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Court Will Reportedly Declassify Yahoo's Fight Against PRISM
Jul 16, 1:33AM
Yahoo will be allowed to prove that it fought against the National Security Agency’s internet spying program, PRISM. A secret court ruled on Monday that the government should investigate how it can declassify the legal battle, “The Government shall conduct a declassification review of this Court’s Memorandum Opinion of [Yahoo's case] and the legal briefs submitted by the parties to this Court,” reads the ruling, according to CNET.”After such review, the Court anticipates publishing that Memorandum Opinion in a form that redacts any properly classified information.” Yahoo, Google and other Internet giants are fighting the federal government to disclose more aspects of the secret dragnet program, which they say have been exaggerated by the media. All participating companies must adhere to a strict gag order that forbids them from talking specifics about the alleged spying operation. After it was first revealed that the government monitored emails, phone calls, and Internet browsing behavior of the top internet firms, it was also revealed that Yahoo had a lost a fight to prohibit the government from monitoring its users. Now, at the very least, Yahoo will get to prove it fought…and this is what seems so insane. The NSA’s program is so secretive that being allowed to talk about how an organization lost a court battle is now considered a victory. The court decision does nothing to inform users about how they’re being monitored, let alone puts us on the path to greater oversight over the NSA. While its a nice first step, and will hopefully snowball into more transparency, the public is no better off. It will just let companies confirm that we have, in fact, lost the fight to protect users against a still largely unknown spying program. Yahoo!Airbnb Reorganizes International Team To Focus On Local Activations And Improve Customer Service
Jul 15, 11:00PM
Airbnb has reorganized its international team in an effort to improve its customer support while also boosting the number of local options available to visitors traveling overseas. With the re-org, the company has shifted some of its regional operations team to work in customer support, while putting more effort on getting others into the field to get local activations.Salesforce.com Takes $300M Loan For ExactTarget Acquisition, Cash Resources Getting Tight
Jul 15, 10:36PM
Salesforce.com has taken a $300 million loan from Bank of America to pay for its acquisition of ExactTarget which it acquired in June. The loan, when considered in the context of other debt, is reducing the company's cash resources, signaling a potential cooling in its acquisitions.Red Hot Dating App Tinder Officially Arrives On Android, Begins Hooking Up With Big Media
Jul 15, 10:05PM
The Digital Dating World has seen its fair share of companies come and go over the years, and few have been able to give the usual suspects, like eHarmony, Match.com and OkCupid, a run for their respective monies. However, since bursting onto the scene in October of last year, Tinder has been making a play to become the next digital dating giant by focusing on an area where few (if any) of its predecessors have excelled: Your phone. Drawing on the same addictive formula behind Hot or Not, Tinder allows those in search of a date (or a little casual flirting) to swipe through Facebook-powered profiles of prospective matches, accepting or rejecting based on visual appeal. Sure, it's a bit superficial, but its game-ified approach to flirting is also more than a little addicting and has taken off among the SnapChat generation, beginning with college campuses.Gowalla Co-Founder Josh Williams And Instagram Designer Tim Van Damme Will Leave Facebook In Unrelated Departures
Jul 15, 9:56PM
Gowalla co-founder Josh Williams will leave Facebook, a year and a half after Gowalla was acquired by the social network. In an unrelated exit, Instagram designer Tim Van Damme will also leave Facebook. Van Damme was also a former Gowalla employee, but he joined Instagram before it was acquired by Facebook.White House, Google and Others Adopt Plan To Choke Off Ad Revenue From Pirate Sites
Jul 15, 9:45PM
The White House is in league with top Internet advertising companies to rain on everyone’s free-software parade: a new industry standard has been adopted to remove ads from pirate websites in an attempt to choke off their revenue stream. The voluntary agreement says that companies will remove revenue sharing relationships with a website after users submit a complaint and an internal investigation confirms that the website, does, indeed, shower the world with the happiness that comes from–but is not limited to–pirated software, hollywood blockbusters, contraband, and illicit drugs. "The Administration strongly supports voluntary efforts by the private sector to reduce infringement and we welcome the initiative brought forward by the companies to establish industry-wide standards to combat online piracy and counterfeiting by reducing financial incentives associated with infringement," Victoria Espinel, the U.S. intellectual property enforcement coordinator in the Office of Management and Budget, said in a statement Monday. The Internet’s beleaguered hall monitors/entertainment lobbies have been forced to try this voluntary standards route after global protests struck down