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Dating app maker and Tinder parent Match Group said during its Q2 earnings it will bring audio and video chat, including group live video, and other livestreaming technologies to several of the companys brands over the next 12 to 24 months. The developments will be powered by innovations from Hyperconnect, the social networking company that this year became Matchs biggest acquisition to date when it bought the Korean app maker for a sizable $1.73 billion.

Since then, Match Group has been relatively quiet about its specific plans for Hyperconnects tech or its longer-term strategy with the operation, although Tinder was briefly spotted testing a group video chat feature called Tinder Mixer earlier this summer. The move had seemed to signal some exploration of social discovery features in the wake of the Hyperconnect deal. However, Tinder told us at the time the company had no plans to bring that specific product to market in the year ahead.

On Tuesdays earnings, Match Group offered a little more insight into the future of Hyperconnect, following the acquisitions official close in mid-June.

According to Match Group CEO Shar Dubey, who stepped into the top job last January, the company is excited about the potential to integrate technologies Hyperconnect has developed into existing Match-owned dating apps.

This includes, she said, AR features, self-expression tools, conversational AI and a number of what we would consider metaverse elements, which have the element to transform the online meeting and getting-to-know-each-other process, Dubey explained, without offering further specific details about how the products would work or which apps would receive these enhancements.

Many of these technologies emerged from Hyperconnects lab, Hyper X the same in-house incubator whose first product is nowone of the companys flagship apps, Azar, which joined Match Group with the acquisition.

Dubey also noted that the work to begin these tech integrations was already underway at the company.

By year-end, Match Group said it expects to have at least two of its brands integrated with technologies from Hyperconnect. A number of other brands will implement Hyperconnect capabilities by year-end 2022.

In doing so, Match aims to transform what people think of when it comes to online dating.

To date, online dating has been a fairly static experience across the industry, where apps focus largely on profiles and photos, and then offer some sort of matching technique whether swipes or quizzes or something else. Tinder, in more recent years, began to break out of that mold as it innovated with an array of different experiences, like its choose-your-own-adventure in-app video series, Swipe Night, video profiles, instant chat features (via Tinders product, Hot Takes) and others. But it still lacked some of the real-time elements that people have when meeting one another in the real world.

This is an area where Match believes Hyperconnect can help to improve the online dating experience.

One of the holy grails for us in online dating has always been to bridge the disconnect that happens between people chatting online and then meeting someone in person, Dubey said. These technologies will eventually allow us to build experiences that will help people determine if they have that much elusive chemistry or not Our ultimate vision here is for people to never have to go on a bad first date again, she added.

Of course, Match Groups positioning of the Hyperconnect deal as being more interesting because the innovation it brings and not just the standalone apps it operates also comes at a time when those apps have not met the companys expectations on revenue.

In the second half the of 2021, Match Group said it expects Hyperconnect to contribute to $125 to $135 million in revenue a financial outlook that the company admits reflects some pullback. It attributed this largely to COVID impacts, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region where Hyperconnects apps operate. Other impacts to Hyperconnects growth included a more crowded marketplace and Apples changes to IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers), which has impacted a number of apps including other social networking apps, like Facebook.

While Match still believes Hyperconnect will post solid revenue growth in 2021, it said that these new technology integrations into the Match Group portfolio are now a higher priority for the company.

Match Group posted mixed earnings in Q1, with revenue of $707.8 million, above analyst estimates, but earnings per share of 46 cents, below projections of 49 cents a share. Paying customers grew 15% to 15 million, up from 13 million in the year-ago quarter. Shares declined by 7% on Wednesday morning, following the earnings announcement.

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Match Group to add audio and video chat, including group live video, to its dating app portfolio - TechCrunch

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Uganda and South Sudan is delighted to announce the 6th Edition of its flagship convening The Uganda Social Media Conference.

The conference which brings together key stakeholders from government, civil society, academia, and the media for an exchange on the state and impact of social media on society is set to be held virtually in August 2021 on 25th 26th, at Kampala Sheraton Hotel.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda, March 2020, Social Media has grown to become one of the major communication tools driving conversations about government policies, current affairs, activism, and interpersonal communication.

This was evidenced in January 2021 where the different platforms were major tools used for mobilization and campaigning in the General elections since they happened at a time when crowds couldnt gather physically due to Covid19.

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In reference to the growing influence of social media, the conference will provide a unique platform for theorizing, dialoguing, and engaging on how the growing relevance of social media shapes our social and political interactions and changes the way we access and process information.

