Telegram is among the most popular messaging apps, used for everything from chatting with friends to hosting group chats with colleagues. But if you’re worried about whether Telegram is safe or simply want to get rid of one of your many chat apps to reduce distractions, you may want to delete your account.

There are multiple different ways to delete your Telegram account, and you may be unsure which actions to take – but don’t worry, we’re here to help. This step-by-step guide takes you through deleting your Telegram account and exporting your data.

Key Takeaways

• Deleting your Telegram account takes only a few steps, but there are two different ways to do it.
• Once you delete your account, it’s gone forever. There’s no period of time for “deactivation” before deletion, as is common with many other apps and platforms.
• If you want to save or back up any data before deleting your Telegram account, make sure to export it properly. You can export your account info, contacts, conversations, and more.

How To Delete Your Telegram Account: 2 Ways

Unlike many other apps and platforms, Telegram offers two different types of deletion.

The first method takes just a few clicks but forces you to wait at least a month until the account gets deleted. The second method is a longer process but removes the account immediately.

On the app, you can do the first method only. If you want to delete your Telegram account ASAP, use a mobile or desktop browser.

Also, keep in mind that if you have a 6-month period of inactivity where you don’t come online, your Telegram account is automatically deleted. However, you can raise this to a year in your settings.

Deleting your account from the App

Follow these steps to delete your account from the Telegram app:

1. Open the Telegram app and go to Settings.
2. Click on Privacy and Security.
3. Scroll to the Delete My Account section, and choose how long until the account deletes. You can adjust the time period from 1 year, to 6 months, to 3 months, to 1 month.
4. Once you’ve selected your preferred time frame, wait for it to pass and the account self-destructs.

Deleting your account from a computer

If you want to immediately delete your Telegram account, you need to:

1. Visit the Telegram deactivation page on your mobile or desktop browser.
2. Provide the phone number you used to create your account and click Next.
3. You’ll get a confirmation message in your Telegram app with a code.
4. Enter the confirmation code in the field that asks for it, and press Sign In.
5. Provide the reason you’re deleting your account (optional), and click Delete My Account.

Beware that if you change your mind after deleting your Telegram account, you’re out of luck. There’s no deactivation period; once you delete it, your account is gone for good.

Also, you’ll need to wait a couple of days before signing up for a new account using the same phone number.

How To Export Your Data From Telegram

Because Telegram instantly removes all your data once you delete your account, it’s important to export your data if you want to preserve it. The data you can export from Telegram includes:

• Account information
• Contact lists
• Chat history
• Photos
• Videos
• Voice messages
• Story archives

To export all your data at once, follow these steps:

1. Log in to Telegram on your computer, and click on the horizontal bars in the top left corner.
2. Click Settings, and then Advanced.
3. Scroll down and click on Export Telegram Data.
4. A menu pops up that lets you choose the data you want to export.
5. Once you’ve chosen the data you want, click Export.
6. After the export, click Show My Data to see where it’s saved on your computer.

Final Thoughts

While Telegram is a popular, user-friendly messaging service, there are several reasons someone may want to delete their account. Fortunately, you now know that deleting an account takes just a few steps and can be done via the Telegram app or a computer.

If you’re on a bit of a social media cleanse, check out our guides on how to delete Instagram and how to delete Facebook.

FAQs

LinkedIn is packed with opportunities—almost 6 million job posts in the US alone.

Whether you’re a recent grad or a seasoned professional, the business networking platform can help you find jobs while also pointing recruiters in your direction – as long as you have a stand-out LinkedIn profile, that is.

In this guide, we explain how to use LinkedIn to search for a job and share templates for messages, connection requests, and posts.

Key Takeaways

• A LinkedIn profile with outcome-centered experience descriptions, skill labels, and a high-res photo helps you appear in more search results and wow job posters.
• Tailor your resume for different job postings you find on LinkedIn. Also, turn on job alerts for filter combos that deliver excellent matches.
• Networking on LinkedIn can be key to finding your next job. Sending tailored connection requests, arranging chats with existing connections, and sharing your openness to work can give you a leg-up.

How To Use LinkedIn To Search for a Job: 7 Top Tips

1. Polish your profile

Before starting your job hunt on LinkedIn, refine your profile from top to bottom.

Top of the profile

• Profile photo: Opt for a high-resolution photo that shows your face and conveys your personality. Think professional but approachable.
• Headline: State what you do or would like to do. Recent grads could go for something like “Aspiring Digital Marketer” or “LinkedIn University Marketing Grad,” while experienced professionals can list their specialization, former employer, or current job title.
• Open to work: Turn on your “Open to work” label on the blue ribbon below your profile headline. You can make it visible to all LinkedIn members or invisible (seen only by recruiters using LinkedIn Recruiter).
• About: Summarize your work experience, skills, and what you’re aiming for next.

Middle of the profile

• Experience: Add relevant jobs and company names with bullet points for top achievements—e.g., “Led the IT transformation delivery for a Fortune 500 company.” Add 2-3 relevant skills, such as “Leadership” or “Software development,” to each experience.

Bottom of the profile

• Skills: List the soft and hard skills you’re great at (e.g., communication and advanced Excel modeling). Pin the three most relevant to your desired job. Then, ask your contacts (e.g., professors or line managers) to visit your profile and click “Endorse” under relevant skills. This helps verify your skillset.
• Recommendations: Direct message (DM) your contacts separately to ask if they can offer recommendations. Ideally, have 2-3 that vary in tone and focus—e.g., one focused on your soft skills, like adaptability, and another on hard skills, like trend forecasting.

2. Apply via LinkedIn Jobs

Now, you’re ready to begin your job search. There are two ways to do this:

Use LinkedIn recommendations

Click “Jobs” in LinkedIn’s toolbar and check out the “Top job picks for you” list. Click “Show all” to expand this list.

For more targeted suggestions, click “Preferences” on the left-hand side ribbon and tailor:

• Job titles: Enter up to 5 variations—e.g., “Software engineer,” “Software developer,” and “Web developer.”
• Preferred location types: Choose from on-site, hybrid, and remote.
• Employment types: Select from full-time, part-time, contract, temporary, and internship.

Search manually

To manually search for jobs on LinkedIn, go to the Jobs section. Then, add your desired job title in the top search bar and a city or country in the location bar.

Next, follow these steps:

1. Adjust filters: Tailor your search by adjusting filters for experience level (e.g., entry-level, director), job type (e.g., full-time, part-time), remote work options, companies, salary level, and location. You can also add or remove related job titles and choose job functions (e.g., IT, sales, finance).
2. Read through job results: Look at top-level job info (i.e., job title, company, location, and salary) on the left and more detailed info on the right. Do the results match what you’re after? Click “X” on top-level labels to hide unsuitable jobs.
3. Carefully read job descriptions: As you read, jot down keywords (like “team player” or “fundraising experience”) to use in your resume, cover letter, or application form. This can help your application stand out for the right reasons.
4. Save jobs: Tap “Save” on jobs that match your criteria. You can apply for these later.
5. Use LinkedIn Easy Apply: LinkedIn Easy Apply forms require resumes and, sometimes, cover letters or questionnaires. So, prepare several versions of your resume for varying job requirements and apply through Easy Apply. Send connection requests with personalized notes to the job posters for jobs you’re really excited about.
6. Apply outside LinkedIn: For non-Easy Apply jobs, follow the application instructions in the description.
7. Set alerts: When a job title and filter combination yields great results for what you’re after, click “Set alert.” Go to Settings > Searching for a job to enable “Allow job search notifications,” and tailor extra settings such as email alerts.

3. Consider LinkedIn Premium

While not necessary for successful job searches, LinkedIn Premium can increase your chances of receiving a follow-up.

For $29.99/month (after a free trial), you get AI-powered suggestions for profile improvements, tips on standing out for jobs, extra InMails (for DMs outside your 1st-degree connections), and “top choice job” badges.

4. Send connection requests

Recruiters often use personal connections, not job listings, to fill roles, and 4 in 10 companies today post jobs that don’t exist. This means applying for a job might only get you so far and network could be a vital resource for your job hunt.

Here’s how to build connections:

• Research contacts. Identify companies in your industry you’re keen to work with. Then, find the most relevant recruiting contact on company websites or via a LinkedIn search for “recruiter” and the company name.
• Request to connect on LinkedIn. Personalize your connection request with a note, including 2-3 sentences on why you want to connect.

Message Template

“Hi [Recruiter’s Name],

I’m [Your Name], and I’m a [Role] with [X] years of experience in [Industry]. I’m impressed by your work at [Company] and would love to connect to explore potential opportunities.

Best,
[Your Name]”

5. DM existing LinkedIn connections

Referred candidates are 40% more likely to land a role than job board applicants—so get those referrals when you can.

To do this on LinkedIn:

• Check where your connections work. Scroll through your connections to see who works at companies you’re interested in.
• Ask for referrals. Send a personalized DM asking for a referral—or, simply, advice on how to apply.

Message Template

“Hi [Connection’s Name],

Hope you’re doing well.

I’m looking for new opportunities and am really interested in roles at [Company]. Would you be open to referring me for any open positions in [area of expertise] or providing any insight?

Thank you!

[Your Name]”

6. Post about your job search

Sharing on LinkedIn that you’re job-hunting can increase your chances of finding an opportunity, as your connections and their connections might know someone who’s hiring.

To do this, click “Start a post” at the top of your Home feed. Check that it says “Post to Anyone” above the blank field.

Here’s what to include in your post:

• Your industry and specialization (or desired ones, if different).
• Years of experience and/or significant milestones and achievements.
• Company preferences (e.g., small vs. large; retail vs. business customers; relaxed vs. growth-oriented team culture).

Post Template

“Hi, network!

After [X] years in [Industry], I’m ready for a new challenge. I’m looking for [Type of Position] roles in [Field], and I’ve achieved [specific milestone]. I’d love any leads or referrals. Send me a DM or email if you know of opportunities.

Thanks!”

7. Get creative

In 2024, product marketer Marta Puerto made a promo video, Meet Marta: The Movie, and posted it on LinkedIn. It went viral, and within a few weeks, Marta was in a new job.

You, too, can stand out with a project that creatively showcases your skills. Here are some ideas:

• Video resume: Record a video introducing yourself and your experience.
• Portfolio website: Use a website builder like Wix or Carrd to present or link to your best work.
• Video interview series: Interview your contacts in short videos to showcase your industry knowledge and communication skills.
  You can then share your project in a LinkedIn post and ask your network to spread it on the platform.

Conclusion

LinkedIn is a job-hunter’s goldmine when used correctly. A polished profile, some careful networking, and job filters and alerts can go a long way in helping you land your next role. Remember to personalize your outreach messages and, if you’re feeling brave, take a creative approach with a video resume or portfolio site.

Want to learn more? Find out how to get LinkedIn Premium for free and what LinkedIn’s newest features can do for your job search.

FAQs

Venmo has become a popular way to send and receive money between friends, clients, customers, and more. However, with the simplicity and convenience of Venmo comes the risk of scams.

Whether you’re a seasoned Venmo user or have just downloaded it, falling victim to a scam can be a major headache — and just like CashApp scams, they’re more common than you might think.

This article will equip you with the knowledge and strategies you need to avoid scams and stay safe while using Venmo.

Key Takeaways

• Only send money to people you know and trust, and make sure you’re sending it to the right Venmo account.
• Never click on suspicious links or share your login information.
• Use “pay” instead of “charge” to qualify for Venmo’s Purchase Protection feature.
• Enable two-factor authentication for an extra layer of security on Venmo (and other money-sharing apps like CashApp).

6 Common Scams on Venmo and How To Avoid Them

Several strategies can help you avoid Venmo scams and keep your money and personal information safe. Let’s dive into six common scams and helpful tips to steer clear of them.

1. The Fake Venmo Link Scam

This scam happens when you receive a text or an email that looks like a notification from Venmo.

The messages generally request immediate payment from you or tell you to click a link to receive a payment. This phishing scam can also be disguised as a notification that you won a giveaway or some type of prize hosted by Venmo. The process is the same: Click a fake link, log into a fake version of Venmo, and your info gets stolen.

How to avoid this scam:

If you receive a message that claims to be from Venmo, don’t click any links. Instead, visit Venmo.com or log into the Venmo app on your phone and verify payment requests or receipts of funds through those access points.

These messages contain a fake Venmo link that takes you to a fake Venmo page where, if you log in, the scammer can steal your information and access your account.

In general, Venmo will never contact you outside of the app with anything other than simple notifications or offers.

2. The Online Purchase Scam

This is one of the easiest-to-fall-for scams in the book. You find an item you’d like to buy online — like on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, or Offerup — or someone contacts you to sell an item, and you agree to purchase it. They ask you to Venmo them the money, after which they’ll mail you the item, but then they never do.

Purchasing physical items online is always tricky. Some marketplace websites charge high fees for using their native purchase process, and while Venmo charges no fees for personal transfers, using it for this purpose can be risky.

How to avoid this scam:

It’s generally worth using the online marketplace’s native payment methods. Most hold your funds until the purchased item has been mailed and may also provide purchase protection, such as money-back guarantees or transaction dispute options.

3. The Fake or Duplicate Profile Scam

Fake profiles are common on Venmo, as anyone can create an account (or multiple accounts) with minimal information. In this scam, scammers create fraudulent profiles with names that are similar to real, active profiles. For example, if “janedoe1050” is active on Venmo and receives funds frequently, scammers might create profiles called “janedoee1050,” “janedoe.1050,” or “janedoe1O5O.”

Their goal is to trick people into sending money to one of their accounts rather than the intended account. Usually, the scammer will deploy some social engineering techniques and target friends and relatives of the real account holder being spoofed.

How to avoid this scam:

Always double-check the Venmo username you’re sending money to, and verify it with the recipient if necessary. Venmo also has a verification feature that asks you to input the last four digits of the recipient’s phone number for account holders who have added their phone numbers to Venmo.

4. The Venmo Support Scam

Scammers may contact you via email, text, or a phone call pretending to be a Venmo support representative. They’ll claim to be from Venmo customer support, ask you to verify your Venmo login details, provide bank information, or ask you to send money to a Venmo account to resolve an issue or dispute with your account. Once the info or money has been sent, they’ll take it and run.

How to avoid this scam:

Never share your Venmo login information over the phone, over email, or in a text message. Also, never enter it on any website other than Venmo.com.

If someone contacts you asking for details about your account, don’t share them. Instead, log in to your Venmo account and contact their customer service to report the suspicious activity and verify if you need to resolve a legitimate issue.

5. The In-Person Borrowed Phone Scam

This scam involves someone coming up to you in public and asking to use your phone, claiming theirs is dead, left at home, or lost. When you agree, they pretend to make a call, and say that the other person didn’t pick up. They then ask if they can send a text message, and if you agree, they instead pull up your Venmo app and send money to their own account. Then they close Venmo, give you back your phone, and walk away.

How to avoid this scam:

This scam is tricky because it takes advantage of our desire to help others when they’re in need. Plus, it’s in person and in public — an environment where we don’t expect scams to happen.

If someone asks to borrow your phone, keep an eye on what they’re doing. You could make the call or send the text for them, or at least open the phone or messaging app before handing them your phone.

6. The Romance Scam

While this isn’t purely a Venmo scam, perpetrators use tools like Venmo to do it. In romance scams, a love interest in another city, state, or country connects with you, and you build an online relationship. Then, when it comes time for them to visit you and meet up in person, they ask for help paying for gas, a plane ticket, or some other transportation option.

You Venmo them the money, excited at the prospect of finally meeting, only for them to stop responding and possibly block you. They take your money, and you may never hear from them again.

How to avoid this scam:

In general, sending money to people you haven’t met in person isn’t a good idea. If you want a long-distance love interest to visit you, consider offering to reimburse them for travel expenses after you’ve met rather than sending them the money upfront.

Final Thoughts on Venmo Scams

Venmo scams have become more common in recent years as the money transfer platform has grown in popularity. Scams like fake Venmo links, online purchase scams, and Venmo Support tricks are easy to fall for if you’re not careful.

Keep yourself and your funds safe by avoiding clicking on suspicious links, never sharing your login info, not prepaying for online purchases, and reimbursing long-distance relationships after their travels rather than before. Also, remember to log into Venmo via the official app or website to send or receive money or deal with any notifications instead of clicking on links you receive.

To learn more about Venmo and similar platforms, check out our guide to digital payments.

FAQs

Nobody enjoys interviews. That’s the long and the short of it.

Whether you’re a new graduate who doesn’t know what to expect, a career changer looking for something new, or have been out of work for a while, interviews can feel nerve-wracking and, let’s face it, a little overwhelming.

However, interviews don’t have to be intimidating. With the right mindset and some practical tips, you can walk into any interview feeling confident and ready to demonstrate why you’re the perfect fit.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to prepare for a job interview in four easy steps so you’re ready to win that dream role.

Key Takeaways

• Preparing for a job interview is a crucial part of the application process. But it doesn’t have to be stressful.
• The key steps are to reread the invite email, research the company, prep some model answers, and plan your journey.
• Show up 10 to 15 minutes early for your interview to make a good first impression.

How To Prepare for a Job Interview in 4 Easy Steps

Preparing for an interview doesn’t need to be stressful. Follow these four tips to ace your next in-person interview.

1. Reread the invite email

There’s no use falling at the first hurdle. Reading the invitation email a few times can give important clues on what to expect.

Make sure you’ve got the date, time, and location locked down, and double-check if there’s anything specific you need to bring or prepare in advance. Sometimes, the invitation will provide details about the interview format, dress code, or who you’ll be meeting, which can help you feel more prepared.

2. Research the company

Researching the company is a key step in interview preparation. Check out its website, social media, and any recent news articles to understand its culture, values, and current priorities.

You could also view or reach out to current employees on LinkedIn. Ask them about what it’s really like to work there, what the interview process was like, and what qualities the company values most. Alternatively, look at their career path history, whether they’re engaged with the company on social media or if they’ve shared any insights into company culture.

Doing this will give you a first-hand perspective of whether the company will be a good fit for you and help you feel more confident going into the interview.

3. Prep questions and answers

Although you can’t be certain what the interviewer will ask you, questions about your background, previous experience, and general teamwork skills are to be expected. Get ahead of the game and prepare some model answers to common interview questions. Ask friends or family to help prepare you with a mock interview.

At a minimum, you should have answers to:

• Tell me a little bit about yourself.
• What do you know about the company?
• Why do you want to work here?
• What drew you to [your industry]?

Beyond this, you should use your experience to determine what questions you’re likely to be asked. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure your responses, especially for behavioral questions. It’s a great way to show off your problem-solving skills and how you’ll bring value to the role.

Pro tip: Try to have STAR examples that could be applied to a few different situations. For instance, team building and project work or how you handled a difficult colleague or customer. This flexibility will help you be ready for anything.

4. Plan your route or perform a tech rehearsal

It’s a good idea to plan how you get to the interview, including your transportation, route, and a backup route (in case of traffic).

Punctuality is key to making a good first impression, so give yourself plenty of time and aim to arrive at least 10 to 15 minutes early. This will not only show that you’re dependable but also give you time to collect your thoughts before going in.

If you’re joining a Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams call, it’s a good call to do a test run to ensure there are no hiccups. You may find, for instance, that you’ve got an issue with your webcam. Checking this a day or two before your call either gives you time to get a new one, or message your contact at the company you’re interviewing for to explain the situation. This is a lot more professional than having to say this at the last minute.

Final Thoughts

Interviews are your opportunity to show a hiring manager exactly why you’re the perfect fit for the role. The best way to make a great first impression is by researching the company, preparing model answers, and planning your route beforehand. This ensures you put your best foot forward for a successful interview.

Remember, every interview is a learning experience, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Trust your preparation, stay positive, and don’t overthink it. Oh, and don’t forget to ask your interviewer a friendly question at the end of the process. Good luck!

FAQs

Early next year, Microsoft Teams users will be able to test out a new AI-powered translation option, which promises real-time speech-to-speech translation.

The new tool will reportedly be available with up to nine language options initially, but there is the promise that up to 31 languages will be accessible for meeting transcripts.

Teams users do already have access to an interpreter option through a tie-in between Microsoft and Interprefy, a remote cloud-based tool, as well as live translated captions, but this latest option is AI-powered.

What Will the Interpreter Do?

The new tool essentially lets any Teams participant speak and listen in a language that they have selected. These options will be limited initially to Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil) and Spanish.

Attendees will also have the option of simulating their own speaking voice with the AI-created translation.

The feature is currently being tested by a limited group of users but it will arrive next year for users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.

Democratizing Business

Nicole Herskowitz, corporate vice president of productivity and collaboration for Copilot, told the newspaper that this new feature will “democratize access to interpreters”

“[Some companies] don’t even have the option of an interpreter. I look at this as a way to have a high-quality translation experience.”

She also acknowledged that there may be some issues with accuracy with the tool initially as compared to human translators but suggests that the cost benefit outweighs this.

Pushing Uptake of Copilot as a Personal Assistant

The news was shared at Microsoft Ignite 2024 and by Jared Spataro, Chief Marketing Officer of AI at Work in a blog laying out what other AI improvements we can expect in the coming months.

Alongside the interpreter options, Teams users will be able to use Copilot to get a recap of the visual content shared onscreen during a call, as well as the chat history and transcript. Spataro adds:

“You can also ask Copilot for a quick summary of a file shared in a chat to get all its main points without having to open the file.”

There are also updates for PowerPoint users – and the option to translate entire presentations into one of 40 languages, without changing the overall design of each slide.

Copilot in Outlook will also now make it easier for users to schedule meetings with colleagues by comparing your calendars to find a mutually suitable time for both parties and it can draft a meeting agenda ahead of time.

AI is playing a growing role in bolstering Microsoft’s profits so it makes sense that the company will integrate it into all of its offerings, and its enterprise tools are sure to change dramatically as a result.

Google Docs has announced a Docs add-on to let users insert AI-generated clipart directly into their documents.

The new option uses the Google Gemini AI image generator and it can be accessed straight from the sidebar in Google Docs.

Users could already add emojis and standard clipart files to their Google Docs accounts, but this ramps up the customization option for users.

How Do You Access the New Tool?

To create AI clip art, users need to click on the Insert option in the top-left corner of their Google Docs screen.

They can then click Image, and an option to Help me create an image will next appear.

Users can then type in their AI image prompt and can opt to Add a style from the dropdown menu if they want to. Styles include “photography,” “sketch” and “watercolor.” Users then simply hit Create.

Docs owners also have the option of choosing between square, horizontal, or vertical aspect ratios for their images and can create full-bleed cover images that will span the width of a page-less document.

Who Can Access It?

According to The Verge, the image generator will be available to “paid Workspace accounts that include the Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium, or Google One AI Premium add-ons.”

It adds that release schedule domains will get the update first and this could be within the next 15 days. Domains on scheduled release will see a slower roll-out that will kick off on December 16.

Upping the AI Offering

This latest update to the Google Workspace builds on the addition of Gemini 1.5 Pro to Google’s Workspace apps, which was announced in May. The biggest impact was seen in Gmail, where the new model’s “longer context window and more advanced reasoning” promised “more insightful” responses.

Microsoft had already deployed AI image generation capabilities in its Office suite with Microsoft Designer.

Just last week, Microsoft detailed the work to date of its AI Center of Excellence and how this team is working on the AI roadmap for Microsoft employees. This is a strong signal that there is more to come for both Microsoft’s staff and its customers.

In a first for Indian media, one of the country’s largest news agencies has sued OpenAI for using its content to train AI models without permission.

The lawsuit also states that the AI company has generated false information that was attributed back to Asian News International (ANI).

In what could become the first of many cases in the country, this lawsuit reflects a wider wrangle between news outlets – and indeed other content creators too – who want recompense for OpenAI using their content; while the AI pioneer claims it simply can’t afford to do this.

What Is the Issue?

The lawsuit hinges upon the idea that copyrighted material – content from the news organization – was used by OpenAI illegally.

In a 287-page lawsuit filed at the Delhi High Court, ANI not only attacked OpenAI for copyright abuse, but also said its reputation had been damaged by AI-fabricated material. The company’s lawyer, Sidhant Kumar, said that fabricated interviews had appeared online attributed to the news organization. These included “a non-existent conversation with Rahul Gandhi, who leads the opposing party to the current party in power,” says TechCrunch.

Kumar added that hallucinations like these could have a long-term impact of ANI’s reputation and could even lead to public disorder if fake content is taken to be the real, something that has already played out in many countries.

OpenAI Claims Innocence

The AI pioneer is claiming that ChatGPT has not been accessing the ANI website. However, Justice Amit Bansal has issued it with a summons and the next hearing is scheduled for January.

“We take great care in our products and design process to support news organizations. We are actively engaged in constructive partnerships and conversations with many news organizations around the world, including India, to explore opportunities, listen to feedback, and work collaboratively.” – OpenAI spokesperson

One Case Among Many

OpenAI is fighting more than one copyright case at the moment. In the US, author and comedian Sarah Silverman is leading one lawsuit for copyright infringement. She and her co-plaintiffs are accusing OpenAI of using AI to summarize their copyrighted works without permission. Books by Chris Golden (Ararat) and Richard Kadrey (Sandman Slim) are also named in the lawsuit.

There is also a $3 billion class action lawsuit from a group of anonymous individuals. They claim that the “secret scraping” of data conducted to train ChatGPT models is “data theft.”

The contention around what content can be used to train AI models is being debated around the globe. In the UK, OpenAI put in a testimony to the British Parliament’s House of Lords’ communications and digital committee. It said that it would simply not be able to function if it could not access copyrighted material. As the evidence filing puts it:

“Because copyright today covers virtually every sort of human expression — including blog posts, photographs, forum posts, scraps of software code, and government documents – it would be impossible to train today’s leading AI models without using copyrighted materials.”

However, this argument doesn’t pull at the heart strings of content creators who want recognition for their craft and the promise that their content will not be misused. OpenAI cannot give this at the moment nor seems willing to cough up for the privilege of using materials it doesn’t own.

Microsoft 365 users are being warned about a new scamming scheme using the platform’s admin portal.

Users are reporting that emails that would usually be filtered out are getting through as the scammers are using the Microsoft 365 Message Center.

This latest spate of attacks is another wake-up to Microsoft 365 users that the platform is not immune to attacks and they need to be vigilant.

Microsoft 365 Admin Portal Abused

Users have shared that they have received sextortion emails through the Microsoft 365 Message Center. Posts on LinkedIn, X, and the Microsoft Answers forum have revealed the extent of the problem.

Cyber Security Executive, Edwin Kwan, wrote on LinkedIn: “I received an extortion scam email yesterday. These things usually end up in junk/spam, however this one made it past the filters as it was sent by Microsoft 365 Message Center.” He asked: “Any ideas on how they would have managed to do this?”

The emails coming through follow a set pattern. The cybercriminals make a demand for money by threatening to expose compromising photos of the victim, which the hackers claim to have got access to by hacking their computer.

BleepingComputer says it is receiving emails from concerned parties. It adds that these kinds of extortion emails are effective but there are variations of the sextortion theme, including an extortion scam based around the claim that hackers have caught your spouse cheating or emails that include pictures of your home as a scare tactic.

What do the Malicious Microsoft 365 Emails Look Like?

The emails come from o365mc@microsoft.com, which is actually a genuine Microsoft email address. These kinds of emails come from the Message Center in the Microsoft 365 Admin Portal, which is from where users can share advisory notices from Microsoft. Users can send up to two emails in this way; and these can be email addresses for both internal and external comms.

It appears that scammers are getting past the 1,000 character limit for emails usually sent from the center by opening up the browser’s dev tools and changing the maximum length field. This means that they can get their whole message out to victims but have also bypassed any of Microsoft’s filters.

What is Microsoft’s Advice on Scam Emails?

Microsoft is aware of the problem and told BleepingComputer: “We are investigating these reports and will take action to help keep our customers protected.”

However, the news website added that the computing giant has yet to “add server-side checks to prevent messages over 1,000 characters”.

Advice to users who receive one of this emails is to delete them immediately, however distressing they find the content.

Mistral has launched a host of updates including adding image generation and web search to its chatbot, Le Chat.

The French startup also unveiled an open source multimodal AI model called Pixtral Large, which can handle up to 30 high-resolution images per input and is driving the new tools, which Le Chat now includes.

The company’s offerings – especially the free Le Chat – have gathered fans worldwide and impressed Microsoft enough to give $16 million for the company to incorporate its LLM Mistral Large into its cloud computing platform Azure.

Mistral’s Le Chat Gets Chattier

Le Chat is free to use but you need to set up a Google, Mistral or Microsoft account to access it. Users can then experiment with the new features by enabling them as beta features, said Sophia Yang, the company’s Head of Developer Relations.

Heading up the new features is a real-time web search option, which now includes source citations so users can see exactly where information is coming from. ChatGPT does offer citations for where it’s pulling information from in its own chatbot search, but this data is limited on the free versions.

Next up is Advanced Document and Image Analysis. Le Chat is able to summarize information from PDFs, extracting key data or presenting in a different way. These tools already exist on other platforms, but having an all-in-one solution built into Le Chat is a nice touch. Yang showed how this works with a receipt uploaded using OCR. Le Chat was able to read the information, and then split the bill as requested, including a tip.

Ideation and Image Innovation

With “creative ideation” as the driver, the new tools also include an interactive “canvas”, which Yang says can be used for everything from creating documents and presentations to code. It allows for collaboration direct from the chatbot interface.

This is a direct competitor to OpenAI’s Canvas sidebar, which was launched only last month. “This early beta introduces a new way of working together—not just through conversation, but by creating and refining ideas side by side”, says OpenAI. The French team may also have Anthropic’s Artifacts option in their sights.

Mistral has teamed up with image model startup Black Forest Labs to offer an image generation option too. The German company has offered up its Flux Pro LLM to power the new tool. In another sabre-rattle at OpenAI, this tool goes up against DALL-E 3’s integration into ChatGPT.

Automation Options

Last up are a host of what Mistral call “Task Agents”, which can tackle repetitive tasks like processing invoices or providing meeting summaries. Mistral explains that these agents can be customized.

Users already had the option of creating agents either through La Plateforme Agent builder or the company’s Agent API; but now this has been honed for Le Chat.

Mistral adds: “Agents can be published and shared with your teammates. You can ideate recursively, and build increasingly powerful agents that help you get your work done faster.”

Is Mistral a Serious Rival to OpenAI?

With these new tools, the Mistral team is all about user experience, and CEO and co-founder Arthur Mensch wrote on his account on the social network X that the company’s new LLM was designed with just this in mind. He said: “At Mistral, we’ve grown aware that to create the best AI experience, one needs to co-design models and product interfaces. Pixtral was trained with high-impact front-end applications in mind and is a good example of that.”

Pixtral Large follows hot on the heels of the Mistral Large 2 model, which arrived in the summer and the multimodal model, Pixtral 12-B. Mistral makes their models available for free download but the license stipulates that usages must be non-commercial, research-focused applications.

Its positioning as a top AI offering from Europe is definitely gathering the platform followers, especially as US tech leaders become more embroiled in US politics. It may behind OpenAI in many respects – including in the enterprise space – but it is iterating fast and obviously has huge ambitions.

The holiday season is the best time to have the privilege of working from home. The flexible schedule allows for employees to more effectively plan travel and shop for gifts, plus the added work-life balance makes for better mental health when hanging out with your family.

If you’re stuck in the office, though, you won’t get to enjoy all that flexibility, which can lead to a more stressful winter than you’d like. Fortunately, there are plenty of remote jobs out there to choose from, and many of them are open at big tech firms like Microsoft.

In this guide, you’ll learn about some of the current remote positions that are available at Microsoft, as well as some of the perks of landing one of these jobs and some tips for actually getting the job once you’ve found one that fits your experience.

Fully Remote Jobs at Microsoft for November 2024

We develop a monthly roundup of work-from-home jobs at Microsoft because the company is one of the largest employers of remote employees in the world, with the company career page currently showing more than 400 positions open right now that allow for 100% remote employment. Here are some of the remote positions you can apply for right now.

• Cloud Network Peering Engineer (Sydney, Australia)
• Senior Software Engineer (Redmond, WA, USA)
• Technical Support Engineering IC3 (Vancouver, Canada)
• Senior Director of Strategy and Operations (Washington D.C., USA)
• Cloud Solution Architect – Power Platform & Dynamics 365 (Paris, France)
• Principal Software Engineer (Atlanta, GA, USA)
• Sales Excellence Manager- Small, Medium Business (Toronto, Canada)
• Strategic Account Technology Strategist (San Francisco, CA, USA)
• Principal Product Manager (Bangalore, India)
• Customer Success Account Management Manager (Dallas, TX, USA)
• Technology Specialists – Microsoft 365 Copilot TSP (Tokyo, Japan)

While these positions are, in fact, eligible for work-from-home accommodations, we did include the location in which these positions are based. While working from home is decidedly flexible, you’ll still be at least somewhat responsible for staying in touch with your team, and if they’re in a different time zone, it would be helpful to know what time you’ll be waking up for that morning meeting.

If none of these jobs fit your experience and you’d like to look for other remote jobs at Microsoft, be sure to check out the Microsoft career page to learn more about the available opportunities at the big tech firm.

Will Microsoft Always Allow Remote Work?

Given the scores of return-to-office policies that have been in the news over the last few years, it’s safe to wonder whether a remote position at Microsoft will always provide the highly sought-after perk in the long term. After all, even big tech firms have begun rolling back the flexible accommodation, much to the chagrin of their remote employees.

We’d be hard-pressed to make a bold statement like “Microsoft is always going to allow remote work, no matter what.” Obviously, we aren’t part of the decision-making team at the Washington-based tech company that employs almost a quarter-million workers around the world.

Still, we feel confident in saying that, if you land yourself a remote job at Microsoft, you won’t have to worry about a strict return-to-office policy like we’ve seen at Amazon. In fact, in October 2024, one Microsoft VP noted that, while the remote work policy isn’t etched in stone, the company won’t even consider returning to the office five days per week unless it sees substantial dips in productivity.

Pros & Cons of Working From Home

As with any working arrangement, remote work comes with its fair share of pros and cons, which are important to consider before you make the decision to work from home for the foreseeable future.

For starters, working from home requires you to set boundaries within your own home. Whether you’re at home with a toddler or just really want to watch TV, your productivity depends on your ability to stay focused on your work rather than wandering off to get a snack every few minutes. On top of that, remote work can be a bit isolating, removing the social element of work that can keep people engaged on those long days.

The perks of remote work are obvious, though. The work-life balance, the accommodating schedule, and the general freedom to get errands done during the day without the stress of losing your job is enough to make any employee jump at the chance. Plus, for business owners, remote work policies have been found to improve employee retention and even increase revenue, which makes it kind of a no-brainer for those looking to compete.

Getting a Remote Job

Now that you’ve got all the information you need on the availability of remote jobs at Microsoft, you’re going to need to take the next step in your work-from-home journey: actually getting the job.

Luckily, we at Tech.co never do something halfway, which is why we’ve also developed a wide range of guides that should be able to help you ensure that you get the interview and knock it out of the park.

Whether it’s knowing what to keep off your resume or which questions to ask in the interview, we’ll do what we can to help you land the remote job of your dreams.

Amazon is launching a new shopping channel called Amazon Haul.

Amazon Haul is set apart from the ecommerce giant’s main website for one core reason: It’s focused on inexpensive and budget-friendly products.

In other words, it’s a competitor for similar cost-conscious retail sites like Temu and Shein. Perhaps Amazon wasn’t happy about Temu undercutting its own Prime Day deals back in 2023.

Amazon Haul: What to Know

The big headline to know about Amazon Haul: Every single product it sells will cost you $20 or less.

However, there’s a lot more to know. Here’s the full list of questions, answers, and fast facts to know about Haul, which Amazon is called its new ecommerce “experience.”

When can I try Amazon Haul?

Amazon Haul just launched on November 13, 2024 and is still in beta. US customers can check out Amazon Haul now. To try it, just update your Amazon Shopping app.

If you don’t want to download the app, just use a mobile browser window to go to Amazon.com and search “haul.”

Where can I try Amazon Haul?

Amazon Haul is only available on the Amazon shopping app or its mobile website. Don’t head to your desktop: It’s designed to be a mobile experience.

Just how cheap is Amazon Haul?

All items are priced at $20 or under, and the majority of items will cost $10 or less. In fact, some items are as low as $1.

What kind of deals does Amazon Haul offer?

Amazon has baked in extra savings: Everyone will get 5% off orders $50 and over, and 10% off orders $75 and over.

There’s a reason this shopping channel is called “Haul” — The company really wants you to buy a huge amount all at once.

How much does delivery cost?

Users will get free shipping on all orders over $25. 

How fast are shipping times?

You’ll have to wait to get your cheap items: Shipping times are between one and two weeks.

What about item returns?

At launch, Amazon Haul offers free returns for all orders over $3.00. You’ll have to drop the items off yourself, though, using one of their over 8,000 locations across the US.

Why Is Amazon Haul So Cheap?

Amazon didn’t gain its chokehold on the US ecommerce industry by resting on its laurels: The shopping site has seen the success of the Chinese-owned online marketplace Temu, which offers similarly discounted consumer goods, as well as a fast fashion retailer Shein.

Temu is earning impressive numbers. The company saw estimated sales revenues of $20 billion across just the first six months of 2024, which is massive year-over-year growth given that its 2023 annual sales hit just $15.33 billion for the entire year.

Now, Amazon trying to replicate that success with the US-owned equivalent.

It’s likely to face far fewer headwinds in order to hit similar heights of success, too. Since Amazon is already a well-established brand name, Amazon Haul won’t need to invest nearly as much into marketing itself. As with most fast fashion, however, the quality of the products themselves may leave something to be desired.

Is Amazon Haul Legit or a Scam?

Yes, Amazon’s new “Haul” storefront is legit: You can really buy all those items for under $20, even if it might seem too cheap to be true.

This doesn’t mean you’ll never run into any scam artists that claim to be offering an amazing Haul deal in the future, however. Scammers love offering deals that are genuinely too good to be true, and so many of them have already jumped in scams that mention cheap ecommerce apps like Temu.

In fact, you might be more likely to run into a scammer falsely claiming to be Amazon Haul, since the “Amazon” brand name makes them seem more authentic to potential victims in the US.

The most common example of a Temu scam? Phishing emails that falsely claim to offer an amazing coupon or deal, such as $200 of products free for those who buy $50 worth. In reality, however, these emails aren’t from Temu at all, and will simply steal any credit card information that you give them.

In the future, those lying emails might claim to offer Amazon Haul deals as well, and they’ll still simply be scammers. Check out our guide to spotting phishing scams.

Amazon Haul Shipping Times? 1 or 2 Weeks

As we previously mentioned, Haul does stand out for one big change from the typical Amazon shopping experience: It comes with longer shipping time minimums. According to the company itself, Haul customers can expect to wait between one week and two weeks for their products to arrive after their order has been placed.

This might come as a surprise for some to hear, given that Amazon has already revolutionized the entire ecommerce industry by offering the fastest shipping times ever: Way back in February 2005, the company launched Amazon Prime, a subscription service with the main selling point being its unlimited two-day deliveries, which were practically unheard of at the time. Today, shipping within a few days is the standard across many other ecommerce sites and stores, and Amazon’s Same-Day shipping is even faster.

However, the tide has turned on fast shipping. In December of last year, Bloomberg called it “a costly service” and “more of a marketing ploy than a long-term business strategy.” Customers rarely need their products shipped that quickly, even if the instant gratification makes them more likely to order.

Amazon has already raised the minimum for free shipping for non-Prime customers: In 2023, that minimum purchase threshold rose from $25 to $35, with shipping times frequently lasting longer than two days.

Now that the company is crafting a Temu competitor, it’s further cutting down on costs anywhere it can. And — as with Temu before it — longer shipping times are one of the results of cutting those corners.

Amazon has revised its policy for disabled employees must go through to gain the permission needed to work from home, according to a new report.

Now, disabled employees will reportedly have to submit to a “multilevel” review that may include month-long in-office trials.

It’s another example of why Amazon is one of the least remote-friendly tech giants around. And it’s impressive that we’re still getting more evidence of this: Previously, the ecommerce company had issued a full crackdown in hybrid working, mandating a shift to five days a week in the office, despite one executive acknowledging they didn’t have data to support a return to office.

Amazon’s New Policy Towards Disability and Working From Home

The latest news comes from Fortune, which has reported for the first time on changes to Amazon’s remote-work policy for employees with disabilities.

Fortune sums up the changes as a “more rigorous vetting process” and specificially quotes internal documents from Amazon that describe this process as a “multilevel leader review.”

These changes could include month-long trials of in-office work for disabled employees before a determination is made on if their accomodations meet their needs, although Fortune does not say that these trials will be required for everyone in consideration.

Amazon Denies Claims That Stringent RTO Policies Aim to Slim Workforce

Some critics argue that harsh and sweeping return-to-office policies issued by Amazon and other tech giants like Dell and Ubisoft function to reduce the overall workforce while avoiding out-and-out layoffs that could result in bad press or more employee compensation.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has denied that this is the case at his company, saying earlier this month in an  all-hands meeting that: “A number of people I’ve seen theorized that the reason we were doing this is, it’s a backdoor layoff, or we made some sort of deal with city or cities. I can tell you both of those are not true. You know, this was not a cost play for us. This is very much about our culture and strengthening our culture.”

After Amazon announced a full return to the office in September — effective starting in early January 2025 — one survey found that 73% of its employees were considering a new job.

Remote Work Supports Disability Inclusion

The type of flexible and accommodating work environment that Amazon is opposed to is exactly the environment that helps disabled workers earn a living, according to experts in the disabled community.

And it’s not hard to see their point: physically driving to an office presents a clear hurdle for anyone with a disability that restricts physical movement, while completing a full work day in an office may be impossible for some neurodivergent employees with sensory issues. One of my friends suffers from an autoimmune disorder that would make even a month-long in-office trial an immense ordeal, since one case of the flu or Covid could permanently impact their health.

Jassy is right: There’s no denying that Amazon’s stringent in-office policies will shape its culture moving foward.

Human translators could soon be joining the rising list of people who are losing their careers to AI, according to the CEO of start up Unbabel.

Vasco Pedro made the statement on Wednesday at Web Summit in Lisbon, and said that advancements in his company’s technology meant that previous iterations of the platform that required human interaction could be replaced entirely.

Pedro isn’t the first AI CEO to make the claim that AI is likely to replace jobs and entire industries, with some companies already committing to use AI in place of people.

Human Translators to be Replaced in Three Years

At Web Summit in Lisbon to discuss his company’s latest product, Unbabel CEO Vasco Pedro stated that Widn.AI, built on it’s proprietary Large Language Model (LLM) Tower, would exclude the need for human translators within the next three years.

Pedro stated “it’s hard for me to see right now how three years from now, you will need humans to be translating anything”. The companies previous platforms have all needed an editor at the final stage to check the end result, but now even that role could be shortly eliminated, according to the CEO.

A knock on effect of the lack of need for humans in the process is that the cost of translating will dip considerably, with the traditional salary considerations for translators no longer an issue. Pedro stated that while ‘per word’ revenue in the industry will “drastically reduce”, the volume of material being translated would increase, making the new model sustainable.

Unbabel isn’t the first translation company to lean into AI at the expense of humans. Duolingo announced in January this year that it would be offboarding 10% of its contractor workforce and replacing with AI translation solutions.

Is AI Really Coming for Your Job?

The announcement from Unbabel isn’t the first one that is likely to have workers rushing to polish up their resumes in fear of losing their livelihood. In fact it’s a message that many AI CEOs have relayed to us constantly over the past couple of years, during the current AI boom.

Perhaps one of the most vocal of these is Sam Altman, CEO of AI platform of the moment, OpenAI’s ChatGPT. So confident is he in his platform’s ability to usurp us, that Altman has regularly made statements that millions of people will lose their roles to AI. In 2023, in an interview with The Atlantic, Altman said that “Jobs are definitely going to go away, full stop.”

Don’t despair though, as Altman believes that when these jobs are naturally swallowed up by AI, we’ll all find “new and much better jobs”.

Companies that Have Replaced Workers with AI

For all the scaremongering and bluster around AI stealing jobs, we haven’t seen too much impact of it to date. In fact it seems that many companies are instead choosing to provide AI tools to help make employees’ lives easier, rather than replace them outright.

However, there are certainly some stand out cases where humans have been ditched in favor of AI. Here at Tech.co, we’ve been tracking these as they happen, with the likes of  IBM, MSN and Klarna all replacing human roles with AI.

In some instances, while AI has replaced roles, there have been no layoffs, as companies commit to upskill those affected workers and move them to different positions. This is the step that Ikea took when it introduced an AI bot named Billie to answer customer service queries. Call center workers have received training to become interior design advisors, instead.

Of course, replacing humans with AI can backfire. MSN’s AI platform has got its owners into hot water for posting inappropriate polls next to sensitive news stories and also described a recently deceased NBA basketball player Brandon Hunter as ‘useless at 42’. British delivery firm paused its AI customer bot after customers found it could easily be coaxed into swearing and criticizing the very company it worked for.

President-elect Donald Trump has appointed X CEO and world’s richest man Elon Musk to a newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency, it was revealed on Tuesday. The department will sit outside of the federal government, but will operate in tandem with the Office of Management and Budget. Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will also head up the task force.

The pair will be responsible for cutting regulation, excessive spending, and restructuring government agencies. At this early point, it is unclear how they will actually operate, but Trump has stated that the organization will conduct a complete financial and audit of the entire federal government.

Over the last few months, Musk and Trump have frequently alluded to a government efficiency department. For the President-elect, it is expected to form a key component of Project 2025, referred to on its website as an “historic movement…to take down the Deep State and return the government to the people.” For Musk, meanwhile, critics have stated that the appointment represents a conflict of interest, citing concerns that he will may to create a regulatory environment more favorable to his business endeavors.

Trump Says “You’re Hired,” Appoints Musk to DOGE Task Force

Elon Musk has officially been put in charge of a “complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government,” it was announced on Tuesday. Alongside former presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, the controversial tech magnate is tasked with cutting excessive spending, bureaucracy, and streamlining the government.

In a reference to his favorite “meme” and cryptocurrency, the 53-year-old has affectionately nicknamed the department “DOGE.” According to Trump, the pair will “pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies.”

Posting on X, Musk promised that DOGE will post all of its actions online for “maximum transparency.” He pledged: “Anytime the public thinks we are cutting something important or not cutting something wasteful, just let us know!” He later shared what is presumably an AI-generated mockup of a DOGE logo, featuring a cartoon shiba inu in a spacesuit. One sign that the logo is AI is the US flag being held by the dog, which doesn’t have the correct number of stripes.

pic.twitter.com/4K0ruu7UMS

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2024

Widespread Confusion Over DOGE Remit

While Trump and his closest confidant are seemingly united in their vision for DOGE, confusion and skepticism reigns in other quarters of the US. To begin with, neither Musk nor Ramaswamy has ever worked in the public sector, and while they have both carried out extensive cuts in the corporate sphere, the government is a different beast.

Unlike Tesla, federal government employees enjoy strong legal protections as enshrined by labor law. This could present a massive stumbling block for DOGE in its quest to streamline various governmental departments.

Elsewhere, the logistics of this organization are sketchy. Musk and Ramaswamy will not be classified as federal workers, meaning they will not be required to disclose their assets, and Trump has said that their work will be completed by 4 July 2026 – which he called a “gift” to the US on its 250th Anniversary. Primarily, they will be tasked with providing “advice and guidance” to “drive large-scale structural reform.”

Next Steps for Musk and Ramaswamy

Now that Musk has the ear of the most powerful man in the world, speculation is abound as to what his motivations are – and what his next move could be.

Dogecoin, which Musk promotes, has more than doubled in value in the last week, while Tesla shares are up by about 30%. The New York Times has reported, meanwhile, that Musk has asked the President-elect to hire SpaceX members as “top government officials.”

Commentators have also posited a version of events where both Musk and Ramaswamy will try to bolster the federal government with those who share their ultra-conservative views. After investing in BuzzFeed earlier this year, the latter was hellbent on hiring Tucker Carlson, a rightwing critic and free speech advocate, for the ailing media company.

Chinese technology giant, Baidu, has announced its own pair of AI-integrated smart glasses, showing its hand to US competitor, Meta.

Announced at the company’s annual World Conference event in Shanghai, the glasses are expected to ship next year.

Meta has pushed its smart glasses offerings, putting them on display at the company’s physical store in Burlingame, California alongside its VR headsets; and further signalled its commitment to this technology through a team-up with Ray-Ban.

China…Then the World

Baidu, though, is very much targeting the Chinese market initially with launch – a country where the Meta Ray-Ban glasses were not sold.

The Financial Times reports that the Baidu glasses are run on the company’s LLM, Ernie. The company has already used this to build a “virtual dashboard for families to help monitor elderly relatives, who can talk to AI doctors and receive reminders to take medication through a device,” says the newspaper.

Li Ying, head of Baidu’s hardware brand Xiaodu, told crowds at the conference that the glasses would “become a private assistant,” providing wearers with information like their calorie consumption, play music for them and also be able to shoot videos.

A Competitor to Meta’s AI Glasses?

While the Baidu launch is focused upon China, this is an exciting development as it sees another technology company with global ambitions coming into this space.

The news comes swiftly after the unveiling of Meta’s Orion AR glasses – claimed by the company to be “the most advanced pair of AR glasses ever made.”

Meta says that their draw is that they look and feel like glasses – and not some hefty glasses-headset hybrid. “Orion is a feat of miniaturization – the components are packed down to a fraction of a millimeter. Dozens of innovations were required to get the design down to a contemporary form that you’d be comfortable wearing every day,” says Meta.

It adds that they have “the largest field of view in the smallest AR glasses form to date” to allow the real and digital worlds to merge seamlessly.

Meta’s Actual Product Won’t Arrive for a While

While this sounds very exciting, it is only Meta staff who will be getting their hands on Orion initially.

Orion won’t “make its way into the hands of consumers” as it is a “polished prototype,” shares meta, so we may be waiting a while to buy. Meta says, vaguely, “in the next few years, you can expect to see new devices from us that build on our R&D efforts.”

By then, Baidu may already have several iterations on the shelves in China; and could be eyeing the markets beyond.

Encrypted-messenger app, Signal, has updated its video call offerings and is now pushing itself as an alternative to Zoom and Meet.

The app now has a “Calls” tab for video calls. With it, users can manage their call links, make new calls and also check who they have called in the past.

Signal has some of the most stringent encryption methods of all messaging apps. It introduced group video calls in 2020, but these improvements could see it compete more in the enterprise space.

What Are the New Features?

The big improvement, says Signal, is that you now don’t have to create a group chat in order to have a group call. Instead, you can simply send a link to anyone on Signal that you want in on the call and they can join.

The links are also reusable, so you can use them for meetings that reoccur, adds TechCrunch.

The group call function also now has a raise hand button – much like the option offered by rivals – as well as emoji reactions.

Signal has added different call viewing options for desktop users, and these include grid, sidebar or speaker views.

Dedicated “Calls” Tab

The new options are hosted in a dedicated “Calls” tab, which is accessed through the Signal home screen. This is where you can set up your call, including naming it and setting your approval policy – determining whether people can come straight into the call.

There are management options too, including the ability to refuse access to calls, kick people out of calls and then block them from returning.

Signal currently supports calls for up to 50 people.

Privacy First and Foremost

An experiment with cryptocurrency did raise some eyebrows for the app several years ago, but despite this, it has grown in popularity.

It saw massive surges in 2021 as users became concerned about how private their information actually was with rival companies.

As CNN reported at the time, this was specifically driven by an updated terms of service notification from WhatsApp, which said that users must agree to share their data with the owner, Facebook, or lose access to the app. Users voted with their feet.

Privacy, therefore, is something that the Signal team remains steadfast about and emphasized with these latest improvements, stating: “As communication norms change, Signal’s promise of a private place to communicate stays the same.”

Bluesky is riding high this week, with the Twitter/X alternative seeing a massive boost in users, most notably in the US.

The social networking app is currently sitting at the number two position in the free social networking app in the US App Store and has gained more than 700,000 new users.

It hit 10 million users in September, which included a bumper crop from Brazil after the social media app was banned in the country.

Meteoric Growth

Bluesky COO Rose Wang has confirmed to The Verge that the platform now has more than 14.5 million users.

Since it launched to the wider public in February, it has enjoyed rapid growth as users swarm to its promise of “anti-toxicity” features and ease of use. The fact that it has the backing of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has also cemented its position as a rival to X.

In a move away from the model adopted by rivals, it claims to be a “social app that is designed to not be controlled by a single company.” Central to this claim is the user’s ability to move data like their friend groups and followers over to competing social networks.

Bluesky Benefitting From X Backlash

However, its growing popularity also reflects rising disgruntlement with X for a range of reasons including politics and policies.

The surge in the past week is unofficially being put down to an exodus from the competing platform following the US presidential election. This could be attributed to owner Musk’s rampant support for Donald Trump; his attacks on Democrat supporters (including Taylor Swift) and the increasing amount of hate speech that X is spewing is certainly not winning over many users.

But other factors may also have come into play to drive X users to look elsewhere.  There was anger at the new AI Training Clause that Musk snuck in four weeks ago that doesn’t have an opt-out clause. And the decision to dilute the power of the block feature also caused consternation.

Now, as Musk himself explained in a post: “The block function will block that account from engaging with, but not block seeing, public post.”

Threads Still Number One

As X loses users, Instagram’s Threads is still doing well, despite recent glitches with moderation. Threads now has 275 million active users.

While Bluesky isn’t going to take Threads’ crown anytime soon given its connection to Instagram, it is going to become increasingly attractive to users fed up with X.

Musk is unlikely to bow to pressure from disgruntled users. After all, he declared war on unhappy advertisers, so Bluesky is looking like an increasingly attractive – and safe – space for those unhappy customers.

D-Link has updated customers on a security vulnerability with a selection of its devices, with the advice from the company to replace them as soon as possible.

The flaw impacts more than 60,000 network-attached storage devices that are popular with small businesses.

With a worrying number of businesses failing to deploy even basic cybersecurity measures, this is a call to action for any business using these devices to act quickly and move their data.

Which D-Link Devices Are Impacted?

In a support announcement, D-Link shares that models using specific firmware packages are at risk. These are:

• DNS-320 Version 1.00
• DNS-320LW Version 1.01.0914.2012
• DNS-325 Version 1.01,  Version 1.02
• DNS-340L Version 1.08

The announcement also includes a list of the storage device models that are impacted; with the suggestion that they are retired and replaced.

Potential Exploitable Flaw in D-Link Devices

D-Link explains that “the vulnerability is localized to the account_mgr CGI script, particularly when handling the cgi_user_add command” or when a new user needs to be added for access.

It adds that “the name parameter in this script does not adequately sanitize input, allowing command execution”, which is the publicly available exploit.

Security researcher Netsecfish noted in their own tests that there was a backdoor that could “allow an attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the system, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information, modification of system configurations, or denial of service conditions.”

No Support Offered by D-Link

D-Link confirmed in its announcement that it will not be offering a solution to this problem so owners need simply to find an alternative to keep their data safe. It writes:  “If a product has reached the End of Support or End of Life, it typically does not receive further extended support or development.”

The company further explains: “Typically, D-Link cannot resolve device or firmware issues for these products since all development and customer support have ceased.”

This is the second backdoor flaw that the researcher has found for these devices this year so time is of the essence for customers.

D-Link device owners can check off their model with the list provided by the manufacturer. The company recommends strongly that any vulnerable devices are retired and removed from networks. With vulnerabilities already identified, it is only a matter of time before they are exploited, if they haven’t been already.

Employee locations, email addresses and phone numbers have been leaked, Amazon has admitted.

The breached data relates back to a massive attack when hackers exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Progress Software’s MOVEit file transfer app.

Amazon now joins a long list of companies who were impacted by the attack by Russian ransomware gang, Clop.

Amazon Data Breach

In a statement to The Verge, Amazon spokesperson Adam Montgomery said: “The only Amazon information involved was employee work contact information, for example work email addresses, desk phone numbers, and building locations.”

He added the assurance that “Amazon and AWS systems remain secure, and we have not experienced a security event.”

A screenshot from a hacking forum post appears to show more than 2.8 million lines of Amazon’s dataset. However, Amazon maintains that no sensitive data has been breached.

The breach dates back to May last year, when hackers got access to databases after a vulnerability exposed some of MOVEit’s servers.

As more and more victims came forward, the hackers issuing an ultimatum from its victims that it would expose the data online unless they made contact with Clop in June of last year.

Which Other Companies were Impacted by Clop Breach?

The companies affected included the BBC, British Airways and Nova Scotia’s government; and payroll data was in among the information stolen. Clop claimed that it actually had data from hundreds of companies in total though details are being released slowly as Clop released lists and experts trawled through the massive datasets.

Amazon is the latest addition to this list along with 25 others according to a report from the cybercrime firm Hudson Rock. MetLife, HP, HSBC, and Canada Post are also now said to be among the companies impacted now too.

As well as data relating to Amazon,  the image recently posted by a hacker named Nam3l3ss on a popular hacking forum also suggests they have access to employee data from other major corporations, such as HSBC and McDonalds, as well as the staff roster of the LAPD, including those undercover.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA issued a security advisory about a MOVEit software vulnerability on June 1. It has now published “migration steps” for MOVEit customers as well as advice going forward.

Cash flow issues are one of the biggest headaches for business owners. For good reason too, with financial strain making it harder for entrepreneurs to meet payments, maintain positive credit stores, and invest further into their business.

While there is no magic wand when it comes to funding, business grants are the next best thing. Whether you’re nurturing the seeds of your business, or looking to expand into a new market, grants can help take you to the next level. And the best part? You don’t have to pay back a cent.

You don’t need to wait until 2025 to boost your finances either, with these exciting grants that are currently accepting applications this November.

Small Business Grants to Apply For in November 2024

No matter what stage you are on your business journey, grants are designed to give you a helping hand. Take a look at these opportunities below to see if they’re a good match for you.

1. Verizon Digital Ready Superfan Grant
2. Small Business Hurricane Recovery Grant Program
3. Gusto Impact Award
4. Small Business Catalyst Fund Grant
5. Galaxy Grants

1. Verizon Digital Ready Superfan Grant

• For: Small businesses
• Grantor: Verizon and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation
• Amount: $25,000 and a trip to the Super Bowl

Telecommunications company and provider of the Small Business Digital Ready grant program, Verizon, is introducing a new opportunity for small businesses – the Digital Ready Superfan grant. The new program will be awarding three lucky businesses $25,000 in cash to help them develop the skills they need to compete in today’s digital world. As if that wasn’t enough, they’ll also be throwing in a free ticket to the Super Bowl – LIX tickets to be precise – and will cover the airfare and accommodation for the business owner and one guest.

All small US businesses are welcome to apply. However, to be in for a chance of running you’ll have to be a member of Verizon’s free Digital Ready program – a resource that gives you access to courses and expert-led workshops. After you’ve joined the program, you’ll have to complete five courses or virtual events before the grant deadline, alongside a grant application.

• Deadline: November 22

Learn more and apply here

2.  Small Business Hurricane Recovery Grant Program

• For: Small businesses impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton
• Grantor: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
• Amount: $5,000

The Small Business Hurricane Recovery Grant Program is an initiative that has recently been launched by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation and American Express in response to the destruction caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The reactionary grant program will be awarding $5,000 to 1,000 eligible businesses, from its $5 million kitty. The grant can be used for various purposes, including to cover rent, utilities, inventory, or payroll expenses.

To be in for a chance of receiving funding, your business needs to have 1-25 employees, be located in SBA disaster-declared countries affected by Hurricanes Helena and Milton, and have been unable to cover costs due to the weather events. However, with the deadline fast approaching you’ll have to act first to be in for a chance of success.

• Deadline: November 17

Learn more and apply here

3.  Gusto Impact Award

• For: Small businesses in Charlotte, Dallas/Forth Worth, Denver, Houston, and Miami
• Grantor: Gusto
• Amount: $10,000 in cash, and $40,000 in advertising

The Gusto Impact Awards is a funding initiative recently launched by the HR, benefits, and payroll provider Gusto. The unique scheme was designed to honor small businesses that want to make an impact in southern states.

What makes it stand out, is its focus on improving brand visibility through advertising. In addition to receiving $10,000 in funding, the lucky winner will receive $40,000 advertising package and a year of free Gusto payroll services – bringing its total value to over $5,000. The scheme is also reserving 30 $500 Visa gift cards for runner-ups.

To be eligible for the grant, your business must be located in the greater metropolitan areas of Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Houston, Texas; or Miami, Florida, have no more than 75 employees, and must have earned no more than $7 million in annual revenue in 2023.

• Deadline: November 20

Learn more and apply here

4.  Small Business Catalyst Grant Fund

• For: Small businesses in select cities
• Grantor: The Small Business Catalyst Fund
• Amount: $5,300

The Small Business Catalyst Fund is a grant program launched recently by the Fifth Third Bank, in partnership with the Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF). The scheme has put aside an impressive total of $7.85 million to support businesses across Fifth Third’s 11-state region, which includes:  Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

To be in with a chance of winning $5,300, you need to be based in one of the above states, have taken in less than $2 million between 2022 and 2023, and have been in operation on or before January 1, 2023.

• Deadline: November 24

Learn more and apply here

5.  Galaxy Grants

• For: Woman and minority entrepreneurs
• Grantor: Galaxy of Starts
• Amount: $2,750

Galaxy Grants is grant program provided by Galaxy of Starts, in partnership with Hidden Star (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit). The scheme was designed to support women and minority entrepreneurs by removing barriers to accessing capital. The program is eligible for established business owners, as well as entrepreneurs that are just starting out. Businesses of any industry are also welcome to apply.

If you’re interested in throwing your hat in the ring, you have until the end of the month to apply. It’s completely free to send off a proposal, and Galaxy of Starts has taken the headache out of the application process, by making it quick and easy for applicants to apply.

• Deadline: November 30

Learn more and apply here

How to Generate Convincing Grant Proposals Using AI

Business owners are required to wear many hats. So, if you don’t have the time to write proposals from scratch AI can be a helping hand – as long as you use it correctly, and not to create your application from start to finish.

If you’re interested in using AI to streamline the process, we recommend providing a chatbot with very clear and specific prompts. For example, if you’re not sure how to structure your grant proposal, you can enter information about the grant and your business, before asking what sections to include. Alternatively, if you’re struggling with how to word a specific section, you can input the relevant information, and use the chatbot’s response to inspire your own proposal.

Generally, we advise entering as much information as possible, to make results more targeted. And if you’ve sent out proposals you’re proud of in the past, you can also enter these examples into the chatbot to make its answers more accurate and relevant to your business.

A word of warning: while AI chatbots have come a long way in recent years, they’re still prone to errors and mistakes. So, while AI tools can be massive time savers, don’t rely on them too heavily when writing your grant proposal. Also, before firing off your application, triple-check it for errors, and make sure it still has a human touch.

Social media company X has reserved the use of its AI chatbot Grok to paying, premium customers since its launch in 2023, but it’s finally planning to roll out a free version. The catch? It’s only available to select users.

Specifically, while Grok Free is expected to be available to more regions soon, it’s currently only accepting sign-ups in New Zealand. The freemium tier will also be limited to handling 10 queries per two hours, and three image analysis questions per day.

If you’re interested in X’s unrestricted chatbot we cover everything you need to know about Grok’s free plan, including its features, limitations, and how it compares to complimentary versions offered by competitors like Gemini and ChatGPT.

X Is Testing a Free Version of its AI Chatbot Grok, In Select Locations

AI enthusiasts rejoice. X’s homegrown AI chatbot Grok is now available for free to select users, as part of an experiment to make use of the tool more widespread.

The chatbot, which gives users direct access to real-time information from X, was only previously available to X’s Premium subscribers. With paid users only representing 0.26% of X’s user base, the number of people currently benefiting from the chatbot is remarkably small – especially when compared to the millions of users currently using the free version of ChatGPT.

The news broke over the weekend after several app researchers and regular users posted about X rolling out a free version of Grok to users in limited locations. While the social media company has been noticeably secretive about which regions will have access to the freemium plan, X confirmed it was testing access in New Zealand, with more rollouts likely to follow in the coming months.

BREAKING: X is updating Grok’s logo and making it FREE-TO-USE for the people who don’t subscribe to X Premium! pic.twitter.com/sXZBgrbNX2

— Nima Owji (@nima_owji) November 10, 2024

X’s latest move comes only a few months after Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini were released for paid users, and is understood to be a tactic to encourage Premium sign-ups by boosting usage on the platform.

What Can Grok AI’s Free Plan Actually Do?

Grok aims to distinguish itself from the crowded chatbot market in three main ways. Firstly, it’s trained on real-time information from X, enabling users to access live user-generated content on current events and trending topics. The chatbot also has fewer guardrails than many of its competitors, and lets users vary its output by switching between ‘regular’ and ‘fun mode’.

Grok’s free plan will offer all of these capabilities, making it an exciting proposition for users interested in testing out these unique features without forking out $8 per month for X premium. Like Grok Premium, the free tier will also be able to analyze and generate AI images and assist with coding and content-based processes, enabling it to be used for a wide variety of purposes.

Grok Free does have limitations, however. Aside from being limited to select locations, to get started with the free tool users will have to have an X account that is at least a week old, with a phone number attached. The free plan is also capped at answering 10 questions every two hours and analyzing three images per day.

How Might Grok’s Free Plan Compare to Established Free AI Chatbots?

Grok’s free plan will likely become available in the US in the coming months. But with so many other popular AI chatbots offering free plans – is it even worth giving it a spin?

Unlike Grok’s free tier, ChatGPT and Gemini’s free plan have no question limits – meaning that you can use the chatbots to streamline processes and answer queries until the cows come home. If it is image generation you’re interested in, Grok’s three-image ceiling is more generous than DALL-E’s limit of two a day. However, compared to Gemini, which currently lets you create an unlimited number of images for free, Grok’s capability is pretty restricted.

If you’re in a silly goofy mood, Grok’s ‘fun mode’ shortcut might sound appealing. However, while ChatGPT has attracted a lot of flack for lacking a sense of humor, you’re able to modify the output of most popular chatbots by entering a few targeted prompts, so it doesn’t really help it stand out from the competition.

With Gemini still struggling to consistently incorporate recent information into its responses, Grok’s real-time access to X content will give it a leg up for people using AI to brush up on recent events and online discourse. Its lack of guardrails might also suit users who believe that popular chatbots have lost their potency through red tape.

This being said, with X’s unrestricted chatbot repeatedly landing itself in hot water for churning out fake AI images and spreading harmful misinformation, this could easily act as a deterrent for those concerned about AI’s ethical ramifications.

See how Grok compares to other leading tools in our guide to the best AI chatbots.