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Category: SmallBusinessNews

SmallBusinessNews

  • Facebook Buying CRM Startup Kustomer

    Facebook Buying CRM Startup Kustomer

    Facebook has reached a deal to acquire Kustomer, the maker of a “customer service CRM platform built for today.”

    The deal, rumored to be worth at least $1 billion, would be a departure from Facebook’s traditional acquisitions. The company usually buys companies aligned with its consumer-oriented focus, whereas Kustomer’s software is aimed at businesses.

    The move demonstrates Facebook’s interest in monetizing some of its existing businesses, specifically WhatsApp. The company looked at integrating ads in the platform before abandoning the idea due to backlash. Instead, the company has focused on providing businesses with a way to communicate and support their customers via the platform.

    Executives Dan Levy, Facebook VP of Ads and Business Products, and Matt Idema, COO, WhatsApp, made it clear Kustomer is integral to those goals:

    As businesses adjust to an evolving digital environment, they’re seeking solutions that place people at the center, especially when it comes to communication. Any business knows that when the phone rings, they need to answer it. Increasingly, texts and messages have become just as important as that phone call — and businesses need to adapt.

    Kustomer’s platform will help businesses better support and engage with their customers:

    Kustomer is an omnichannel CRM platform that brings customer conversations from various channels together into a single-screen view. It helps businesses automate repetitive tasks so their agents can maximize the time and quality of interactions with customers. Facebook plans to support Kustomer’s operations by providing the resources it needs to scale its business, improve and innovate its product offering, and delight its customers. That way, more people will benefit from customer service that is faster, richer and available whenever and however they need it, whether it’s phone, email, web chat or messaging.

    Facebook is already under scrutiny over antitrust concerns. It remains to be seen if there will be any obstacles to Facebook’s latest acquisition, especially with the incoming Biden/Harris administration.

  • Ericsson Mobility Report: 5G ‘Is Entering the Next Phase’

    Ericsson Mobility Report: 5G ‘Is Entering the Next Phase’

    Ericsson has released the November 2020 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report and it contains good news for 5G.

    The Ericsson Mobility Report provides a snapshot of the mobile industry and can provide valuable insights into current technology and trends. Not surprisingly, recent reports have been dominated by the rollout of 5G. The November 2020 report(PDF) is no different, signaling that 5G rollout is marching on, impacting a number of industries.

    According to Ericsson, some 1 billion people — or 15% of the world’s population — will live within 5G coverage by the end of 2020. Equally impressive, some 3.5 billion 5G subscriptions are forecast by the end of 2026. Despite its slow start, in relation to Asian countries, North America is projected to account for 80% of 5G subscriptions in 2026.

    The report also demonstrates the impact 5G will have on related industries. For example, while there are currently 7.9 billion mobile subscriptions, Ericsson expects this to increase to 8.8 billion by the end of 2026. Significantly, some 91% of those will be for mobile broadband — not surprising given the speeds promised by 5G.

    It’s no secret companies are looking to 5G as the next evolution of broadband, providing fast speed, security and the possibility of high-speed connections in areas where traditional wired connections are prohibitive. According to Ericsson, “fixed wireless access (FWA) connections are forecast to grow more than threefold and reach over 180 million by the end of 2026, accounting for around 25 percent of total mobile network data traffic globally.”

    Ericsson emphasizes that 5G is no longer a novelty, and is beginning to live up to the transformational potential it has promised.

    “The fundamental need for good connectivity is a cornerstone for this change, clearly visible in this edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report as the demand for capacity and coverage of cellular networks continues to grow. 5G is no longer just a novelty. Instead it is entering the next phase, when many new devices and end-user applications make the most out of the technological benefits it provides, while communications service providers worldwide continue the build-out of 5G.”

  • FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Will Resign in January

    FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Will Resign in January

    Ajit Pai, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has announced he will step down on January 20.

