Technology
Telegram will now provide some user data to authorities
The messaging app Telegram has said it will hand over users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities who have search warrants or other valid legal requests.
The change to its terms of service and privacy policy “should discourage criminals”, CEO Pavel Durov said in a Telegram post on Monday.
“While 99.999% of Telegram users have nothing to do with crime, the 0.001% involved in illicit activities create a bad image for the entire platform, putting the interests of our almost billion users at risk,” he continued.
The announcement marks a significant reversal for Mr Durov, the platform’s Russian-born co-founder who was detained by French authorities last month at an airport just north of Paris.
Days later, prosecutors there charged him with enabling criminal activity on the platform. Allegations against him include complicity in spreading child abuse images and trafficking of drugs. He was also charged with failing to comply with law enforcement.
Mr Durov, who has denied the charges, lashed out at authorities shortly after his arrest, saying that holding him responsible for crimes committed by third parties on the platform was both “surprising” and “misguided.”
Critics say Telegram has become a hotbed of misinformation, child pornography, and terror-related content partly because of a feature that allows groups to have up to 200,000 members.
Meta-owned WhatsApp, by contrast, limits the size of groups to 1,000.
Telegram was scrutinised last month for hosting far-right channels that contributed to violence in English cities.
Earlier this week, Ukraine banned the app on state-issued devices in a bid to minimise threats posed by Russia.
The arrest of the 39-year old chief executive has sparked debate about the future of free-speech protections on the internet.
After Mr Durov’s detention, many people began to question whether Telegram was actually a safe place for political dissidents, according to John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab.
He says this latest policy change is already being greeted with even more alarm in many communities.
“Telegram’s marketing as a platform that would resist government demands attracted people that wanted to feel safe sharing their political views in places like Russia, Belarus, and the Middle East,” Mr Scott-Railton said.
“Many are now scrutinizing Telegram’s announcement with a basic question in mind: does this mean the platform will start cooperating with authorities in repressive regimes?”
Telegram has not given much clarity on how the company will handle the demands from leaders of such regimes in the future, he added.
Cybersecurity experts say that while Telegram has removed some groups in the past, it has a far weaker system of moderating extremist and illegal content than competing social media companies and messenger apps.
Before the recent policy expansion, Telegram would only supply information on terror suspects, according to 404 Media.
On Monday Mr Durov said the app was now using “a dedicated team of moderators” who were leveraging artificial intelligence to conceal problematic content in search results.
But making that type of material harder to find likely won’t be enough to fulfill requirements under French or European law, according to Daphne Keller at Stanford University’s Center for Internet and Society.
“Anything that Telegram employees look at and can recognize with reasonable certainty is illegal, they should be removing entirely,” Ms Keller said.
In some countries, they also need to notify authorities about particular kinds of seriously illegal content such as child sexual abuse material, she added.
Ms Keller questioned whether the company’s changes would be enough to satisfy authorities seeking information about targets of investigations, including who they are communicating with and the content of those messages.
“It sounds like a commitment that is likely less than what law enforcement wants,” Ms Keller said.
Technology
The Duolingo app just got two big updates. Here’s what’s new
Duolingo, the popular language learning app, has always offered fun and interactive ways to learn new languages. It has now added two new features that make it even more feature-packed. As part of its latest update, the app now includes Adventures and Video Calls.
Adventures is a game-like feature that allows you to explore different settings and storylines within the Duolingo universe. It features two characters, Lily and Oscar. Adventures is designed to help you improve your language skills by putting you in simulated real-world situations.
Currently, one adventure is available for each course unit. It is only accessible for English speakers learning French and Spanish speakers learning English. However, more languages will be added in the upcoming weeks and months.
Duolingo’s new video call feature uses artificial intelligence to help you practice your conversational skills in a realistic setting. As the title suggests, the feature lets you make a video call — in this case, to the Duolingo character Lily. You can converse just like you would with a real person, but in an environment without pressure.
Duolingo explains that “Video Call is designed to simulate natural dialogue and provides a personalized, interactive practice environment.” Some Duolingo users tell us the video call option is already showing up within the app, although there isn’t a sign of Adventures yet.
Finally, Duolingo has announced a new partnership with Loog, a manufacturer of portable instruments. As a result of this collaboration, a new three-octave electric piano compatible with the Duolingo Music course has been introduced. The device is priced at $249 and is currently available for preorder, with shipping scheduled to begin in November.
