TechCrunch | Swipe Insight

Temu halts shipping from China to U.S. amid rising tariffs and shifts to local fulfillment

24 days ago

Temu has ceased shipping products from China to the U.S. due to new tariffs imposed by President Trump, which ended the de minimis rule and raised tariffs on Chinese goods. Consequently, U.S. shoppers faced high import charges. Temu now only lists products available in U.S. warehouses, marking items from China as out of stock. The company is shifting to a local fulfillment model and actively recruiting U.S. sellers to help local merchants reach more customers.

Meta Faces Trial Over Alleged Use of Pirated Works in AI Training Dataset

2 months ago

AI Meta

A federal judge has allowed an AI copyright lawsuit against Meta to proceed while dismissing part of it. Authors Richard Kadrey and Sarah Silverman allege that Meta used their books to train Llama AI models and removed copyright information to hide infringement. Meta claims its training is fair use. The judge found sufficient grounds for the authors' claims but dismissed their California CDAFA claims, highlighting Meta's copyright practices amid ongoing litigation.

AI marketing workflows made simple

Featured

Markifact is a no-code marketing automation platform that lets users create AI-driven workflows for automating marketing tasks. Users can trigger workflows, connect apps, and track performance through a visual interface. The platform offers pre-built templates, integrates with various marketing tools, and supports team collaboration.

Meta may halt AI development for systems deemed too risky under new Frontier AI Framework

3 months ago

AI Meta

Meta aims to make AGI publicly available but may halt development of AI systems deemed too risky. The Frontier AI Framework identifies “high-risk” and “critical-risk” systems that could aid in severe cybersecurity or biological attacks. High-risk systems may facilitate attacks, while critical-risk systems could lead to catastrophic outcomes. Meta will limit access to high-risk systems and halt development of critical-risk systems until they can be made safer.

X expands antitrust lawsuit against advertisers over alleged systematic boycott

3 months ago

X Ads

X is suing more advertisers in an antitrust lawsuit, claiming a systematic illegal boycott led by CEO Linda Yaccarino. The suit, initially filed against the World Federation of Advertisers and its Global Alliance of Responsible Media, now includes companies like Nestlé and Lego. The complaint alleges the WFA orchestrated a boycott to force Twitter into compliance, harming its ad revenue. Musk has noted stagnant user growth and unimpressive revenue.

Perplexity AI submits new bid to merge with TikTok

4 months ago

TikTok Perplexity

Perplexity AI has submitted a revised proposal to merge with TikTok, allowing the U.S. government to own up to 50 percent of the new entity. The plan includes an initial public offering of at least $300 million, with ByteDance possibly retaining ownership. This revision follows feedback from the Trump administration. TikTok briefly went down due to a law requiring ByteDance to sell or face a ban, but the deadline was extended after Trump's intervention.

Google now requires JavaScript for Search

4 months ago

SEO

Google requires users to enable JavaScript for Google Search to enhance protection against bots and improve user experience. Without JavaScript, many features may not work properly, affecting search quality. This change could challenge users relying on accessibility tools. While most websites use JavaScript, it has known security vulnerabilities. Google processes about 8.5 billion searches daily, with a small percentage from users who do not enable it.

Google's Gemini forces contractors to evaluate AI responses outside their expertise

5 months ago

Gemini

Google's Gemini has updated guidelines for contractors, requiring them to evaluate AI responses even outside their expertise. Previously, they could skip prompts they weren't qualified to assess, but now they must rate what they understand and note their lack of expertise. This raises concerns about the accuracy of AI outputs on sensitive topics like healthcare, as contractors may misjudge complex issues. Skipping is now allowed only for missing information or harmful content.

Meta fined $263 million for Facebook security breach affecting 3 million EU users

5 months ago

Compliance Monitoring Meta

Meta has been fined €251 million by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission for a 2018 Facebook security breach affecting about 3 million EU users. The breach, which occurred in July 2017, allowed unauthorized access to user profiles due to a bug in a video upload feature. The DPC found that Meta violated GDPR regulations on breach notification and data protection by design. Meta stated it took immediate action to address the issue once it was identified.

Bluesky reveals mockup for upcoming subscription service Bluesky+

5 months ago

Bluesky

Bluesky is developing a paid subscription service called Bluesky+. Mockups suggest features like higher quality video uploads, profile customizations, custom app icons, verification badges, and more. Pricing is indicated at $8 per month or $72 per year, but these details are not final. Users are discussing the mockup, although the company warns that the features may change. Bluesky is also exploring other revenue models, including selling domain names and ads.