the Stop Online Piracy Act. And, the most unproductive congress in history is unlikely to take up any anti-piracy legislation this year. Senator-turned-entertainment-lobbyist, Chris Dodd, thinks the standards don’t go far enough, saying it’s "an incremental step forward that addresses only a narrow subset of the problem and places a disproportionate amount of the burden on rights holders is not sufficient." Right now, the participating ad networks are 24/7 Media, Adtegrity, AOL (TechCrunch’s parent company), Condé Nast, Google, Microsoft, SpotXchange and Yahoo, and has “the support of the Interactive Advertising Bureau,” according to Variety. I’m sure tagging websites in violation of the standards will be a fun project for the summer interns at participating entertainment lobbies. [Image Credit: Flickr User juhansonin]Choose Your Own Adventure At Disrupt SF Startup Alley
Jul 15, 9:09PM
Startup Alley is part wild west, part farmer’s market. But it’s all about startups. You’ll love it. It’s a three-day exhibition. The first two days will see web companies take over The Concourse at San Francisco Design Center. Then, on the last day, September 11, hardware-oriented companies get their turn in the spotlight, creating a very unique science fair vibe. Like in years past, there will also be sections dedicated to startups from around the world. In the past we've had country pavilions populated by startups from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Israel, Italy, Korea, and Mexico. This all happens while speakers and startups take the stage at the other end of the Concourse. Not interested in hearing Marc Benioff talking about killing software? Pursue the hundreds of startups in the Alley and come back for Marissa Mayer’s talk about rebuilding Yahoo. Startup Alley companies also get the chance to present on the Disrupt stage in front of our esteemed judges. On Monday and Tuesday, attendees can vote for their favorite Startup Alley company, which will then have the chance to take the stage as part of that day's Battlefield contestants. If chosen, that company will be eligible to compete in the Battlefield Finals for the $50,000 grand prize and the privilege of taking home the Disrupt Cup. Spots are still open to exhibit for Startup Alley and Hardware Alley. Exhibitors get a cocktail table along with power and Internet access, but there are some criteria to keep in mind before applying — startups wanting to participate in Startup Alley must be less than 2 years old and must have raised less than $2.5 million in funding. More info is here. Needless to say, we’re pretty proud of the startups showing their wares in Startup and Hardware Alley. While some amazing startups launch on the Disrupt stage, a bevy of interesting startups will vie for attention elsewhere in the building. Sound like fun? It really is, and you dear reader have the option of attending or exhibiting.Kabam Eyes $300M In Revenue This Year As It Lets Employees Cash Out
Jul 15, 7:24PM
With the IPO door seemingly shut to gaming companies, some of the biggest privately held studios in the world have been looking for new ways to reward longtime employees. San Francisco midcore game developer Kabam, which makes Kingdoms of Camelot, becomes yet another one today. They arranged a secondary offering that let employees sell $38.5 million of their shares at a $700 million valuation. Everyone in the company who had vested shares had the choice to sell, so it wasn’t limited to just the management. Kabam isn’t saying who is funding this offering, except to say that both current investors as well as a few new investors are participating. Kabam’s most recently disclosed valuation before this offering was roughly $500 million in a May 2011 deal that involved Google Ventures, Intel Capital, Redpoint Ventures and Canaan Partners. But since Kabam has successfully transitioned onto mobile platforms and away from Facebook with three of the top 25 grossing iPhone titles in the U.S., it’s been able to bump that valuation up a little bit. The company now says it may make about $300 million this year in revenues, up from $180 million last year. While the company says it’s profitable, it’s still not clear how profitable it is. Kabam said it has more than $50 million in cash in the bank today. But the company also said it had $45 million in cash in the bank back in January, so a roughly $5 million to $10 million increase in cash on the balance sheet over six months is not that much. CEO Kevin Chou has publicly talked about the company’s IPO prospects in the past. But after Zynga’s disastrous debut with a 75 percent decline in its first year, very few gaming companies seem willing to test the IPO waters. Even though The Wall Street Journal reported last month that King, the maker of Candy Crush Saga, had hired bankers to explore an IPO, sources close to the company have told me King has backed off this prospect for the time being. What that means is you have a host of companies that are throwing off cash that are tied in their ability to provide returns to early shareholders or reward employees. In this case, a secondary offering might make sense. Finland’s Supercell gave all of its employees the option to sell 16.7 percent of their stakes when they raised $130Mobile Incubator Tandem Unveils Its Three Latest Startups - And Oh Yeah, It's Raising A $100M Fund
Jul 15, 7:16PM
