Author: azeeadmin

For parents who grew up with dial-up connections and tape players, the high-speed, digital social lives of their teens can be a mystery. Today, both the good and destructive aspects of social interactions are taking place behind screens on apps like Instagram .

To help parents navigate these online environments, Instagram has released a parents guide to the app on its Well Being site.

The PSA covers a basic introduction to the photo and video sharing app and introduces parents to the safety features that they — and perhaps their child — may not be aware of. These bullet points cover privacy features like private vs. public profiles, and a timer system the app released earlier this summer that helps teens and their parents keep track of how long they’ve stayed on the app and prompts them to take a breath if they’ve exceeded a pre-set limit.

In addition to walking parents through these more technical aspects of the app, the portal also works as a basic introduction to the unique intersection of personal identity and technology that is inherent to how teens are finding their place in an increasingly noisy web.

The app also encourages parents to ask their teens about their mental well being as a result of online comments, how well (if at all) they know their followers and how they decide what to post on various accounts (e.g. ‘finstas’ vs. ‘instas’.)

The list is, without a doubt, a little cringey at times. But so are many conversations that have to bridge both generation and maturity gaps between parents and children.

As teens’ lives become more secluded online, the ability for parents to offer an educated and empathetic ear to the personal issues these social apps might create can mean the difference between a child voicing them at all or struggling through on their own.

For parents who grew up with dial-up connections and tape players, the high-speed, digital social lives of their teens can be a mystery. Today, both the good and destructive aspects of social interactions are taking place behind screens on apps like Instagram .

To help parents navigate these online environments, Instagram has released a parents guide to the app on its Well Being site.

The PSA covers a basic introduction to the photo and video sharing app and introduces parents to the safety features that they — and perhaps their child — may not be aware of. These bullet points cover privacy features like private vs. public profiles, and a timer system the app released earlier this summer that helps teens and their parents keep track of how long they’ve stayed on the app and prompts them to take a breath if they’ve exceeded a pre-set limit.

In addition to walking parents through these more technical aspects of the app, the portal also works as a basic introduction to the unique intersection of personal identity and technology that is inherent to how teens are finding their place in an increasingly noisy web.

The app also encourages parents to ask their teens about their mental well being as a result of online comments, how well (if at all) they know their followers and how they decide what to post on various accounts (e.g. ‘finstas’ vs. ‘instas’.)

The list is, without a doubt, a little cringey at times. But so are many conversations that have to bridge both generation and maturity gaps between parents and children.

As teens’ lives become more secluded online, the ability for parents to offer an educated and empathetic ear to the personal issues these social apps might create can mean the difference between a child voicing them at all or struggling through on their own.

Bumble doesn’t want you to delete your account when you get into a relationship, go on vacation or just need a break from your phone. So today it’s launching a Snooze button that lets you stop showing up to people swiping through potential matches for a day, three days, a week or indefinitely. You’ll also get to select an away message, like “I’m traveling,” “I’m on a digital detox,” “I’m focusing on work” or “I’m prioritizing myself,” that will show up with existing matches with whom you’re chatting.

The feature could ensure that Bumble’s 40 million registered users aren’t flirting with an empty vacuum if their match goes AWOL from Bumble temporarily. And for users who turn it on, Snooze could reduce their FOMO about potentially missing out on a match or looking like they ignored someone’s message.

“The impact of social media, especially on young women, has the potential to be very harmful and we have a responsibility to give our users the power to disconnect on their own terms whenever they see fit,” writes Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd. “We know Snooze will allow them to come back to us feeling refreshed and more open to new connections.”

Tinder has its own Pause button, but it’s bundled alongside the account deletion button and has less intention and flexibility behind it. You can merely turn it on or off. Without the proper away messages, matches could think you’re just trying to ghost them.

When Bumble and non-Bumble users were recently surveyed, more than 60 percent of women ages 18 to 24 said they felt overwhelmed by social media. Sixty percent of women surveyed also spend more than two hours a day on social media. Bumble’s in-house sociologist, Dr. Jessica Carbino, writes that “On social media, young women can develop unrealistic perceptions of what they should be or how others see them. These unrealistic expectations may ultimately have negative consequences for their physical and emotional well-being.”

Dating apps are subject to high churn rates as people find long-time partners or age out of different apps. They must do everything they can to keep people on the app to both maximize the potential match pool and their chances of selling premium services to their users. Snooze feels as much like a retention trick as a benevolent offering, but if it means people can take a break from their phones in peace, it’s nice to have.

