Instagram starts testing its age verification tools in more countries

Meta announced today that it has started testing its age verification tools on Instagram in more countries, including Canada and Mexico. Last June, the social media app began testing new options for users to verify their age using one of three options: uploading their ID, recording a video selfie or asking mutual friends to verify their age. If a user attempted to edit their date of birth on Instagram from under the age of 18 to 18 or over, the app would require them to verify their age using one of the three methods.

The test initially launched in the United States, and later rolled out in Brazil and Japan in October. The age verification tools are now being tested in more countries in Europe, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Australia and Japan. Meta plans to make the tools available globally in the coming months.

Image Credits: Instagram

To verify your age, you can provide an ID like a passport or a driver’s license. If you do so, Instagram will store your ID for 30 days on its servers before deleting it. If you don’t have a valid ID, you can choose the video selfie method. Instagram has partnered with London-based digital identity startup Yoti for this option. Once you upload a video selfie, it is shared with Yoti, which verifies your age using specially trained AI. Once the verification process is complete, both companies delete the data.

The third age verification option is called “social vouching,” which allows you to ask mutual followers to confirm how old you are. The person vouching must be at least 18 years old and must not be vouching for anyone else at that time. The three people you select to vouch for you will receive a request to confirm your age and will need to respond within three days. The people vouching for you will get options to specify your age bracket such as under 13 years old, 13-17 years old, 18-20 years old, 21 years or older or I’m not sure. All three of them must choose the same option for your age verification to be approved.

Image Credits: Instagram

Meta says that since it first started testing age verification on Instagram last year, its tests showed that it was able to stop 96% of the teens who attempted to edit their birthdays from under 18 to 18 or over on Instagram.

Instagram started asking new users to input their birth date in 2019 in an attempt to bar users younger than 13 from joining the app. In 2021, the social network made it mandatory for everyone to provide their birth date. The same year, it launched restrictions for teens, such as making accounts private by default for users under the age of 16 and blocking DMs from unknown adults.

Instagram tests new age verification tools, including video selfies

Instagram starts testing its age verification tools in more countries by Aisha Malik originally published on TechCrunch

from TechCrunch
via Click me for Details

Daily Crunch: Chase and DoorDash deliver new co-branded credit card with loyalty rewards

To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PST, subscribe here.

Have we told you lately that we love you? Well, we do. For ’tis March, and spring is almost here. Breathe in and check the <checks notes> smell of snow? Good heavens, what’s going on with this weather?

Enough of that, let’s March on with the tech news. — Christine and Haje

The TechCrunch Top 3

• That’s some delicious credit: If you’re a fan of DoorDash and credit card rewards, the delivery giant now has its own co-branded credit card with Chase. There are indeed some nice perks that come with being a cardholder, but we’ll let Aisha tell you more.
• Elon Musk’s favorite day: By the time this hits your inbox, this may have already happened, but today is Tesla Investor Day. Kirsten has your inside scoop on how to watch and what to expect.
• Better late than never: Revolut’s annual report for 2021 is out, and while Romain writes that 2021 was a while ago, the report provided some exciting news for the company, including that it was the financial app’s first full year of profit. Pop open the champagne!

Startups and VC

Rad Power Bikes is focused on popularizing electric utility bikes for the consumer market. Rebecca reports that the company launched its next-generation RadRunner 3 Plus e-bike today alongside a host of new cargo accessories that will make it easier for riders to cart along pets or haul groceries as they ride.

Apropos e-bikes: The e-bike market in America is getting a brave new player. Off the back of its $7.4 million Series A funding close, Velotric announced this week that it will be doubling down on U.S. expansion with its privately owned e-bikes, Rita reports.

Another fistful for you, with less bike content than you might expect from the intro above.

• Oh good, TikTok on your car: VW’s software unit Cariad launches app store to bring Spotify, Tiktok and hundreds more to vehicles, Kirsten reports.
• Shrtr eml: Ivan reports that the Shortwave email app introduces AI-powered summaries.
• Founder/market fit is for wimps: Christine explores how an entrepreneur, who didn’t know how to cook, started a recipe company.
• You pay, you watch: Aisha takes a closer look at a creator platform that focuses on pay-per-view content: Zarta raises $5.7 million led by a16z.
• Jet fuel but green: JetBlue and Toyota-backed company Air Company struck an up-to $65 million deal to help the Air Force capture CO2 and turn it into “sustainable” aviation fuel on base, Harri reports.

