(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...
Companies race to gather a newly prized currency: Our body measurements
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:...
Commentary: The Trend That’s Killing Startup Innovation
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...
The Brutal Fight to Mine Your Data and Sell It to Your Boss
On May 23, an email landed in the sales inbox of a San Francisco startup called HiQ Labs, politely asking the company to go out of business. HiQ is a “people analytics” firm that creates software tools for corporate human resources departments. Its Skill Mapper graphically represents the credentials and abilities of a workforce; its Keeper...
The Economics of the Office: Why Do We Still Commute?
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...
The Tech That Powers Bitcoin Could Tackle Corruption
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...
Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter Have a Surprising New Threat: Blockchain
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...
Silicon Valley Siphons our Data like Oil. But the Deepest Drilling has Just Begun
What if a cold drink cost more on a hot day?
Customers in the UK will soon find out. Recent reports suggest that three of the country’s largest supermarket chains are rolling out surge pricing in select stores. This means that prices will rise and fall over the course of the day in response to demand. Buying lunch at lunchtime will be like ordering an...
The AI Hierarchy of Needs
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...
Target Takes a Page Out of Wal-Mart’s Acquisition Playbook
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...