    Chairman Pai has presided over the FCC for the last four years, enacting a number of controversial changes. Most notably, Pai oversaw the repeal of the Obama-era net neutrality rules, as well as pursued efforts to block states from implementing their own. At the same time, under Pai’s oversight, the FCC focused on closing the digital divide and paving the way for faster 5G adoption.

    Given the incoming Biden/Harris administration’s stand on net neutrality, and tech in general, it is not surprising that Chairman Pai is planning to resign. In is statement announcing his departure Pai highlighted his accomplishments, both personal and professional:

    It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve at the Federal Communications Commission, including as Chairman of the FCC over the past four years. I am grateful to President Trump for giving me the opportunity to lead the agency in 2017, to President Obama for appointing me as a Commissioner in 2012, and to Senate Majority Leader McConnell and the Senate for twice confirming me. To be the first Asian-American to chair the FCC has been a particular privilege. As I often say: only in America.

    I also deeply appreciate the chance to have worked alongside the FCC’s talented staff. They are the agency’s best assets, and they have performed heroically, especially during the pandemic. It’s also been an honor to work with my fellow Commissioners to execute a strong and broad agenda. Together, we’ve delivered for the American people over the past four years: closing the digital divide; promoting innovation and competition, from 5G on the ground to broadband from space; protecting consumers; and advancing public safety. And this FCC has not shied away from making tough choices. As a result, our nation’s communications networks are now faster, stronger, and more widely deployed than ever before.

    Although it seems likely the incoming administration will reinstate net neutrality rules, it remains to be seen what other changes or rollbacks may be in store for current FCC policies.

  • EU Poised to Crack Down on Tech Giants

    EU Poised to Crack Down on Tech Giants

    The European Union is poised to introduce the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA), with everything from fines to breakups on the table for tech companies.

    The EU is widely seen as more consumer friendly than the US and takes a tougher stance against corporations. The proposed legislation is no different, with stiff penalties ranging from fines to potential breakups, according to Reuters.

    The DSA is focused on making tech companies be more transparent about their algorithms, advertising and efforts to fight harmful content, hate speech and counterfeit products on their platforms.

    The DMA, in contrast, focuses on online gatekeepers and will help ensure a level playing field. Gatekeeper companies, such as those that operate app stores, will not be allowed to favor their own services. Gatekeepers will also be required to share specific data with competitors, as well as regulators.

    “We start with a fine, then you have a bigger fine, then you may have a temporary remedy, specific remedies, then you may have at the end of the day, what we have also in the competition rules, structural separation,” Digital Chief Thierry Breton told reporters during an online briefing.

    “So from fines to separations, but of course only on the European market,” he said.

  • Solomon Islands Government Banning Facebook

    Solomon Islands Government Banning Facebook

    The Solomon Islands Government is preparing to ban Facebook to protect “national unity” and crack down on cyberbullying.

    Facebook may be experiencing record growth, thanks to the pandemic, but the Solomon Islands government is not a fan. The government has criticized the social media platform for its role in cyberbullying and online defamation.

    “Cyberbullying on Facebook is widespread, people have been defamed by users who use fake names, and people’s reputations that have been built up over the years [are destroyed] in a matter of minutes,” Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said, according to ABC News.

    The proposed ban is being called a temporary one while the government drafts laws to legislate online behavior. Temporary or not, the move has drawn intense criticism from the government’s opponents, as well as from Solomon Islanders abroad.

    “My mum was very sick, and she went downhill very quickly, within like 10 days, and then we lost her,” Nurse Margaret Tadokata told ABC News. “My last goodbyes with my mum were on a video call on Facebook, on Messenger … Without it, I wouldn’t have seen her or heard her for the last time.”

    “Even though I’ve been in Australia for more than 20 years, my connection and my culture and family are very important to me, and Facebook has made that easy for me,” continued Ms Tadokata.