Tandem is announcing the three latest startups that have joined the Silicon Valley-based mobile incubator. It's also confirming some news that was revealed earlier this year in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission — that it's raising a big, new fund. Tandem co-founder Doug Renert told me earlier this year that the firm was planning to expand significantly. The first step in that expansion was hiring two new partners (Rohit Bhagat, formerly chairman of Asia Pacific for investment firm BlackRock, and John Ellis, co-founder and executive vice president of product and technology at ad tech company Turn), but Renert acknowledged that raising more funding was also part of the plan.BloomReach Harnesses Big Data And Machine Learning To Personalize Any Mobile App
Jul 15, 6:53PM
The shift to mobile is sucking the money out of e-commerce, but BloomReach thinks big data can save the day. Today it brings its big-data content optimization SaaS to the small screen to add smart product recommendations, predictive search, a trending section, and cross-device personalization to a business's mobile presence. BloomReach makes your app more relevant to boost sales with data science.After Expanding To Fashion, Gojee Launches A Shop For NYC Designers
Jul 15, 6:08PM
Gojee, the site that began as a recipe destination in July 2011 and expanded to high-end clothing last December, has made its first move toward serious money making. The company is launching a new app today with a shopping platform, Gojee NY, which sells clothing exclusively from up-and-coming New York designers. The shop is Gojee’s first foray into owning the sale. The food vertical, which provides recipe suggestions based on what a user has in his or her pantry, is free. The existing Pinterest-like fashion vertical links through to global luxury brands and takes a cut of each purchase, but given the high price tag of most items, it was clearly never meant to drive sales. The new version of the app, called Gojee Fashion, still has food and luxury verticals in the “Discovery” section, but the emphasis has shifted to the local marketplace. Gojee CEO Michael Lavalle told us that Gojee NY solves two problems: one, people want to discover rising fashion stars but don’t know where to find them, and two, there are no stores that sell based on geography, although each city has its own distinct aesthetic. The shop could be compared to a quality controlled Etsy, although Gojee is hoping to cast it as a cooler, higher-end version of the site. Gojee NY is launching with clothing and home wares from over 50 designers, discovered at local award shows, trade shows, and by referral from other designers. Prices range from $80-500. Gojee also seems set on becoming an advocate for young local designers, who have a failure rate not unlike tech start-ups. In late June, the company held a fashion show for 15 up-and-coming New York designers in its office space, and has plans to host another in a larger venue before fashion week in September. This makes Gojee a good candidate for support from the city of New York. Indeed, Lavalle said that Gojee has plans in the coming months to reach out to groups like Made in New York, the mayor’s office, borough governments, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, all of which have an interest in sponsoring the local design scene. With the introduction of the shop, Gojee will also begin more aggressive marketing campaigns, having relied on word-of-mouth thus far. The company has moved slowly across verticals, staying in food for a full year before expanding, and Lavalle said thatBoston-Based Local Marketing Startup Privy Raises $1.7 Million Seed Round From 500 Startups, Atlas, And Others
Jul 15, 5:53PM
Privy, a Boston-based local marketing startup which was also one of the standouts from the 500 Startups Demo Day this past February, has raised $1.7 million in seed funding from Atlas Ventures, 500 Startups, and others for its end-to-end solution for small businesses.BuzzFeed Chairman Ken Lerer Backs New Animal-Themed Site The Dodo Led By Daughter Isabel, Former Salon EIC Kerry Lauerman
Jul 15, 5:13PM
Ken Lerer, a co-founder of Huffington Post, Chairman of BuzzFeed and Betaworks, and founder of Lerer Ventures, is starting another new media business, a website called The Dodo, launching this fall. The site, a combination of “content and commerce” exploring the topic of humans’ relationship with animals, is being jointly run by Kerry Lauerman, former editor-in-chief of Salon.com, and Lerer’s daughter Isabel, who’s currently wrapping up her doctoral studies on the subject. Prior to taking the role of CEO at soon-to-launch The Dodo, Lauerman had spent over a decade at Salon.com, one of the pioneers of Internet journalism, where for the last two and half years he served as editor-in-chief. Though the name of the site may make you laugh, its mix of content will not always be as light and fluffy as the YouTube videos of cats and lists of cute puppies which may help it get clicks and go viral through social channels. Entertainment will be part of the site’s mission, but its larger focus is hinted at by the name: the dodo - a bird whose extinction helped the world recognize how humans can impact our ecosystem, sometimes to devastating consequences. “Look at the front of The New York Times — they have a significant animal story on the front page every week. It’s our plan to launch a site to try to own that topic.” — Ken Lerer In addition to