Category: Technology

Popular pizza chain Papa John’s is being sued for allegedly bugging its website.

The plaintiff is asking for at least $100 a day of infringement, per person, and given that this is a class action lawsuit, in the event the company is declared guilty, the damages could amount to quite a bit.

According to a lawsuit filed earlier this week in a federal district court in Southern California, Papa John installed what’s known as a “session restart program” – a program capable of recording, then restarting, a user’s session on the website. This way, the company can see exactly where users clicked, hovered their mouse, when they decided to abandon their cart, and whatever else was part of their session with Papa John’s.

Violation of US wiretapping law

While this type of tracking is nothing new, and many companies use it to improve the website and its performance, Papa John’s has gone a long way, claim plaintiffs, and in the process – violated US wiretapping law, as well as violating California law Privacy (Opens in a new tab) CIPA Act.

The lawsuit reads: “The alleged use of the ‘session restart’ technology is to monitor and detect disabled website features; however, the extent and details collected by users of the technology … far exceed the stated purpose.”

The plaintiff is now demanding “a greater than $10,000 or $100 per day for each offense.” Furthermore, he is claiming $2,500 in statutory damages for multiple violations of CIPA. At the moment, the extent of the potential fine is unknown, but the plaintiff says that “millions” of people were illegally spied on. This means that if the company is found guilty, the fine could be in the millions as well.

Papa John’s is currently silent about this.

Session replay software is part of every marketing and IT department’s regular arsenal and is usually used to monitor and improve user experience.

Via: log (Opens in a new tab)

In news that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, most mobile apps collect and share sensitive personal data with third parties, new research claims.

TechShielder researchers analyzed the most downloaded apps in 2021, examining their privacy policies to better understand how they handle data collection, storage, and sharing.

As it turns out, 60% of the world’s most used mobile apps harvest and preserve data generated through people’s private conversations. Moreover, 80% collect data about the messages that users send and receive. Finally, all apps collect at least basic information, such as phone numbers or email addresses.

Storage of cookies and user-generated content

Besides sensitive data, most apps also look to get cookies, which are small files that contain important information, such as login details. Nearly two-thirds (60%) store data on user-generated content, while half (50%) have access to photos and videos that users keep at their endpoints.

Community awareness of online privacy has risen in the past couple of years, since the general public has gotten a better understanding of how much money companies make from user data. As most companies have switched to data companies, the number of data breaches has also gone up.

This, therefore, led to more fraud and ultimately – more money lost. Law enforcement and lawmakers have joined the fray in search of protecting consumers with better legal frameworks (think GDPR) and faster responses.

Today, consumers are caught in a dilemma between sharing data with businesses, getting more personalized offers and an overall better user experience, and keeping their private lives private and safe from potential cybercriminals involved in identity theft. (Opens in a new tab).

Companies stumble between collecting and using data to beat the competition on the one hand, and cybercriminals looking to exploit their data protection weaknesses on the other.

Via: VentureBeat (Opens in a new tab)

Global venture capital (VC) financing saw a significant decline in the third quarter of 2022 as several large-scale challenges affected investor appetite, according to new research.

Venture capital funding for the quarter fell 53% year-over-year, and 33% quarter-on-quarter, to $81 billion according to statistics from Crunchbase (Opens in a new tab).

That makes the third quarter the weakest quarter in venture capital funding since the first quarter of 2020, when the pandemic first began.

investment hit

Late projects and growth financing were among the sectors hardest hit, with both seeing significant declines during 2022.

About $40 billion was pumped into the delayed venture and private equity of risk-backed companies in the third quarter of 2022, down 40% quarter-on-quarter, and down 63% year-over-year.

However, some sectors were more resilient.

Global early-stage funding was down just 25% quarter-on-quarter and 39% year-over-year, bringing total funding to $34 billion.

Series A funding has held up relatively well, dropping just 23% year over year, while Series B funding is down 54% in the same period.

Is funding recovering?

Crunchbase He argued that it was “not entirely clear” whether funding had hit rock bottom or would decline further in the fourth quarter, as investment could slow during the summer months.