For more on Snooze and Bumble, check out its CEO’s talk today at TechCrunch Disrupt SF.

Bumble doesn’t want you to delete your account when you get into a relationship, go on vacation or just need a break from your phone. So today it’s launching a Snooze button that lets you stop showing up to people swiping through potential matches for a day, three days, a week or indefinitely. You’ll also get to select an away message, like “I’m traveling,” “I’m on a digital detox,” “I’m focusing on work” or “I’m prioritizing myself,” that will show up with existing matches with whom you’re chatting.

The feature could ensure that Bumble’s 40 million registered users aren’t flirting with an empty vacuum if their match goes AWOL from Bumble temporarily. And for users who turn it on, Snooze could reduce their FOMO about potentially missing out on a match or looking like they ignored someone’s message.

“The impact of social media, especially on young women, has the potential to be very harmful and we have a responsibility to give our users the power to disconnect on their own terms whenever they see fit,” writes Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd. “We know Snooze will allow them to come back to us feeling refreshed and more open to new connections.”

Tinder has its own Pause button, but it’s bundled alongside the account deletion button and has less intention and flexibility behind it. You can merely turn it on or off. Without the proper away messages, matches could think you’re just trying to ghost them.

When Bumble and non-Bumble users were recently surveyed, more than 60 percent of women ages 18 to 24 said they felt overwhelmed by social media. Sixty percent of women surveyed also spend more than two hours a day on social media. Bumble’s in-house sociologist, Dr. Jessica Carbino, writes that “On social media, young women can develop unrealistic perceptions of what they should be or how others see them. These unrealistic expectations may ultimately have negative consequences for their physical and emotional well-being.”

Dating apps are subject to high churn rates as people find long-time partners or age out of different apps. They must do everything they can to keep people on the app to both maximize the potential match pool and their chances of selling premium services to their users. Snooze feels as much like a retention trick as a benevolent offering, but if it means people can take a break from their phones in peace, it’s nice to have.

For more on Snooze and Bumble, check out its CEO’s talk today at TechCrunch Disrupt SF.

Future Family, the startup offering more affordable plans for fertility services like IVF and egg freezing, is switching its model from small loans for these services to subscriptions.

Fertility treatments are out of reach for most middle-income people in the U.S. The typical costs range from $12,000 to $20,000 for IVF, plus another few thousand for the genetic testing involved to ensure the fetus is chromosomally normal. To help, Future Family started out offering monthly payment plans for these services. However, after hearing from customers, the company has decided to switch to a subscription plan where customers can choose from several offerings and tailor a package that fits their needs.

You might be wondering what the difference is: Either you get a loan for the services you want or you sign up to pay a certain amount as a subscription for x many months for the services you want. Either way, you get the services you want with an affordable way to pay for them.

What’s new is the ability to pick the services you want, both upfront and and as you go. So, for example, if you go through egg retrieval and later realize you want to add genetic testing, you can now fold that option into your subscription plan.

“We have now moved from a financing product with concierge, to a full subscription model that offers the flexibility of other consumer subscriptions,” a spokesperson for the company told TechCrunch. “Contrast this with other financing products that have no flexibility and no customization, and do not even include services like genetic testing.”

Future Family was co-founded by former Solar City executive Claire Tomkins after she went through six rounds of IVF and spent more than $100,000 to finally get her baby, so Tomkins had some understanding of what someone might go through and how much they could rack up before seeing results.

In the past year, the company has also added male fertility testing and expanded it’s ‘Touchpoint’ fertility program to include more than 200 clinics, and it has doubled its user base in the last six months. While we don’t have firm numbers on just how many have used the company’s services, it did tell TechCrunch it has helped “tens of thousands of women, men, and couples in all 50 states.”

Subscription packages last over the course of five years and start at $150 per month for egg freezing. What you’ll get with that beginner plan is the procedure itself plus concierge care, fertility planning, clinic matching and on-boarding to the company’s digital health platform. You can see other plans for IVF on the site here.

“Subscription fertility is stress-free fertility. We want to transform people’s fertility experiences from what is currently a costly, isolating and confusing experience, to one that is affordable, easy to navigate, and supported at every step of the journey,” Tomkins said.

Future Family, the startup offering more affordable plans for fertility services like IVF and egg freezing, is switching its model from small loans for these services to subscriptions.

