Integral Ad Science is unveiling some new steps to combat ad fraudsters, including the acquisition of a bot detection company called Swarm. CEO Scott Knoll told me that he was particularly interested in Swarm’s technology for side channel analysis, a technique for examining a web browser to identify whether or not it’s a bot. That’s an area where Integral Ad Science has… Read More
We have been shaping the organisms that live around us for a long time. Take as an example the changes we forced on wolves to become our best friends. Traditionally, we accomplished it by selecting organisms with special traits (“Let’s keep that wolf, it doesn’t bite as much”). In the last 20 years we have gone further by modifying the genetic programming of… Read More
There’s plenty of precedent for the use of Minecraft in an educational setting. Hell, Microsoft issued an Education Edition of the popular PC game earlier this year targeted at use in a classroom setting. Turns out the game could also prove a useful tool for helping artificial intelligence be more, well, intelligent. Back in March, Microsoft Research showcased the work it was doing… Read More
Twilio’s IPO this month isn’t just good timing for the tech industry, which has been waiting for a promising public listing from one of its number, it has set up the perfect stage for a lesser-known European rival to boost its profile in the U.S.. Before its listing, few people knew much about services like Twilio, which operates an SMS and voice platform that powers, for… Read More
The demand was so great that we just released a new batch of tickets for our summer part on the sunny decks of August Capital Sand Hill Rd offices. The TechCrunch Summer Party is a thing of tradition and we hope you can make it out this year. Like in year’s past we’ll gather on the spacious grounds of August Capital in Menlo Park and enjoy an evening of cocktails and the spirit… Read More
Facebook Messenger wants to be your primary messaging app. As people become more and more concerned about security, being the best messaging app means being the most secure. That’s why Facebook is finally adding an option for users to encrypt their chats in Messenger. Read More
Berkeley professor of chemistry and molecular and cell biology and the inventor of the revolutionary CRISPR Cas9 gene editing technology Jennifer Doudna is going to join us for the first time on our Disrupt stage in SF this September. We’ll chat with Doudna about her discovery of a tool called Cas9 that not only is upending the biotech industry but could have a domino effect on… Read More
Surf Air, the travel startup that offers “all you can fly” service to paying members, will begin running routes in Europe this October, the company announced today. Specifically, Surf Air’s European routes will include multiple daily flights between UK’s London Luton Airport, and other business hubs like Cannes, Geneva and Zurich. The company also intends to offer… Read More
Here’s an interesting twist in one of the bigger enterprise acquisition stories of 2016. After Mitel earlier this year announced that it would acquire Polycom for $1.96 billion and consolidate the two companies’ enterprise communication businesses, today private equity firm Siris Capital has come in with a higher offer: it has agreed to acquire Polycom for $2 billion in cash and… Read More
The EU-US Privacy Shield, the cumbersomely christened replacement for the now defunct Safe Harbor transatlantic data transfer agreement, is rapidly approaching adoption, with Europe’s Member States today agreeing to support the new data flow deal. Read More
The potential for chat apps in financial services is by no means limited to social payments. Facebook has already confirmed that they are pursuing Wechat’s success, venturing into eCommerce. This is only the beginning. Read More
Fintech companies are continuing to draw interest from investors in Asia. The latest company to pull in financing is Airwallex, a China-Australia startup that specializes in cross-border transactions. Read More
The security nightmare posed by the Internet of Things isn’t just related to the lack of expertise in the types of companies adding connectivity to gizmos and gadgets. It’s the sensitivity of the connected sensors, strewn hither and thither, opening up potential attack vectors for determined hackers. Hence the need for really robust security thinking to lock down the risks. Read More
Coinbase, one of the world’s largest bitcoin companies, has set its sights on Japan after landing funding from a range of Japanese investors, including one firm that helped Twitter set up shop in the country. Read More
Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of blood analysis startup Theranos has been banned from operating a blood testing lab for the next two years. Where this leaves the founder of the testing company and how it can continue to operate with her banned from operating a blood testing facility remains to be seen. Holmes’ censure, first noted in the Wall Street Journal, is based on a regulatory… Read More
Google acquires Anvato, Microsoft COO leaves company, Facebook removes a police shooting video then returns it to the site, blames glitch in the system, Lyft Premier launches, self-driving bus launches in Japan. All this on Crunch Report. Read More
As large platforms like Facebook and Apple position themselves as the new go-to places to read news, an independent app that started in Japan has landed a new round of funding to raise its own game. SmartNews — a news aggregation app that works with some 1,500 publications and selects stories for you based on your reading activity in the app — has raised another $38 million in… Read More
As the Chinese economy has boomed in the last decade, millions of people have entered the middle class. And the Chinese aren’t just getting wealthier, they’re getting fitter. China, it seems, is in the midst of a workout craze — and that represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for venture investors to back emerging health and wellness technology companies. Read More
Two weeks ago, we reported that Uber was in talks to raise $1-2 billion in leveraged loans. The Wall Street Journal is circulating new information that the company has closed a $1.15 billion leveraged loan, with a 5 percent yield. This number comes in on the low side of our previous estimates. Last month, sources confirmed to TechCrunch that Uber had plans to raise $1-2 billion in… Read More
Mark Zuckerberg believes Facebook Live could illuminate wrongdoing in the world.
Facebook still hasn’t explained the details of its policy on censorship of Live video. But today in response to the police shooting of Philando Castile whose last moments of life were broadcast on Facebook, CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted that “The images we’ve seen this week are graphic and… Read More