With this conference, we aim to bring together academics, policy-makers, industry professionals, and civil society activists to discuss the role of social media in Africa and globally, mobile technology, big data, and digital innovation, said Anna Reismann KAS Country Director for Uganda.

The conference aims to promote the exchange of ideas, networking, and collaboration on the topics of citizen engagement, political campaigning, misinformation, political polarization, populism, e-government, smart cities, and other emerging topics, she added.

This years Social Media Conference will run under the theme Digital democracy in a Post Pandemic Era, highlighting how Social Media has facilitated citizen journalism, Elections in Africa, its impact on mental health among many other topics.

Also key among the topics that will be covered at the conference will be how to tackle the emerging digital threats including extremism, trafficking, and Radicalization, the Gig economy which is currently a major source of income for unemployed youths in urban centres, and the crisis of state surveillance, digital privacy, and data protection.

Internet shutdowns by African governments will also be a topic to be covered with a major focus on the recent occurrence in January during Ugandas General elections and internet restrictions in Tanzania, also during their general elections.

The conference will be hosted in a virtual format. Delegates will be required to sign up/register to attend online.

The event will also be broadcast live on KAS Ugandas social medias channels and partner televisions.

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How to attend the Uganda Social Media Conference 2021 Techjaja - Techjaja

In October, Ms. Lugrin posted a blog post announcing FYPM, which, she wrote, was birthed out of rage. Taking aim at influencer marketing platforms, she said most were really just another platform designed to help more business owners exploit influencer talent, but in a new innovative way!

After building a prototype of FYPM, she was accepted in March into a 10-week start-up incubator program in Taiwan led by Backend Capital, a venture capital firm. There she met her co-founder, Ms. Mehra, who was on the hunt for her next challenge.

I wanted to use technology for good, Ms. Mehra said. I saw FYPM as a perfect way to tackle pay inequality.

FYPM is already on the radar of brands. James Nord, chief executive and founder of Fohr, an influencer marketing company that has paid out over $65 million to creators in the past five years, said he supported Ms. Lugrins mission but hoped more nuance could be incorporated into the platform as it grew.

It can lead to some creators having false expectations of what their pay could be because they hear about one person who booked one job at one specific price, he said.

FYPM, which is still being tested, allows users to filter brand deals by platform such as Twitter, Clubhouse, Substack, Instagram and OnlyFans. Creators can also sort by location, niche and brand category, such as travel or food and drink.

So far, about 1,500 creators have posted more than 2,000 reviews of 1,300 brands on FYPM. Ms. Lugrin and Ms. Mehra have raised a small amount of funding and plan to do more fund-raising.

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The App With the Unprintable Name That Wants to Give Power to Creators - The New York Times

Its like using someone elses computer or using a computer that you either trust or own to connect to the internet on your behalf, said Mallory Knodel, chief technology officer at the Center for Democracy and Technology, noting VPNs are generally used by companies to keep internal business assets private when employees work remotely and as a way to get around content filters.

A diverse and large combination of existing VPN providers, newly created VPNs, and those already in use in Cuba could form a stealthy ecosystem and help sustain internet connections as some would be inevitably blocked.

It's unclear when the Biden administration will approve a VPN system strategy. A senior administration official told POLITICO they are discussing providing wireless LTE communications with private-sector providers and continue to explore various options, including stratospheric balloons. The official said the Departments of State, Commerce, Treasury and the Federal Communications Commission have been directed to develop the required rules, licenses and authorizations.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and one of several Cuban American leaders Biden met with last week, supports using VPNs.

Chairman Menendez believes this is one of the most effective ways for people on the island to access and share information outside of the regimes control and, as such, has been working through numerous channels to support those efforts, said Juan Pachn, spokesperson for Menendez.

The biggest obstacle is the Cuban regime's ability to shut down the internet island-wide or in specific regions anytime.

I think more help, bringing in more access to different VPNs [and] faster communication will be appreciated. But that won't solve the issue completely because the main problem is that, once the government turns off the internet, people have no access to the VPN servers so they can't use a VPN either, said Salvi Pascual, executive director of Apretaste!, a social networking app that expands internet capabilities, web services, and privacy for Cubans.

Even if the regime chose not to shut down service, there would likely be a cat-and-mouse game between Cuban internet authorities and VPN servers.

But because most of the internet traffic would be political, itd be easier for Cuban authorities to track their target, said Jon Callas, director of technology projects at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. With there being an economic embargo, there is no commercial traffic. So, it's all political traffic; so that's part of why it makes it easy for the Cuban government to shut these down.

In place since the 1960s, the U.S. embargo prevents most American companies from conducting business in Cuba.