The publication also highlighted that record amounts raised in 2021 and the first part of 2022 could put “extra pressure” on the markets.

But not everything is bleak in the world of venture capital, Adobe recently announced its acquisition of online collaboration tool Figma for $20 billion, one of the largest ever acquisitions of a private enterprise-backed software company.

Major spoilers follow his TV series and novels.

The first trailer for His Dark Materials season 3 has been released – and it confirms Lee Scoresby’s return from Lin Manuel Miranda.

The HBO Max fantasy drama series, which was last seen on our screens in December 2020, has also received an official release date along with the teaser. will arrive one day Monday December 5 On HBO Max in the US, where Season 3 received its two-episode premiere on that date, as revealed at New York Comic-Con 2022. No official release date has been revealed for its UK or international release.

We’re excited to finally know when the final season of its Dark Materials airs, it’s the return of Lee Scoresby from Miranda which is sure to be the most shocking news for those who haven’t read the book series. Check out the trailer below:

In a press release, HBO revealed the official plot summary for Season 3. They must travel to a dark place from which no one has ever returned.” “As her father’s great war against power approaches, they will learn that saving the world comes at a terrible price.”

Fans of Philip Pullman’s popular fantasy novel series – and the TV adaptation – will also remember Scorsby’s death resisting the forces of the Masterium in Season 2, which was a live-action adaptation of Pullman’s The Subtle Knife. Of course, that’s not the last we see of Scoresby in the books. He appears in the Land of the Dead in The Amber Spyglass, which is visited by Lyra and Will in an attempt to find Roger.

However, Miranda’s return as Scorsby is sure to be an unexpected moment for those who have only watched his TV series Dark Materials. Would his revelations have been more impactful had HBO Max not spoiled him here? Maybe it is, but the operator needs to spark interest in the return of the series. As mentioned, it’s been two years since last season aired, so something like this was needed to get fans interested again.

Away from the news that Miranda’s Scoresby is back, the teaser for His Dark Materials 3 season looks fittingly alarming and bleak. We’ve given our first live look at the show’s portrayal of Angels, with Still photos revealed by HBO social media channels on September 27 (Opens in a new tab).

Meanwhile, given what’s happening in The Amber Spyglass, we know we’ll see more of James McAvoy’s Lord Asriel. The trailer then puts it at the front and center of the season three plot, inviting Asriel the Witches, Lyra’s mother and former flame Marissa Coulter, and other allies to join him in his fight against power.

That doesn’t mean we won’t see Lyra, Ban, and Will in Season 3. The trio has an equally large role – if not a bigger one – in the final book and the season’s narrative, so expect them to have major roles in how the overall story plays out. Unfortunately, we haven’t given a glimpse of the titular Amber Spyglass, or any indication of the world that Dr. Mary Mallon travels to in the Season 2 finale. Fans of Pullman’s novels will know what’s going on there, but we’ll refrain from spoiling it here.

Like its predecessor, Season Three of His Dark Materials will consist of eight episodes. New installments will air on HBO Max every week in two batches of two episodes starting December 5, with the last two entries in the entire series appearing on December 26.

For more content based on HBO Max, check out the best movies on HBO Max, or find out if a free trial of HBO Max is up and running right now.

Staring at your laptop, trying to make sense of the little blurred text in a Microsoft Teams slide may soon become a thing of the past thanks to a new update.

The video conferencing service is finally addressing one of the most annoying aspects of presenting online presentations with Teams by allowing users to zoom in or out on the slides they need.

Explained in the official Microsoft 365 roadmap (Opens in a new tab)The update will allow users to view a PowerPoint Live presentation in order to “specially zoom in on the slide,” and hopefully, will put an end to eye strain for good.

PowerPoint slides Microsoft Teams

The feature will also allow presenters to zoom in on specific segments of all meeting attendees, which can be useful not only for presentation purposes, but to help bring focus to specific areas or data points, for example in financial results or data comparisons.

The update, which is still listed as “in development” at the moment, has a general availability date scheduled for November 2022, and will be made available to Microsoft Teams users around the world when it launches.