Dear Sophie: What are my options for changing my status from an L-1 visa?

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch

Dear Sophie,

I started working for my current employer on STEM-OPT, but I’ve lost out in the H-1B lottery four times. Thankfully, my employer transferred me to an international office, and I am now coming back to the U.S. on an L-1 visa.

I’ve heard many complaints from my classmates about not being able to switch employers on an L-1 visa. I don’t see myself staying at my employer for six more years, which is the estimated time until I can get a green card based on my employer’s internal policy.

What are my options for changing my immigration status so I can work at a startup in the U.S. within a year or two?

— Tenacious Transferee

Dear Sophie: What are my options for changing my status from an L-1 visa?

Three more from the TC+ team:

• Grosser and grocer: Tim writes about Divert bagging $100 million worth of growth equity to tackle grocery store food waste.
• To da moon: Jacquelyn reports that Ethereum NFT marketplace passes $1 billion in volume for first time since May as the creator royalties war heats up.
• But what happened to web3?: Alex wonders, Does web3 need a venture bailout now that AI has all the hype?

TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack. You can sign up here. Use code “DC” for a 15% discount on an annual subscription!

Big Tech Inc.

If you’re looking for an enjoyable read and a reason to let out a scream of eek, look no further than Zack’s article today. Zack spoke with an unnamed former Microsoft executive who had to jump through a lot of hoops to get his life back in order after his address was changed at the post office.

Kyle has a trio of stories about — what else? — OpenAI. Two are some new features, including Whisper API for text-to-speech transcription and translation and API for ChatGPT, while the third reports on OpenAI no longer using customer data to train its models by default.

Now, on with the show:

• Don’t break the chains: Chainlink doesn’t want to leave Web 2.0 behind in favor of web3, so its new platform enables web3 projects to connect with Web 2.0 systems like AWS and Meta, Jacquelyn reports.
• Something to ponder: Software consultancy firm Thoughtworks laid off around 500 employees, or about 4% of its global workforce, amid ongoing slowdown, Jagmeet writes.
• Tweet tweet: Some Twitter users had broken timelines lately, and Ivan went to figure out why. Speaking of Twitter, Sarah has some details on Twitter alternative Bluesky, which is now in the App Store as an invite-only app.
• A blessing for Biden?: The U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs voted in favor of a bill that would give Biden the power to ban TikTok. Amanda has more.
• Salesforce saga: Elliott Management, one of the five activist investors inside Salesforce, nominated its own slate of candidates for Salesforce’s board, Ron reports.

Daily Crunch: Chase and DoorDash deliver new co-branded credit card with loyalty rewards by Christine Hall originally published on TechCrunch

from TechCrunch
via Click me for Details

Link-in-bio platform Koji launches new tool to let creators sell e-books

Koji, the link-in-bio platform that gives creators a digital storefront on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, launched a new e-book tool that lets users sell e-books and audiobooks, the company announced yesterday.

The new tool is essentially a template that creators can use to sell any e-book or audiobook from within social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, Youtube and Twitch, among others) and anywhere else on the web. Koji also allows creators to make custom add-ons and shareable previews.

Note that every time a customer buys an e-book or audiobook, Koji takes a 10% fee.

Customers can download their purchase and view it via Koji’s native reader and audio player. They can also choose to download and open files in their preferred e-reader like the Kindle app or as an EPUB, PDF or chapterized audio file.

Koji previously launched a separate e-book template last year, which was among the most popular Koji templates, claims Paul Bakaus, head of creators at Koji. However, that template will be replaced with this new e-book template, which gives users access to completely new features like the ability to add reviews as well as give purchasers a free preview of chapters before they are prompted to pay and unlock the full version. Bakaus also told us that there’s an option to sell bundled e-books and audio.

The new e-book tool will likely be a hit with many users and their followers, especially “BookTok” creators, a subculture within TikTok where people recommend books to their viewers. As of this writing, the BookTok hashtag on TikTok has over 113 billion views.

In general, e-book reading has risen in popularity since the beginning of the pandemic, with 30% of Americans in 2021 opting for e-books versus physical books, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

Image Credits: Koji

Koji was founded by Dmitry Shapiro, who formerly worked at Google and MySpace Music, and Sean Thielen, a self-taught coder. The link-in-bio platform launched in March 2021 and now serves over 500,000 creators, the company told TechCrunch. Notable creators and celebs include Emily Dobson and Alice Cooper, as well as slightly “smaller” influencers like Brown Girls Who Write, Lauren Giesting and Tasting Thyme.