    The backlash the Solomon Islands Government is experiencing illustrates the challenges governments around the world face in their efforts to regulate Facebook. On the one hand, there is no denying the damage the social media platform has done to the fabric of human society and societal norms. On the other hand, the platform has become a nearly irreplaceable method of communication for many across the globe.

  • GoDaddy In Hot Water After Employees Help Hackers

    GoDaddy In Hot Water After Employees Help Hackers

    GoDaddy is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons after employees were tricked into helping hackers take over domains.

    This latest attack targeted a number of cryptocurrency services, and relied on “social engineering” to convince GoDaddy employees to hand over control of the target companies’ domain names. Mike Kayamori, CEO of Liquid, described the attack:

    On the 13th of November 2020, a domain hosting provider “GoDaddy” that manages one of our core domain names incorrectly transferred control of the account and domain to a malicious actor. This gave the actor the ability to change DNS records and in turn, take control of a number of internal email accounts. In due course, the malicious actor was able to partially compromise our infrastructure, and gain access to document storage.

    Kayamori said the company believes all client funds and digital wallets are secure, although personal information was compromised, including names, emails and encrypted passwords.

    Although there does not appear to be any statement on GoDaddy’s website acknowledging the breach, the company issued a statement to Engadget, confirming that a “limited number” of its employees had fallen for “social engineering” tactics resulting in unauthorized changes to customers accounts and domains.

    This is a huge embarrassment for GoDaddy, especially since the company was victim of a similar attack that impacted Escrow.com back in March.

  • Dropbox Spaces Update Geared At Remote Workers

    Dropbox Spaces Update Geared At Remote Workers

    Dropbox has unveiled an update to Spaces, one aimed at helping remote workers collaborate and remain productive.

    Dropbox Spaces is a service currently in beta that helps small teams work together and stay productive. Dropbox describes the service as “the virtual workspace that brings together teams and projects. Spaces is a new experience from Dropbox, and is designed so small teams can streamline their work, prioritize their day, and stay connected from anywhere.”

    As the pandemic has transformed the workplace, Dropbox has gone all-in on remote work. The company announced it was transitioning to a “virtual first” company, even releasing the Virtual First Toolkit to help other companies do the same.

    Dropbox has introduced Spaces 2, making it even easier for remote teams to work together.

    The new Dropbox Spaces is a virtual workspace that brings teams and projects together. With Spaces, teams have one easy-to-use place where they can collaborate on content, communicate with their team, and coordinate projects from start to finish.

    • Streamline your work. When information is spread across tools and channels, projects are harder to kick off and manage. Spaces makes it easier by bringing together files, cloud content, tasks, comments, and timelines into a single Space for teams.
    • Prioritize your day. Competing priorities make it difficult to work efficiently and finish what needs to get done. With Spaces, you can create tasks for yourself and the team, add project milestones, and manage your schedule so you never miss a deadline.
    • Stay connected to move projects forward. Connecting with people and keeping tabs on work-in-progress is more challenging than ever. With Spaces, you can share project updates, reply to feedback, and feel the human connection of working together from anywhere.

    It’s a safe bet Dropbox will have a big hit on their hands with Spaces, as the company leverages their own “virtual first” experience to help other companies maximize remote productivity.

  • Marissa Mayer’s New Company Launches AI-Driven Contact App

    Marissa Mayer’s New Company Launches AI-Driven Contact App

    Marissa Mayer’s new company, Sunshine, has launched Sunshine Contacts, an app that organizes iOS contacts.

    Marissa Mayer previously served as CEO of Yahoo from 2012 to 2017, when Verizon acquired the company. Prior to her time at Yahoo, Mayer was a long-time Google employee and executive.

    Since leaving Yahoo, Mayer cofounded Sunshine with the goal of creating “advanced technology to make mundane tasks effortless, free up your time, and make it easier to be thoughtful.”

    The company’s Sunshine Contacts is a perfect example, using artificial intelligence (AI) to understand the relationships between people. This helps the app organize communication, events and more. The app also uses AI to pull together the various bits of a contact’s information into one location, making it easier to keep the information organized and up-to-date.

