detention remain unclear but it was reported by Russian media as authorities searched the company’s offices, reports Reuters. State news agency Tass […]
EquityBee snaps up $55M for a marketplace that connects employees with capital to help them exercise their stock options
Stock options can hold a lot of potential reward for employees when their company is doing well, but not every person will have the funds to fully exercise — that is, buy up — the options they have available to them. Enter EquityBee, a marketplace for employees to connect with capital from a network of […]
Hedvig banks $45M to expand its millennial-focused insurance service in Europe
Millennial consumers are emerging as a key demographic in the insurance market, and today a Swedish startup that’s building a business catering specifically to their needs and priorities is announcing a round of funding to fuel its growth. Hedvig, a neo-insurer that provides property, travel, contents, and accident insurance geared to the lifestyles of younger […]
Amazon introduces Amazon Glow, an interactive, video calling device for kids and families
Amazon today introduced Amazon Glow, a new, interactive device aimed at families that allows kids to interact with family members and other remote loved ones over video calls. While something of a competitor to Facebook’s line of Portal devices, which are also largely aimed at connecting families over video, Amazon Glow differentiates itself by providing […]
TikTok reached 1 billion monthly active users
TikTok announced in a blog post today that 1 billion people use TikTok every month. That means that on this big rock in space that we call home, about one in seven-and-a-half people are regularly watching short-form videos of dancing, dangerous “milk crate challenges” and even actual educational content. For context, Facebook said that in […]
London’s Dice raises $122M at a $400M valuation for its intelligent event discovery and booking platform
Covid-19 really put the kibosh on live events in the last 18 months, but in the world of tech, it also meant that live event startups that found a way to survive and grow throughout the period got a lot of attention. In the latest development, Dice — a London company that has built a […]
New Treasury sanctions take aim at blocking ransomware groups from cashing out
The U.S. Treasury is wading into the fight against ransomware by sanctioning virtual cryptocurrency exchange Suex for its role in facilitating ransomware payments. The sanctions are the first of its kind against a cryptocurrency exchange, and prohibit Americans from doing business with the company. It’s the latest action as part of a U.S. government-wide effort […]
Apps to reach record highs in Q3 of 36B downloads and $34B in consumer spending
A new forecast on the state of the app economy indicates the third quarter will see record-breaking revenues spent on apps and games. According to App Annie, consumers worldwide will spend $34 billion on apps and games in Q3, a 20% year-over-year increase on spending. The increase indicates that the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on consumer […]