Month: September 2019

Comscore, a company that’s performance metrics are widely touted in the media world, has settled with the SEC following charges of inflating its own metrics.

The company and its former CEO Serge Matta have been charged with fraud by the SEC and have agreed to pay $5 million and $700,000 respectively, in a settlement. Matta has also agreed to reimburse Comscore $2.1 million representing profits from the sale of his Comscore stock, a post on the agency’s website reveals.

The orders state that Matta and the company engaged in fraudulent behavior that overstated the company’s revenues by $50 million and made other false statements about the company’s performance.

“As the SEC orders find, Comscore and its former CEO manipulated the accounting for non-monetary and other transactions in an effort to chase revenue targets and deceive investors about the performance of Comscore’s business,” said Melissa R. Hodgman, Associate Director in the SEC’s Enforcement Division in a statement.

More from the SEC’s announcement:

The SEC’s orders find, among other things, that from February 2014 through February 2016, Comscore, at the direction of its former CEO Serge Matta, entered into non-monetary transactions for the purpose of improperly increasing its reported revenue. Through these transactions, Comscore and a counterparty would negotiate and agree to exchange sets of data without any cash consideration. Comscore recognized revenue on these transactions based on the fair value of the data it delivered, which had been improperly increased in order to inflate revenue. The SEC’s orders also find that Comscore and Matta made false and misleading public disclosures regarding the company’s customer base and flagship product and that Matta lied to Comscore’s internal accountants and external audit firm. This scheme enabled Comscore to artificially exceed its analysts’ consensus revenue target in seven consecutive quarters and create the illusion of smooth and steady growth in Comscore’s business.

The company’s share price has been in free-fall since some of its actions came to light earlier this year. It was trading above $20 back in April, the company’s stock now sits just above $2 per share. The stock was down nearly 5% on the day as trading neared its close.

In a lengthy statement, Comscore says that the company “neither admits nor denies the Commission’s allegations,” while further noting that “a separate proceeding against Mr. Matta was announced by the SEC today.”

Matta resigned from Comscore in 2016.

The company’s slogan is “Comscore is the trusted currency for planning, transacting, and evaluating media across platforms.”

Source: Tech Crunch

Since the days of BigDog, the quadrupedal robots of Boston Dynamics have impressed and repelled us. But while the early, bulky robots never felt like something we’d see in real life, the company’s latest and greatest creation, Spot, is not only quite real but now for sale — in fact, some people have had them for months already.

Boston Dynamics announced that Spot, previously known as SpotMini, would be its first commercial product on our stage at TC Sessions: Robotics last year — and we got the first peek at the production version at this year’s conference in May. It’s an incredibly impressive and flexible robotics platform capable of navigating a variety of environments and interacting with many everyday objects and obstacles. And while today is the first day of official sales, there are already robots out there in use.

“We’re putting Spots out into the wild as we speak,” Boston Dynamics VP of business development Michael Perry told TechCrunch. “Last month we started delivering robots to customers, as part of an early adopter program.The question we’re posing to these early customers is ‘what do you think spot can do for you that’s valuable?’ We had some initial ideas, but it’s all our thinking and the hope is that this program will enable a whole new set of use cases.”

The early adopter program is lease-based rather than a straight purchase, but there’s no shortage of customers who want to own their Spot outright. The cost of one of the robots varies, but think tens of thousands of dollars — this isn’t a hobby bot.

“The general guidance is that the entire early adopter program is going to be about the price of a car, but how nice of a car depends on a lot,” said Perry.

Some people might want a barebones platform that they can integrate their own sensing and interaction tech onto. Others might want a fully functional robot that they can plug into their existing automation workflow.

But either way it will take some work on the part of the customer. Spot isn’t going to inspect that oil pipeline or patrol a facility with the push of a button. It’s a powerful, flexible legged robot platform, but Boston Dynamics isn’t running a turn-key service.