Fertility treatments are out of reach for most middle-income people in the U.S. The typical costs range from $12,000 to $20,000 for IVF, plus another few thousand for the genetic testing involved to ensure the fetus is chromosomally normal. To help, Future Family started out offering monthly payment plans for these services. However, after hearing from customers, the company has decided to switch to a subscription plan where customers can choose from several offerings and tailor a package that fits their needs.

You might be wondering what the difference is: Either you get a loan for the services you want or you sign up to pay a certain amount as a subscription for x many months for the services you want. Either way, you get the services you want with an affordable way to pay for them.

What’s new is the ability to pick the services you want, both upfront and and as you go. So, for example, if you go through egg retrieval and later realize you want to add genetic testing, you can now fold that option into your subscription plan.

“We have now moved from a financing product with concierge, to a full subscription model that offers the flexibility of other consumer subscriptions,” a spokesperson for the company told TechCrunch. “Contrast this with other financing products that have no flexibility and no customization, and do not even include services like genetic testing.”

Future Family was co-founded by former Solar City executive Claire Tomkins after she went through six rounds of IVF and spent more than $100,000 to finally get her baby, so Tomkins had some understanding of what someone might go through and how much they could rack up before seeing results.

In the past year, the company has also added male fertility testing and expanded it’s ‘Touchpoint’ fertility program to include more than 200 clinics, and it has doubled its user base in the last six months. While we don’t have firm numbers on just how many have used the company’s services, it did tell TechCrunch it has helped “tens of thousands of women, men, and couples in all 50 states.”

Subscription packages last over the course of five years and start at $150 per month for egg freezing. What you’ll get with that beginner plan is the procedure itself plus concierge care, fertility planning, clinic matching and on-boarding to the company’s digital health platform. You can see other plans for IVF on the site here.

“Subscription fertility is stress-free fertility. We want to transform people’s fertility experiences from what is currently a costly, isolating and confusing experience, to one that is affordable, easy to navigate, and supported at every step of the journey,” Tomkins said.

Ford released the first image of a Mustang-inspired electric crossover that it plans to bring to market in 2020.

The teaser image doesn’t offer a lot of detail. The image is just a sketch of the vehicle’s backside, which shows at least a leaning toward the Mustang profile. But it’s important because it marks the beginning of what promises to be a long promotional effort to get customers excited for the automaker’s shift toward electric vehicles. 

This electric vehicle teaser image comes on the heels of the company’s decision to end its nationwide advertising for its sedans such as the Fiesta, Focus and Taurus. The automaker announced in April that it would phase out most cars it sells in North America. Ford will continue to produce the Mustang and focus the rest of its efforts in North America on trucks, utilities and commercial vehicles, as well as a move into electric vehicles.

Not much is known about this new Mustang-esque vehicle. The automaker describes it as an electric performance utility; the vehicle is expected to be able to travel about 300 miles on a single charge.

Ford is investing $11 billion to add 16 all-electric vehicles within its global portfolio of 40 electrified vehicles through 2022. At the heart of the company’s electrification effort is its Corktown project, a massive 1.2 million-square-foot space dedicated to its electric and autonomous vehicles businesses.

The goal of Corktown is to create a “mobility corridor” — Ford’s version of its own Sand Hill Road in Silicon Valley — that ties hubs of research, testing and development in the academic hub of Ann Arbor to Ford’s Dearborn headquarters, and finally to Detroit. Ford will house 2,500 Ford employees, most from its emerging mobility team, in its new Corktown campus by 2022.

Ford released the first image of a Mustang-inspired electric crossover that it plans to bring to market in 2020.

The teaser image doesn’t offer a lot of detail. The image is just a sketch of the vehicle’s backside, which shows at least a leaning toward the Mustang profile. But it’s important because it marks the beginning of what promises to be a long promotional effort to get customers excited for the automaker’s shift toward electric vehicles. 

This electric vehicle teaser image comes on the heels of the company’s decision to end its nationwide advertising for its sedans such as the Fiesta, Focus and Taurus. The automaker announced in April that it would phase out most cars it sells in North America. Ford will continue to produce the Mustang and focus the rest of its efforts in North America on trucks, utilities and commercial vehicles, as well as a move into electric vehicles.

Not much is known about this new Mustang-esque vehicle. The automaker describes it as an electric performance utility; the vehicle is expected to be able to travel about 300 miles on a single charge.

