Facebook Acquires ID Verification Startup Confirm.io

  ux design, IOT (Reuters) — Facebook Inc is buying a software firm that specializes in authenticating government-issued identification cards, the two companies said on Tuesday, a step that may help the social media company learn more about the people who buy ads on its network.   U.S. lawmakers have expressed alarm at Facebook’s limited ability to know who is buying advertisements, including election-related ads, on the world’s largest social network.   Boston-based Confirm Inc, which is...

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Companies race to gather a newly prized currency: Our body measurements

UX design IOT The first step for a shopper buying a suit at the fast-growing menswear retailer Indochino is sharing his personal information: A salesperson armed with an iPad measures nearly everything on his body, from the distance between his belly button and rear to the circumference of his knees.   The next step is getting a customized, made-to-measure suit delivered to his home within a few weeks. But his body data lives on:...

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Commentary: The Trend That’s Killing Startup Innovation

tech Mergers and acquisitions in the high-tech sector have reached historic levels. Deloitte projects “M&A activity to continue accelerating” in 2018, driven mostly by technology acquisition as the big players gobble up the smaller innovators. Big tech is flush and ready to buy out any upstarts with technology that represents a threat. In this competitive landscape, tech startups face a dilemma: take the deal or go it alone?   There is no easy answer...

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The Economics of the Office: Why Do We Still Commute?

commute economics

Over the last year, many companies have ended their liberal work-from-home policies. Firms like IBM, Honeywell, and Aetna joined a long list of others that have deemed it more profitable to force employees to commute to the city and work in a central office than give them the flexibility to work where they want. It wasn't supposed to be this way—at least according to Norman Macrae.   In 1975, when...

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The Tech That Powers Bitcoin Could Tackle Corruption

bitcoin The price of bitcoin, the original and most valuable digital currency, rose to a record high of nearly $8,000 on Wednesday — close to a 900% jump in 2017 alone.   Bitcoin started as an experiment eight years ago in an attempt to create a global, decentralized store of value. These days it behaves less like a currency and more like a stock, operating in an extremely volatile, multi-billion dollar market that...

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Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter Have a Surprising New Threat: Blockchain

block chain news hub iot design Content creation and distribution on the internet have traditionally been done through big corporations. Companies like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are the biggest hubs for people to post and share their works, whether writing, video, picture, or some other form of media.   Other users on these networks then 'like', 'share', or in some other way boost that content for greater attention. The whole process allows users and...

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The AI Hierarchy of Needs

Artifical Intelligence design UX Web IOT As is usually the case with fast-advancing technologies, AI has inspired massive FOMO , FUD and feuds. Some of it is deserved, some of it not — but the industry is paying attention. From stealth hardware startups to fintech giants to public institutions, teams are feverishly working on their AI strategy. It all comes down to one crucial, high-stakes question: ‘How do we use AI and machine learning...

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Target Takes a Page Out of Wal-Mart’s Acquisition Playbook

target same day delivery Target has for the past few months been reinvesting in itself, rolling out its own private-label brands and keeping especially quiet on the acquisition front, with rival Wal-Mart on a buying spree. Until now. Target announced plans on Monday to acquire Grand Junction, a San-Francisco based transportation technology company whose software manages retailers' local deliveries. This partnership will allow Target to send packages to guests faster and more efficiently, according to Target's chief supply...

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