Koji is free for everyone to use and is accessible to anyone regardless of follower count.

Koji is just like many other link-in-bio tools in which creators can link their social media accounts, merch shops and other projects with one custom URL. However, the company also develops a variety of products it previously called “mini-apps.” Now dubbed “templates,” Koji has optional add-on tools that each hold a separate function yet are all designed for extra monetization. The company takes a commission on most products, ranging between 5% and 15%.

For instance, the company recently launched an “Exclusive Article” app, which lets creators lock written content like articles, blog posts and recipes behind a paywall. Linktree, a major player in the link-in-bio world, recently tested a paywall feature, “Payment Lock,” so users could build payment links around their content.

In just 2022 alone, Koji launched over 100 templates, such as a “Shopify Storefront” app, “Video Shopping,” “Watch Party,” “Listening Party,” and “Tip Jar,” among many others. Overall, Koji provides access to more than 200 of these templates, so creators can sell everything from exclusive images to custom shoutouts and more.

Image Credits: Koji

Beyond the templates, Koji also gives users access to analytics via a seller dashboard, where users can see their earnings as well as get insights about their customers, such as where they’re from, what they’re buying, top customers and so on.

Other features that Koji offers are video and gif backgrounds as well as “Highlights,” where users can move their most important links and apps to the top of the link-in-bio page.

Link-in-bio platform Koji launches new tool to let creators sell e-books by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

from TechCrunch
via Click me for Details

Waymo cuts 200 employees after second round of layoffs

Alphabet’s Waymo has issued its second round of layoffs this year, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. Combined with the initial cuts in January, the self-driving technology company has let go of 8% or 209 employees of its workforce.

The layoffs — mostly engineering roles — are part of a broader organizational restructure that follows a “fiscally disciplined approach,” according to a Waymo spokesperson. In other words, the company is cutting costs where it can as it continues to develop and deploy its technology. Waymo is on the path to commercialization of self-driving vehicle technology, but the road ahead is long, and the company isn’t yet bringing in much revenue to fund its operations.

Waymo’s layoffs follow a surge of cuts at Alphabet and Google in January. Alphabet is among many U.S. companies to reduce staff ahead of an impending recession. Some analysts and investors say Waymo’s layoffs aren’t merely a product of a down market. The company has received serious investment from its parent company, and activist investor TCI Fund Management said in November that Waymo hasn’t yet justified that spend.

The news of more layoffs comes the same week that Waymo announced plans to start testing fully driverless vehicles — meaning with no human safety operator behind the wheel — in Los Angeles. Scaling its robotaxi service to new cities is key to Waymo’s commercialization strategy, and thus, its potential to provide a good return on investment. The company is still likely years out from earning enough revenue to cover its cash burn, though.

Waymo told TechCrunch that the company is in a strong position with a clear path forward and an immense opportunity to seize. A spokesperson touched on Waymo’s growing operations in San Francisco and expanded commercial operations in Phoenix as evidence of the company’s ability to develop, deploy and commercialize its self-driving technology.

Waymo cuts 200 employees after second round of layoffs by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

from TechCrunch
via Click me for Details

Marge Wants A 'Safe Place' For Republican Racism

Hannity brought back Marjorie Taylor Greene Tuesday (is she on every night now?).

Hannity clearly wants to rebrand and mainstream Marge's rancid "National Divorce" ideas, but she immediately blows his attempted gaslighting out of the water.

Hannity introduced the Georgia Congresswoman by claiming it was the left-wing media only that misrepresented her "National Divorce" ideas.

"Let's talk specifically about what you mean. You are not talking about separate countries or secession, is that correct?" he asked.

Marge whined that everyone is accusing her of trying to start a civil war.

"What I'm talking about is reducing the size of our federal government and giving more power and control to our states, to be the identity that they want to be, whether it's blue or red," Greene said.

Greene then complained about people being mean to her and the MAGA hat-wearing cultists.

"We are fed up," she said."We are fed up with Democrat policies. We are fed up with the woke ideology being shoved down our throat, and we are tired of our children being brainwashed into these same ideas."

(Now comes her Confederate succession ideas.)

"We want our own safe space, and we deserve it," Greene said.

Poor snowflake.

