Bumble has created a relief fund to support reproductive rights for people who seek abortions in Texas, the Austin-based online dating platform announced Thursday.
Why it matters: Texas' new abortion ban went into effect on Wednesday, the most restrictive abortion law allowed for enforcement since 1973. It erects significant barriers and expenses for some people in Texas seeking abortions.
The summer remake of 2011’s “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” has spurred new reactions to the game’s lead villain, Ghirahim, who some players and critics regard as homophobic.
Why it matters: The mixed feelings about Ghirahim go beyond whether “Zelda” players think the character is interesting or offensive but whether queer gamers, specifically, want to reject or reclaim him.
The number of people watching and streaming on Twitch was down significantly yesterday, the day of a user protest over the platform’s failure to effectively deal with hate speech.
Why it matters: The drop-off in usage proved the concerns resonated with a lot of Twitch users, even if the decline wasn’t big enough to have a major economic impact on the Amazon-owned company.
A notable venture capitalistand board member at the public company behind iconic brands like The North Face and Timberland was dismissive of racism in the U.S. and called Black Lives Matter "the true racists," according to emails obtained by Axios.
Details: Veronica Wu was a co-lead on a fund that it once described as the largest pool of money dedicated to seed startups. She's also on the board of VF Corporation, one of the world's biggest apparel companies.
Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor threatened to fine Apple and Google on Thursday if the companies did not remove an app associated with jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, according to AP.
Why it matters: It's a continuation of Russia's crackdown on major tech companies that have been spaces for freedom of expression in the country and comes just weeks before the Sept. 19 parliamentary elections.
Mina Hsiang will lead the U.S. Digital Service, the Office of Management and Budget told Axios Thursday, as the Biden administration beefs up its cadre of technological special forces tasked with solving problems across the federal government.
Why it matters: Washington is preparing to spend trillions in infrastructure money allocated by the president's top-priority legislation, and building and tuning the digital systems for those programs will demand know-how.
Facebook on Wednesday confirmed that it was part of an effort to fly 175 Afghan citizens out of Afghanistan to Mexico, including some of its own employees, according to a statement provided to Axios.
Details: The tech giant said that in an effort to get some of its employees out of the country, it joined with a group that it declined to name that is working to help journalists in Afghanistan leave the country as the Taliban assumes control.
Many Twitch streamers went dark on Wednesday in protest of what they view as a failure on the platform's part to protect streamers from hate speech and attacks.
Why it matters: The daylong boycott is part of an ongoing effort by streamers to draw attention to targeted abuse known as hate raids.
Although next-gen versions of "Cyberpunk 2077" and "The Witcher 3" are still slated to release late this year, CD Projekt Red is acknowledging both might be further delayed.
Why it matters: Following a disastrous launch for "Cyberpunk 2077" after releasing the game too early, CD Projekt Red seems to have learned its lesson.
Lawmakers in South Korea have passed legislation to force Apple and Google to allow rival in-app payment mechanisms within their mobile operating systems.
Why it matters: While the legislation is limited to South Korea, lawmakers and regulators around the globe have also been weighing action on mobile app stores and could seek to force a similar move in other regions.
AT&T said Wednesday it wants the Federal Communications Commission to review and potentially limit the amount of 5G spectrum that rival T-Mobile can acquire.
The big picture: T-Mobile used to be the one calling on the FCC to ensure its bigger competitors didn't hog all the airwaves, but with its Sprint acquisition and success in auctions, its spectrum holdings have the attention of both AT&T and Verizon.
Once rare, partial or total internet shutdowns engineered by governments have become a near-daily occurrence somewhere in the world.
Why it matters: Such shutdowns pose a threat to human rights and are also costing the global economy billions of dollars per year, according to a new report from nonprofit Access Now and Jigsaw, a unit of Google parent Alphabet.