It will be available to users of Microsoft Teams on desktop, web, iOS, Mac, and Android.

The launch marks the latest stage in the partnership between Microsoft Teams and PowerPoint Live as the company looks to facilitate close relationships between some of its most popular tools.

This includes the integration of Cameo and Recording Studio, two existing tools that Microsoft announced in 2021 that aim to help improve the PowerPoint experience by allowing additional customization and recording tools respectively.

Microsoft has also revealed a recording studio for PowerPoint which allows users to practice their presentations beforehand. The idea is that reviewing snapshots will help people hone their communication and identify any areas that need improvement before moving to Microsoft Teams.

The company also recently revealed its support for live slide translation in PowerPoint Live, which means slides can be translated instantly during a Microsoft Teams call. Both presenters and attendees can privately translate the content of the presentation by right-clicking on the presentation, which will bring up the “Translate Slides” option.

Do you want to be the best, as no one was before? You’re in luck, because Splatoon 3 gives you a whole new opportunity to do so in its most recent event: Pokémon-themed Splatfest.

Splatfest is a special event in Splatoon 3 where you choose one of three teams to join before jumping into a PvP bonanza game. Last time, you had to choose between gear, food, and fun if you got stranded on a desert island – a paltry choice compared to what’s in the store. On the next Splatfest, you’ll need to choose between Fire, Water, and Grass type Pokémon. Finally, years of arguing on the playing field will be settled in the ink crucible of a splatter-based struggle.

If you’re new to the classic team-based third-person shooter game from the Nintendo Switch, the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet event will give you a great opportunity to take a spin. Starting November 11 at 4 PM PT / 12 AM GMT / 10 AM ACT and ending on November 13 at the same time, the event is packed with special rewards. You’ll need to get as much Splatoon 3 weapon training as possible if you want to lead your type of choice to victory by November.

Your real test

There’s no denying it: this is a seriously strong contender for the best Splatfest theme ever. Yes, it was Rock vs. Scissors vs.

It tells us that the novice Pokémon-type trifecta hasn’t changed in all these years. Although Splatfest is clearly centered around Pokémon starters Scarlet and Violet, the ancient Bulbasaur-Charmander-Squirtle clash is as alive and well today as it once was. These are ancient battles fought by ancient soldiers.

Soldiers who first enlisted as teenagers in the stadiums are now adults with full-time jobs. Some are accountants, some are salespeople, and some, Arceus helps them, are video game journalists. Although I stare at a barrel of 30, I will climb up the hill and declare, boldly, that Bulbasaur is the perfect plant boy, and that the types of grass are the best.

The fact that Splatoon 3 is capitalizing on such an old and creative debate at the second Splatfest Festival speaks volumes about how the community is doing. Online multiplayer games from Final Fantasy 14 to Overwatch 2 live or die based on the quality of community participation. By engaging in this kind of controversial and deep debate about Pokémon, Splatoon 3 shows that it is not only alive, but thriving.

Starting today, we are removing the waitlist for the DALL·E beta so users can sign up and start using it immediately. More than 1.5M users are now actively creating over 2M images a day with DALL·E—from artists and creative directors to authors and architects—with over 100K users sharing their creations and feedback in our Discord community.

Responsibly scaling a system as powerful and complex as DALL·E—while learning about all the creative ways it can be used and misused—has required an iterative deployment approach.

Since we first previewed the DALL·E research to users in April, users have helped us discover new uses for DALL·E as a powerful creative tool. Artists, in particular, have provided important input on DALL·E’s features.

Their feedback inspired us to build features like Outpainting, which lets users continue an image beyond its original borders and create bigger images of any size, and collections—so users can create in all new ways and expedite their creative processes.

Learning from real-world use has allowed us to improve our safety systems, making wider availability possible today. In the past months, we’ve made our filters more robust at rejecting attempts to generate sexual, violent and other content that violates our content policy and built new detection and response techniques to stop misuse.

We are currently testing a DALL·E API with several customers and are excited to soon offer it more broadly to developers and businesses so they can build apps on this powerful system.

We can’t wait to see what users from around the world create with DALL·E. Sign up today and start creating.