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Bugs in a major McDonald’s India delivery system exposed sensitive customer data
McDonald’s India exposed the personal information of customers and drivers due to security flaws impacting its APIs. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
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Apple and Meta go to war over interoperability vs. privacy
Apple and Meta are warring in Europe over the balance between interoperability and privacy, Reuters reports. The fight focuses on the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a competition regulation that requires designated gatekeepers (including Apple and Meta) not to restrict rivals’ access to so-called core platform services. In Apple’s case, this means: iOS, iPadOS,…
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After raising $26M, Hyme Energy signs global deal to scale thermal storage
With lithium battery storage too weak for many industries, companies are desperately looking elsewhere for energy storage. Molten-salt batteries offer high energy and power density, and can work for long periods. Now, Denmark’s Hyme Energy — which has raised $26 million to date — has signed a deal which could see its technology scale to…
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BlueQubit raises $10M to take Quantum software into real-world applications
Integrating quantum computing into real-world computer applications is an ongoing problem, as the platforms are architected fundamentally differently. BlueQubit, a San Francisco-based quantum software startup founded by Stanford alumni, thinks it might have the answer. Its Quantum Software as a Service (QSaaS) platform attempts to tackle the above problem by providing end-users with access to…
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Indian startups raised 32% fewer rounds in 2024 as VCs got selective
Indian startups raised 32% fewer funding rounds in 2024 compared to last year, per new numbers from data intelligence platform Tracxn, signaling that investors are being more selective when striking deals. The number of startup funding rounds fell to 1,448 compared to 2,114 last year, but overall funding rose 6% to $11.3 billion — the…
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‘We want to pay it forward’: Funding Societies raises $25M to boost capital for SMEs in Southeast Asia
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for nearly 50% of Southeast Asia’s GDP, contributing to job creation, innovation, and overall economic expansion. Nevertheless, as in other parts of the world, SMEs in Southeast Asia face challenges when it comes to sufficient working capital. In a nutshell, SMEs are typically deemed too risky for traditional banks…
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Exclusive: Google’s Gemini is forcing contractors to rate AI responses outside their expertise
Internal guidelines passed down from Google led to concerns that the AI model could be prone to inaccurate outputs on topics like healthcare. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
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Canoo furloughs workers and idles factory as it scrapes for cash
Struggling EV startup Canoo says it has furloughed 82 employees and is idling its factory in Oklahoma while it grasps for the capital needed to survive. The company claims it is in “advanced discussions with various capital sources” to raise emergency funding. The announcement comes just a few days after board member James Chen resigned,…
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New Anthropic study shows AI really doesn’t want to be forced to change its views
AI models can deceive, new research from Anthropic shows. They can pretend to have different views during training when in reality maintaining their original preferences. There’s no reason for panic now, the team behind the study said. Yet they said their work could be critical in understanding potential threats from future, more capable AI systems.…
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Menlo Ventures and Anthropic have picked the first 18 startups for their $100M fund
Just five months after launching a $100 million fund, Menlo Ventures and Anthropic have backed their first 18 startups. And are looking for more. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.