“We’re now at a phase where we don’t have to send out 12 engineers with the robot,” said Perry. “Say a customer wants to operate it close to people — it needs to detect people and change its behavior. That’s totally possible. We can actually leave it with them, give them access to our Github repo, and say ‘have at it.’ But if someone says they just want it built into the robot… We want people to have realistic expectations about what it can do.”

That said, you don’t need to present a whole whitepaper on your intentions. A lot of companies just want to buy a couple of these guys to play around with and test. If you’re one of those, or perhaps a smaller operation with more specific goals in mind, get in touch with Boston Dynamics and its sales team via the link here.

“We have a deluge of people emailing us,” he lamented. “Some are legitimate applications, but some just want Spot as a pet, or to get them a beer from the fridge. It would be thrilling to accommodate them, but we’re not quite there yet.”

No word on when you’ll be able to buy an Atlas.

Source: Tech Crunch

Apple is warning users of a bug in iOS 13 and iPadOS involving third-party keyboards.

In a brief advisory posted Tuesday, the tech giant said the bug impacts third-party keyboards which have the ability to request “full access” permissions.

iOS 13 was released last week. Both iOS 13.1 and iPadOS 13.1, the new software version for iPads, are out today.

Third-party keyboards can either run as standalone, or with “full access” they can talk to other apps or get internet access for additional features, like spell check. But “full access” also allows the keyboard maker to capture keystroke data or anything you type — like emails, messages or passwords — to its servers.

This bug, however, may allow third-party keyboards to gain full access permissions — even if it was not approved

Apple didn’t say much more about the problem. A spokesperson did not comment beyond the advisory. But the advisory said that the bug doesn’t affect iOS’ in-built keyboard.

The bug will be fixed in an upcoming software update.

Source: Tech Crunch

Lyft is rolling out an update that makes it possible to access bikes, scooters, transit and car rentals within the app. Uber, however, did something similar more than one year ago. With Lyft’s update, customers can more easily see all of the transportation modes available to them.

“At Lyft, we’re working toward a future where cities are centered around people, not cars,” Lyft co-founder and President John Zimmer said in a statement. “The changes we’re making today will unlock better transportation solutions — whether that’s a trip on public transit, a bike ride or a shared Lyft — for people in cities around the country. ”

Lyft began testing car rentals in San Francisco earlier this year. As part of the offering, Lyft will give renters a free ride to and from the car rental location. Currently, there are just three car rental locations in California, including one in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles. Uber launched a rental program in 2018, but it shut down after just seven months.

While app updates are nice and all, I’d be remiss not to mention California gig worker bill AB 5, which Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed into law. The bill effectively makes it harder for the likes of Lyft and Uber to classify their drivers as independent contractors.

Before the bill even passed, Lyft and Uber announced they were both putting $30 million toward a 2020 campaign initiative that would enable them to continue classifying their drivers as independent contractors.

The cynical view on Lyft’s update is that it’s looking to move people away from its ride-hail business, which is now under more threat than it has been in the past, and into other modes of transportation that rely less on working humans. A more neutral take is that this update is simply a way for Lyft to increase profits and better compete against Uber.

Source: Tech Crunch

Attention all current and future pass holders to Disrupt SF 2019! Our CrunchMatch platform is up, operational and ready for you to create your profile and get down to the business of connecting with the people who can move your business to new heights.

Hold up a sec’. If you don’t already have one, stop what you’re doing and buy your pass to Disrupt SF right now.

Okay, back to networking. More than 10,000 people will attend Disrupt SF and CruntchMatch is the most efficient way for you to zero in on the connections you want to make. Whether you’re a founder looking for developers, an investor looking to fatten your portfolio, technology service providers trolling for new customers or founders looking for marketing help, CrunchMatch will make connecting so much easier.

Now’s the time to create a CrunchMatch profile listing your specific criteria, goals and interests. For example, you’ll identify your role (developer, service provider, founder, etc.) and the type of people you want to connect with at Disrupt.

CrunchMatch kicks into high, algorithmic gear to find and suggest suitable matches and, subject to your approval, proposes meeting times and sends meeting requests. You can even use it to reserve meeting spaces. How well does it work? Here’s what Michael Kocan, managing partner at Trend Discovery, said about CrunchMatch.

