Facebook’s tool to help the blind “see” images just launched for iOS

Facebook has launched a tool, Automatic Alternative Text, for blind and visually impaired people to “see” images on the site. For people using screen readers to identify what’s displayed, AAT uses object recognition technology to generate descriptions of photos on Facebook. This tool, led by Facebook’s accessibility team, has been several months in the making. “You… Continue reading Facebook’s tool to help the blind “see” images just launched for iOS

Palaround lets anyone build their own Tinder-like app

Palaround began its life as one of what’s now many companies attempting to be the “Tinder for finding friends” — a list that now includes Tinder’s dating app rival, Bumble, in fact. But recently, the startup began rolling out a new product focused instead on bringing the Tinder swipe model to private organizations. A pivot from the… Continue reading Palaround lets anyone build their own Tinder-like app

Slack is work chat’s runaway train, raises $200M at $3.8B

The Slack rocketship won’t slow down. The business messaging startup has raised $200 million at a $3.8 billion post-money valuation, the company confirms to TechCrunch. The round was led by Thrive Capital, with participation by GGV, Comcast Ventures and Slack’s existing investors, including Accel, Index Ventures and Social Capital. This brings the total funding for the three-year-old company… Continue reading Slack is work chat’s runaway train, raises $200M at $3.8B

Reddit’s missing ‘warrant canary’ suggests classified data requests from feds

Reddit issued its annual transparency report Thursday morning, listing the amount and type of data requested by various authorities. There’s plenty of interesting info, but perhaps most interesting is what’s not there: the site’s “warrant canary.” Regular data requests via subpoenas or court orders are more or less public information, and can be tallied up… Continue reading Reddit’s missing ‘warrant canary’ suggests classified data requests from feds