YouTube is launching a $100 million fund to promote the voices of black creators on its platform by nurturing talent and sponsoring new shows. YouTube CEO, Susan Wojcick, in a blog post yesterday, explained in detail what the company has in plan to help protect black communities on the platform.…
Author: Oluwasegun Olukotun
Twitter yesterday announced it will start testing a new feature that will prompt users to think before they tweet articles they haven’t read. For now the test is limited to Android users in English. The new feature will prompt a user to open an article before retweeting it.Twitter did not…
In line with its inter-agency collaboration, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to ensure the tax agency ascertain accuracy and completeness of value-added tax (VAT) elements and other taxes payable in the transactions of telecoms operators. With…
Tinder has reversed its decision to ban people using the app to promote the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Several numbers of users had complained that they had been removed for rallying others to sign petitions and donate, while others complained they been sanctioned for simply adding the movement’s hashtag…
Reddit has appointed Michael Seibel to its board of directors. Michael Seibel who is the CEO of Y Combinator also co-founded the live streaming company Justin.tv before it transformed into Twitch. Justin.tv, just like Reddit, were early benefactors of Y Combinator seed money through the accelerator’s startup fund. Seibel is…
Sony has announced that its PlayStation 5 event will now take place on June 11th at 4 PM ET. The company had initially scheduled the showcase for June 4th but had to postpone due to the widespread anti-racism protest. Sony confirmed the new date after it had first appeared in…
Twitter is aggressively fact-checking tweets linking 5G and the COVID-19 pandemic by adding a label that promises to get users “the facts about COVID-19.” Once you click the label, it takes you to a Twitter page titled “No, 5G isn’t causing coronavirus” that includes links to news reports, fact-checking organizations,…
Facebook has deactivated about 200 accounts linked to white supremacist groups that were trying to gather supporters to attend protests over police violence against black people. The accounts in focus were connected to two hate groups Facebook had already banned, the Proud Boys and the American Guard. The wave of…
Spotify Technology SA has contributed $11 million to support the fight against racism, injustice and inequity, having yielded to calls from its employees to support the black community that has helped fuel its success. Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Ek in a memo to staff said that the company will match…
Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance supported by Cisco Systems Inc. and a foundation of South African businessman Jonathan Oppenheimer, has raised $1 million to support its African technology startups and initiate the return of venture capital to the continent following the coronavirus outbreak. Harambe Chairman Okendo Lewis-Gayle in a phone interview disclosed…
Sparkle, a digital ecosystem providing financial, lifestyle, and business support services to Nigerians across the globe, launches today. Sparkle, which has been granted a banking license from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has been built to help Nigerians fulfill their potential. Sparkle offers comprehensive support for individuals, including flexible…
Sony has postponed the PlayStation 5 event that was billed to take place on June 4th as a result of the ongoing protests across the United States. Sony in a Twitter message said, “While we understand gamers worldwide are excited to see PS5 games, we do not feel that right…
TikTok has issued an apology after being accused of censoring posts with the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd. Complaints poured in from users who observed that posts with these hashtags were marked with zero views. Users accused the short-video app of censoring black voices during protests that erupted across the U.S.…
Facebook has donated $10 million to anti-racism groups. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made this known on Monday, as protests continue across the United States and companies speak out on racism following the death of George Floyd in police custody last week. Zuckerberg said that the money would go towards supporting…
Google Maps is rolling out a new feature “Plus Code” that creates a unique six-digit code based on your location. This code can be shared with others and used when you’re located away from a traditional street address. It is available with a tap of the blue circle icon that…
Paris-based company Aircall which makes software that helps businesses create virtual centers is now valued at about $500 million. The startup also disclosed that it raised $65 million in its latest funding round as a surge in remote working makes its products more popular. Aircall’s products can be used to…
Apple Inc. has acquired machine-learning startup Inductiv Inc., taking the company’s AI-related acquisitions to more than a dozen in the past few years. According to reports, the engineering team from Ontario-based Inductiv joined Apple in recent weeks to work on Siri, machine learning and data science. Apple confirmed the deal,…
Microsoft is axing dozens of journalists and editorial workers at its Microsoft News and MSN organizations. The dismissals are part of Microsoft’s plans to rely on artificial intelligence to gather news and content that’s presented on MSN.com, inside Microsoft’s Edge browser, and in the company’s various Microsoft News apps. Many…
Zoom Video Communications Inc with a rally in the last hour of trading yesterday closed with a record market value above $50 billion for the first time. The maker of video conferencing software rose 9.7% to $179.48, giving it a market value of $50.6 billion, bigger than tractor maker Deere…
Following a four-month break, Boeing has resumed production of its troubled 737 Max aircraft. The 737 Max aircraft was grounded globally last year after two crashes five months apart had claimed the lives of 346 people in total. The company yesterday said that it is now set to commence building…