Social

Families of Uvalde shooting victims sue Activision and Meta

The families of victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas are suing Activision and Meta, as well as gun manufacturer Daniel Defense. The families bringing the lawsuits are represented by attorney Josh Koskoff, who previously won a settlement from Remington for the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims. The suit against […]

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Scarlett Johansson brought receipts to the OpenAI controversy

Welcome back to TechCrunch’s Week in Review — TechCrunch’s newsletter recapping the week’s biggest news. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here. OpenAI announced this week that it’s removing Sky, one of the voices used by its new GPT-4o model, after users found it sounded eerily similar to Scarlett Johansson’s AI character

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Using memes, social media users have become red teams for half-baked AI features

“Running with scissors is a cardio exercise that can increase your heart rate and require concentration and focus,” says Google’s new AI search feature. “Some say it can also improve your pores and give you strength.” Google’s AI feature pulled this response from a website called Little Old Lady Comedy, which, as its name makes

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The ‘vote Trump’ spam that hit Bluesky in May came from decentralized rival Nostr

Decentralized social networks aren’t immune to botnet-driven spam, as a recent spam attack on Bluesky demonstrates. Earlier this month, a flood of posts reading “remember to always vote Trump” showed up on Bluesky’s network posted by accounts with random names and default avatars. The spam didn’t originate on Bluesky, though. Instead, it reached Bluesky by

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As a U.S. ban looms, TikTok announces a $1M program for socially driven creators

TikTok is pulling out all the stops to prevent its impending ban in the United States. Aside from initiating legal challenges against the government, that means shaping up its public image. On Tuesday, the platform announced its TikTok Change Makers Program, which includes fifty global creators who “create a positive impact on and beyond the

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Bumble buys community building app Geneva to expand further into friendships

Dating app maker Bumble has acquired Geneva, an online platform built around forming real-world groups and clubs. The company said that the deal is designed to help it expand its focus from “one-to-one connections to groups and communities” — friendships, in other words. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the announcement comes shortly

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Mark Zuckerberg’s makeover: Midlife crisis or carefully crafted rebrand?

For Mark Zuckerberg’s 40th birthday, his wife got him a photoshoot. Zuckerberg gives the camera a sly smile as he sits amid a carefully crafted re-creation of his childhood bedroom. It’s appropriately childish — a lava lamp, a participation trophy, a white stuffed dog — yet the surroundings foreshadow the culture-shifting, technological force Zuckerberg would

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TikTok tests 60-minute video uploads as it continues to take on YouTube

TikTok is testing the ability for users to upload 60-minute videos, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Thursday. The feature is available to a limited group of users in select markets, and TikTok says it doesn’t have any immediate plans to make the feature available widely.  The feature, which was first spotted by social media

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