July 10, 2025

The Download: flaws in anti-AI protections for art, and an AI regulation vibe shift

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. This tool strips away anti-AI protections from digital art The news: A new technique called LightShed will make it harder for artists to use existing protective tools to stop their work from being…

Technology

Electric aircraft makers Wisk and Archer end bitter legal dispute, agree to work together

August 10, 2023
Electric aircraft rivals Wisk and Archer Aviation have settled their trade secret legal dispute more than two years after the lawsuit was originally filed. In a somewhat surprise twist — given how bitterly the legal battle had become — the two companies have agreed to collaborate. Archer also agreed to make Wisk its exclusive provider […]

SEC to appeal XRP, PayPal launches stablecoin, and Microsoft partners with Aptos

August 10, 2023
Welcome back to Chain Reaction. To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important crypto stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday at 12 p.m. PT, subscribe here. This week was a busy one for crypto (per usual) with the SEC, PayPal, Coinbase and Microsoft leading the headlines. Let’s get into it. This week […]

Lyft takes a page from Uber’s playbook: Ads

August 10, 2023
Ride-hailing giant Lyft will start displaying ads in-app, as well as via in-car tablets, rooftops and bikeshare stations. “Lyft has a captive audience throughout their entire ride journey – waiting for their car, matching with their driver, and in ride – and brands can now reach riders in relevant and tailored ways across our suite […]

Data visualization startup Virtualitics lands $37M investment

August 10, 2023
Many companies grapple with data challenges. In a 2019 survey, Deloitte reports that 67% of executives aren’t comfortable accessing or using the data at their organizations. In a separate poll from NewVantage Partners, meanwhile, less than a third of firms identify themselves as being data-driven — despite significant investments in AI and business analytics tools. […]

Tracer nabs $18.1 to aggregate and normalize business data

August 10, 2023
Tracer, a platform that attempts to consolidate an organization’s data sources and enrich them with business insights, today announced that it raised $18.1 million in a Series A funding round co-led by NewRoad Capital Partners, Progress Ventures, and BDMI with participation from S4S Ventures and Arbour Way Investors. CEO Jeff Nicholson said that the new […]

YouTube is disabling links on Shorts to cut down on spam

August 10, 2023
YouTube Shorts is making a change to address the growing issues around spam on the short-form video platform. The company says that starting on August 31st, links that appear in the Shorts comments section, Shorts descriptions, and the vertical live feed will no longer be clickable. This new policy is meant to be a preventative […]

Ultrahuman Ring Air review

August 10, 2023
Indian fitness and nutrition tracking startup, Ultrahuman, has fast-followed its debut smart ring last year with a second generation of the device — which officially launched in June. The new smart ring whittles down what was a slightly chunky form factor, for its original sleep & fitness-tracker, into a more svelte matte black* band it’s […]