One of the unpleasant technological reminders of the pandemic is fading away. States have turned off COVID-19 exposure notifications on iPhones across the US now that the public emergency has expired. At least some states also appear to be shutting down notifications for Android users. You won't get alerts if you approach someone who tested positive and reported their results. No personal data traded hands, as the system relied on anonymized Bluetooth exchanges rather than GPS.California and other states chalk up the decision to a combination of vaccines, wide immunity and effective...

Environmental DNA research has aided conservation, but scientists say its ability to glean information about human populations and individuals poses dangers.

The green light follows objections to the blockbuster deal by American and British regulators on the grounds that it would undercut competition.

Vice was valued at $5.7 billion just six years ago, eyeing a potential IPO. Now, the trendsetting media company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company’s lenders — Fortress Investment Group, Soros Fund Management and Monroe Capital — have agreed to purchase the company for $225 million. That’s only about 4% of the company’s […]After a 29-year run, Vice files for bankruptcy by Amanda Silberling originally published on TechCrunch

Telly, a hardware startup led by Pluto TV co-founder Ilya Pozin, announced Monday that it’s giving away 500,000 of its new smart TVs for free. (Yes, we said free.) There’s a catch, though. Users must watch 24/7 ads while simultaneously streaming TV shows and movies. Telly developed a dual-screen smart TV, which has a 55-inch […]Hardware startup Telly launches a free smart TV entirely supported by ads by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge If you missed your chance to score T-Mobile’s free MLB.TV benefit earlier this year, you now have a second chance to sign up. The company says that it’s bringing back the deal on Tuesday, May 23rd, and will let you claim it through July 17th.MLB.TV, which typically costs $149.99 at the start of the baseball season, allows you to stream out-of-market home and away games from the MLB app as well as watch pregame and postgame shows. T-Mobile has long offered an MLB.TV subscription as an added perk for customers and recently announced that it has extended...

Women founders have received just 6.9% of venture dollars in climate tech in Q1, according to Crunchbase, which is down from 8.9% in 2022.VC funding of women climate tech founders is abysmal. Here’s how it could improve by Dominic-Madori Davis originally published on TechCrunch

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With a U.S. ban of TikTok looming, the company is introducing a new mental health awareness hub to allow users to learn about well-being topics, connect with advocates and support organizations that provide important resources. To access the new hub, users have to go to the #MentalHealthAwareness hashtag page and tap on the link in […]TikTok adds a new mental health awareness hub to provide users access to resources by Aisha Malik originally published on TechCrunch

The European Commission (EC) has given the go-ahead to Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion bid for gaming giant Activision. The news comes a few weeks after the U.K. emerged as the first jurisdiction to block the megabucks deal, while the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the U.S. is suing to block the deal. Europe had been […]Europe greenlights Microsoft’s $68.7B Activision acquisition by Paul Sawers originally published on TechCrunch