Eric David
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Facebook Live takes on Twitch and YouTube with new PC streaming features
Facebook Live has already been a big hit on mobile, and now it looks like the social network is looking to finally expand its livestreaming platform to the personal computer. Facebook Inc. revealed the new features in a blog post Wednesday by Product Manager Erin Connolly and Software Engineer Jeff Hendy, who explained that desktop streaming offers a few ...
Now, AT&T and Verizon have pulled their ads from YouTube
YouTube took another big hit to its ad business this week, as both AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. pulled their ads from the video sharing platform amid growing concerns that they are inadvertently funding extremism. Last week, The Times reported that a number of ads paid for by the U.K. government, and by extension ...
How YouTube plans to prevent ads from appearing on controversial videos
Several advertisers and even the U.K. government have pulled out of YouTube over the last week after complaining that their ads were displayed alongside controversial content. Today YouTube owner Google Inc. revealed a few of the ways it hopes to address their concerns and give brands better control over where their ads are displayed. Google outlined its ...
How PlayFab will use IBM Watson to make better games
Video games can offer more data and metrics than pretty much any other form of entertainment, and PlayFab Inc. wants to use the power of IBM Corp.’s Watson artificial intelligence platform to turn that data into valuable insights for game developers. PlayFab provides a back-end platform that makes it easy for game creators to implement a ...
UK questions Google about government ads before extremist YouTube videos
Google Inc. has landed itself in some hot water in the U.K. after its YouTube video site displayed a number of government-sponsored ads before videos that promote extremist views. The Times reported that YouTube displayed several U.K. government ads before videos that supported anti-Semitism, homophobia and other controversial content. As a result, the U.K. and a number of major advertisers ...
Germany will use speech analysis to verify refugees’ origins
Germany wants to streamline the process for granting asylum to refugees by using speech analysis software to determine where they come from, according to German newspaper Die Welt (via Deutsche Welle). Like many countries in Europe, Germany is dealing with a massive influx of refugees from other countries. With so many people seeking asylum, many ...
Makeblock raises $30M to teach kids to build robots
Kids love taking things apart and trying to put them back together, and Makeblock Co. Ltd. wants to use that curiosity to teach children all about robotics. Today, the Shenzhen-based startup announced that it has closed $30 million in a Series B funding round, which will allow it to further develop its do-it-yourself robot kits and expand into ...
Google’s Family Link gives parental controls to Android – in return for kids’ data
Google Inc. today announced a new Android app called Family Link aimed at helping parents monitor their kids’ mobile device usage. The app has the handy side effect of getting kids under 13 to sign up for their very own Google accounts, along with all of the valuable data that entails. In a blog post, Google Vice ...
As most rivals stagnate, Google and Facebook still dominate digital ads
Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. continue to maintain a firm grip on digital advertising in a market that is expected to hit $83 billion this year, according to the latest report released today by digital research firm eMarketer Inc. The firm predicts that Google’s share of U.S. digital ad revenue will increase to 40.7 percent this year, which eMarketer ...
Germany could impose $53M in fines on sites that remove illegal content too slowly
Germany’s Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection has drafted a law that could impose a hefty fine on social media companies such as Facebook Inc. for failing to remove illegal content quickly enough. Ministry leader Heiko Maas (pictured) announced the proposed law during a press conference today, where he said that social media platforms must do more to ...