    “We’re incredibly proud to introduce Sunshine to the world today,” said Marissa Mayer, Sunshine co-founder and CEO. “The essential technologies that help us stay connected to those who matter most are antiquated. They’ve been around forever and we all see them as ‘good enough,’ despite their outsized impact on our interactions and relationships. At Sunshine, we believe there’s an immense opportunity to make the mundane magical. It’s been an extremely challenging and rewarding problem to tackle and we’re just getting started.”

    “The idea of ‘sunshine’ elicits happiness – just as our company and the products we’ll build intend to do,” said Enrique Muñoz Torres, Sunshine co-founder and President. “Our goal is to give people intuitive insights to help them strengthen their relationships, improve how they spend their time, and make it easier to stay in touch. As first-time founders, we’re excited about the team we’ve built to help accomplish this and we look forward to addressing more everyday problems.”

    The app is available via invitation for the time being. As of yet, there has been no announcement regarding general availability.

  • YouTube Runs Ads On Creators’ Videos Without Paying Them

    YouTube Runs Ads On Creators’ Videos Without Paying Them

    Starting Wednesday, YouTube began running ads on some content creators’ videos without sharing the revenue those ads bring in.

    Traditionally, YouTube shares ad revenue with content creators in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). In order to qualify to be in the YPP, a creator must have more than 1,000 subscribers and have accrued 4,000 viewing hours over the previous 12 months. It was relatively rare or specific circumstances that would cause creators not in the YPP to have ads play on their videos.

    It appears YouTube is expanding those circumstances, however, with plans to monetize videos from creators that don’t qualify to be part of the YPP. The change was outlined in an update to the YouTube Terms of Service:

    Right to Monetize
    You grant to YouTube the right to monetize your Content on the Service (and such monetization may include displaying ads on or within Content or charging users a fee for access). This Agreement does not entitle you to any payments. Starting November 18, 2020, any payments you may be entitled to receive from YouTube under any other agreement between you and YouTube (including for example payments ​under the YouTube Partner Program, Channel memberships or Super Chat) will be treated as royalties. If required by law, Google will withhold taxes from such payments.

    The company clarified its new Right to Monetize clause:

    We added this new section to let you know that, starting today we’ll begin slowly rolling out ads on a limited number of videos from channels not in YPP. This means as a creator that’s not in YPP, you may see ads on some of your videos. Since you’re not currently in YPP, you won’t receive a share of the revenue from these ads, though you’ll still have the opportunity to apply for YPP as you normally would once you meet the eligibility requirements. You can always check your progress toward eligibility on the monetization tab in YouTube Studio.

    It’s safe to say this will probably not be a welcome change. Many content creators will likely take issue with YouTube making money off of their hard work—before they’re able to reap any benefits themselves.

  • Companies Estimate Five Days to Recover From Unpaid Ransomware

    Companies Estimate Five Days to Recover From Unpaid Ransomware

    Some 66% of companies believe it would take them at least five days to recover from an unpaid ransomware attack, according to a new survey.

    Ransomware has become one of the most popular and lucrative types of cyber attacks in recent years, with companies of all types and sizes falling victim. Government, non-profits and healthcare organizations have increasingly been in the crosshairs as well. In fact, the first confirmed ransomware death occurred when a hospital in Germany was hit in September.

    One of the biggest challenges many organizations face is the whether to pay or try to recover on their own from an attack. According to data firm Veritas’ 2020 Ransomware Resiliency Report, 66% of companies estimate it would take at least five days to recover from an attack if they chose not to pay the ransom.

    As ransomware attackers continue to deploy more effective and potentially devastating means of holding companies’ data and workloads ransom, the time for enterprises to act is now. They need to immediately assess their resiliency approach and make their backup and disaster recovery processes more robust, no matter where their data and applications are hosted, so they can more confidently pursue their hybrid multicloud strategy.