“I scheduled more than 35 meetings with startups that I pre-vetted using CrunchMatch, and we made a significant investment in one, who came to our attention through Startup Battlefield. It’s an extremely efficient way to vet deals.”

Last year alone, the program facilitated more than 3,000 meetings. And Yoolox — makers of a portable wireless charger — says the connections it made through CrunchMatch helped Yoolox increase its distribution.

Make the most of your limited time at Disrupt San Francisco 2019 on October 2-4. CrunchMatch relieves you of the hassle and the guesswork associated with traditional conference networking. Buy your pass, go create your profile and get ready to meet the right movers and shakers for your business.

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt San Francisco 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.

Source: Tech Crunch

Disrupt SF will light up on San Francisco on Oct. 2-4, and as usual we’ve designed the show to be unmissable for founders, investors and just about anyone in the global startup scene. In a post two weeks ago, we spelled out five of the best reasons to attend, including the amazing speaker agenda, the perennial favorite Startup Battlefield and the new founder-focused Extra Crunch stage. 

Needless to say, we can think of many more reasons to join the show, and here are a few: 

#1 Diversity (and a far better Disrupt SF for it).  TechCrunch is the leader in the tech media world when it comes to delivering diversity in programming. The editors work extra hard to find great investors, founders and technologists who got to Silicon Valley on paths less traveled, to paraphrase the poet. To show our progress, we publish our programming diversity stats. To take just one intriguing example from the upcoming show, consider the winner of Battlefield Africa 2018, M-Scan, a Ugandan startup that developed a highly affordable sonogram for rural healthcare workers helping expectant mothers. They will join us at Disrupt SF. 

#2 Celebrities! Startups are very Silicon Valley, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t crossovers from the big screen or the arena floor or even the “deep state.”  This year That line-up includes Will Smith, Ang Lee, Ashton Kutcher, Stephen Curry, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Admiral Mike Rogers. TechCrunch’s editors are really looking forward to those sessions, and there’s nothing like being there in person to watch them.

#3 The Disrupt SF Tracks. Every year we designate official tracks for Disrupt SF and focus on recruiting both speakers and exhibiting startups for those categories. We also run a contest that awards the top early stage startups in each category a free exhibit spot. As usual, we will have hundreds of early stage startups on the floor, all arranged neatly in tracks. This year they cover most of the major and emerging startup categories, including: 

• Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning
• BioTech/HealthTech
• Blockchain
• Fintech
• Mobility
• Privacy/Security
• Retail/eCommerce
• Robotics/IoT/Hardware
• SaaS
• Social Impact & Education

#4 The Moscone Center (our venue in the heart of SF). There’s nothing like the creature comforts of a thoroughly modern convention center. Working bathrooms everywhere! Reliable HVAC. Plush carpet underfoot. Plenty of room to sit down and chat or work. For attendees who knew our pre-2018 Disrupt SF events, that might sound surprising given the tough conditions at our former venues, but we listened to you. A day at Moscone is far better than a day at the office, and you’ll be engaged with the future even while you keep up with work.

#5 The Hackathon. TechCunch’s legendary hackathon is back but in a new format, which runs concurrently with the show and finished with a final round of presentations from the top hacks, selected by a team of hacker judges, on the Extra Crunch stage. In the past, those presentations always took place the weekend before the show, so we’re delighted to make them a part of the regular programming so all show attendees can watch the hack final presentations.

So now’s the time to grab a pass to the show to save some serious money before things kick off next week. Remember, it’s the Innovator, Investor and Founders passes are the ones that get access to all the above! 

Source: Tech Crunch

Amazon is building wireless earbuds that offer Alexa voice assistant access, and fitness tracking for use during activities, according to a new report from CNBC. These earbuds, combined with a new, larger Echo designed to provide more premium sound, could feature into Amazon’s hardware event taking place this Wednesday in Seattle, though the outlet is unclear on the release timeline for this gear based on its source.