According to the 2021 Inclusive Internet Index, a tool commissioned by Facebook and developed by The Economist Intelligence Unit that measures internet access and affordability across the globe, approximately 31 percent of Cuban households have internet access, ranking 83rd in availability of 120 countries.

Both Knodel and Callas said a VPN strategy could succeed in the short-term, with Knodel noting longer-term success would be dependent on Cubans being able to make informed choices about how they want to use the internet and what they want to use it for.

Pascual said that VPNs are far from foreign to Cubans.

People in Cuba are already using VPNs," said Pascual, who thinks the issue boils down to the American political will and building infrastructure on the island that the Cuban government does not control pitching construction of a cell tower on the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and suggesting the U.S. embassy share its Wi-Fi, which will be easy to spread all through Havana through the internal network.

It is hard but I think the main issue right now is political will, he said.

Callas said a VPN strategy is extraordinarily well-intentioned, but overly simplistic.

While a VPN essentially creates a network connection that no one can see the content of, they can still see that you're doing it and that would mean that the Cuban government could likely know what the start point and what the end point is of the VPN, he said, noting that the technology would work better when paired with political and economic strategies. Technical solutions for political and economic problems are always imperfect.

When working with Cubans, or others facing similar restrictions, who are unfamiliar with VPNs, its important to do trainings with them using trusted community outlets and refrain from politicizing the tool, said Dragana Kaurin, founder and executive director of Localization Lab, a global nonprofit that makes open source technology, including VPNs, accessible in underserved regions through collaboration with local developers and organizations.

When we frame technologies like this, as tools of democracy when we politicize technologies in this way, we, as developers of these tools, exclude the people who don't line up with the entire ideology, she said.

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Could VPNs help Cubans access the internet under the regimes nose? - POLITICO

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast Business today announced that Comcast Government Services has been awarded another multimillion-dollar contract by the United States Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) as part of the Agencys effort to replace legacy circuits across the country with Ethernet-based services to improve network performance and reduce overall telecommunications costs. The contract, covering DISAs Commercial Ethernet Gateway (CEG) Region 6, represents $76M for up to ten years. Comcast has now won five CEG regions for a total of more than $343M covering 35 states nationwide; the Company was awarded CEG Regions 4 and 5 earlier this month, Region 3 in June 2021 and Region 1 in March 2020.

DISA provides, operates, and assures information-sharing capabilities, command and control solutions and a global enterprise infrastructure to support the Department of Defenses more than 40 military services, combatant commands and support organizations worldwide, as well as national-level leadership, including the President, Vice President and Secretary of Defense. The Agency is amid a multi-phase initiative to replace 17,000 point-to-point public switched telephone (PSTN) circuits with Ethernet-based services across the continental U.S. to enhance connectivity, improve network performance and reduce overall telecommunications costs.

DISA CEG Region 6 covers sites in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Were committed to helping the Department of Defense further its vision of becoming the trusted provider to connect and protect the warfighter in cyberspace through its Commercial Ethernet Gateway initiative, said Ken Folderauer, Vice President, Government Sales, Comcast Business. We are thrilled to be recognized with our fifth CEG regional contract win in a row. DISA understands the critical importance of establishing an advanced underlying network infrastructure to enable seamless, secure, voice, video, and data services for its mission partners, and we look forward to continuing to build this relationship in the future.

Comcast Government Services will help DISA establish Commercial Ethernet Gateways by delivering Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL) service, providing a flexible Ethernet solution to meet the Agencys demands. Comcast Business EVPL service helps improve application performance across a network with a private, point-to-multipoint network design between multiple locations. EVPL offers the potential for performance improvements and managed cost as compared to legacy Wide Area Network (WAN) technologies such as T1 lines, Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), and private lines.

For more information, visit: https://business.comcast.com/enterprise/industry-solutions/federal-government.

About Comcast BusinessComcast Business offers a suite of Connectivity, Communications, Networking, Cybersecurity, Wireless, and Managed Solutions to help organizations of different sizes prepare for whats next. Powered by the nations largest Gig-speed broadband network, and backed by 24/7 customer support, Comcast Business is the nations largest cable provider to small and mid-size businesses and one of the leading service providers to the Enterprise market. Comcast Business has been consistently recognized by industry analysts and associations as a leader and innovator, and one of the fastest growing providers of Ethernet services.

For more information, call 866-429-3085. Follow on Twitter @ComcastBusiness and on other social media networks at http://business.comcast.com/social.

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Comcast Government Services Awarded Fifth Multimillion Dollar Contract in a Row From Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) - Business Wire