Daily Crunch: Google reaches $170M settlement with FTC
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1. Children's privacy costs just $170 million for Google in settlement with the FTC
The complaint from the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General's office focused on YouTube's use of cookies to track viewers of kids' channels without getting permission from parents. Under COPPA regulations, websites and online services targeting children need to disclose their data collection practices and receive consent from parents.
In addition to the payment - a relatively small sum for YouTube-owner Google - the settlement requires the company to develop a system that allows channel-owners to identify content aimed at children.
2. Amazon unveils a new Fire TV Cube, soundbar and over a dozen Fire TV Edition products
The new products include a next-generation Fire TV Cube, a Fire TV Edition soundbar from Anker - its first foray into Fire TV Edition audio products - and 15 other Fire TV Edition products, including the first OLED Fire TV Edition smart TVs.
3. Porsche unveils the $150,900 Taycan Turbo electric sedan
Porsche has poured more than $1 billion into the development of its first all-electric vehicle.
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 16: Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt attends the 2014 Creative Arts Emmy Awards press room held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on August 16, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/WireImage)
4. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is coming to Disrupt SF 2019
Gordon-Levitt isn't just the star of movies like "500 Days of Summer" - he's also the founder of production company HitRecord, which he's trying to turn into "GitHub for creativity."
5. Ginger, an MIT spin-out providing app-based mental health coaching to workers, raises $35M
Ginger works with companies and their healthcare providers to provide employees with an app-based way to connect with coaches to talk through their issues and suggest ways forward.
6. Mental health websites in Europe found sharing user data for ads
Europeans going online to seek support for these issues are having sensitive health data tracked and passed to third parties, according to Privacy International's findings.
7. Light Phone's founders discuss life beyond the smartphone
The company has run two successful crowdfunding campaigns for a pair of minimalist phones designed to augment or replace the smartphone. Today the startup announced that it will be shipping its second version of the handset. (Extra Crunch membership required.)
