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Today we celebrate a little oversight of an industry that has been allowed to prey on the less fortunate for far too long. authority “to ensure fair and reasonable charges for telephone and advanced communications services in correctional and detention centers.”
In other exciting news, the Daily Crunch is back next week in a slightly smaller form, as both Christine and Haje are disappearing for the holidays. The full newsletter will be back soon, and the two of us wish you a very happy Christmas if you celebrate, a very peaceful holiday if you don’t, and a magnificently prosperous 2023 in either case. Much love, Christine and Hey
The australiabusinessblog.com Top 4
- Meta settles: After years of litigation resistance, Meta has agreed to a $725 million settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit over Cambridge Analytica’s collection of data from Facebook users. Paul has more.
- Breathe in that fresh air: Mila, the creator of a smart air purifier that came from humble beginnings on Kickstarter, scored $10 million in a round led by Electrolux. This gives it a $52 million valuation and the backing to add some clever stuff to a new product – a humidifier, Hey writes.
- Charge it: It looks like Tesla is #winning in a space that Apple couldn’t make it work. The automaker unveiled its $300 charging mat that can charge three devices at once, Mat reports.
- The results are in: Dominic Madori polled three black investors about what they’re preparing for in 2023. Read the full version at australiabusinessblog.com+.
Holiday shipping is easier this year, but technology is still lagging behind
Image Credits: Yuichiro Chino (Opens in a new window) /Getty Images
Global supply lines are in better shape than this time last year, but that doesn’t bode well for the future, writes Ryan Petersen, CEO of Flexport.
“The shipping improvements this year largely reflect a decline in consumption rather than any improvement in underlying infrastructure,” he says, noting that labor shortages, global instability and high fuel prices have created persistent bottlenecks.
“Fortunately, the data available today is immeasurably rich, and we also have the tools to use it in ways that can increase efficiency.”
Three more from the TC+ team:
australiabusinessblog.com+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams lead the way. You can sign up here. Use code “DC” for a 15% discount on an annual subscription!
Big Tech Inc.
We enjoyed Ingrid‘s in-depth look at how the decentralized social media player Mastodon scales as Twitter users drop off to look for other ways to post whatever they think. australiabusinessblog.com+ subscribers – if you’re not one, you can easily be – can also read her Q&A with Mastodon creator Eugen Rochko.
If you’re a LastPass user like many of us here at australiabusinessblog.com, you might want to check your email if you haven’t already. According to LastPass, hackers have stolen password vaults from some customers. Bag says it’s time to change your passwords.
Google won’t ignore India’s latest fine. Manic reports that the search engine giant is appealing hundreds of millions of dollars in fines against it for business practices on Android.
And we have four more for you:
- Can there be fair elections in social media land?: Annie writes that “failed content moderation” during Kenya’s elections last year has left other countries with questions about what social media companies, such as Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, will do to maintain election integrity in Africa as their elections take place.
- Perseverance or annoyance?: @ElonJet creator Jack Sweeney now has a new Twitter handle, still following Elon Musk’s jet but now delayed, writes Connie. Meanwhile, if you’re Twitter Blue, you can now upload 60-minute videos, Ivan reports. I’m not sure any of us will be around long enough to check one out, so good luck with that new view counts.
- Separated: India’s e-commerce giant Flipkart no longer has a stake in PhonePe, Manic writes.
- This move is making Tesla investors shake their heads: Tesla’s $7,500 rebate feels desperate and is “scaring the hell out of investors,” writes Rebekahlowering its price target for the automaker.
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