A Massachusetts bill could allow prisoners to swap their organs for their freedom

February 3, 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. What is the value of a human organ? It’s a question that’s been on my mind since I heard about a disturbing proposed change to the law in Massachusetts that would allow…

How Indian health-care workers use WhatsApp to save pregnant women

February 3, 2023
Hirabai Koli’s medical reports were normal—but she wasn’t happy.    She had been monitoring her weight over the first two months of her pregnancy, and she surprised community health-care worker Suraiyya Terdale when she asked why she wasn’t gaining more. (To protect her safety and private health information, Koli is being identified by a pseudonym.)  “It…

SunFi aims to be the fastest way for Nigerians to find, finance and manage solar

February 3, 2023

SunFi, the Nigerian clean tech startup that connects people and businesses who want solar energy access to payment plans that match their needs, has raised $2.325 million in seed funding. The self-described energy financial tech platform received backing from lead investors Nairobi-based Factor[e] and Sterling Bank’s SCM Capital Asset Management and participating investors such as […]

SunFi aims to be the fastest way for Nigerians to find, finance and manage solar by Tage Kene-Okafor originally published on TechCrunch

Twitter Blue expands to six new countries, brings back Spaces curation

February 3, 2023

Twitter is in a hurry to make money, and in another step that might lead to some revenue it has expanded the Twitter Blue subscription to six new countries. The paid plans are now available in Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain making it 12 regions in total to which users can subscribe […]

Twitter Blue expands to six new countries, brings back Spaces curation by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

Damus pulled from Apple’s App Store in China after two days

February 3, 2023

Damus, one of the fastest-growing Twitter alternatives, has been pulled from China’s App Store just two days after the app was approved by Apple. The app, which is based on the Jack Dorsey-backed decentralized social networking protocol Nostr, was removed from the China App Store per request by the country’s top internet watchdog because it […]

Damus pulled from Apple’s App Store in China after two days by Rita Liao originally published on TechCrunch

Car-sharing SPAC Getaround lays off 10% of staff

February 3, 2023

Peer-to-peer car-sharing company Getaround is laying off 10% of staff starting Thursday. The layoffs are part of a restructure aimed to put Getaround on the path to “sustainable profitability and long-term growth,” the company said in a statement. Per LinkedIn, Getaround has 421 employees, so the staff cuts should affect around 42 employees. Getaround did […]

Car-sharing SPAC Getaround lays off 10% of staff by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch