DINT 125 - This Week in Tech: A Roundup of News on Tech, Race, and Gender
Dealing with intermittent power outages right now post-Hurricane Milton. This DINT will be shorter than usual.
I have been monitoring the tech landscape and here are the stories that stood out the most to me:
Google launched it's latest startup business accelerator session in Africa for Black-led businesses. Africa has been making strides in producing solid startups recently. This includes AppZone, a fintech company for African banks and Brandbook, a Machine Earning-powered consumer behavior analytics company.
Isaac Hayes's son Isaac Hayes III isn't an R&B legend but he's charting the course for success with a Black-led social media platform. He shared insights into his vision with the hosts of The Baller Alert podcast.
Startup Zepz just raised $267 million in startup funds. The Black-owned company makes international money transfers easier, according to reporting by People of Color in Tech.
In an attempt to balance out the role it's had in false arrests of Black men and women, Clearview AI, a facial recognition company, launched JusticeClearview. It gives public defenders access to Clearview's 20-billion-image database to help prove the innocence of defendants.
Good news? Login.gov, the portal for US-government-based identity verification, now offers a facial recognition verification option. How long until the option no longer is?
Maryland enacted the strictest laws on police use of facial recognition on October 1. The law prohibits use of facial recognition findings as the sole basis for probable cause. This was the leading reason for the false arrests stemming from facial recognition.
Thanks for reading this post-Hurricane Milton version of DINT. I hope to provide more links, context, and details in future issues.
Thank you for sharing the information