These earbuds would be a major new product for Amazon, and would be the company’s first foray into personal health and fitness devices. While Amazon has either built or bought products in a wide range of connected gadget categories, including smart home and smart speakers in particular, so far it hasn’t seemed all that aggressive in personal health, even as Apple, Samsung and others have invested heavily in these areas.

CNBC’s report says that these new Alexa buds will have an accelerometer on board for measuring motion, and will be able to also provide distance tracking, calories burned and pace – in other words, all the things that you’d expect to track with a fitness wearable like the Apple Watch or a Fitbit.

Leaving aside their fitness features, earbuds would provide Amazon a way to deliver a more portable Alexa for people to take with them outside of the house. The company has partnered with other headphone makers on similar third-party Alexa integrations, and they’ve also experimented with bringing Alexa to the car, for instance, but it’s largely still a home-based assistant, successful as its been.

Helping the appeal of these reported new products, the buds are said to be retailing for under $100, which will put them at a big price advantage when compared to similar offerings from either dedicated audio companies and headphone makes, and to potential rivals like Apple’s AirPods. Though the report indicates that they’ll still rely on being connected to an iPhone or Android device for connectivity, as they won’t have their own data connection.

Amazon is also readying a bigger echo that has a built-in woofer and overall better sound than its existing lineup, according to CNBC . That mirrors a report from July from Bloomberg that also said Amazon was readying a high-end echo, with a planned launch for next year.

Some or all of these new hardware devices could make their debut at Wednesday’s event, but it seems likely a lot of what we’ll see will be a surprise.

Source: Tech Crunch

Twitter today says it’s expanding its policies to prohibit financial scams on its platform — something you’d think would have already been banned, but apparently was never directly addressed through Twitter’s policy documentation. Instead, financial scams until now have been handled through Twitter’s spam reporting tool which was expanded last year to specifically identify what exact type of spam a tweet contained.

Among the choices were options to indicate if the tweet contained malicious links, was from a fake account, or was using hashtags or the reply function to post spam, among other things. It didn’t address the numerous sorts of financial spams that appear on Twitter, however.

The new policy better spells out what Twitter considers a financial scam.

Specifically, it says that using scam tactics to obtain money or private financial information is prohibited under the new policy, and users may not create accounts, tweets or send Direct Messages for this purpose.

It also details what kind of scams it’s on the lookout for, including relationship/trust-building scams, money-flipping schemes, fraudulent discounts, and phishing scams. These are detailed in its help documentation here.

The new policy arrives at a time when Twitter has been criticized for allowing crypto scams to proliferate on its service. Many of these involve impersonation, using the reply function to spam, and general promises to make victims lots of money. Twitter also this year allowed an obvious PayPal phishing attempt to run as a promoted tweet, which spoke to the need for stronger oversight in this area.

With regard to the new policy, users are still instructed to report the tweet, as before. That means clicking the “report tweet” option from the menu, then selecting “It’s suspicious or spam,” followed by the option that best explains how the tweet is suspicious.

Twitter also clarified that it doesn’t intervene in other financial disputes that fall outside this policy, like claims related to the sale of goods on Twitter, disputed refunds, or complaints about poor quality goods.

As with other scams, financial scammers will risk permanent suspension if they continue to post scams, phishing, and fraud, Twitter says.

Source: Tech Crunch

The Daily Crunch is TechCrunch’s roundup of our biggest and most important stories. If you’d like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 9am Pacific, you can subscribe here.

1. As Adam Neumann reportedly faces pressure to step down; it’s looking like a fight for life between WeWork and SoftBank

Members of WeWork’s board of directors are pressuring controversial CEO Adam Neumann to step down and become non-executive chairman, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Apparently the pressure originates with investor SoftBank, which needs The We Company’s IPO to go well. The idea is to keep Neumann involved, while also making room for new leadership that could make Wall Street more comfortable with a WeWork IPO.