Science & Environment
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Technology
The Foldable iPhone may get UPC tech for Face ID first
The iPhone 17 series was previously expected to adopt the under-panel camera technology for Face ID. However, a recent report from the Korean publication The Elec claims that Apple has delayed the application of the ‘Under-Panel Face ID’ technology. Reputed display industry analyst Ross Young from DSCC fame has already reversed his claim that Apple will have a phone with an under-panel camera in 2025. Sources from the Korean screen business now confirm that.
Will the foldable iPhone be the first to use the ‘Under-Panel Face ID technology?
According to The Elec Apple is waiting for at least two of its major display suppliers to master the under-panel camera technology. Only then, will the company start using the technology for its iPhones. Samsung and LG supply displays for Apple’s devices.
However, according to the report, none of the companies are near to producing display panels that can maintain reasonable visibility for the under-panel sensors that Apple expects. According to a previous report, Apple has delayed the launch of its foldable iPhone to 2027. It was also reported that the foldable iPhone may come with a ‘wrap-around design‘. However, the latest news is that a foldable iPhone with a Galaxy Z Flip design may arrive in 2026
For those unfamiliar, there have been Android devices for a while that utilize the under-panel camera technology. In fact, Samsung’s own book-style foldables, including the latest Galaxy Z Fold 6 use the under-panel camera tech to hide the 4 MP selfie camera under the large foldable AMOLED display. On one hand, it does not obstruct the view, while on the other, it lets you make video calls and take occasional selfies without having to switch to the external display. However, the clarity and overall image quality from the under-display camera is certainly much inferior as compared to the punch-hole selfie camera on the external display.
An industry insider noted, “Apple hasn’t even decided which model among the foldable product it’s currently preparing and the existing bar-type iPhone to apply the under-panel Face ID to first.”
Samsung is working with Canada’s OTI Lumionics to meet the requirements
The Elec also reports that Samsung is currently working with Canada’s OTI Lumionics to overcome the challenges and meet Apple’s expectations of the technology.
OTI Lumionics uses a fine metal mask (FMM) to pattern-deposit organic cathode patterning material (CPM) and then deposits the cathode with an open metal mask (OMM), avoiding the CPM. However, reports indicate that diffraction still occurs when the IR laser passes through the panel in the under-panel Face ID currently in development.
LG is also working on related technologies. The company has reportedly developed a ‘freeform optic’ lens to overcome some of the limitations of the existing UPC technology.
Science & Environment
New species of “ghost shark” discovered living deep in the Pacific Ocean to
Researchers have discovered a new species of “ghost shark” that exclusively lives in the deep waters surrounding Australia and New Zealand.
The “Australasian narrow-nosed spookfish” has a long, pointed nose, as its name indicates, and bulging black eyes. The creature has “chocolate brown” skin and a long, wispy tail, according to New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.
Ghost sharks, formally known as chimaeras, have smooth skin and no scales. They have “distinctive, beak-like teeth,” NIWA said, and primarily eat shrimp and mollusks.
The species lives in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean, which NIWA scientist Brit Finucci said makes them difficult to study. One ghost shark was caught on camera swimming off the coast of California in 2017. The specimens studied by NIWA to make this identification were found during other research studies for Fisheries New Zealand.
“Their habitat makes them hard to study and monitor, meaning we don’t know a lot about their biology or threat status, but it makes discoveries like this even more exciting,” Finucci said.
The specimens found were thought to be part of a species that can be found around the world, but research revealed the Australasian narrow-nosed spookfish is “genetically and morphologically different to its cousins,” NIWA said.
Finucci gave the species the scientific name “Harriotta avia” in honor of her grandmother.
“Avia means grandmother in Latin; I wanted to give this nod to her because she proudly supported me through my career as a scientist,” Finucci said. “Chimaeras are also rather ancient relatives — the grandmas and grandpas — of fish and I thought the name was well suited.”
Technology
Apple’s AirPods 4 are already on sale in this early Prime Day deal
It has been less than a week since Apple released the AirPods 4, and there’s already a small sale available on them. Ahead of October Prime Day, you can pick up the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation for $169, down from $179. The AirPods 4 without ANC are also $10 off, with an eight percent discount dropping their price to $119 from $129. The markdowns aren’t significant but could be the extra push you need if you’ve been sitting on the fence.
