Month: February 2022
Digest #6: Intel plans a $6 billion acquisition
No more DMs
Instagram is rolling out simpler Story likes from today, allowing users to show their appreciation for others’ Stories without having to send them a DM. The new feature should make interacting with Stories much less messy, at least, from an aesthetic point of view.
Meta is in trouble
Texas is suing Meta for allegedly capturing and using facial recognition data on millions of users without their consent. In the suit, Texas attorney general claims Meta’s unauthorized use of the tech, which the company claims it has now largely abandoned, violated Texas’s Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act.
Stitch raised $21 million
Open finance continues to be an important topic in the fintech world. Stitch, one of the prominent players building and operating fintech APIs in Africa, has raised $21 million. The South African FinTech API allows businesses to create, optimize and scale financial products. According to a statement released by the company, it plans to create a “financial graph” ecosystem in Africa with new funding.
Emoji web addresses
Web browser Opera is enabling emoji-only web addresses, the company announced on Monday. Opera says the new collaboration brings a new level of creativity to the internet. The new feature is possible through a partnership with Yat, a startup that sells URLs with emojis in them and owns the Y.at domain.
Snapchat will share ads revenue
Snapchat is introducing a new way for creators on the app to earn money. The platform is testing mid-roll ads that appear in the Stories of a small group of US creators, with a wider rollout happening in the coming months. When an ad is placed within a Snap Star’s Story, Snapchat will share the revenue with the creators.
Intel plans a $6 billion acquisition
Intel may soon announce a nearly $6 billion acquisition that will jumpstart its fledgling foundry business. The chip giant is reportedly close to making a deal to buy Israel’s chip company Tower Semiconductor, which could be announced sometime this week if talks don’t suddenly fizzle out.
BUD raised $15 million
BUD, an app that allows users to create their own 3D apps and interact with others, has raised $15 million in funding. One of the advantages of BUD is that people without technical knowledge can easily create their own 3D worlds using drag and drop.