"The federal government is so out of control. The debt is insane. We need to take power away from the federal government and reign that entity back in and truly let the states have the power and control they deserve," Greene stated.

read more

from Latest articles from Crooks and Liars
via Click me for Details

Free, ad-supported creator content comes to The Roku Channel

Roku struck a deal with creator company Jellysmack to launch new content featuring 17 popular YouTube and TikTok creators like Brad Mondo, Lauren Riihimaki (LaurDIY), Emmy Cho (Emmymade), Karina Garcia and more. The company announced yesterday that it’s launching two free, ad-supported TV (FAST) channels, “Hello Inspo” and “Mysteria,” to The Roku Channel’s Live TV Guide.

“Hello Inspo” will give viewers access to all their favorite lifestyle, beauty and fashion content creators, from room makeovers and recipes to DIYs, style hacks and makeup tutorials. In addition to the names mentioned above, other influencers featured on this channel include Liz Fenwick, HeXtian, Hellthy JunkFood, Smitha Deepak and Josh Elkin.

“Mysteria” is a new true crime channel that will include content from Danelle Hallan, Stephanie Soo, Christina Randall, True Crime Recaps, Killer Bites, Dr. Todd Grande, John Lordan (LordanArts) and Brooke Makenna. Viewers can watch these creators talk about the most haunting crimes as well as bone-chilling unsolved mysteries.

Roku’s partnership with Jellysmack is notable as it brings creator programming — a widely popular form of content — to ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD), which also continues to rise in popularity. In the fourth quarter, the Roku Channel reached U.S. households with approximately 100 million viewers, the company reported.

“We’re delighted to partner with Jellysmack as the company’s first-ever FAST partner. We are thrilled to provide our audience with content featuring some of today’s most popular digital creators,” said Ashley Hovey, Head of The Roku Channel, AVOD, in a statement. “The addition of these new channels to our Live TV Guide is the latest example of how we aim to provide our users with access to popular entertainment options for free.”

While Jellysmack has launched other video content series, this will be the first time it has released long-form TV content on a FAST service. In July 2022, the company partnered with Pinterest to launch five short video series on the platform. These weekly episodes on Pinterest feature some of the same creators in Roku’s new FAST channels, such as Cho, Garcia, Riihimaki and Fenwick.

“Our partnership with Roku is about finding big opportunities for creators and their content,” added Stefanie Schwartz, Jellysmack’s Head of Platform Partnerships. “The Roku Channel’s linear offering is the #1 FAST service on Roku, America’s #1 TV streaming platform, giving our creators the ability to reach a large and growing audience. We’re delighted to bring Roku top creators – at scale.”

Jellysmack’s creator program launched in 2019 and uses AI technology to help boost creators and distribute their content to various platforms like YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook and more. According to the company, the program has helped hundreds of top creators, including MrBeast, Bailey Sarian, The Try Guys and PewDiePie.

The new FAST channels join the Roku Channel’s vast content lineup, including 80,000+ free movies and programs and over 300 free live TV channels. Recently, Roku inked a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to add hundreds of free titles from HBO, HBO Max, Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, and TLC, among others.

Free, ad-supported creator content comes to The Roku Channel by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

from TechCrunch
via Click me for Details

Twitter timeline is broken for multiple users

Usually, the best way to know if a service is down is to look on Twitter. But this time, we can’t really do anything because Twitter itself is facing issues. Multiple people, including folks from TechCrunch staff, reported that many parts of the social network are broken for them, including the following timeline. The algorithmic “For You” feed is showing older tweets.

Thousands of people have logged reports of Twitter being not accessible both through mobile and desktop on Downdetector.com, a service that tracks outages through crowdsourced reports.

Image Credits: Twitter

Some parts of Twitter, like notifications, and lists are working fine. And if you post a tweet, it will show up in these lists. At the moment, the best way to access Twitter is through Tweetdeck lists.

While #TwitterDown is trending on the platform, it is not possible to access the latest posts with the hashtag.

Image Credits: Twitter

The latest outage comes days after Elon Musk slashed more than 200 jobs in the latest round of layoffs at the company. This included Twitter Blue’s head Esther Crawford and newsletter app Revue’s Martijn de Kuijper.

This is not the first time Twitter is facing issues in the past few months. In December, the social network faced glitches and showed users a “rate-exceeding limit” error. Later, Musk said that the company had rolled out “significant backend server architecture changes”. Earlier this year, Australia-based users faced difficulties in accessing the service.

In February, Twitter started showing users that they are over their “daily rate limit”. At the same time, another bug was preventing people from following other users.

Twitter timeline is broken for multiple users by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

from TechCrunch
via Click me for Details