Apple announced the two AirPods 4 models at its iPhone 16 event on September 9. The fourth-generation AirPods with ANC garnered an 86 in our review, while the standard version fared a bit better with an 88. The ANC model has improved fit and sound quality and offers Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and wireless charging. It also has perks like a speaker in the case that beeps when you activate Find My — though the AirPods only support proximity view, not precision finding like the AirPods Pro 2.
The AirPods 4 without ANC share a big con with their sister device: no onboard volume controls. They also don’t have wireless charging or Conversation Awareness. What they do give you is a good, comfortable fit and much better sound quality than their predecessor. This model also offers Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, Voice Isolation and Adaptive EQ.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice in the lead up to October Prime Day 2024.
Technology
Fintech Mesa promises 1% cash back on mortgages, up to 3x on other home needs
Mortgage fintech Mesa has emerged from stealth on Tuesday with $9.2 million in seed capital and a novel idea for homeowners. It’s offering cash back and rewards on all spending done on the home, including the mortgage itself.
Mesa is offering mortgage loans, original or refinancing, that include a credit-card-style 1% cash back on the loan.
In addition, Mesa is offering a points-rewards-type credit card geared toward homeowners. The card lets homeowners accrue points for paying their mortgage and for paying for homeowner-related services like HOA fees, utilities, repairs, home insurance, and day-to-day purchases like gas or groceries.
This is a standard unsecured credit card, meaning it is not related to or secured by the home, and the card issuer partner is Celtic Bank. Card users don’t need to have originated a home loan with Mesa in order to get a card, and the card’s spending limit is determined by the credit history of the applicant. It also carries a typical hefty credit card annual percentage rate, currently in the 20-21% range.
“We’ve just taken what everybody loves about travel and dining cards to re-contextualize that for the homeowner/parent,” Mesa’s founder CEO Kelley Halpin tells TechCrunch. “So it’s not rewarding you on travel and dining spend; it’s rewarding you on gas, groceries, your HOA, utilities, home goods as well as your mortgage payment.”
True, a homeowner could already earn points on these types of expenses simply by paying with whatever rewards-style card they already have. But Mesa’s pitch is that it’s structuring the points to be more generous toward ordinary home-owning expenses. It plans to offer one point for each dollar when used to make the mortgage payment, 2x for gas and groceries, 3x for the home services category.
Similar to American Express’ rewards program, points can then be redeemed in a variety of ways, including cash back, gifts, travel booked through its travel portal, or to offset monthly mortgage payments.
In addition, Mesa says that it will eventually offer benefits to cardholders such as discounts to home improvement merchants on its network, or discounts to other items prized by the homeowner/parent set such as memberships to warehouse wholesalers like Costco.
“Homeowners will get access to premium benefits, including big box memberships, credits towards home maintenance,” Halpin says.
Mesa is bucking the trend of tackling the home mortgage market after this fintech sector got crushed by high interest rates. While Mesa was in the works before the Feds cut rates last week, venture investing into such fintechs has been hovering at its lowest levels in six years, according to Crunchbase data.
By going for loan origination and credit cards, Mesa is hedging its bets. It will make money from a mix of interchange fees, interest revenue, and affiliate revenue. For the mortgage product, it will generate revenue from lead generation to its financial partners.
Still, it’s been a slow launch. Mesa would not share any user or revenue numbers, with Halpin saying its been operating on an “invite-only waitlist.” Now that it’s out of stealth, it plans to slowly alert people on its waitlist.
While one could argue that the market isn’t hurting for credit card options or mortgage referral services, Mesa’s founders have the kind of belief that comes from a combo of startup expertise and a fintech background. Halpin hailed from Uber during its startup years, then founded three startups and sold one (Quantivize Health) for an undisclosed sum. Co-founder Peyton Hayslette worked at a long string of fintech companies, most recently wellness credit card startup Paceline. Mesa currently employs 13 people, Halpin says. Their backgrounds include such companies as Robinhood, Block, Capital One, and American Express.
Mesa is building out its company with $7.2 million in new seed funding led by Streamlined Ventures with participation from Starting Line, Assurant Ventures, Vera Equity, and others. It has also received $2 million in venture debt from Silicon Valley Bank.
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