Pinterest: Predator Paradise for Interior Design Inspo And Explicit Underage Content
Who knew that a platform filled with DIY crafts and cheeky bellini recipes would also attract predators? In response to an NBC News investigation that exposed how some accounts used the platform to display sexualized images of young girls, Pinterest is now setting underage accounts to private by default and also banning beauty filters and weight loss ads. Parents can also breathe a sigh of relief knowing they have the power to control their kids' profiles with a special passcode. With its newfound commitment to safety, Pinterest is poised to retain its title as the third most popular social media app for US children, right behind TikTok and Snapchat. Go for the bronze! Does that sound right?
Truecaller Takes on iOS: Siri Can Now Identify Spammers (Maybe)
Truecaller, a popular caller-identification app, is introducing an update to break into the iOS market. Their technology allows users to identify phone numbers for incoming and outgoing calls and messages, even for numbers that are not saved in the user's phone book. Up until this point they didn’t support iOS phones, hence the slow growth in the US; however, the app gained an active user base of over 338 million people globally and is particularly popular in markets such as India where spammers target the masses. The catch? Truecaller subscribers will have to go through Siri, prompting with “Hey Siri, Search Truecaller.” Siri literally can’t even tell you what time it is so we’re skeptical of Truecaller’s foray into iOS.
Meta Platforms Paying Programmers More Than The GDP Of Small Countries
Meta Platforms is paying exorbitant salaries to programmers who can build virtual reality-powered games, apps, and technology. We’re talking upwards of $1 million per year, which is double or more than double what these programmers would earn at one of the larger gaming competitors. Meta is spending billions of dollars to build the "metaverse," seemingly realistic computer-generated spaces where users interact with one another. However, the company is also laying off tens of thousands of workers in a downsizing and restructuring effort while facing challenges such as competition for advertising dollars and users from new rivals such as TikTok, and market instability. We don’t anticipate we’ll be cracking open virtual cold ones in a seedy digital dive bar anytime soon… and we’re grateful for that.
PhonePe Crushes Competition in India's Payment Market, Leaving Rivals Begging for Spare Change
FinTech company PhonePe is on a roll! With an ongoing financing round that has already raised an impressive $750 million, the company just received another $100 million investment from General Atlantic, who led a $350 million investment just three months ago. With a valuation of $12 billion, PhonePe is dominating transactions on India's popular United Payments Interface, processing over 50% of all transactions by value. And the company is not stopping there - it plans to raise an additional $250 million in the ongoing round and expand its product offerings to include wealth management, lending, stockbroking, shopping, and account aggregation. Seduced by the financial jargon yet?
Zeely Promising to Revolutionize the Way To Promote Businesses on TikTok... or Something
Ukrainian start-up, Zeely, has secured $1 million in a seed round to bolster its app offering for mobile-first small and medium-sized enterprises. Zeely allows businesses to create web stores and promotional content with ease and offers integration with TikTok and payment systems. We can't think of a better offering for companies targeting 15-year-olds who dance to Drake. Zeely also plans to use the funds to enhance their AI capabilities (like every other startup claims). The app is popular among users in the US and UK, although its free version is a hit in Latin America because why pay full price for anything?