How the Netherlands became a target for cyber espionage — and why Europe should be worried

Today, the reality might be much less sexy but way more effective. They have offices, vacations, and chit chats in the coffee room. What they uncovered was a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) malware developed for FortiGate devices. 40% off TNW Conference! Within a few months across 2022 and 2023, it gained access to over 20,000 units worldwide. During this zero-day period, 14,000 devices were compromised. Targets included dozens of Western governments, diplomatic institutions, and companies in the defence industry....

August 2, 2024 · 2 min · 307 words · William Moore

UK chip incubator startups secure over £10M in funding

Launched in October 2023, ChipStart is an incubator programme. Run by semiconductor accelerator Silicon Catalyst.UK, the 1.3mn initiative offers nine months of training and mentorship. Among the 12 startups, London-based MintNeuro recently secured a 100k grant from Innovate UK. The company is developing neural chips to help patients suffering from neurological conditions. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. Such chips can enable more efficient operations in a wide range of applications, from datacoms to biosensing andquantumcomputing....

August 1, 2024 · 1 min · 159 words · Courtney Alvarez

UK startup accuses Google of ‘predatory conduct’ over withdrawal of Gmail API

Google has been accused of exploiting a regulatory gap to terminate a startups access to the Gmail API. Users can then monetise their information. Thousands of firmsalready harvest and sell thisdata. Thats how Google becamethefourth most valuablecompany in the world. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. They are then offered two options. One prevents tracking from third-party companies. The ads that they support are then removed from browsers. The other option permits Gener8 to anonymise, aggregate, and monetise userdata....

August 1, 2024 · 3 min · 463 words · Thomas Fox

Automation plans for planes are ‘dangerous gamble,’ EU pilots warn

A push for single-pilot planes is a dangerous gamble, a leading aviation union has warned. The European Cockpit Association (ECA) sounded the alarm over plans to automate commercial flights. Aircraft makers wantsoftwareto support a new single-pilot model. Automationtechwould take over their supporting role. The second pilot can then rest while their colleague stays at the controls. The EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is now evaluating the proposals. If the regulator approves eMCO, commercial planes could no longer require two people at the controls....

July 31, 2024 · 3 min · 546 words · Mary Hester

Building a nurturing ecosystem in deep tech: collaboration over proprietary innovation

The potential for deep tech to reshape industries from healthcare to climate science is immense. Each area demands considerable expertise and significant research and development (R&D) investment. Collaboration fosters the cross-pollination of ideas. When organisations share knowledge, they enable collective problem-solving, leading to more robust and diverse solutions. Deep tech ventures in particular often require substantial financial and human resources. Collaboration leads to resource optimisation by pooling expertise, sharing infrastructure, and reducing redundant efforts....

July 31, 2024 · 2 min · 359 words · Michael Wolf

EU backs 15 startups to fight online misinformation with blockchain

To date, TrustChain has provided over 4.5mn in funding to 43 companies. Among the initiatives key targets is the protection of human rights and democratic processes in online spaces. Both are threatened by misinformation and fake identities be it through distorted information, manipulation, or even weaponisation. 40% off TNW Conference! Part of TrustChains core team, hes leading the initiatives funding calls. The winners come from 10 European countries, including the Netherlands, Germany, and France....

July 31, 2024 · 1 min · 151 words · Michael Grant

Four Homers In 24 Hours! You Can't Have a Better First Impression With a Team Than Jazz Chisholm Jr. Is Experiencing With The Yankees Right Now

You show your face for the first time and it better work from the jump. Absolutely not, but that’s how it goes with Yankee fans. Succeed early and you’re an immediate fan favorite. Struggle out of the gate and people will have their pitch forks out. Factor also getting the number 13 on top of it. you could either be A-ROD or Joey Gallo. Jazz Chisholm Jr. went with option number one across the board....

July 31, 2024 · 3 min · 559 words · Brian Greene

Google DeepMind launches 2B parameter Gemma 2 model

The new 2B model learns from larger models through distillation and produces outsized results, DeepMind says. The company also claims that it outperforms all GPT-3.5 models on theLMSYS Chatbot Arena leaderboard. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. In addition, its small enough to run on the free tier of the NVIDIA T4 deep learning accelerator. It comes in various sizes and targets hate speech, harassment, sexually explicit content, and dangerous content....

July 31, 2024 · 1 min · 146 words · Troy Patterson

TNW Podcast: IKEA’s Parag Parekh on digital ethics; €100B for AI research in Europe

40% off TNW Conference! Feel free to email us with any questions, suggestions, and opinions atpodcast@thenextweb.com.

July 31, 2024 · 1 min · 16 words · Jesse Williams

Drones could revolutionise the construction industry, supporting a new UK housing boom

The UKs new Labour government haspledged to build 1.5 million homesduring its first term in office. To achieve this, it promises planning reform and the reintroduction of local housing targets. Yet little attention has been given to the role of new technologies. Droneshave the potential to transform the construction industry in the UK. This makes them a viable, cheaper, and safer alternative to human construction workers for certain tasks. Some of these laws differ on a local, national, and international level....

July 30, 2024 · 2 min · 227 words · Bobby Anderson

Google-Anthropic partnership raises AI competition fears in the UK

In October, Google-parent company Alphabet reportedlycommitted $2bnto the San-Francisco basedstartup, which has developed ChatGPT rivalClaude. This followed a prior $300 investment in return for awhat was said to bea 10% stake. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. The regulator is alsolooking intoAmazons $4bn investment in Anthropic, as well as Microsofts relationship with OpenAI. Mesout added that such threats range from unfair market practices to stifling innovation and limiting consumer choice....

July 30, 2024 · 1 min · 111 words · Samantha Williams

Nonconsensual deepfake pornography is a bane on society — here’s how Europe can fight it

Just as the sun rises and sets, some things are inevitable. As soon as something new emerges, people invariably find a way to abuse it. Thankfully, authorities are taking note. Meanwhile, the EU has a range of laws and directives it can use to fight the maleficent practice. Or sos the hope. A word on terminology 40% off TNW Conference! As Baines points out, the bottom line is its online abuse, not porn....

July 30, 2024 · 2 min · 354 words · Lindsay Bell

UK startup automates shared ownership process to tackle housing crisis

For individuals facing challenges entering the (overcrowded) UK housing market, shared ownership offers a potential solution. The platform also comes with a dedicated app for residents. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. According to ten Nijenhuis, what sets Stairpays technology apart is its data-driven approach. The biggest issue currently is data, he said. During a recent two-month pilot with Clarion, Stairpay reported a 50% increase in staircasing transactions. Its also considering a future expansion to the US market....

July 30, 2024 · 1 min · 123 words · Kelsey Meadows