Mission Everywhere

Edward Ongweso Jr / VICE : California police won't release training materials on facial recognition or license plate readers on copyright grounds, despite law mandating access   —  California police are refusing to release documents about the surveillance technology it uses, despite a new law that requires their release. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2YL4LmO

Bolt, a European rival to Uber, said on Wednesday it will launch its first electric bike rentals in Paris. The news follows Uber pulling out of the scooter and bike-sharing market with the sale of its Jump business to Lime in May. The rollout comes as cities explore alternative methods of transport to avoid overcrowding on buses and trains, or an increase in road traffic, as lockdowns lift. Estonian Bolt is currently valued at $1.9 billion. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . European ride-hailing startup Bolt is rolling out its first electric bike hire scheme in Paris, coinciding with rival Uber's retreat from bikes and scooters. Users in the French capital will be able to locate dockless Bolt bikes for hire through its app, unlock one with a QR code and then begin a ride. The bike won't cost anything to unlock, and will cost 10 European cents per minute of hire. Bolt was founded in 2013 in Estonia, and has grown to become a unicorn startup worth...

Arielle Pardes / Wired : The 👁👄👁 stunt, a hyped beta of a fake app, exploited Silicon Valley's fixation on shiny new things, but raised $200K for charities   —  Last weekend, the stunt aimed to use Silicon Valley's love of shiny new things for charity.  The result left people wondering about the memeification of movements. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2NI0eLk

Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat : Elementary Robotics, which develops tools to automate industrial tasks, announces $12.7M Series A funding to deploy its automation products at scale   —  Elementary Robotics, a robotics company developing tools to automate industrial tasks, today announced it has raised a $12.7 million round. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3ikiDfB

Facebook on Tuesday banned hundreds of accounts and groups associated with the "boogaloo" movement, designating a subset of the anti-government extremist network as "violent." But Facebook took money from boogaloo-affiliated advertisers for several months before its ban, BuzzFeed News reported. Some of those ads suggest violence, despite Facebook's claims that it is cracking down on such content. Facebook has been facing growing pressure to take stronger action against hate speech and racism on its platform. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . Facebook is banning a network of anti-government extremist "boogaloos" from its platform, calling the group "violent" and designating it as a "dangerous organization," the company announced Tuesday. "This is the latest step in our commitment to ban people who proclaim a violent mission from using our platform," the company said, adding that it had ...

Facebook has banned a network of hundreds of Facebook accounts, groups, and pages associated with the far-right "boogaloo" movement from its platform. In a statement, Facebook called the network a "violent" and "dangerous organization." It said the specific network of hundreds of groups and accounts it banned on its platform was distinct from the broader amorphous boogaloo movement because the former "actively seeks to commit violence." The social media giant said it removed 220 Facebook accounts, 95 Instagram accounts, 28 pages, and 106 groups linked to the boogaloo network it identified from its platform. Multiple people associated with the extremist movement have been arrested on murder and domestic terrorism charges this month and in the wake of nationwide protests against police brutality. The FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies have also circulated a number of intelligence assessments warning of individuals linked...

Alex Knapp / Forbes : NexHealth, which provides an automated online appointment system for small medical and dental practices, raises $15M Series A   —  I write about the future of science, technology, and culture.  —  I am a staff writer covering health care.  Email me at kjennings@forbes.com. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2ZsgNjQ

Jade Macmillan / ABC : The Australian government announces AU$1.35B will be used over the next decade to boost cyberdefense capabilities against a surge in state-backed cyberattacks   —  The Federal Government wants to create more than 500 new jobs in its highly secretive cyber intelligence agency as part … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2YNQXIf

This is a preview of The Smart Speaker research report from Business Insider Intelligence. Purchase this report. Business Insider Intelligence offers even more technology coverage with Connectivity & Tech Pro. Subscribe today to receive industry-changing connectivity news and analysis to your inbox. The smart speaker has been a runaway success in the handful of years since it hit the market, catapulting from obscurity to the peak of sales lists and cementing itself in the public consciousness. According to primary survey data from Business Insider Intelligence, as many as half of US respondents reported living in a home with a voice-enabled AI device. The prevalence of smart speakers is changing how companies in a range of spaces — media, e-commerce, smart home, banking, and more — interact with consumers. For companies looking to sell these speakers and brands looking to engage with their customers through the now-critical medium, it's important to understand how the...