Author: GT

BANGKOK (AP) — A Telegram channel with hundreds of thousands of subscribers that offered revenge porn, hidden-camera videos and other non-consensual content of Chinese women has highlighted gaps in laws protecting victims of sexual abuse in China.The uproar over the online group comes after Chinese authorities have silenced public activism over women’s rights in recent years, even sentencing some activists to prison for promoting #MeToo.The Telegram channel called MaskPark, which offered pornographic content in Chinese, came to national attention in recent weeks and was quickly shut down by Telegram. But activists say alternate channels have already emerged, with only some…

The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned an international fraud network used by North Korea to infiltrate U.S. companies with hackers posing as legitimate job seekers, agency officials announced Wednesday. The sanctions are the latest action taken by the U.S. Treasury in recent months aimed at combating North Korean government workers from seeking employment at American companies using fake identities and documents to apply for jobs. Once employed, the hackers earn a wage from the company, but also steal sensitive company data and extort their employers by demanding a ransom. In a statement Wednesday, the Treasury said the fraud network generated at…

Malaysia has developed its first domestic edge AI processor. Malaysian chip design company SkyeChip announced its MARS1000 processor at an industry event on Monday, Bloomberg reported. While an edge processor isn’t as powerful as an advanced Nvidia chip, it still represents a technological milestone for Malaysia, which is looking to play a bigger role in the global AI race. Malaysia already has a foothold in the chip manufacturing sector and has recently increased its efforts and investment around AI. The country announced the creation of the Malaysian National AI Office in late 2024, an agency that plans to focus on…

Max Levchin, co-founder of PayPal and chief executive officer of financial technology company Affirm, arrives at the Sun Valley Resort for the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, in Sun Valley, Idaho.Drew Angerer | Getty ImagesAffirm shares rose 15% in extended trading on Thursday after the provider of buy now, pay later loans reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the fiscal fourth quarter. Here’s how the company did versus LSEG consensus estimates:EPS: 20 cents vs. 11 cents estimatedRevenue: $876 million vs. $837 million estimatedRevenue climbed 33% in the period from $659 million in the same quarter a year earlier. Gross merchandise…

Steve Jobs once said, “Everything’s a remix.” And that’s a philosophy that Mark Cuban has taken to heart, building an entire entrepreneurial and investment career on that simple belief. The real opportunity, Cuban says, lies in spotting patterns others miss and turning them into billion-dollar disruptions. On today’s episode of Equity, Cuban joined TechCrunch’s Rebecca Bellan to discuss his decades-long strategy of betting on technologies before they go mainstream, from his early investments in local area networks and streaming services to his current healthcare and AI ventures. But Cuban’s real insight isn’t just about picking winners. It’s about understanding why…

We’re thrilled to unveil the 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 — TechCrunch’s annual, handpicked list of the 200 most promising early-stage startups from around the world. These founders rose to the top from thousands of applications spanning every industry and geography. Their reward? A coveted spot to exhibit at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, taking place October 27–29 in San Francisco’s Moscone West. This is the cohort to watch — and this fall, you’ll get to meet them in person. From AI to climate, health to fintech, robotics to consumer — these are the companies shaping the future across every major category. A…

I didn’t notice the scarlet tanager until the alert appeared on my phone: “Merlin heard a new bird!”Despite its brilliant plumage — jet-black wings on a crimson body — the songbird can be a hard one to spot in a forest because it prefers to stay high in the canopy. It sounds a little like a robin to an untrained ear.But the free Merlin Bird ID app detected a scarlet tanager was likely nearby by using artificial intelligence to analyze my phone’s live sound recording. I paused my hike, quietly scanned the treetops, saw the bird as it kept singing…

Pixel devices have always been a reflection of how Google sees Android, as well as a platform to showcase its own apps and technology advances. In the current era, this vision encompasses Google’s consumer AI suite. Google wants Pixel owners to live and breathe Google AI in all aspects of their lives through the new devices. While a lot of people are talking about AI as a paradigm shift, companies know that the best way to reach consumers is still their phones. Google wants people to believe its phones and their AI tools are the best. They even hired Jimmy…

Online age checks are on the rise in the U.S. and elsewhere, asking people for IDs or face scans to prove they are over 18 or 21 or even 13. To proponents, they’re a tool to keep children away from adult websites and other material that might be harmful to them. But opponents see a worrisome trend toward a less secure, less private and less free internet, where people can be denied access not just to pornography but news, health information and the ability to speak openly and anonymously. “I think that many of these laws come from a place…

Intel CFO David Zinser said that the semiconductor giant received $5.7 billion from the U.S. government on Wednesday evening.Zinsner acknowledged the investment on Thursday during an investor conference. The investment is part of the White House’s decision last Friday to take a 10% stake in the beleaguered computer chip company.Zinser also signaled the possibility that Intel seeks outside investment for its foundry business. The company reported better-than-expected second-quarter results on July 25, but its shares sank 8% due to concerns over the business of its foundry unit, which manufactures computer chips for other firms.”There’s likely going to be some opportunity…