    The full report is worth a read, and illustrates the need for companies to continue to improve their ransomware resiliency.

  • Apple Lowers App Store Fees to 15% For Small Devs

    Apple Lowers App Store Fees to 15% For Small Devs

    Amid ongoing pressure regarding its App Store policies, Apple has unveiled its App Store Small Business Program, with 15% commissions for small devs.

    Since the outset of the App Store, Apple has charged a 30% commission to developers. In the beginning, many developers praised Apple’s arrangement, believing it to be a fair trade-off for handling the logistics of app distribution. As time has passed, however, more developers have begun souring on the fees.

    Things have come a head with Epic’s court fight against Apple, as well as Spotify’s complaint that has prompted an EU investigation. As a result, Apple has announced its new App Store Small Business Program.

    The new App Store Small Business Program will benefit the vast majority of developers who sell digital goods and services on the store, providing them with a reduced commission on paid apps and in-app purchases. Developers can qualify for the program and a reduced, 15 percent commission if they earned up to $1 million in proceeds during the previous calendar year.

    The App Store Small Business Program, which will launch on January 1, 2021, comes at an important time as small and independent developers continue working to innovate and thrive during a period of unprecedented global economic challenge. Apps have taken on new importance as businesses adapt to a virtual world during the pandemic, and many small businesses have launched or dramatically grown their digital presence in order to continue to reach their customers and communities. The program’s reduced commission means small developers and aspiring entrepreneurs will have more resources to invest in and grow their businesses in the App Store ecosystem.

    The news is a welcome change for small developers, and will likely help Apple in the cases it’s currently fighting.

  • Work Productivity Firm ActivTrak Raises $50 Million

    Work Productivity Firm ActivTrak Raises $50 Million

    ActivTrak has raised $50 million to help companies “understand and optimize how digital work gets done.”

    ActivTrak is a company that specializes in helping customers understand how their employees work. The company’s cloud-based platform analyzes data to help companies discover ways to improve productivity and compliance.

    The company has secured $50 million from Sapphire Ventures “to scale go-to-market activities in sales, marketing, and channels, and expand platform capabilities using AI-driven analytics to help companies better understand and optimize how digital work gets done.”

    As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, more companies are working remotely than ever before. Many companies have had enough success with remote work that they have made it a permanent part of corporate policies. Even so, some companies are still struggling to improve remote work productivity.

    “Our goal is to bring context to digital work data, providing productivity insights that help companies identify work patterns, set benchmarks, and optimize and sustain outcomes for ongoing success,” said Rita Selvaggi, CEO of ActivTrak. “Sapphire Ventures has a deep track record of investing in next-generation technology companies that leverage the power of analytics to change how people live and work. I’m thrilled to join their portfolio of companies as we continue to grow and capitalize on opportunities in this space.”

  • ‌macOS Big Sur Release Times

    ‌macOS Big Sur Release Times

    Apple announced the release of macOS Big Sur for Thursday, November 12 during its ‘One More Thing‘ event. It’s a huge upgrade that millions of Mac users will want to download ASAP. You will know when it is available in your time zone by clicking the Apple logo in the upper left of your Mac, then clicking ‘About This Mac’ and then clicking ‘Software Update.’ If it still says your Mac is up to date… then macOS Big Sur has not yet been released in your time zone.

