Technology

Newly-revealed coronavirus data has reignited a debate over the virus’s origins

March 24, 2023
This article is from The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, sign up here. This week, coronavirus has been back in the news in a big way. We’ve seen the resurgence of a debate that has been swirling since the start of the pandemic—where did the…

TikTok CEO says company scans public videos to determine users’ ages

March 23, 2023

Amid questioning about TikTok’s use of biometrics in today’s Congressional hearing, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew offered some insight into how the company vets potentially underage users on its platform. After denying the app collects body, face, or voice data to identify its users — beyond what’s needed for its in-app AR filters to function, […]

TikTok CEO says company scans public videos to determine users’ ages by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

Hivemapper is 1M kilometers closer to goal of beating Google Maps

March 23, 2023

Hivemapper, the startup that puts dashcams on ride-hail and delivery vehicles to map the world, is getting a little closer to its goal of toppling the B2B mapping empire that Google has built. With only 2% of the world’s roads mapped, Hivemapper is still very much the underdog in this fight. But Gabe Nelson, Hivemapper’s […]

Hivemapper is 1M kilometers closer to goal of beating Google Maps by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

Metaverse is just VR, admits Meta, as it lobbies against ‘arbitrary’ network fee

March 23, 2023

Meta, the self-styled “metaverse company” formerly known as Facebook, has taken on a novel role de-hyping the virtual world technology its founder bet the farm on just a few short years ago. No, it hasn’t announced another pivot — rather it’s been forced to dial down the multicolored metaverse hype as it lobbies against a […]

Metaverse is just VR, admits Meta, as it lobbies against ‘arbitrary’ network fee by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch

Conventional wisdom

March 23, 2023

If you’d told me five years ago that I would be flying to Chicago in March to attend a supply chain and logistics show, you would have been greeted by a momentary blank stare, followed by the image of a man attempting to determine in real time where his life went off-track. This is absolutely […]

Conventional wisdom by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

TikTok CEO says it wasn’t ‘spying’ when ByteDance employees surveilled journalists

March 23, 2023

At Thursday’s House hearing, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced a barrage of questions over concerns that data collected on U.S. users might be vulnerable to surveillance by China. Chew’s response to one of those questions in particular likely dug the company’s hole even deeper when it comes to building trust with Washington. Citing reporting […]

TikTok CEO says it wasn’t ‘spying’ when ByteDance employees surveilled journalists by Taylor Hatmaker originally published on TechCrunch

The next generation of connected IoT

March 23, 2023
Connected devices have become an expectation: whether at home, in the office, or moving through the city, people rely on smart, interconnected devices and sensors making their lives easier, more productive, and more efficient. Today, technical advances such as lower power chips, better connectivity, and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are unlocking…