2. How Peloton made sweat addictive enough to IPO

Speaking of IPOs, Josh Constine breaks down 13 reasons why this fitness company — which is about to go public — has built up such a devoted cult. Ultimately, he says he’s bullish about Peloton because people will always be busy, lazy and competitive.

3. Amazon’s ‘Fleabag’ wins four Emmys, including best comedy series

Netflix didn’t go home empty-handed either, with wins for “Ozark,” “When They See Us” and “Black Mirror.”

4. 100 Thieves’ Nadeshot and Scooter Braun are coming to Disrupt

The esports organization, founded by Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag, has grown over the past couple of years into a household name for those who follow gaming. Haag will be joined on the Disrupt stage by 100 Thieves co-owner Scooter Braun, who also manages megastars like Justin Bieber and Arianna Grande.

5. Kabbage founders drum up $11M for Drum, an SMB marketplace for sourcing salespeople, goods and services

Drum bills itself as a marketplace for businesses to source sales people and sell their goods and services. Co-founder Rob Frohwein said the startup is “democratizing access to a physical salesforce.”

6. How Kobalt is betting on music’s middle class and DIY stars

This is the latest installment in our in-depth EC-1 profile on Kobalt Music Group. The company’s CEO Willard Ahdritz predicted years ago that streaming and social media would increasingly undercut the gatekeeping power of the major label groups, realigning the market to center on a vast landscape of niche musicians. (Extra Crunch membership required.)

7. This week’s TechCrunch podcasts

The Equity team debates one of the most cherished beliefs in Silicon Valley, the “cult of the founder.” Meanwhile, Original Content catches up on the soothing Netflix reality show “Terrace House.”

Source: Tech Crunch

Amazon is introducing a new feature to its Alexa Show device designed to help blind and other low-vision customers identify common household pantry items by holding them up in front of Alexa’s camera and asking what it is. The feature uses a combination of computer vision and machine learning techniques in order to recognize the objects the Echo Show sees.

The Echo Show is the version of the Alexa-powered smart speaker that tends to sit in customers’ kitchens because it helps them with other kitchen tasks, like setting timers, watching recipe videos, or enjoying a little music or TV while you cook.

But for blind users, the Show will now have a new duty: helping them better identify those household pantry items that are hard to distinguish by touch — like cans, boxed foods, or spices, for example. 

To use the feature, customers can just say things like “Alexa, what am I holding?” or “Alexa, what’s in my hand?” Alexa will also give verbal and audio cues to help the customers place the item in front of the device’s camera.

Amazon says the feature was developed in collaboration with blind Amazon employees, including its principal accessibility engineer Josh Miele, who gathered feedback from both blind and low-vision customers as part of the development process. The company also worked with the Vista Center for the Blind in Santa Cruz on early research, product development, and testing.

“We heard that product identification can be a challenge and something customers wanted Alexa’s help with,” explained Sarah Caplener, head of Amazon’s Alexa for Everyone team. “Whether a customer is sorting through a bag of groceries, or trying to determine what item was left out on the counter, we want to make those moments simpler by helping identify these items and giving customers the information they need in that moment,” she said.

Smart home devices and intelligent voice assistants like Alexa have made life easier for disabled individuals, as it allows them to do things like adjust the thermostats and lights, lock the doors, raise the blinds, and more. With “Show and Tell,” Amazon hopes to reach the wide market of blind and low-vision customers, as well. According to the World Health Organization, there are an estimated 1.3 billion with some sort of vision impairment, Amazon says.

That being said, Echo devices aren’t globally available — and even when they are offered in a particular country, the device may not support the local language. Plus, the feature itself is U.S.-only at launch.

Amazon isn’t alone in making accessibility a selling point for its smart speakers and screens. At Google’s I/O developer conference this year, it introduced a range of accessibility projects, including Live Caption which transcribes real-time audio; Live Relay for helping the deaf make phone calls; Project Diva, for helping those who don’t speak use smart assistants; and Project Euphonia that helps make voice recognition work for those with speech impairments.

Show and Tell is available now to Alexa users in the U.S. on first and second-generation Echo Show devices.

 

Source: Tech Crunch