    So just when will it be available? Mac Rumors provided their best time estimates based on past releases, which is typically 10 AM Pacific Time. We’ve added additional cities:

    • Honolulu, Hawaii — 8:00 a.m. HST
    • Anchorage, Alaska — 9:00 a.m. AKST
    • Cupertino, California — 10:00 a.m. PST
    • Los Angeles, California — 10:00 a.m. PST
    • San Diego, California — 10:00 a.m. PST
    • Seattle, Washington — 10:00 a.m. PST
    • Tijuana, Mexico — 10:00 a.m. PST
    • Vancouver, Canada — 10:00 a.m. PST
    • Phoenix, Arizona — 11:00 a.m. MST
    • Denver, Colorado — 11:00 a.m. MST
    • Chicago, Illinois — 12:00 noon. CST
    • Boston, Massachusetts — 1:00 p.m. EST
    • Lexington, Kentucky — 1:00 p.m. EST
    • Miami, Florida — 1:00 p.m. EST
    • New York, New York — 1:00 p.m. EST
    • Washington, D.C. — 1:00 p.m. EST
    • Toronto, Canada — 1:00 p.m. EST
    • Halifax, Canada — 2:00 p.m. AST
    • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — 3:00 p.m. BRT
    • London, United Kingdom — 6:00 p.m. GMT
    • Berlin, Germany — 7:00 p.m. CET
    • Paris, France — 7:00 p.m. CET
    • Cape Town, South Africa — 8:00 p.m. SAST
    • Helsinki, Finland — 8:00 p.m. EET
    • Moscow, Russia — 9:00 p.m. MSK
    • Istanbul, Turkey — 9:00 p.m. TRT
    • Dubai, United Arab Emirates — 10:00 p.m. GST
    • Delhi, India — 11:30 p.m. IST
    • Jakarta, Indonesia — 1:00 a.m. WIB next day
    • Shanghai, China — 2:00 a.m. CST next day
    • Singapore — 2:00 a.m. SGT next day
    • Perth, Australia — 2:00 a.m. AWST next day
    • Hong Kong — 2:00 a.m. HKT next day
    • Seoul, South Korea — 3:00 a.m. KST next day
    • Tokyo, Japan — 3:00 a.m. JST next day
    • Brisbane, Australia – 4:00 a.m. AEST next day
    • Adelaide, Australia — 4:30 a.m. ACDT next day
    • Sydney, Australia — 5:00 a.m. AEDT next day
    • Auckland, New Zealand — 7:00 a.m. NZDT next day
  • Net Neutrality and a Biden Presidency

    Net Neutrality and a Biden Presidency

    A Biden presidency could have an enormous impact on net neutrality, one of the most contested rules in recent years.

    Net neutrality laws were implemented under President Obama. The purpose of the regulation was to ensure platforms had equal footing, regardless of size or reach. Proponents of net neutrality say it is vital to ensure internet service providers can’t choke out a competitor by charging it or its customers more for access. A perfect example is AT&T recently favoring its own HBO Max service over Netflix, by now counting HBO Max access against customers’ mobile data usage.

    Opponents of the regulation say it unnecessarily regulates the internet and stifles investment. These companies, including at one point AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, point to the long and successful history of the internet without any such regulation existing.

    Shortly after Ajit Pai was appointed FCC Chairman, the FCC rolled back the net neutrality rules, despite its broad support from Microsoft, Google, Mozilla, Netflix and others. Supporters of net neutrality unsuccessfully sued to prevent the rollback. While the courts said the FCC was within its rights, it did not allow the FCC to block individual states from implementing their own net neutrality rules, as some have done.

    Throughout the campaign, Joe Biden said very little about net neutrality, although its restoration is part of the Democratic platform. As a result, it’s a safe bet we haven’t heard the last of net neutrality on a national scale.

  • Are Big Physical Tech Conferences Dead?

    Are Big Physical Tech Conferences Dead?

    One of the many huge ramifications from pandemic lockdowns has been the advent of large physical conferences converted to virtual conferences. This has been especially true for enterprise software events. Box CEO Aaron Levie says that their annual conference last week held entirely virtual saw higher engagement with customers and much lower costs than last years San Francisco event held at Moscone Center.

    CEOs around the country and the world are debating whether they should abandon expensive physical conferences altogether once the pandemic restrictions are lifted.

    Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, discussed this new reality, asking the question, how does this look in the future when you can actually have physical conferences? Do you still rely on a virtual first environment or do you have a bit of a hybrid conference?:

    Box Virtual Conference Last Week Was A Huge Success

    We did just have our virtual conference last week. We saw somewhere between four and five times the scale of registrations that we would normally see in one of our physical conferences. We saw higher engagement in a lot of areas than normally we would see. Overall, great levels of attendance and engagement on our keynotes and product updates. Certainly, as you can imagine, a much lower cost and much easier way to get this content out to our customers.

    There are a lot of benefits to a virtual conference. We’re able to hit demographics of our customer base who previously wouldn’t have been able to fly out to San Francisco and come to Moscone for a two or three-day conference. There are real benefits of the scale of impact of customers we can interact with and engage with. There is a difference in terms of being able to have conversations one-on-one with customers. So it’s a different experience from that standpoint. But we were able to make do with the environment of having to move to virtual.

    Now we’re really asking the question, how does this look in the future when you can actually have physical conferences? Maybe it’s next year or maybe it’s the year after. Do you still rely on a virtual first environment? Do you have a bit of a hybrid conference? These are some open questions that the industry’s going to have to ask. But overall, we were very happy with the success of the event.

    Are Big Physical Tech Conferences Dead?
  • Latest Debt Collector Weapon: Unlimited Texting, Email and Instant Messaging

    Latest Debt Collector Weapon: Unlimited Texting, Email and Instant Messaging

    Individuals in debt should start preparing for a flood of unwanted texts, emails and social media messages from debt collectors.

    The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection has revised “Regulation F, which implements the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).” Unfortunately, the agency gave debt collectors exactly what they’ve been clamoring for for some time.

    According to the new rule, debt collectors will be able to send an unlimited number of emails, text messages and instant messages to debtors. To make matters worse, collectors are not required to get consent before flooding a debtor with messages. The only silver lining is that each message must contain a clear way to opt out.

    Needless to say, consumer advocacy groups are already denouncing the decision as falling short of protecting consumers, especially at a time when the pandemic has created economic strain on record a number of households.

    “Even though there are some wins in here, the bureau has really fallen short of protecting consumers,” said Yvette Garcia, litigation counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, according to CBS News.

    “This is a terrible time to create more burdens for people who have debts. This certainly does not make it easier for them to recover from the economic hit of the pandemic.”

    The new rule is expected to go into effect in 2021.

  • Apple to Start Requiring Privacy Labels on App December 8

    Apple to Start Requiring Privacy Labels on App December 8

    Apple is moving forward with its requirement that app developers include a privacy label with new app submissions, beginning December 8.

    Apple has established itself as the smartphone platform of choice for privacy conscious consumers. Many of its recent moves have angered Facebook and the advertising industry, specifically because they focus on protecting user privacy instead of making it easy for advertisers to track users.

    The latest move is to require developers to include a privacy label, much like packaged food’s nutrition label, clearly outlining what impact the app will have on a user’s privacy.

    On each app’s product page, users can learn about some of the data types the app may collect, and whether that data is linked to them or used to track them. You’ll need to provide information about your app’s privacy practices, including the practices of third-party partners whose code you integrate into your app, in App Store Connect. This information will be required to submit new apps and app updates to the App Store starting December 8, 2020.

    This is good news for privacy conscious users and will help them make informed decisions about what apps they choose to install.

  • COVID-19 Continues to Reshape Advertising

    COVID-19 Continues to Reshape Advertising

    The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released a report demonstrating how much COVID-19 has impacted advertising.

    As the coronavirus pandemic began impacting businesses, advertising was one of the areas hardest hit. The IAB conducted a survey of 242 companies to see how the pandemic has changed advertising, and how it will continue to do so going into 2021.

    In a bit of good news for the industry, the IAB projects that digital advertising will see an overall increase of 6% in 2020, compared to 2019. That’s where the good news ends, however, as overall advertising across all mediums is expected to drop by 8%. Traditional media advertising is to blame for the drop, experiencing as much as a 30% decline.

    Looking ahead to 2021, as much as 70% of businesses have ballpark estimates of their budget at best, are not clear or have no idea how much they plan to spend. Those buyers that do have some idea of their 2021 budget, plan to spend 5.3% more than in 2020.

    While the pandemic continues to take an obvious toll, one thing is clear: digital advertising is coming into its own as a result.

  • California Voters Pass Version 2.0 of the CCPA Privacy Legislation

    California Voters Pass Version 2.0 of the CCPA Privacy Legislation

    California voters passed Proposition 24, widely considered to be version 2.0 of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

    The CCPA was a ground-breaking piece of legislation for the US, the first of its kind to so vigorously protect the privacy of consumers. In many ways, the CCPA was the American equivalent of the EU’s GDPR. Although the law was unique to California, some industry leaders vowed to apply its protections to all customers, even those outside of California.

    Proposition 24, officially known as the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), picks up where the CCPA left off, expanding the CCPA, closing loopholes and increasing protections even more.

    One of the biggest changes is the creation of a new agency that will oversee the enforcement of the regulation. Another change is that the CPRA makes companies collecting data responsible for what any companies they share that data with do with it.

    In addition, the CRPA differentiates between personally identifiable information and sensitive personally identifiable information, such as Social Security number, logins, precise location data and biometrics. This gives companies more options to fine-tune their marketing to use non-personal information, rather than lose access all-together.

    The legislation includes many other improvements, including more opt-in requirements, limits on how long companies may retain personal information, limits to how sensitive personal information may be used, reasonable expectations data will be kept secure, legal options if companies fail to do so and more.

    It’s a safe bet these increased measures and a dedicated enforcement agency will likely increase the CRPA’s reach even more than the CCPA’s. Since companies will be responsible for how third-party partners—including non-California partners—use data, many more companies will likely opt to apply CRPA protections to all of their customers in the interest of simplicity.

  • Uber and Lyft Prevail In California Proposition 22 Fight

    Uber and Lyft Prevail In California Proposition 22 Fight

    California’s Proposition 22 is poised to pass, securing the current business model for gig economy companies.

    California has tried to reclassify gig economy companies, such as Uber, Lyft and Doordash. The state previously passed legislation requiring the companies to classify their workers as employees, rather than independent contracts. Changing how their employees are classified would have a profound impact on the companies’ and their bottom line, as they would have be required to withhold taxes and provide benefits.

    The companies tried fighting the legislation in court, but were unsuccessful. This left Proposition 22 as their best chance to continue operating in the state under their current business model.

    The ballot, which had the most expensive campaign of any ballot measure in California history, is poised to pass by a comfortable margin. The fight over gig workers has been closely watched across the country, and will likely help set a precedent for how these companies will continue to operate.

  • Raspberry Pi 400 Is a $70 Desktop PC In a Keyboard

    Raspberry Pi 400 Is a $70 Desktop PC In a Keyboard

    The Raspberry Pi Foundation has just released the Raspberry Pi 400, a desktop PC in a keyboard.

    Raspberry Pi computers were initially developed to aid in teaching, especially in communities and countries where cost was the prime factor. Over time, the computers became popular with programmers and tinkerers and are widely used in certain fields, such as robotics.

    Now the foundation has released its latest version, which is built into a keyboard, being the closest to an all-in-one machine the foundation has ever produced. Sticking with its low cost-of-entry, the Raspberry Pi comes in at a mere $70.

    The keyboard computer features a quad-core 64-bit processor, 4 GB of RAM, WiFi, 4K video playback and dual-display output. It also ”comes with a mouse, power supply, micro HDMI to HDMI cable, and SD card preloaded with Raspberry Pi OS.” All a user needs is a monitor and they’re ready to go.

    This new addition to the Raspberry Pi family will no doubt be a big hit and make it even easier for people to get onboard.