Security flaws in Freedom Chat app exposed users’ phone numbers and PINs
The founder of Freedom Chat said the company has reset user PINs and released a new version to app stores.
The Download: a censorship conspiracy theory and the first virus created by AI
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. How ideas of a vast censorship network moved from the online fringe to Trump policy For years, narratives about a “censorship-industrial complex” spread in right-wing circles. The theory claimed that, under…
TopTechTrends
Interest in Spoor’s bird monitoring AI software is soaring
Spoor’s computer vision software can help wind farms, and other industries, track bird populations and migration patterns.
Eclipse Energy’s microbes can turn idle oil wells into hydrogen factories
The biotech startup is betting that owners of abandoned oil wells will use the tech to squeeze energy out of their wells.
Opera wants you to pay $20 a month to use its AI-powered browser Neon
Following a couple of months’ testing, Opera has finally made its AI-powered browser, Neon, available to the public — though you’ll have to shell out for a $19.90-per-month subscription to use it.
Solar geoengineering startups are getting serious
Solar geoengineering aims to manipulate the climate by bouncing sunlight back into space. In theory, it could ease global warming. But as interest in the idea grows, so do concerns about potential consequences. A startup called Stardust Solutions recently raised a $60 million funding round, the largest known to date for a geoengineering startup. My…
Port raises $100M at $800M valuation to take on Spotify’s Backstage
Port offers a proprietary alternative to Spotify’s popular devtool catalog Backstage, but with a valuable addition: it can be used to manage AI agents, too.
Runware raises $50M Series A to help make image, video generation easier for developers
Runware lets developers integrate realtime image generation in their apps, with an affordable pricing model.
Harness hits $5.5B valuation with $240M raise to automate AI’s ‘after-code’ gap
Goldman Sachs has led Harness’s Series E round, with participation from IVP, Menlo Ventures, and Unusual Ventures.
Baby delivered in Waymo continues proud tradition of not making it to the hospital
Some traditions, it seems, are immune to disruption.
Google’s answer to the AI arms race — promote the guy behind its data center tech
Amin Vahdat has been promoted to chief technologist for AI infrastructure, a newly created position reporting directly to CEO Sundar Pichai.