lighter fare, The Dodo will also feature stories related to humans’ involvement with animals, including advice for the nearly 70 percent of households that include a pet, tips on healthy and sustainable eating, news on endangered species, as well as stories about animal rights and exploitation, like that which is found in puppy mills and circuses, for example. According to Lerer, whose firm is backing the new media startup and providing it with office space, there’s a huge movement toward this subject matter today. “Our thinking is that the topic of animals, animal rights and the relationship between animal and people is an issue that’s on the cusp of exploding,” he says. “Look at the front of The New York Times — they have a significant animal story on the front page every week. It’s our plan to launch a site to try to own that topic.” Though The Dodo is not in any way “inspired” by the hugely viral BuzzFeed, Lerer did admit that BuzzFeed servedUber Becomes Even More Affordable With Fare Splitting For Multi-Passenger Rides
Jul 15, 4:54PM
On-demand transportation Uber has unveiled another new feature that will make its rides even more affordable this morning: With its latest software update, users will have the ability to split fares with other passengers. That could not only lower the cost of riding with friends, it could also increase its potential user base over time.Tim Stevens Out At Engadget, Marc Perton To Take Over
Jul 15, 4:38PM
Once hailed as the nicest guy in tech, Engadget's Tim Stevens is no longer Editor In Chief, with gdgt's Marc Perton taking over as Engadget head while a new EIC is found to round out the management structure. Perton will be taking on the Engadget Executive Editor role permanently, we're hearing. It's not clear whether Stevens resigned or was terminated according to different accounts from sources, with Aol (our parent company) asserting the former.Automattic Acqui-Hires Lean Domain Search To Improve Its Domain Registration Service
Jul 15, 4:33PM
Matt Mazur's Lean Domain Search launched on Hacker News in January 2012. Today, Mazur announced that the tool, which makes it easy to find available domain names based on a keyword, was acquired by WordPress.com parent company Automattic. At Automattic, Mazur will help the WordPress.com team to make it "even easier for WordPress.com users to find and register great domain names for their websites and blogs."Elon Musk Will Reveal His High-Speed Hyperloop Transport Design By August 12
Jul 15, 4:20PM
Startup renaissance man Elon Musk has spent the past year or so not-so-subtly dropping hints about yet another ambitious transport project of his, and it seems he's getting ready to describe it in more detail. Amid plenty of speculation, Musk revealed in a tweet earlier today that he plans to publish his tentative designs for the Hyperloop system by August 12.Google's Stock Price Opens At All-Time High Ahead Of Q2 2013 Earnings Release Later This Week
Jul 15, 3:55PM
Google shares are on fire. Since June 24, 2013, shares have jumped 7.32 percent to reach an all-time high price of 926.47 shortly after the NASDAQ opened. As earnings are coming up on Thursday, expectations are now pretty high. After a mixed Q1 2013, the company could beat analyst expectations on revenue this time around.HTC's Plus-Sized One Max Is A 6-Inch Phablet Said To Launch In September
Jul 15, 3:34PM
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — just build it in a variety of sizes for profit. Duh! That seems to be the thinking over at HTC, as MobileGeeks has surfaced some new information regarding HTC’s One line. According to the rumors, HTC will unveil a giant-sized version of the flagship HTC One with a 6-inch 1080p display, dubbed the One Max. This follows some other recent rumors that point to a smaller version of the HTC One, as well, likely to be called the HTC One Mini. While the One Mini is expected to debut in July, based on rumors, MobileGeeks has the One Max pegged for September. The guys also nailed down some specs, which include a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 chip, 2GB of RAM, a 3200mAh battery and either 32GB or 64GB of internal memory. Plus, you can expect the phone to look quite a bit like its stylish predecessor the HTC One. However, not much else is known about the device, though some have been speculating we may see some sort of stylus input on the device, considering it’s clearly aimed at competing with the Galaxy Note 3. Samsung has dominated the phablet market with the Note series, which must be hard news for HTC as the Taiwanese phone maker failed to enchant the market with a 7-inch tablet called the Flyer, which offered text input via an $80 stylus. Unfortunately, the Flyer didn’t fly at all really. Perhaps leveraging the One branding alongside new device sizes will yield better results. [via TheVerge]Former About.me Engineers Launch Finally.io To Monitor Cloud Server Performance
Jul 15, 3:00PM
A couple of engineers who used to work for About.me have launched a new service called Finally.io in private beta. That service is designed to help other developers and engineers to keep tabs on their cloud server infrastructure and to prevent it from breaking.If at any time you'd like to stop receiving these messages, just send an email to feeds_feedburner_com_techcrunch+unsubscribe-hmdtechnology=gmail.com@mail.feed2email.net.
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