Ford is investing $11 billion to add 16 all-electric vehicles within its global portfolio of 40 electrified vehicles through 2022. At the heart of the company’s electrification effort is its Corktown project, a massive 1.2 million-square-foot space dedicated to its electric and autonomous vehicles businesses.

The goal of Corktown is to create a “mobility corridor” — Ford’s version of its own Sand Hill Road in Silicon Valley — that ties hubs of research, testing and development in the academic hub of Ann Arbor to Ford’s Dearborn headquarters, and finally to Detroit. Ford will house 2,500 Ford employees, most from its emerging mobility team, in its new Corktown campus by 2022.

Good news if you’re into hacking your car, you probably won’t void your warranty.

The electric car giant confirmed the move in a tweet this week. Tesla’s product security policy now says that if, through “good-faith security research” you brick your car, the company will reflash the software over-the-air or at a service center.

It’s thanks to an overhaul of the company’s bug bounty program, which guarantees “safe harbor” to car owners who hack their cars, so long as they stay within the bounds of its rules.

It may not sound like much, but security researchers — whose job it is to find bugs and security flaws — say it’s a step in the right direction, and one that reduces the legal liability of hackers who have long argued that US cybersecurity hacking laws are far too restrictive.

The company also said it won’t bring copyright infringement claims of those working within its bug bounty rules, a legal tool used by some companies to stifle the publication of security research.

Tesla said the new bug bounty, which went into effect during the Def Con security conference last month, was in response to researchers who were concerned that hacking their cars might affect their warranty.

Bugcrowd chief technology officer Casey Ellis, which administers Tesla’s bug bounty, tweeted that the move “rings a very loud bell for the legitimacy of good-faith security research.”

Amit Elazari, a Berkeley Law School doctoral candidate and bug bounty legal expert, told TechCrunch that Tesla’s safe harbor move “is aimed to address the murkiness of the current legal landscape” during the past year where security researchers and reporters have faced threats and legal action.

“We have seen other manufacturers, like [tractor maker] John Deere, taking an aggressive approach against researchers, and even users, seeking to test — or even just repair — their equipment,” said Elazari. “I hope this step by Tesla would serve as a benchmark for others to follow, until we establish best practices in the industry and embrace the help of friendly hackers.”.

Tesla follows in the footsteps of other tech giants that have pushed for safe harbor exceptions for security researchers under its bug bounty.

Dropbox was one of the first to change its bounty program to better shield security researchers from legal action, and Mozilla joined months later to better protect bug bounty participants.

Good news if you’re into hacking your car, you probably won’t void your warranty.

The electric car giant confirmed the move in a tweet this week. Tesla’s product security policy now says that if, through “good-faith security research” you brick your car, the company will reflash the software over-the-air or at a service center.

It’s thanks to an overhaul of the company’s bug bounty program, which guarantees “safe harbor” to car owners who hack their cars, so long as they stay within the bounds of its rules.

It may not sound like much, but security researchers — whose job it is to find bugs and security flaws — say it’s a step in the right direction, and one that reduces the legal liability of hackers who have long argued that US cybersecurity hacking laws are far too restrictive.

The company also said it won’t bring copyright infringement claims of those working within its bug bounty rules, a legal tool used by some companies to stifle the publication of security research.

Tesla said the new bug bounty, which went into effect during the Def Con security conference last month, was in response to researchers who were concerned that hacking their cars might affect their warranty.

Bugcrowd chief technology officer Casey Ellis, which administers Tesla’s bug bounty, tweeted that the move “rings a very loud bell for the legitimacy of good-faith security research.”

Amit Elazari, a Berkeley Law School doctoral candidate and bug bounty legal expert, told TechCrunch that Tesla’s safe harbor move “is aimed to address the murkiness of the current legal landscape” during the past year where security researchers and reporters have faced threats and legal action.

“We have seen other manufacturers, like [tractor maker] John Deere, taking an aggressive approach against researchers, and even users, seeking to test — or even just repair — their equipment,” said Elazari. “I hope this step by Tesla would serve as a benchmark for others to follow, until we establish best practices in the industry and embrace the help of friendly hackers.”.

Tesla follows in the footsteps of other tech giants that have pushed for safe harbor exceptions for security researchers under its bug bounty.

Dropbox was one of the first to change its bounty program to better shield security researchers from legal action, and Mozilla joined months later to better protect bug bounty participants.